a literary repast in your busy day
A Daily Demitasse of Prose —
quotes from what I’ve reading lately…
When I woke up on the fourth day
I felt only a little weak,
a little washed out,
but glorious and high, that sanguine,
comfortable feeling one gets after
performing some great physical feat.
I had swum the Channel.
I had climbed Mount Eiger.
I sat up,
listening for the sounds of my
mother’s footsteps, the clicking
of the dog’s nails on the tiled floor.
A tree obscured my window,
shattering the light into patches
on the dirty glass.
I didn’t understand how I could have
overlooked the sheer joy of
these things for so long,
how the intricate message of their
simplicity had escaped me until
just this moment.
– from Autobiography of a Face
by Lucy Grealy
Here’s a brand-new post you might enjoy—
Marvelous Mae
About American actor & writer Mae West.
A Slice of Cake
to celebrate September Birthdays…
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Birthdays in September include
3 poets, 2 authors,
1 pianist/composer,
and 1 naturalist who wrote about
the American Southwest…
My Incomplete Index of sky-t-tray—
a peek into the recipe book…
to sky-t-tray
Heirloom Blends —
my very first post + anniversaries…
My first post was about my mom…
and the man she did not marry
January 6, 2019
7 years of sky-t-tray!
Seven Years
January 6, 2026
the man she did marry.
Momisms
January 7, 2020
The Question Tin —
a dessert box of assorted ponderables…
Question Selection #59
Do you have a memento from a
grandparent or great-grandparent?
(If you’d like to share your answer,
you can use the reply box below!)
It’s always fun to hear your feedback.
And thank you for reading!!
Set Pieces:
#43 – What kind of art can you escape into?
Music. Always, music.
Late night, when the whole wide household is fast asleep. My escape comes in the form of research, deep dives. I love following a song. Backtracking. Allowing a brief separate search when I read a new to me name or phrase. I’ll make detailed notes before returning to my original research.
When my interest is perked, I’ll dig up a song or artists history until I’m satisfied I could do a Ted Talk on it by morning.
Hey, speaking of deep dives, thanks for finding – and answering! – the Question Tin.
I love music, too. In fact I fell down a rabbit hole just now researching who wrote the song you quoted (‘when the whole wide world is fast asleep.’) Did you know that ‘In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning,’ has lyrics by Bob Hilliard. Then I had to see what else Hilliard wrote. Then I had to listen to a video of barely-out-of-his-teens Sam Cooke singing ‘Any Day Now.’ Jordan! It’s contagious!
Can’t wait to hear your TED talk.
xo – Aunt Kelly
Haiku Corner — Wild Animals of Covid
—————————————–
Salt Lake City, Spring
I.
Low-murmuring quail
Cry of distant birds at dawn
First light on koi pond
II.
Bridge over wild stream
Meandering, chatting us
Ducklings in first swim
—————————-
Sea Ranch, Summer
III.
White-bark pine lit gold
Grey fox skirting twilight edge
Dusk takes the back porch
— Patricia
Thank you so much for these, Patricia! xox
My personal favorite momentos from my grandfather—the man I lived with for a few years while in college:
1. He called his longterm girlfriend, Linda, every night before bed. One night I overheard him say this: “Terra was on a conference call and so I made her muffins. I’m just a busy little housewife.”
2. I asked him, “Grandpa, do you have a favorite child?”
His reply: “No, I hate all of them.”
3. Grandpa pointed at the rose bushes in the backyard that he cultivated himself. He asked me, “Aren’t they pretty this time of the year?”
They were beautiful, indeed.
Then, “You’re going home tomorrow right?”
I was.
“You should take one to your mom.”
<3 Terra