The Quiet

Lucy Sleeping

My washing machine is loud. I think, maybe, she’s grown louder over the years as she turns and chugs and does her thankless job. Perhaps she’s complaining a bit about the endless work of cleaning stains, of rinsing detergent. I’ve gotten louder, too, as I’ve aged. I huff and puff when I walk, my ankles […]

Pack Animals

The Kids

My kids often remind me of the hyenas in “The Lion King.” The maniacal laughter, the irreverence, the bad jokes, the drooling, the food scavenging, the mange. One minute, they’re in sync and united to take down their common enemy (usually Chris or me), and the next, they’ve turned on each other, teeth bared, hackles […]