I had to look up “Dog Days” to be sure I was using the phrase correctly. I was. And although this next batch of patches is a bit “dark,” I feel it’s important to have this cloth reflect the reality that life has its ups and downs.
After everyone headed home, we spent a very quiet Fourth of July, noteworthy for spending quiet time reading Fair Play by new-to-me author Tove Jannson, who wrote …
empty spaces that must be respected —those often long periods when a person can’t see the pictures or find the words and needs to be left alone.”
and happily eating an abundance of homegrown tomatoes …
As I tried to appliqué a bit of rapidly fraying red linen to a scrap of black linen, I realized the back looked better than the front, so I went with that …
The next day Don tackled the lawn, which was thriving after an unusual amount of rain. Unfortunately, fire ants tend to show up after heavy rains, so no pictures but this is a graphic representation of one of Don’s ankles post-mowing …
Having liked Fair Play, the next day I moved on to Tove Jannson’s Summer Book, which is supposedly a novel, but which reads like memoir …
It felt very believable and took me back to a piece of my own writing, Shelter Island, 1969, that I’ve linked to before.
The following day included yet another book and a related doctor visit, about which the less said the better. The book, What Fresh Hell is This, was on my radar as a possible suggested read for my daughters, who are closer to 40 than 30. Although I am now well past menopause myself, in hindsight I wish I had been given more warning about what to expect in the lead up to it.
The title also dovetailed with the drumbeat of summer wildfires, our very real fresh hell …
Lastly (and I will say, the next batch of patches will be lighter, visually and metaphorically), there was yet another doctor visit. The previous week’s trip to the eye doctor had resulted in a referral to my retina doctor (trust me, you don’t want to ever need a retina doctor).
So Don drove me to Austin where, through the wonders of modern laser surgery, the small hole in my retina was welded shut …
Nuff said.
I'm Going to Texas (version 2.0) 
Nuff said but so glad that you did tell of your dog days because life has its good balance and its counterbalance; I so understand your dog days because I also have retinal issues although they seem to be abated somewhat for now…
Fire ants…I know the agony of multiple fire ant bites from living in Texas- painful burning bites.
And don’t get me started on the rite of passage known as menopause…surely I had the longest menopause in the history of womanhood. Mine began at 43 and ended at 54…my Dr told me that it was not unusual for my situation since I started my period at age 9 and the earlier you got your period, the longer your menopause could be…I wanted to dump the bottle of water that I was drinking to cool off at her when she relayed this bit of wisdom! My 50 yr old twin daughters are in the throe of this as I write this. We’ve had a lot of talks and they have a lot of information and it seems to be going easier for them than it did for me for which I am thankful.
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I was pretty sure you would recall Texas fire ants … unfortunately
and retinal issues … how they can resolve, but there’s always the awareness to be on guard, to prevent any further problems by heading them off early
as for peri-menopause, I guess that’s what I’m trying to do for my daughters: to raise their awareness early the better to avoid the worst of it
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Liz~ So much here…makes me think “the good, the bad & the ugly”! That Tove quote is excellent and the tomatoes!!! Oh my gosh such shiny goodness. Your Shelter Island writing (which I think I may have read before) paints a wonderful picture of a very special time and place. Have you considered writing more essays like this for your grandchildren? Between your gifted storytelling in writing, photos and cloth, you are sure creating a lovely legacy!
Fire ants and Fires = Ugh, Yuc and Darn! If that was my ankle you would have had to add thick & puffy batting! Hope he’s feeling better.
I had this book (older version) back in the day. It was helpful, but I could have read, learned in a deeper way…but that’s me, just not doing it.
Last, as for your eyes…ah, a retina doctor. Yep. I’m grateful that the laser surgery worked for you. It’s funny to me that they used the same technique to ADD holes to drain my ‘narrow angles’ (both eyes). Quite painless, yes? So glad you can get the health care you need.
Very last, I for one read anything you choose to share. Lighter is only part of life.
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Yikes! Didn’t know it would put a giant picture here! Sorry.
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no worries … looks fine to me 😊
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Totally agree with Nancy about the legacy that you have created. Reading Shelter Island 1969 was such a joy…your writing just places us there with you and your memories. Your sentences are so unique as in, ” And so she became accustomed to using lard, with its earthy animal essence, smelling like wet puppy on a rainy day. ”
Here are more standout sentences:
“We entered the back door to the scent of baking bread, heavy with the promise of lunch. ”
“…drew the pie crust together, rolled it thin and draped it like elegant linen into each pie tin”
“The loaf tins she returned straightaway to the cabinet, the mahogany veneer of baked-on grease undisturbed by soap and water.”
“The smell of butter browning flour-dredged fish, thick slabs of tomato, tender crisp asparagus. And better, apples reduced to a thick sauce encased in a crust that shattered in the mouth, releasing salt and sweet bathed in the rich earthiness of pork fat. ”
Descriptive, savory writing that so makes me want to read more. I do hope that you will continue to share more of your writing Liz…as if you don’t beautifully share enough of your creativity with us! The thing is, because you do and because it enchants and resonates, I simply want more!
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thank you Marti … I’m very proud of that bit of writing, which came out of my time at the Eastern Virginia Writing Project …
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“lighter is only part of life” … indeed, sometimes the dark needs to be present the better to appreciate the light
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Tove Jannson is a favorite author of mine… love the Moomintroll books (especially the Fillyjonk who believed in disasters) and the Summer Book. I hope that the eye surgery does the trick for you and you have much ease and many beautiful views ahead.
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After reading her recent essays, I’m wanting to read more
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Reading what you shared of Tove Jannson made me add her to my reading list. I’m always on the lookout for good writers and writing…and given your lovey prose Liz, I trust anyone you recommend will be good.
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you are so kind to say that … I have long thought that what I write is very much a product of what I have read over the years
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HI LA – well never boring is it – so many things in life. Tomatoes good, fire ants bad repaired eye good. Stay well. B
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sometimes boring is good … ha!
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I love the back of that red tomato- brilliant! The fire ants – my ankles look like that often but because pretty much anything that bites or stings I seem to attract them; and the books sound great. What fresh hell – we ALL need to talk about menopause more!!! But so sorry for the wildfires…I marvel at what modern wonders exist for eye repair – my brain explodes thinking about it really, but I am ever grateful it exists and benefits so many. Go well.
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I was tempted to keep expanding the red tomato, but decided not to ruin a good thing … for sure I’ll be looking to do some more back-is-front work in the future … and lasers are pretty amazing, hard to wrap my mind around how they work, but I too am glad they do
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love these abstractions!
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for sure some things are better documented abstractly …
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Ahh, Tove Jansson, I do love her writing. I read the Summer Book a while ago, it was a gift, and I passed it on to someone. Your blogpost made me want to read it again because I feel that I’m going through such similar experiences as the grandmother with the grand daughter this summer!
And your project, with the dots speaking in code – is wonderful xo
Carry on xo
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I have been a grandparent for 17 years, one quarter of my life … how wondrous it is that I can recall the 17 years at the beginning of my life spent with my own grandmothers … a comfort really
and I love that you picked up on the dots … they’re such an iconic form so I guess it’s no surprise that they keep coming up in this project
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Wow. Your Shelter Island story is tight, rhythmic, and evocative. It was so sensual and described on such a granular level, I felt like I was right there with you — watching the mysterious methods of measuring, smelling the yeast in the morning, listening to the knife blades whine during sharpening. Part of what makes this memoir fragment so special, too, is that it describes a disappearing age populated by people with skills and gardens and thrift that are dying out.
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thanks Dee … this means a lot to me
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I had to come back to add that your writing is every bit as good as any memoir I’ve seen in print, published.
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