Weekly Stories

post visitor anxiety

The house is empty after sixteen to twenty one people staying here over the past twelve days. After we waved good-bye to the last caravan headed for the ferry, the ever jovial Fellow hung his head and quietly said, “I’m not…doing so good.” I snuggled him into my neck and sniffled a bit myself and Nora clung to my side. “I’m gonna miss them.” She said. It’s hard to say good-bye when family is far flung and beloved. In the post wedding sorting of pie plates, three hundred napkins, someone’s forgotten shoe, dead flowers, broken toys and heaps and heaps…

The Wedding

Though I had a great deal of fun doing a “countdown to the wedding” Vlog on facebook, tracking my home renovations with Nora, I have missed the art of arranging words beautifully. Oh how I love to fingertip my way through a bucket of colourful adjectives, plucking just the right posy to contrast with a woody noun, arresting my eye, making me look at its meaning afresh in a bouquet that describes my day. Andrea Isaak did my flowers for the wedding. This makes me think of her. I actually don’t know her all that well, but she’s the kind…

Uber Lucia

I walk down Polk Street, turn right on Pine and then left to meander further down Fillmore, pleased that I am navigating San Francisco without using my phone. Blisters are starting to form and I am deciding between my feet and my indigestion, walking feels good. And the indigestion was worth it. I shouldn’t eat rich food with dairy but…how could I resist brioche donuts at Reverb with my beloved epicureans, Rick and Sylvia? The donuts were about the size of my thumb with a smear of tangerine creme so haphazard, it looked like a mistake. But oh, that dollop…

a season for wasps

This is a season for wasps. They buzz in the backseat of the car and you drive off anyway, there are so many of them. The only upside to a year of nasty stingers is: the children learn to wave them patiently away instead of freaking out. The sting though. The buzz. My daughter is at camp with her Dad and I am alone at home covered in paint and dry wall dust, eating ice cream. The good kind. The “I am ignoring stings” kind. A male friend jokes with me on line. “Congratulations on your upcoming wedding. I hope…

summer’s grace

Today I noticed the activity of birds. A crow dive bombed a raven who took residence in our large fir. The raven ducked with indifference. An eagle circled above our heads as we headed out to Eaglecliff beach. He did not find what he was looking for, he must have something special in mind. I hope it is not my cat. As soon as he left, a gull took the tide and skimmed the water for shellfish. I have started to look up again. Like I did when I was a child. How many air squabbles have I been oblivious…

The stars I miss

There is a boy on the bus, maybe seventeen, who looks so much like the late Jeremy Tow I can’t stop staring at him. And then I turn away and tear up and then I stare at him again. He’s got a blonde fawn wobbling her legs at him and batting her black mascara eyelashes all Avril Lavigne but with more west Vancouver privilege and one less tick. He’s got the kind geeky sidekick with glasses; loyal to the end but secretly wishes he’d attract the blonde. Doesn’t have a chance. The Jer look-a-like has sun glasses on and is…

Easy wedding invitations

“Oh right, wedding invitations!” We are attempting a small reception: a few family members and the friends who helped us renovate or actively welcomed me or my fellow into the circle. To our delight many far flung relatives have called us up to say they’d like to come. It warms my heart to have that show of support. We started out with a thought to elope – except my Mom would never forgive me. So then it was us and the Moms and it didn’t seem right to not have the siblings and and and – I keep bumping into…

the Best of Us

It doesn’t seem to matter who it is: as soon as the hammers and drills come out, so do odd bursts of falsetto Aerosmith, Journey and Rush. Do I ever hear Fellow sing? In church, yes. But he’s a regular Old Time Rockin’ roller with Zac, laying those floors. Beer cans, uncharacteristic over usage of expletives, laughter and the occasional bashing of one’s head (Zac is young, he does this). I wonder at their physical strength and endurance and ability to build things. They finish up yet another twelve hour day. And they look up with a grateful grin when…

Renovating man

My daughter’s talent show at school: long legged girls wobble on spindly limbs, and their arms dangle helplessly as they concentrate on their dance steps with a frown. Then they catch themselves and remember to smile: they beam like sunflowers, a large head on a long skinny stalk. Adorable. The girls are generally taller than the boys at this age. Their male counterparts are Hobbits: short squat and thickening up in preparation for the massive pubescent growth spurt they are about to experience. They are all so cute, especially because they are awkward. Boys stumble over their feet and girls…

the right shoe for the right time

Today was the last day of filming and I got to walk around San Francisco: through parks and down streets with lovely shops. Yesterday I bought some cobalt blue and off white Fluevogs for my wedding shoes. They were absolutely gorgeous but not necessarily something I’d wear again. And when I got home and did the currency conversation, I could not justify the purchase so returned them. It was difficult for me to do this. It was sad handing back the beautiful box in the beautiful bag. The shoes were tucked into their little snug box like two nestled twin…

Lucia Frangione