Watch Your Language

Here are the preferred American spellings:

judgment
acknowledgment
abridgment

You sometimes see them spelled with an interpolated 'e': judgement, acknowledgement and abridgement. That's an outdated Britishism. We don't use it anymore.

Listening and Breathing from Cold Storage

My grandfather Pop... Old Spice aftershave and cigarettes, the striking of kitchen matches against the bottom of his shoe or the side seam of his jeans. Gas pilot lights. Campho-Phenique. Fresh dirt. Geranium leaves.

My grandmother Frannie... bacon, cabbage, old wood (piano? kitchen cabinets? dining table?). Her mother's house of cedar. Skin-So-Soft. The clink of the lid of a blue ceramic cookie jar kept on a child-high, open shelf. Helpless giggling.

Distant grandfather, Austin... soap, denture powder, starch; his son... beer, salt, shouting, guitar strumming, small crowds of musicians in the living room. Austin's wife... Coty face powder and worn shoes. "Hey, Good-Looking, whatcha got cookin'?" over and over. Dust.

My dad... the cold outdoors, livestock manure, Sea Breeze, snoring, Christmas crack-of-dawn "I'm up! Everybody else has to be up too!"

My mom... Humming. Harmonies. Exotic blend of perfume, smoke, Merle Norman cosmetics, Folger's, yeast breads. Paper (books? graded student work?). Roast beef cooking. Tide detergent. Lemon Pledge. Nylons swishing. The thump-click of a purse latch. A metallic undernote in her jewelry box.

Everywhere, always, music, laughter.

Checking In

An anonymous commenter has sort of requested more frequent posting, which is lovely, to think one is missed, so I am checking in, but this perhaps isn't what the commenter meant.

Max and Ariel enjoyed their 10 or so days in the far reaches of northern New Mexico at the Rainbow Gathering 2009. They're in Albuquerque now, headed for relatives at points south.

I will come back to PH. I will. Lots going on. ~ xol

Traveling Mercies

After care and feeding from the generous Pedrotty-White family in Albuquerque (thank you!), Ariel and Max hit the road again Thursday noon for the last 70 miles to Cuba, N.M., for the Rainbow gathering July 1-7. (Click here for more about the event and here for photo galleries.) Margaret said they got a ride as soon as they popped up their thumbs. There's next to no cell phone service in the wilderness, but we assume they arrived Thursday afternoon.


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Ariel and Max and Sam
(Shoephone photo by Margaret)