Why you? Why us for that matter? Why anything? Because this moment simply is.

I used my daughter's crayons for each main character. One end of the wallpaper was the beginning of the story, and the other end was the end, and then there was all that middle part, which was the middle.

That's one thing Earthlings might learn to do, if they tried hard enough: Ignore the awful times and concentrate on the good ones.

The thing my father was proudest of was the Ayres clock at the intersection of Washington Street and Meridian. That made him so happy. Ayres complained because he wouldn't send them a bill. There was stuff my family had done there - particularly my father and grandfather - that was quite permanent and wonderful.

Maybe they invited me because they know I have a tuxedo

Perhaps I am the turtle, able to live simply anywhere, even underwater for short periods, with my home on my back.

Big, undreamed-of things — the people on the edge see them first.