Fieldnotes on Humanity

Yesterday, I went on a hike on nearby hills lavishly covered by sagebrush, a familiar shrub with great memories of my childhood. In the Hazaragi vernacular, it's called  butta; they are intensely aromatic and can be felt from a distance. Back in the village, we used to collect them every fall. Sagebrush is an arid-adapted shrub that grows in harsh habitats in the mountains, deserts, and steppes.  When I was very young, I went with my mother to nearby hills and mountains to collect sagebrush. We burned them to cook our meals or heat our house in winter. I remember my mom used to wear a long colorful gown with velvet flowers, contrasting the pale greenish landscape. I often drifted away from her, following my passion, running after marmots, stalking them at their dens, or climbing  up on boulders and rocks until I heard my mom's worrying call, "where are you?" "Here, coming," I would respond. Then I followed her through the sagebrush; some were taller than me...

I reminisce that rotting wooden bench on Louther street next to the library and across from the Lutheran Church we used to sit you always insisted "let's tarry awhile" a time unlike now, like ephemeral past sends new nostalgic errands

Today, I took my bike out to ride around the block for fun, slipped twice and fell off on the street, made people laugh and it was all entertaining and enjoyable. It feels great to bike in a foot of snow, but be careful: if you're going to do it, lower the seat just enough to keep your balance. You also need to have mud or studded tires to prevent sliding. Heaps of snow is going to blanket the entire East Coast of the United States tonight. It has been snowing since Tuesday morning with a slightly frigid chill that is sweeping across the Northeast. Tomorrow, a bitter cold is expected to follow after the sky satiates itself from shedding its frozen tears on to earth. Today, I was feeling nostalgic for those snowy days in the most remote village in central Afghanistan. The snowstorm of today reminded me of the heavy snowfall, up to 3 and sometimes 4 feet of snow, in my village. I recall the winters when the slow, steady snow sometimes lasted five days. I recall the winter...