We are back in north Alabama. We are at one of my mother’s places. Her grandfather built this house by hand a half-century ago as a side business. She’s done and had a lot of things redone. I’ve sanded generations of paint off the door frames. It is cozy and old and I’ve no idea how many people have rented it over the years. I think about that every time I’m here. Just something about this light fixture in the bathroom.

From what I’ve read that’s a pre-1960s light fixture. Maybe it is the original. Bathrooms back then didn’t always have outlets in the bathroom. And so if you needed to use electricity in the bathroom you’d reach to this guy over the sink.

Who were those people that were doing that reaching? What were their dreams and problems when they were here? What has become of them? When did they switch to electric razors and start using hair dryers? Where did they spend their holidays?

There’s a new place in the works. My folks have picked out their post-retirement home. We drove over to see it this weekend. The previous owners are moving out. They’re probably at that “I wish it was over and do we really need the last of this stuff or can we just burn it in the yard and save time?” stage. The sellers seemed to like lawn art:

I got this card game as a present. You get a random shuffle and your goal is to try to make a headline. Basically it is Mad Libs.

There’s an easy point system, or you could simplify things further and just vote on who has the best hand. The kids we played with, 12 and 17, were surprisingly good at the game considering how few headlines they probably see.

Anyway, it is called Man Bites Dog and it is a benign, family-friendly game. Much less emotional than Monopoly.

While visiting the other side of my family my grandmother brought out the instruments. These belonged to my grandfather.

I think she likes to hear me play them, she likes to hear us make music, she says. Or maybe she just likes watching us make jokes about them.