What is the appropriate behavior?

"What is the appropriate behavior for a man or a woman in the midst of this world, where each person is clinging to his piece of debris? What's the proper salutation between people as they pass each other in this flood?Buddha"


It’s been a productive few days with Taylor, camped out at the kitchen counter, beer or water on one side and colored pens and atlases on the other. Now I’m switching gears for a viewing, or wake, or whatever you call it, tonight.

One of the last old farmers in our community passed away this week and his pre-funeral thing is tonight. I’m never sure what to call it. A gathering? A wake has booze and this isn’t that. Opportunity to pay our respects? That’s incredibly long. Whatever it is, I'll settle on visitation, we’re going tonight and the funeral is tomorrow. Gram hasn’t decided if she wants to go or not, but I offered to take her if she did.

The wind has blown all day and it’s been incredibly cold, according to Dad. There wasn’t much anything for me to do at the farm, so I wrote while he checked things and watered. Windy enough to drive you to distraction, was what Dad called it. Seed catalogs are garden plans are comforting on days like this. If for no other reason than to recall what warm earth and green, growing things smell like.