EVIDENCE

Friday the thirteenth

nobody@vox.com(Janet) — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 09:56:29 -0700

Well, I guess it's only fitting that the power was out here for about 16 hours, overnight and into this morning. And, hopefully that is the worst thing that Friday the 13th will bring. I read by candlelight for awhile when I got home last night, but with the windows open there was just enough of a breeze to keep the candle flickering. And I learned that reading by flickering candlelight can cause a nasty headache. Or maybe that was from not eating dinner. Unless you call a half pound of potato chips dinner.

In other news, I heard the crickets for the first time this year about a week ago. And night before last I saw the first fireflies of the summer. As usual, they came en masse. They're good that way. No solo emissary to test the waters, just all at once, come what may. Bearing dozens of childhood memories in their throbbing little lights.

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May Day

nobody@vox.com(Janet) — Thu, 01 May 2008 10:43:37 -0700

I may be a little late with the Easter photos, but for family far away, here they are:

Andrew, Melissa & Jonathan

Jonathan, Andrew & Averi

Aren't they cute?

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Mikhail & Merce

nobody@vox.com(Janet) — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 08:32:37 -0700

There is an amazing slide show of Mikhail Baryshnikov's photos of Merce Cunningham's work in the Sunday Times.

http://www.nytimes.com/packages/html/arts/20080323_MERCE_FEATURE/index.html

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QotD: Good Catch!

nobody@vox.com(Janet) — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 19:28:32 -0700

Do you have a particular "catch phrase" for which you are known?
Submitted by Emu with a Clue.

My father had a platitude for every occasion, it sometimes seemed. One of his favorites (especially when it came to me...) was "The road to hell is paved with good intentions." Which seems to me like a no-win situation if you think about what that really means.

I prefer the much less judgemental, though ambiguous, "Interesting..." It can fit any number of occasions, although sometimes one is forced to declare something as strong as "It takes one to know one." Oh. Yeah.

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The Five Little Sommer Kids All Grown Up

nobody@vox.com(Janet) — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 09:09:04 -0700

Scary. But recently we had a really rare opportunity for the five of us to be in the same place at the same time. Here is proof:

5 of us

From left to right: Joe, Janet, Dick, Joyce and John.

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QotD: The Roof is on Fire

nobody@vox.com(Janet) — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 08:32:26 -0700

What one object/thing would you take if your house were on fire?

My negatives. My thousands of freaking negatives which basically document much of the jazz scene in NY during the

'90's and a lot of New York from the late '80's to the early 2000's, as well as my family since I came back here in '04.

And my turtle, Porgy. But I could just stick him in my pocket for the duration, 'cause he's a lil thing.

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Grace June

nobody@vox.com(Janet) — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 09:41:10 -0700

Forty one years ago today my mother died. March 12, 1967. She was forty-five. I was nine. Not a day goes by that I don't think of her for one reason or another. Today I can't help but think of the fact that I am five years older now than she was when she died. I know that my brothers and sister think of her as well, and that this date is remembered by them too. She was the sun that warmed us. And I can't help thinking that, had she lived a while longer, my life might have been different in a million little ways.

Our relationships with the dead continue to change over years, I've come to believe. At different stages of life we begin to understand things that we couldn't possibly have before we had certain experiences or knowledge of certain things. We forgive, we accept, we grow. But we do not forget. The memories can be cherished without being idealized.

Sisters- Mom, Dorty, Lois, Joan

Grace June graduates

Me, Mom and Joyce (left to right)

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SNOW DAY!

nobody@vox.com(Janet) — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 11:17:00 -0800

Snow Laden Pine Trees

For anyone who was fooled by that 70 degree day we had earlier this week in central Ohio, guess what? 8 to 12 inches is expected by tomorrow, with a possibility for more. The Cafe was closing early, so I have a snow day!

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Vox Hunt: This Sets Me Apart...

nobody@vox.com(Janet) — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 10:56:10 -0800

Show us what sets you apart from the next person.

Confused Mind

Shine of heart.

LIFE

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Reading Rambles...

nobody@vox.com(Janet) — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 17:22:32 -0800

I feel as though all I did in February is sleep, read, and work. And eat. Mostly I wanted to sleep. I did manage to finish several good books, including the Oscar Wilde bio. From there I went on to a William Styron bio, two Jeffrey Deaver "Lincoln Rhyme" books, and Linda Fairstein's "Death Dance." Not to mention the dozen or so other novels and/or mysteries that aren't necessarily part of a series or a regular author that I read.

I have also gotten about a third of the way through Taylor Branch's "Pillar of Fire," the follow-up to "Parting the Waters," which won the Pulitzer. Subtitled "America in the King Years, 1963-65," this book is a history of the Civil Rights era which was actually a very memorable part of my childhood. I remember sitting with my mother in front of the television, watching the news of marches and beatings and bombings, fires and firehoses, lines of police in riot gear confronting masses of peaceful protesters. My mother was deeply affected by all of it, which I suppose affected me as much as the terrifying images, and since she was to die within a few years, that whole time is carved into my spirit in the way that scars will sometimes release some of the pain that originally caused them, years after the fact. I'm not even sure that will make sense to most people, but I know what I mean. In any event, I am learning more than I bargained for about that period, the change makers, and people that I previously admired, who end up seeming not quite so admirable. Meaning the Kennedy administration, not King.

Daylight Savings Time will soon be upon us, and Spring perhaps not so long after. I am ready to let go of Winter.

Pillar of Fire : America in the King Years 1963-65 (America in the King Years)

Taylor Branch

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