This year, I decided to teach my children the true meaning of Valentine’s day: day-after-Valentine’s-day 50% off sales on gourmet chocolate. I bought one heart-shaped box for Papa. We shared it over the course of a few days. When the box was empty, he gave it to Iris. It remained empty until we re-melted down all of the crayons that we had turned into block shapes in order to turn them into heart-shapes. I sewed protective stretch-denim bags for each of the crayons. Iris decided a heart-shaped box is the perfect place for heart-shaped crayons. I have no idea what we will do with so many giant heart-shaped crayons. Here, you can see Martin testing out the red one.

My children have been sick for months.

As soon as I think it is getting better, it gets worse.

I move their feverish bodies from room to room as I paint the walls.

Akiva tests the quality of snowmelt dripping from the rooftop of an old brick building.

Iris lay herself down to take a nap in Akiva’s bed.

Something about the bedding made it a bit difficult for her to relax.

If there is snow on the back porch he will shovel it.

And he will shovel it and shovel it and shovel it.

If there is snow on the back porch he will shovel it.

He will shovel shovel shovel shovel shovel it!*

*NOTE: Akiva claims all snow on the back porch. He spends hours shoveling. Trespassers will be tyrannized.

I tried to photograph my mother and her mother together at my grandmother’s apartment, where I like the lighting. I have tried this a few times, but I haven’t gotten something I like yet. On this occasion, my grandmother was really quite compliant & silent, tho she said she couldn’t figure out what’s going on. My mom is really quite talkative, which is lovely, tho talkative mouths are not quite as photogenic as mouths that keep their minds to themselves. Should I have a chance to attempt this again, I would have both of them stand near the window and look straight at the camera with their heads as close together as possible. I have a wide-angle lens & when things aren’t aligned, it really shows the foreshortening.

This is my favorite photo of my two old women together:

I love my mother’s face in this photo:

& I love my grandmother’s face in this photo— but what was my mom chatting about? I have no recollection.