The Snoring Bird
My Family's Journey Through a Century of Biology
Chapter One
A Visit Home
When you start your journey to Ithaca
then pray that the road is long,
full of adventure, full of knowledge.
Do not fear the Lestrygonians
and the Cyclops and the angry Poseidon.
—"Ithaca," Constantine P. Cavafy
Mamusha is just settling down on her bed to watch the evening news when I arrive. Two cans of Coors, which she has opened with the point of a pair of scissors, are on the table next to her, along with a box of German chocolates. She used to make her own beer, but now, in her mid-eighties, she likes Coors from a can; and because her gnarled hands are too weak, she cannot pull off the tabs. Duke, the huge shepherd-hound that she rescued from the pound, is at her feet, and a one-legged chicken lies cradled in her lap. She is mildly irritated at me for arriving unannounced (I have a tendency either to just show up or to come an hour later than I've promised, which annoys her also), but soon I have placated her and she offers me ... read full excerpt from: The Snoring Bird ebook
