This time last year Elise and I were bellied up to a bar (remember those?) in Montana, talking about what childless dog-owning couples generally talk about: our pet. We’d owned Kit — or had she owned us? — for a year and change at that point, and we’d taught her the basics: to sit, to […]
Month: January 2021
An explosive inflammatory response called a cytokine storm damages the blood-brain barrier. This may allow inflammatory cells and molecules—and possibly viral particles—to enter the brain. Patients may develop seizures, confusion, coma or encephalopathy (a brain abnormality that leads to altered mental states or behaviors). (Here.) Back in April, as the pandemic was just revving up, […]
The petal business started years ago, when I was shaking off the petals of an over-blown peony and some little kid ran under them and got petals all over and reacted like Christmas morning, surprise and crazy joy. Kids seem to love showers of petals. The current batch of neighborhood kids also likes just the […]
Given the choice, I wouldn’t be a bear, though it’s tempting to skip this dark season and live off my fat. Far below the metabolic plane of sleep, my body would be as cold as death to the touch. Parts of the brain that dart about in REM sleep are turned off, brain functions reduced […]
This post originally appeared on October 5, 2020. It felt especially prescient as this clusterfuck of a year ends. May we all untangle the knots of ourselves and find ways to rise into a new and better 2021.