An Abecedarium of Ornaments, the book I made as a tribute to all the Christmases Timothy and I shared, has finally taken flight. Six months of long weekend hours and many late nights at the computer screen, correcting white balance in hundreds of photographs, writing a tidbit of text about every ornament, finally came to fruition in an actual, hardback, dust-jacketed, book. And it published on Tim’s birthday, June 26.
As a memoir, Eat, Pray Love, it’s not (although it is heart-felt in its own way), nor My Kitchen Year (for all it has lots of photographs), but I’m happy I captured so many curious by-ways of our life together, and in a visual way that’s in keeping with other memoirs I’ve made for my family.
The following weekend, some good friends came over to the SunHouse for a glass of champagne, to toast Timothy’s memory and wish the book well. I put on a mix of his favorite jazz albums, with some new music from Bruce Springsteen (who seems to be channeling Warren Zevon) and — how not? — some Yuletide carols.
After all the excitement of actually autographing three books subsided, and the crowds cleared, I took a last glass of champagne and went outside to the patio.
Tim’s photograph was still on the table where I’d displayed the book, so I poured a shot of vodka for him before I sat down. I could listen to the summertime twitters of robins and finches, the burble of the newly restored fountain, and, through the open screen door, The Roches singing about another Christmas passing through.
Suzzy Roche wrote this song, and it appeared on their Christmas album, We Three Kings, in 1990.