happy field notes

a maze of underground corridors beneath the modern town of El Bawiti, Egypt · embracing your children, stroking their hair, cradling them in your arms · Adirondack yellow birch · entering your dog in a show-and-place · people who look good in miniskirts · making soups — bubbling softly, warming the house with delicious aromas and comforting your tummy on chilly nights · hot turkey sandwich for lunch · no guinea fowl along your walking trail · circumnavigating by travel guidebook ·  Jack Frost and his magic paint pot · insects breathing through spiracles — holes in the abdomens · braised beef stew · a nightdress below the knees for curling discreetly on couches · cockamamie ideas · when you’ve just dropped your kids off at camp · microscopic creatures · a polished hardwood stage · making a curve ball curve · an old-fashioned milk strainer for a farmer · “As long as we have someone to share our dreams, there’s nothing we can’t do, nothing we can’t be” · layered flaky pastry · charcoal-gray mirrors · exploring the mind · a mysterious intelligent presence · cardinals, field sparrows, and juncos searching for seeds · kids sailing paper sailboats in the bathroom sink · plunging both hands into life up to the elbows · refusing to be labeled · graduation photos · illustrating your data