20 Comments
Jun 25Liked by <Mary L. Tabor>

Just beautiful.

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So kind, Ollie. Gotta love you.

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hmmmmm trial by fire along with tong war one can dwell on that kind of descriptive phrase.....and of course i bypassed the mention of "Match Point" earlier i have a dvd of that somewhere

its all related Scarlett never looked better Woody the sorcerer?

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Not sure I follow ...?

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just meant the fire imagery you use brings back those concepts ie tong warive always liked for their

expansive mood in few words

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Ah!

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'I have slid the scenery panels of my life through backstage grooves while I’ve tried to kill myself off with binge smoking and drinking.' I'm left speechless with that line.

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Thank you, Ben, for this kind comment on the memoir and my trials.

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Mar 1Liked by <Mary L. Tabor>

“One can create a conflagration in marriage or in betrayal of it.” I wonder, if in your life with D, it wasn’t either or, but both.❤️

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Yes, that is the wonder. And maybe both of us are responsible for the conflagration. Understanding what I viewed at this writing as the "betrayal" of his leaving is key to my journey here, I suspect.

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This was lovely, Mary. And interesting to find that you are a fan of Updike - I am too.

Too close to the heat - reminds me of Icarus.

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Ah, Updike. I miss him so. And yes, "too close to the heat" -- such a reader, you are.

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Oct 23, 2023Liked by <Mary L. Tabor>

You start this chapter desperate for a connection to anyone, anywhere. While I understand Dunne’s line, 'No man is an island,' the sadness of human life is that we are all lone islands seeking a narrow isthmus. With D. you watch destruction, and hope for Grimm clowns. Touched.

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Ah, dear reader, Bill, such a tender comment. You touch me with your thoughtful reads ... ~ Mary

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Wait, D is from Iowa? Another surprise commonality. Also, your picture of the controlled burn -- that proximity to disaster that isn't actually disaster -- brings back powerful memories of controlled burns that I did with the Forest Service in Montana. This was how we learned the most about fire behavior -- the closest we ever got to big fire. Sometimes the flames were a hundred feet high in the middle of the burn. A blaze like that creates its own weather. And when you are a rookie stationed along the edge with a nozzle, so you can keep the fire from jumping the line, it can feel like your face is melting.

I once watched tree bark ignite 20 feet outside the burn just from radiant heat. Awe-inspiring.

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Yes, the fire was awe-inspiring, as you say. And yep, Iowa. Thank you so for reading and commenting. Means so much ...

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Oct 19, 2023Liked by <Mary L. Tabor>

Very moving, Mary, and so very necessary. It seems these days as soon as my face is dry, I weep again and the sadness lingers. Sending virtual hugs. xoxo

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Ah, Isabelle, such a tender comment and the encouragement that makes all the difference to this writer.

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Thanks for this, your own meditations.

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Lovely that you read and took the time to comment, David.

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