WFHB Bloomington Community Radio
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Ostensibly about home and garden repairs and an ensuing bet between the narrator and her husband Jim, this excerpt from Claire Arbogast’s memoir, Leave the Dogs at Home, reveals the dynamics about the relationship and serves as a reflection of larger issues: illness, death, loss.
The memoir explores the stages of grief and how circumstances change not just the trajectory of our lives but the way we actually see ourselves and the world around us.
Extra water poured into the low-lying patio from a garden pathway, dragging mulch with it to clog the drain. I realized this was my fault. Excavation dirt from a small wall I had built around the garden by the garage had raised the path. But that water was a dribble compared to the water now gushing over the gutters like Niagara Falls. I slicked my wet hair back. How had I lived here for more than four years without noticing that we needed wider gutters? Why had Jim missed this in his worrying investigations?
About Claire Arbogast: The daughter of florists and granddaughter of a prolific gardener, Claire Arbogast was born in 1950. She grew up among the winding streets and deep front porches of historic Irvington on the eastside of Indianapolis. But her life took a wide turn as books and the times challenged her limited perspective of the world.
MUSIC
Show Theme: “Firetime” by The Keithe Lowrie Duet
Songs from Living Room by Kade Puckett
– Walk the Talk
– Living Room
– When the Wind Blows
– Moving On
RELATED
Speaking of Stories – Episode 5
CREDITS
Narrator: Claire Arbogast
Producer & Host: Robert Shull
Audio Engineer: Doug Storm
Literary Consultant: Shana Ritter
Executive Producer: Josh Brewer
