A Numbers Journal (a collective list)

2 children on scooters block my path across the pedestrian bridge; they giggle and say “password please”

15 minutes to walk to my office each morning and only 4 minutes to return home at night

40 years of friendship with my beloved and we still laugh together every day

12 spiders make their home on our entry porch

9 people pass our house and, happily to my ears, four different languages are spoken

5 egg-soaked slices of bread, topped with cinnamon-sugar, makes a lovely meal of French toast

8 men’s vests in my closet; she calls me “Vest Man”

7 pens  in my backpack but only 1 has ink

1 monarch butterfly has made a home in our garden

22 long-forgotten cherry tomatoes found in the back of the fridge; four are still edible

1500 calories ingested daily and I still can not lose weight

430 bridges make the many little islands of Venice into a single city

9 chopsticks in the drawer but only two matching pairs

3 locust trees slightly yellowing and glowing in the autumn sun

4 bright white moths fluttering among the lavender

5 bright beaded bracelets on my tired typing wrist

1 joyful granddaughter discovering her feet

1 castle ruin and countless Scottish hills etched calmly in my mind forever

2 hours I will never get back . . . damn stupid movie

1cat lying in the sun, she knows winter is coming

3 chrysanthemums on the porch this year, 2 last year, 1 the year before … maybe 4 next year?

7 newly planted daylilies already waiting for spring

3 wheels are best for 1 waterfront trail 

24 mandarin oranges to a 3 pound bag

7880 unread emails

8 emails read and answered

2 pieces of toast with mascarpone and jalapeño raspberry jam, plus one more

2 cups of coffee lingered over while reading about snails

4 books returned to the library; 6 books brought home

3 times my path crossed that of a possible friend, unexpectedly, in the same week

1 perfect hug

5 bowls, 3 spoons, 2 mugs, 1 plate, and 1 knife waiting to be washed

2 minutes less sunlight than yesterday, forgiven in light of the full moon

71 steps over 10,000 just before midnight

19 hours and 40 minutes past deadline

6 negotiations before the wedding invitations can be sent out

17 houses I’ve lived in so far in my lifetime

11:11, 1:11, 10:10 — numbers that come up all too frequently on my iPhone when I look to see the time, making me wonder what lies beyond the reality we live in — it must be something beyond a coincidence but I don't know exactly what it might mean

1 sister, sometimes not enough, sometimes way too many

 2 aunts I never knew as well as I wish I had

3 cousins who have always lived too far away

4 grandparents, all of whom I knew for so many years — I was so lucky

3 sisters-in-law; sadly 2 have died

56 sand dollars lined up on a rail along the dune

327 and its cousin 237 are numbers that frequently show up for me, and have done since childhood

12 pairs of shoes and sandal in my closet

1 new pair of striped Smart Wool socks that I love

2 jars of “peach pour-over” made by my neighbor, waiting to be used as a topping for vanilla ice cream

30 years I’ve been going to the beach in Maine

10 times last week I said to waiters and waitresses “no straw, please”

25 years I’ve been coming to the Thursday morning writing group in Zee’s studio

10 toes that press too tightly in my shoes

38 students to teach

57 pages that need editing

2 eyes that itch

1 nose that needs blowing

33 years a mother

51 years since my mother died

50 nights in 50 states — performances by George Thorogood and the Delaware Destroyers

320 one-night stands in a single year by the band Three Dog Night

3 keyboardists in The Grateful Dead who died too soon — it was like a curse

5 rings — 3 worn on my left hand, 2 on my right

2 watches —1 was my late father’s and 1 is mine — plus 5 bracelets, all worn on my left wrist

8 bracelets (and 1 scrunchie, if it’s not in my hair) worn on my right wrist

19th of January, my birthday, and I share it with Edgar Allan Poe who was my favorite poet when I was a child, long before I knew when he was born

9 children in a family, four were born in January, four were left-handed

2 sets of parents and children with the same birthdays within the same family

1 brother born with eleven fingers (1 was surgically removed)

1 rocket to be built by the 2 hands of 1 young child

1 Basset Hound, 1 corn snake, 3 salamanders, 1 guinea pig, and 30 gerbils; I had them all at the same time

20 years between me and my son, 20 years between him and his daughter

2 boys and 4 girls as grandchildren

13 windows in my last apartment in Brooklyn

3:47 a.m. is when I have woken up for the last 15 days

48 teaspoons in a measured cup

1 eagle circles two baby ospreys as they sit in their nest

2 pairs of used winter boots lying on the curb next to a “Free” sign

2 baby guppies named Tick and Tock

1 accidental click of the “send” button can change everything

28 raisins in my granola (I didn’t actually count but I’m an amazing guesser)

7 pieces of mail, 5 of them go right into the trash unopened

1 person ahead of me in line at Wegmans but the third person in line in the next aisle beats me

2 people waiting impatiently for the simmering chili and 1 person not really hungry

8 servers at Applebees who always want a hug when I come in

3 people who usually join our Sunday morning coffee chat at Ithaca Bakery

3 inconveniently timed stop lights entering town from Route 89

1 lonely jalapeño pepper hanging onto the stem after a stormy night of  September gusts

3 birds identified by a beginning birder roaming through the woods — a phoebe, a red-tailed hawk, and a vulture

4 digitized photographs (40+ years old) taken by my best friend in Taiwan — a group of friends from college days — so good to be reminded of the young men and women we once were

5 boy toys that used to belong to my son, sold in the garage sale: the Tonka truck, the toy dump truck, the super soaker, the hockey stick, and the soccer ball

6 purple and green lawn chairs, strewn forlornly in my neighbor's manicured yard, waiting for the grandchildren to stop by

7 ingredients are all I need to create a simple, satisfying Chinese stir-fry dish: 1 protein, 1 seasonal veggie, brown sauce (soy sauce, wine, vinegar, sugar, and chili)

5 North Carolina pines, beacons of light in the morning fog, their noble trunks silvery grey

256 silky strands, some sticky, some not — a gossamer web

1 word, a name, separating you from him

4:17 twice each day — once while I’m sleeping and once in the afternoon and if I see the time I whisper “Happy Birthday” to myself

2 refrigerators, 1 just for beer

4 days of solitude

5 folks in my family

55 trips up and down the stairs, carrying stuff into my new apartment 

65 packing cartons used in this move from one home to another

18 buds on my new African violet plant

1 full moon + 1 day at the Jersey shore = effective antidepressant

7 days to practice until Porchfest

6 screws stuck in an odd pocket at the yard sale, miraculously remembered when needed

5 milkweed pods piled on the porch railing — now where are they?

4 friends to visit and I only have to walk 1 mile

3 Bad Things happening in a row, just like my mother would say

2 books placed in the Little Free Library; 1 book taken from the Little Free Library

0 frogs singing at my pond this year

1 person successfully avoided on the street, only to have her turn up again 5 minutes later (and we bump right into one another)

7 grade school children clambering in the creek-bed, on the hunt for crawdads

6 layers of sheets, blankets, and mother-made quilts as autumn approaches

5 trips to the mechanic so far this month

4 times we sing the sacred medicine song

2 dogs dozing in primordial yin-yang formation on their yoga mat

2 beloved beings we are mourning whose birthdays are this month

4 fingers that haven’t touched the frets of a stringed musical instrument in many moons

5 windows and 1 door closed against the cold of night

6 dishes that haven’t been washed

7 directions beyond the visible to call upon for support and guidance on our healing paths

22 people ahead of me in the ticket line for the Cayuga Chamber Orchestra

5 times I went to my closet to get something, forgetting what it was each time

14 pennies, 2 nickels, 5 dimes, and 7 quarters rambling around in my pocket

2 really big worries keeping me awake at 5 a.m.

2 toothbrushes in a glass jar next to the bathroom sink

1 new word I learned this morning and forgot by evening

2 really good ideas before breakfast

3 pairs of eyeglasses on my desk

50 or more (maybe 100?) pens, over my lifetime, that have run out of ink when I didn’t have another pen handy

2 friends I wish I saw more often

15 cherry tomatoes in the blue bowl but only 5 are orange (my favorite)

11 books waiting to be read

1 week since I felt truly at ease

$259.98 — the cost of a new Royal 79120q Classical Manual Typewriter (red)

6 tiny turtle sculptures remaining from the time when I collected turtle sculptures

30 pairs of socks in a canvas basket on the floor of my bedroom; 12 pairs of socks in the sock drawer

54 colored pencils patiently waiting for me to use them; 36 marking pens, also patient; 64 crayons, not that patient

$6 and the Sunday New York Times is mine

0 regrets — I wish!

27 minutes to prepare my lunch; much less time to eat it

16 endless minutes of intermission

37 items of black clothing in my closet (shirts, pants, sweaters, jackets, coats, shoes)

16 times I greeted a stranger with “Good Morning” during my 30 minute walk; 6 responded; the rest didn’t seem to be aware that a person had passed them on the street

69 at my next birthday in a little over 6 months — I find it hard to believe this is true

1 woman I mistake for another woman, resulting in an inappropriate wave

5 equally excellent choices of what to eat for lunch — an embarrassment of culinary riches

1 peaceful day filled with countless moments of contentment and ease

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Thank you to all these contributors:


Annie Wexler
Barbara Anger
Barbara Cartwright
Barbara Kane Lewis
Barbara Van Dyk
Denise Horvath
Fran Helmstadter
Gabrielle Vehar
Jenny Marshall
Jim Mazza
Jonathan Plotkin
Judith Andrew
Lyn Staack
Manuela Amzallag
Marty Blue Waters
Mary Louise Church
McCaddens of Honey Sweet Harmony
Peaches Gillette
Reba Dolch
Rob Sullivan
Saskya van Nouhuys
Stacey Murphy
Sue Norvell
Susie C Y Li
Timothy Weber
Yvonne Fisher
Zee Zahava