Author Archives: Liza Blue

The Nature of the Mundane Part 3. Darwin and I Take a Walk

Posted on December 5, 2021 by Liza Blue

I recently took a walk alongside a herd of big-horned sheep in the Rio Grande valley north of Santa Fe, where I couldn’t help but notice tiny fecal pellets scattered all along the trail.  How could such an enormous animal … Continue reading →

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Nature of the Mundane Part 2: Fruit Flies

Posted on September 17, 2021 by Liza Blue

The Nature of the Mundane.  Part 2.  Fruit Flies It took me decades to make the connection between the annoying insects hovering above the fruit basket and Drosophila melanogaster, the inspiration behind six Nobel prizes over the past 100 years.  … Continue reading →

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Cicada Summer

Posted on September 8, 2021 by Liza Blue

John was pleased that the woman sat next to him on the commuter train, even though it was the only open seat.  She could have stood in the vestibule, he thought.  The next day there was a vacant seat.  She … Continue reading →

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The Day I Burned a Piano

Posted on September 8, 2021 by Liza Blue

I stand in the empty living room, staring at the piano.  The gathering cold of autumn seeps into the unheated farmhouse, the temperature penetrating and raw.  After my parents died, first my mother, then my father, I have sold both … Continue reading →

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My Warbler

Posted on September 6, 2021 by Liza Blue

(Artwork by Maria McNitt – www.mariamcnitt.com) The blue-winged warbler struggles as I extract him from the fine netting stretched across the underbrush.  Our instructor Caleb assures us that this will only be a tiny interruption in his migration, and the information … Continue reading →

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Twenty Three Pairs of Me

Posted on June 30, 2021 by Liza Blue

T I stand on a wobbly stool in the pathology laboratory and aim an eyedropper full of cells at a glass slide on the counter below.  The first two drops miss.  The third hits the slide, splitting open the cells … Continue reading →

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The Nature of the Mundane Part 1

Posted on June 29, 2021 by Liza Blue

TThe clicking sound on my windshield sounds like a brittle cascade of sleet, but this being June, and this being a bluebird sunny day, I consider other sources.  I am driving along the north shore of Lake Michigan just past … Continue reading →

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A Cherished Eyeball

Posted on December 18, 2020 by Liza Blue

    Family Christmas Letter, 1963 “[Elizabeth] is in the 6th grade, no special interests, is good fun and pleasant company.  Can’t really think of anything special to say about her…” Family Christmas Letter, 1964 “[Elizabeth] is a Beatles fan, … Continue reading →

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What We’re No Good At

Posted on November 24, 2020 by Liza Blue

My husband enjoys weekend pick-up hockey games at the community rink.  He often comes home with stories of Joe, who is simultaneously the most enthusiastic player and the most inept player ever to grace the ice. His transition from forward … Continue reading →

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Hair Today

Posted on October 28, 2020 by Liza Blue

As Nick and I entered the restaurant, I knew the food could not possibly meet our expectations. “Pig,” a farm to table restaurant located in the countryside near Bath, England, had been recommended by a local friend when she heard … Continue reading →

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