When I was a little girl, my grandparents had a player piano in the basement of their split foyer on Epperson Street. We were far too small to run the foot pump, and Grandma was very particular about putting the rolls in herself, so the whole experience took on a mystique. I don’t remember a…
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Letting Go
Alex doesn’t nap much anymore. He goes to bed willingly enough, because he is tired, but he doesn’t usually go to sleep, and it’s not long before he gets bored and wants to get up again. I make him lie down for an hour, and then he can play upstairs. But he’s a very assertive…
Read MoreThe Best Part of the Day
The best parts of the day are associated with bedtime. I’ve heard people say that before, and found it incredibly irritating. I always thought, “If you didn’t want to be bothered with your kids, why’d you have them?” Now, though, I think I rushed to judgment. It’s not just about having time for…
Read MoreThe Storyteller Revisited
When Christian was a kid, his mother used to tell him stories about “walking in the woods.” He started telling them to Alex about the time we moved to this house, and they’ve become a big part of our nightly bedtime ritual. Neither Christian nor his mother remember much about the stories she told, but…
Read MoreBetter late than never?
This weekend, we were late for church. Now, you must understand, Christian and Kate Basi are not late for church. Ever. Okay, there are the occasional times when we’re on the in-laws’ schedule. But left to our own devices, we are NEVER late for church. Or for much else, for that matter. Yesterday,…
Read MoreThe All-Seeing Eye
When I was a kid, I swore I’d never forget what it was like. I would always be a sympathetic adult, not like the heartless grownups I encountered when I was young—grownups whose eyes used to slide over me and my outstretched hand at the Sign of Peace. Grownups who basically ignored my existence. …
Read MoreThe View From the Home Place
It’s been a busy week. On Wednesday, my youngest sister arrived in north central Missouri, fresh off her New York bar exam. She was here for her last extended visit to the home place. On Thursday, my sisters and I hosted a fundraiser for Mom’s last state legislative campaign. On Saturday, the family threw a…
Read MoreSweet Corn Days
Today has been one of those hot Missouri summer days when any outdoor activity, even walking through the woods, makes your body pour sweat out of every pore. Days like this, when I was a kid, we were up at six to work in the garden, bringing in the produce. Then, when it got hot, Grandma Sander…
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Kathleen M. Basi 