Monthly Archives: September 2013

Scuppernongs

Posted on September 30, 2013 by jyourist

I was surprised while shopping last weekend to find scuppernongs at Whole Foods. While reading To Kill A Mockingbird every spring at school, the students always ask what a scuppernong is. Harper Lee uses the term at least three times. I … Continue reading →

Posted in fruit, literature | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

A lot better than shredding

Posted on September 29, 2013 by jyourist

My mother requested we burn all the bills and other personal papers that she and her second husband saved for the duration of their marriage (over 34 years). Actually, it may have been the burning of the bills Part I, … Continue reading →

Posted in catharsis, family, finances | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Requiem for a squirrel

Posted on September 28, 2013 by jyourist

The front garden was a mess. One of the peonies I had replanted was dug up, the carefully curving path of pea gravel distorted with lots of dirt and debris, and a dead squirrel pushed under a log. It looked … Continue reading →

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Acing our first serve

Posted on September 27, 2013 by jyourist

The other night, JB and I were munching on some fruit on the back porch when we saw a raccoon stretching himself on one of our compost containers in the backyard. When we stood to get a better view, we … Continue reading →

Posted in animals, garden, nature | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Eisenhower’s finest moment

Posted on September 25, 2013 by jyourist

56 years ago today, the Little Rock Nine entered Central High School for their first full day of school accompanied by the 101st Airborne, sent by President Eisenhower to protect them and keep them safe. The governor of Arkansas, Governor … Continue reading →

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“Mediterranean” by Rosanna Warren

Posted on September 23, 2013 by jyourist

—when she disappeared on the path ahead of me I leaned against a twisted oak, all I saw was evening light where xxxxxxxxxxxx she had been: gold dust light, where a moment before and thirty-eight years before that my substantial … Continue reading →

Posted in death, poetry | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Not a cloud in the sky…

Posted on September 23, 2013 by jyourist

…really.

Posted in nature, photography | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

The gift of cadaver bone

Posted on September 22, 2013 by jyourist

I’m getting an implant for my front tooth, but this is a long process and may take as long as a year to complete. Last Friday I had what was left of my front tooth pulled. Then the dentist needed … Continue reading →

Posted in health | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Twin replantings

Posted on September 21, 2013 by jyourist

On this equinox, I divided and replanted the peony that was first planted over 86 years ago when my mother and her twin were born. Since I first planted them in the front yard about a dozen years ago, the … Continue reading →

Posted in flowers, twins | Tagged , | 1 Comment

More open at Open House

Posted on September 20, 2013 by jyourist

Last night was Open House, the time parents come to school, visiting all their child’s classes and teachers. I used to get all nervous about it, but for the last several years I have been increasingly laid back. Sometimes these … Continue reading →

Posted in school, Teaching | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment