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Linda Henry

Thatwhich

The Winter of My Content

October 24, 2011
Tags: Churchy, turtle, Occupy Wall St.
Like Churchy, the three-legged turtle who summers in the vegetable garden, I think I’m ready to accept my winter fate. Unlike Churchy, I will try to refrain from hurling my body against the walls of my terrarium, insisting on one more romp in the garden, which we non-reptiles know is torn up and about to freeze over for the duration. Keith has been bringing Churchy in at night, but even so, the turtle spends his sunny afternoons digging into the garden, under the sod or the uprooted tomato vines, as if his people have abandoned him. I know how he feels; maybe it’s come to this: every reptile for himself. If you don’t have a ride home and don’t feel like hitchhiking, you best find a cot in the back and hunker down.  Read More 
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Death of a Stranger (and ex-husband)

October 11, 2011
Tags: Luke the Drifter, House of Mercy
In a couple of days, I’m making my big theatrical comeback. I think the last time I was on stage was in my high school's production of “Story Theater,” a post-hippy musical in which I portrayed Henny Penny. I was typecast, honestly. Particularly in my younger days, “The sky is falling” was my mantra. Now I’m older, wiser, and only slightly embittered, so this new role is perfect for me. The play is  Read More 
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While Others Prosper

September 25, 2011
Tags: House of Mercy
This is a thing I wrote for House of Mercy's Feast of Jonah service. If you're not really into biblical stuff, you can sit this one out. Then again, it's not that bad...

I like the church song “Farther Along.” I especially like this line: “Then we do wonder why others prosper, living so wicked, year after year.” For some reason, it’s especially satisfying if you sing it in a southern accent. Read More 
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Strolling Down Revisionist Lane

September 22, 2011
Tags: memoir
When Sam was really young, he was interested in the solar system. I remember tucking him into bed and asking if he wanted to be an astronaut. I must have asked the question with some fear in my voice, because his answer was reassuring: “Don’t worry, Mom. I’m like a sailor who never leaves the shore. I want to be an astromoner.”

“Wait,” says the 17-year-old as I recount this story. Read More 
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Labor Night

September 5, 2011
Tags: Churchy, turtle
Because it is 2:47 a.m. and I am awake, I might as well take account of my worries. My immediate concern is Churchy the three-legged turtle, who lives in our vegetable garden all summer. And even though it's barely Labor Day, temps have dropped into the 40s, assuming the weatherman is to be believed.  Read More 
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Monkey in the Middle

September 1, 2011
Tags: middle child
Several years ago, I resigned as middle child in my family. I can’t remember what made me tender my resignation, but I was sick of the role and I told my older sister so.

I remember when we were kids, my sister and her best friend standing on either side of me, tossing a ball above my head. I was maybe 10 and they were 15. I’d jump up, trying to grab the ball, hopelessly short, hopelessly inadequate. Read More 
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Stuff I may or may not do

August 9, 2011
My kids are gone this week, which means for the first time in recent memory, my free time is actually free. It's almost more than I can fathom. They're teenagers, but one's too young to drive and the other has no interest in it, so almost every weeknight and weekend I'm schlepping them somewhere, and often in two different directions.

In the ramp-up to their respective departures, Read More 
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What is a bat but a mouse with wings?

August 6, 2011
Prices last updated c. 1967
When you're sleeping alone in a cabin, one of the last things you want to hear is the sound of flapping overhead. In the millisecond before I turned on the light, I hoped it was a very big moth. It was not. I flipped on the light and discovered  Read More 
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In love and anger, peace and mercy

July 23, 2011
A few weeks ago I watched the video of Amy Winehouse's concert in Serbia. She didn't even know she was in Serbia. I can't really justify my gawker slowdown to watch, except that her behavior was so outrageous. But I was especially interested in the people around her: the working musicians who didn't know what to do except keep smiling and playing; the audience, outraged that they'd spent  Read More 
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The weather geek's version of an acid flashback

July 18, 2011
If this was December, whoa, it would be a lot colder.
We're experiencing record heat this week in Minnesota. Last winter, we set records for snow and cold. Within the boundaries of these extremes, I've noticed a shift in my attitude. I used to experience November through March as if diving into the deep end of a very cold pool, holding my breath until it was over and I could come up for April air. It was even worse a dozen years ago,  Read More 
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