Ann Leary, author of The Good House
Author of The Good House
“With the landless gull, that at sunset folds her wings and is rocked to sleep between billows; so at nightfall, the Nantucketer, out of sight of land, furls his sails, and lays him to rest, while under his very pillow rush herds of walruses and whales.”
Moby Dick, Herman Melville
Whenever I damage something – say I break a shoelace or burn a piece of toast at my sister Meg’s house, she will gasp as if she has been struck, then, squaring her shoulders and jutting her chin out bravely she’ll say, “Well (deep breaths, blinking back tears) We just can’t have nice things.” I do the same thing when she’s visiting me and manages to knock a book off the shelf or leave a smudge on the refrigerator. This invariably causes us to laugh until we cry. Every time.
Denis and I were in a very charming antique shop the other day and came across this interesting relic:
Does anybody know what it is?
We tried to guess and I think the shop owner was quite mortified by some of our more sordid ideas but finally she told us the purpose of this antique device. If you are the first to guess it correctly, we’ll send you an autographed book of your choosing. Well, not any book of your choosing, it has to be written by one of us. By me or Denis. The heat is getting to me, I’m finding it really hard to explain the rules of this very simple contest. Is it clear? If you can guess what the thingamajiggy is, you get one of our books. If you want one. You don’t have to have one, of course.
What are you all doing on Monday, July 25th? If you’re in New York City, might I suggest that you come to the 92nd Street Y/Tribeca at 7:00 PM? Why the Y? Because I will be “performing,” on a stage, in the latest installment of SMITH Magazine’s wildly successful series of Six-Word Memoir events.
I may be biased, but I rather like this movie trailer. In fact, I love it, it’s insanely cool. And when it’s in theaters, it’ll be in 3D. Must watch it again.
“Yes, as everyone knows, meditation and water are wedded for ever.” Herman Melville, Moby Dick
Blue
Green
Red, Orange, Yellow, Purple, White, Grey....
Shells
Bed-desk WIth a View
We’re in Nantucket, at the same summer rental that we love, not only because it’s old and charming and has beautiful views, but it’s a place where we spend a lot of time with the kids and their friends. This summer, both kids and husband have been working hard and I’ve had a couple of writing projects, not to mention working on finishing touches of eyesore:
So it’s nice to have a place to just kick back and relax. No we’re not worried about announcing that we’re on vacation, because we have a good security system at home and scary guests staying at lake. Just, they’re scary, that’s all you need to know.
The Simon Foundation is having a big adoption event this weekend at their amazing facility in Bloomfield, CT. I’ve blogged in the past about how impressed I am with this organization. They don’t just take in at-risk animals from shelters around the state, they work with them and make them more adoptable by attending to their health needs, grooming and having each dog work regularly with a trainer. Their director, Stephanie Fergusen, is very careful about who the animals are adopted out to, because she wants to find the best possible homes for these dogs and cats, many of whom have had such sad histories.
I’ve been staying at the eyesore, getting lots of work done. We still have no internet or television, so I’ve been just enjoying the view. Last evening we had a big storm, and then, just before the sun finally set, it decided to make a sort of command performance. An unexpected encore after a very impressive day. Everything shone; the lake was shimmering and mist rose like gusts of smoke from the hills beyond. It was really something.
And now:
Things I Have Learned While Away From the Internet and Television:
