mulched \’mulchd\ adj : having, bearing, or esp. being covered by mulch [fr. Emma Grace] (2005) Example: Are you dirty, Emma Grace? (This, because she is already on Outfit Number Two) Well, I’m a little bit wet, and my clothes are mulched. I check, and behold! The mulched clothing. Outfit Number Three. Author humbly requests … More A New Adjective

I am reading The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe to the children, and no, it’s not because the movie is coming out in December. I’m reading it to them because it’s a wonderful story, and I loved hearing it as a child and hope they will/are, too. And also because the movie is coming … More Aslan is on the Move

I finished reading another book today: Arthur Golden’s Memoirs of a Geisha. It is a beautiful book, if one can say such a thing about a story that details the objectifying and abuse of women. I lived in Japan for two years as a child, and so knew about geisha long before reading this book. … More Memoirs of a Geisha

I am writing a book. No, not here, though I know my entries are Entirely Too Long and have the appearance of a novella. No, I am writing a book Elsewhere, in my spare time. Why is that hard for me to say? I don’t know, but it always is. It is hard for me … More Writing Day

I got my first cardio-vascular exercise in– has it been?– nine weeks today: I swam ten laps at the pool. That’s almost a third of a mile. Not bad, huh? I did it Slowly. I didn’t do it Well. But I did it. I had actually done about half that on Saturday, and it wasn’t … More Glory!

Everett has learned– really and truly– to ride his bike. He began riding it without training wheels a year ago, but has always felt Very Nervous about it, only riding in the most absolutely level of circumstances. Just before The Big Drop, we went on a long ride on the Tobacco Trail, and he was … More Bikes and Chicks

It rained this afternoon, after threatening us with opaque skies all day. The rain finally came at about three o’clock, and the boys came in from bike riding, and Emma Grace put on her bathing suit to go out in it. It hadn’t stopped at four, when we’d planned to go to the pool, and … More The Rain

My dear Beth gave me a new blog address today, that of Lauren Winner, an author we’ve enjoyed reading and, incidentally, have also met once. I went to Lauren Winner’s blog (www.laurenwinner.net/blog), and began to read. And after I had read a few postings, I read a few comments, and then read the postings of … More All Wrong

Okay. So last night we’re sitting around the coffee table playing Scene It with Linda and Ray, who was visiting for the weekend. The children were tucked in; it was well after nine. Maybe after ten. And the phone rings. There are only a handful of people who call at that hour: my parents (maybe), … More Hello Hello

Boys make messes, yes? That’s what is traditionally assumed of them. Think about it. Which is worse– or messier, I should say? Snips, snails and puppy-dog tails, or sugar, spice and everything nice? Never mind. Both of those could go Wrong. And what is a snip, anyway? But let me just say that I’ve always … More Messy