BROKEN WINDOWSChicago. New Orleans. Mexico. And now, Afghanistan.The healing dirt of Chimayo- December 13, 2005 The view from the plane. The healing dirt of Chimayo. Palm-sized wooden chapels wiith sliding tops specifically to hold a scoopful of holy dirt are for sale in the gift shop. The chapel was privately owned until the 1920s when a group of residents bought the chapel and gave it to the archdiocese. Besides the dirt-chapels, the gift shop has the usual archdiocese fare: plastic rosaries meant to look like gems, cherub-faced figurines, clear plastic holy water squirt bottles, empty. A wall of..http://blogs.salon.com/0002967/2005/12/13.html#a561 New Mexico- December 13, 2005 I've been in New Mexico since Saturday but it's only now that I have found time to write. The first two days I spent in Albuquerque with my step-nephew (he's only four years younger than me so we call each other "cousins") and his wife at their new house on New Mexico's last golf course on the outskirts of the largest suburb of this state's largest city. It's outrageous, really, that there are golf courses in New Mexico. But then there are so many outrages. Saturday night we went to see the...http://blogs.salon.com/0002967/2005/12/13.html#a560 Soon, soon, soon- December 9, 2005 I keep telling myself, "tomorrow I'll be able to write," and then tomorrow comes and my waking hours are consumed, again, by this sort of incredible ceiling project I've taken on. Right now I'm sitting in the living room, closed off from the rest of the house with two sheets of plastic taped to the perimeter of the large opening that leads into the kitchen and dining area. Above me the dog drags her bone, still horribly loud because the living room is a whole other project. In the bedroom, the..http://blogs.salon.com/0002967/2005/12/09.html#a559 A Saturday morning must read- December 3, 2005 If you read nothing else today, read Patrick McDonnell's piece in the LA Times magazine. Be warned, though. It's absolutely heartbreaking. We've already lost the war because it's not winnable. When will Bush notice And how many more will have to die before he doeshttp://blogs.salon.com/0002967/2005/12/03.html#a558 How Sound Travels- December 2, 2005 I'm sleeping better now that I'm in our basement, and perhaps it's the snow that gently drapes across the city now that helps too. I have our house to myself for a few days while we wait for the insulation to come in (we're using recycled denim insulation from Arizona), a welcome break from the last few days of constant ceiling activity. The contractors are great (how many people have ever said that) but it's still hard to have people who need attention in the house day after day. S and I have.http://blogs.salon.com/0002967/2005/12/01.html#a557 |