Author Archives: janishaag

Doorbell rings while I’m still in robeand slippers, working throughthe in-box’s overnight accumulations. Sighing, I rise and pad to the front doorto find a chipper, orange-vestedyoung man from the utility company,the descendant of guys who annuallyappear, once upon a time … Continue reading →

Open-hearted, we say.Big-hearted, we think,of those who are kind, who seem to have naturallywarm hearts, kind hearts,and yes, soft hearts, which is, when wethink about it,all of us, really, calling up our mostcompassionate selves,our charitable selves. Even those who appearthe … Continue reading →

My photographer’s text said,accompanying his photo ofsheep-fluffy clouds rendered in black and white, as Anseloften did, finessing the swellsof whites and grays and blacks, deftly rendering the sky in anintermediate shade so thata viewer doesn’t miss the color. Isn’t that … Continue reading →

The wicked smart, clever nieceborn on my 29th birthday married a mechanically brilliant man, andthey gave us Henry and Rosie. And the sister who is their grandma,and the brother-in-law who is their grandpa spend weekdays with these two little ones,inviting … Continue reading →

The garden goddess brought mea daphne—perfect, I thought,thinking of the nymph, who, unhappily pursued bya man she didn’t want, transformedherself into a laurel tree. This newcomer to my gardenhas not yet flowered—again,perfect for the virgin who chose to remain so,today … Continue reading →

(or How Guys Say They Lava You #378) Be careful when you sitand begin to unroll because you never knowwhen someone has inked a sweet message intowhat you’d usually apply elsewhere. Not gonna do it.Not when there’s TP love right … Continue reading →

Dude.Chill, will ya?You’ve been cat napping,as you do,pretty much all day,rising now and thento stretchhhhhhhand scratch a little. You are a study in repose,belly up, somehow balancingon your keel of a spine,bow to the sky,stern splayed,well, to the sky, too.a … Continue reading →

Holiday weekend within view,from my front yard I see that the kid down the block has persuadedher mom to set up an old-fashioned swoopy sprinkler on their front lawnbecause it’s 91 degrees. Here, by Memorial Day, it’s automatically summer,even before … Continue reading →

Off and on all day I thought—as Ioften do on your very day—perhapsyou’ll make an appearance in a way I might recognize, and because I’mpaying attention, I won’t miss it—maybe—because I’m sure I miss a lot of those moments of … Continue reading →

In my part of California, spring rains end in April.If we’re lucky. Then we usually don’t see precip till late fall, one reason why we’re the golden state,March’s greening going to straw by May. Still, the breeze is redolent with … Continue reading →