this little pad. She called it a tablet. Looking for the instructions of the space heater…there it was…bottom back of the drawer. I haven't seen it since New Mex. Thought for sure it'd gotten lost in the shuffle.
was my grandmother's. My father, grand father and a man named Mr. Curtis built the house we moved to, from the apartment in Detroit, when I was probably 6. It was two story but the first was built into the hill, it's front half, only the windows above ground. Back, open. Half of that downstairs was like an apartment where my grandparents lived. My father's parents. Other half garage, work shop / laundry room. In order to get there, you had to walk through their living room and kitchen area. In the narrow space of the kitchen there was a large ornate brass free standing bird cage. It did have a dome cage cover but that was rarely in place. It was just a circle platform with a large perch. Where Polly hung out. My grandfather had worked on the Panama Canal as an electrician in the early years of their marriage. Brought him back as a gift for my grandmother. He was big. Now and then when I was going through, she would stop me. Show me how if she gave him a pencil he would take it with his foot, lift it and snap it in two with his beak. On the way back through she'd stop me again and ask me if I wanted to shake hands with Polly. The answer had to be yes. So as instructed i'd extend my index finger and she would take hold of my hand, lift it up and Polly would take it in his foot, lean his head down, the pupils of his eyes dilating/contracting rapidly …hesitate and then shake my hand , his crazy cackle and say Hello. My finger was the size of the pencil. This same walk through area, a drop leaf table with a drawer. Where this pad and a few pencils were kept, she sharpened the pencil with a pocket knife, it's point was square and blunt. When she'd write on the little pad, she'd first touch the point of the pencil to the tip of her tongue. Was for her grocery list. I always loved it. Something about it. I love it now. same something about it. 3×5 an unrefined paper, kinda the color of unbleached coffee filters, and come to think of it, the paper is kinda like that too. Do these pads still exist? Does anyone know? Maybe it's the last one in the world.
windthread 
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