Loose Leaf Notes

I hovered over the table, across from Emily, the hip hop singer and saxophone player who was the lead singer for Foundation Stone before they broke up. We were snipping and clipping November submissions for the local newsletter that gets put together at my kitchen table each month. Every now and then I would break the silence or change the conversation with, “But we still have to name the moon.” Naming the moon is something our friend Jayn started and usually does, but she was down the mountain selling her pottery at the Roanoke Market.

Emily, who was wearing a pale pink headband that held back her long blonde hair, a magenta sweatshirt, and a necklace the color of sand, made a few suggestions, to which I answered, “We’ve already used that one.” After more than twenty years of putting out the newsletter called a “Museletter” all the typical names for November had been used, like Thanksgiving, Hunter, and Bare Trees Moon.

“Empty … open … darkening … stark … potential,” I tried, hoping to hit on a word that would conjure a November feeling.

We were looking for quotes and glue sticking graphics on borders when Emily said, “Maybe we should get out the thesaurus?” She was speaking my language. I pulled the faded blue hard cover edition from a nearby bookcase and handed it to her. She looked up “gratitude,” expecting to find a fresh synonym to go with the horn of plenty clip art I had just pasted down on the community bulletin board page.

“Let’s ask Joe to name the moon,” she said, slamming the book shut a few minutes later. I got up and looked out the window.

“No, he’s on the porch doing paper work, rubbing his forehead with his hand. I don’t think we should ask him right now.

A few minutes later he came inside.

I was busy looking for a poem by Mara about not doing housework that had slipped under the table when I heard Emily ask Joe to name the moon.

“That’s it!” we both said at the same time. As soon as he said it we knew it was perfect. Apple Crisp Moon.

“We’ve never used that one before. Jayn will love it and it goes well with the Thanksgiving blessing on the front page, the one Joe’s nephew Cameron taught me: We love our bread. We love our butter. But most of all we love each other.”

We also love our apple crisp.

Post notes: Emily’s CD Party announcement is featured on the front page of the Museletter. The Emily Brass band will play at the Pine Tavern on November 30, 9 P.M. with Ash Devine opening the show. You can hear Emily's music HERE. More about the Museletter HERE.