Μετὰ
τὴν σσιάν τάχιστα χρόνος. After the shadow
time ages in a hurry.
Time Ages in a Hurry is the title of a marvelous book of short stories by Antonio
Tabucchi, published by archipelagobooks.org. The line, attributed
in the book to the Critias, is from a late
antique commentary.
Time
surprises. Time ages in a hurry. I have never been so aware of
time. I am currently making plans for moving in December from Seattle -- after twelve years in this wonderful house, back to Washington, DC. I will be going back to the apartment where I have lived longer than any place in my life, taking it over from the daughter who took it over when I moved here.
This will be my 15th move as an adult, and the first I have not wanted. This house is full of light: it faces due east and on sunny mornings, I begin my day by coming down the stairs into pools of liquid light. I have never before lived where I could have a garden but I have grown roses here, and developed my own garden. There is a grape arbor -- I've mentioned that before. And there have been the birds! The smaller ones follow me around the yard and when I go on walks. The crows track me from room to room in the house, and a member of the third generation I have fed informs me quietly when their food pan is empty. His parents below -- a pairing that lasted only for a year -- would come sit near us when we would sit in the yard. This small corner lot is overflowing with gratitude.
Meanwhile, I find I am not able to maintain this blog reliably. There will be erratic posts while I try to decide what to do about it. I am grateful for my readers -- there have been nearly half a million individual looks at material here, and especially for you who have taken the trouble to comment or write me. If Time permits, I would love to continue writing.
