Last month we went to Paris for passports, armed with a thick, triple-checked dossier and many backpacks full of the endless items needed for the care and keeping of two little kids. We knew it wouldn’t be easy. I wasn’t expecting a flâneur’s thoughtful weekend or a romantic getaway. But I dared to hope we could manage a little fun in addition to our American … Continue reading les enfants terribles: a hasty tour of paris with children
Hello from the other side. We’ve had a difficult couple of months. Just before Christmas, Silas stopped sleeping, Clara debuted her version of the terrible twos, and I spent my rare free time just staring at the wall and breathing, maybe drinking an anti-stress tea or finally getting to the bottom of my thrice-microwaved morning coffee. The kids’ reliable afternoon naps–so appreciated–vaporized out of existence. … Continue reading jaundiced january, or, my comfort in my affliction
We’ve been blessed lately by a spate of sunny days that make it hard to remember what I was complaining about a month ago. (There’s a lesson in there somewhere.) Things are changing color, trees display their first tentative buds. The days quietly stretch out, waking from winter slumber. The world feels full of possibilities, hope, renewal. The city might burst into song like a … Continue reading life lately:inching towards spring
This is something I’ve learned: like getting dressed in the morning, like putting on mascara for another day spent indoors, doing the dishes is an act of hope. Continue reading the joy of quarantine cooking
In France, we’ve been observing le confinement for over five weeks. The first few days felt pre-apocalyptic in their uncertainty, with raided stores and raging rumors. We added a few bags of potatoes and the ubiquitous dried beans to our already well-stocked pantry. Uneasy, we wondered if we needed more–crates of bottled water, a tank full of gas. The whiff of survivalism seems silly now. Those … Continue reading balcony, equality, fraternity
Croissants & Conjugations 