May in the backyard


Each year after the tulips these poppies arise, tall and brazen, tilting in different directions on their fuzzy stems. A surprise after the compact and organized tulips which even in scattered spots seem under control. The poppies here are redder than the photo shows and a brief web search on poppies reveals how many varieties and colors exist. They get a bad rap from the opium trade but websites suggest that poppies have a devoted following among gardeners. My poppies have come back for nearly ten years now and probably before that when another family lived here. Their many-branched and fuzzy leaves creep into the cracks of concrete wall, ready to expand on the level below. They collapse when cut and do not survive in a vase. After blooming a bulbous pod remains. It is a long wait until next year.

Home since 1997






This corner Cape Cod-style house enabled 3 generations---my mother, myself, and my son--to live together for several years. Basement, ground floor and upstairs provided just barely enough space for us, our border collie mix Snoopy, and briefly Doberman Ajax, to manage elderly, midlife, and teenaged needs. Despite its economic and social woes, Flint has extensive housing stock. In the inner city much is abandoned or gone to the Land Bank or demolished. But in its neighborhoods like Mott Park many houses testify to how much a traditional family home from the early or mid-20th century can help with life changes. Mott Park celebrates 90 years of existence in 2008. The neighborhood was developed to house GM workers who lived in tents in the early days of the auto boom in Flint.

The raptor herald

Smack!   The front legs of my chair leave the floor, my hands pop off the laptop keyboard; I jerk backward. A split second, then a tinkli...