Fly catchers are distinctive birds. When these grey and black feathered creatures land on a branch or the back of a chair, they often are a picture of stillness – except for their tails, which flick up and down. This year a couple of fly catchers...
I woke up the morning following the cataract surgery for my right eye and was shocked to discover how blue my world was. I wasn’t feeling blue – I was suddenly seeing it. Even though the eye itself was still slightly dilated and blurry, color...
Affection is even sweeter when it comes unbidden. Occasionally, when we are fully engaged in a project, Baby will jump onto the desk and simply step down onto one of our laps. Or she’ll extend herself in a cat-stretch, paws upon our knees, an invitation...
I'm a big fan of to-do lists; I love productivity apps and getting things done. Over the years I've used and played with many kinds of products in this genre, from the old fashioned paper and pen to software on my computer and apps on...
Last March, when I got the announcement that schools were closing in New York and we were switching to a remote learning model, I called my friend Heike, a fellow artist and educator who lives in Cologne, Germany. I remember feeling such a sense of...
I was answering emails as Baby prowled my desk, chirring softly from time-to-time. She was restless and unsure where to settle. I picked her up, but she was not inclined to stay, jumping down immediately. So, I returned to going through my inbox. Then I read...
It’s hard to believe that it has been more than three years since I got the call from my wife Holly who was on the West Coast visiting her mother. She telephoned from the emergency room to let me know that she had gone blind...
I was laying on the bed reading a book, Baby stretched out beside me, when suddenly she began to twitch and shiver – dreamtime. “What do cats dream of?” I wondered as I placed my hand gently on her belly. Was she reliving catching that moth...
More information / Purchase this book I was four when my father made the moon. It was late and we were playing catch. The 7:20 train had arrived in Far Rockaway that August evening and my father had caught a ride from the station with Mr....
I wonder if this is how my mother felt. Of course, Baby is not a child, but when I hear Shya interact with her, I smile. My mom always seemed inordinately pleased that I was “daddy’s girl.” When he’d come home from work, she would encourage...