So, Melissa wants to know 6 things about me, huh?
Let’s see.
1. I can recite the entire alphabet backwards, just as easily as I can forward. Z, Y, X, W, V, U, T, S, R, Q, P, O, N, M, L, K, J, I, H, G, F, E, D, C, B, A. (Although, it turns out, typing it can be tricky!) This is a leftover from long, family drives when I was little and my mother would throw back questions over the seat to keep my sister and me entertained. It’s come in remarkably handy, too, over the years, because it makes alphabetizing things that much easier. Who knew? But, meanwhile, it’s about my only party trick.
2. I was an identical twin. My twin and I were due, in fact, on December 29th, but we arrived seven weeks early in 1966, back when premature-baby care was still new, and my twin didn’t make it. Actually, I was a complete surprise to everyone–no one knew my mother was having twins. The doctor could only hear one heartbeat and there were no ultrasounds, so until I, the second one born, actually showed my face, they had no idea I was coming. I’ve always rather liked the idea that I was TRULY a surprise baby … not too many people can keep that kind of secret from their moms for that long!
3. Most of my hobbies are ones which were shaped by my childhood reading. Louisa May Alcott would be so proud of me. I read. I sew. I bake. I knit. I spin. I cook. I quilt. I embroider. I clean. I write. She so extolled the virtues of being a lady, and knowing how to keep house, that the lessons stuck … making me one of the very few people I know who’s been baking bread since well before the “Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes” wave took off.
4. I look like my dog and love that. I mean, seriously. First, he’s gorgeous, with chocolate-brown curls that match mine. (My curls are natural, though the color gets a little chemical help these days.) But, second, we were so obviously meant for each other. My name, as you know, is Boyken, and Chappy is a Boykin Spaniel. It’s a breed most people haven’t heard of, and is the State Dog of South Carolina, where the breed originated. (Bred by a man named Whit Boykin.) So, I have a dog who not only has my name (more or less), but so clearly is meant to be my little boy, because we look alike, too. You can’t argue with fate, you know? (Oh, and credit to my friend Liz for this picture, taken in her living room a couple years ago.)
5. This may not be a surprise, but Martha’s Vineyard is one of my very favorite places in the world. My grandmother grew up there, my mother spent all her summers growing up there. My dog’s name is Chappaquiddick. We call our house “Martha’s Vineyard South” because it’s got so many odds and ends and knicknacks and decorations from the island. And it inspired one of my favorite ghost stories. The house that my great-grandmother lived and died in is now a restaurant, and the one and only time Mom and I ate there, we sat outside on the patio on a beautiful, still May night … and our candle wouldn’t stay lit. The waitress kept relighting it. She tried giving us other, well-behaved candles from other tables. She watched us to see if we were blowing it out ourselves. But, no. As still as the air was, OUR candle–and no other–kept going out. The only explanation we can come up with is that it was “The Grandmothers” making mischief, making sure we knew that they knew we were there at great-grandma’s house. Especially when you consider that, an hour or so later, after supper, when we walked back past the restaurant, the candle on our table was lit and steady. (Not to mention the only known “photo” of me and my twin.)
6. I just love gray flannel.There’s something about the natural, gray wool that I love–though I think I owe some of that to JRR Tolkien and other fantasy authors (like Susan Dexter.) In fact, 
I wore a gray, wool cloak during my college years, whenever it got cold. I have to say, really, that this is the warmest winter garment I’ve ever had. Because your arms and hands are under the cloak, the body warmth helps keep them warm, and for walking across a cold campus on a frosty day, well . . . really warm. I carried my books in a messenger bag at the time, too (decades before my time) . . . even though carrying backpacks casually slung over one shoulder was THE way to carry school supplies at the time . Anyway, the cloak kept my bag of books from getting wet, too. And on warmer days, it was easy to toss one or both sides back over my shoulder. I loved this cloak. About the only thing it wasn’t good for was shoveling snow or cleaning off my car . . . I’m remarkably proud of the fact that this has held up so well. I made it myself, and it still looks good … it’s even machine washable AND has a hood. I pull it out about once a winter these days, for old time’s sake.
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Deb,
The “photo” of your twin and you is eerie!
Isn’t it, though? Me, Chappy, Susan, and Katy, my first Boykin Spaniel that I lost to a car when she was 20 months old … all together on the beach at Chappaquiddick!
I can think of something else your cloak was good for one bitterly cold winter day about nineteen years ago!
Hi Deb, That pic of you and Chappy is priceless! You should think about reciting the alphabet backward on a podcast. It could go viral!
Brad Shorr’s last blog post..Help Luke Gedeon Hit 100 Comments
@Patty–yes, there WAS that one, very cold day when we were at your new, still-unheated house and I sat on the dining room floor with my baby niece under my cloak. I think she and I were the only ones who were warm that day!
@Brad–do you really think so? Wouldn’t that be interesting!
–Deb’s last blog post..A Sextet of Information
OMG!!! Look at Chappy! You guys are SO cute, and you really do look alike. That cloak is so awesome, I can’t believe you don’t wear it every single day. I have to get myself one of those someday. I knew that you liked to knit and sew but I didn’t realize you were a domestic goddess. You’re right, Louisa would be proud 😉 This was fun to read and put a big smile on my face. Thanks Deb!
Melissa Donovan’s last blog post..Creative Writing Tips from Around the Blogosphere
@Melissa–Isn’t Chappy adorable? (Of course, I’m biased.) And, after 5 years or so, I got a little tired of wearing the cloak every day.
Did you ever read Louisa May Alcott’s “Eight Cousins?” Rose works so hard to learn bread and buttonholes, which her uncle tells her is the epitome of womanhood … guess what I started learning to do that summer? (Thankfully, my bread has improved a LOT since then.) And there’s a reason I show so many pictures of baked goods and knitted items on my Chappysmom.com blog!
Yep, Chappy is awesome. Does he like cats? He’s just the right size to be a playmate for my Boo! I think I might have read Eight Cousins. I know I read a couple of sequels to Little Women but none of them beat the original. I’ve always wanted to learn to bake bread. Maybe when I retire… heheh
Melissa Donovan’s last blog post..Writing Forward: Year in Review 2008
Chappy doesn’t know what to make of cats–he’s only ever met a couple of them and barked at them each time with a “What kind of dog is that?” kind of wondering bark.
And no, “Little Men” and “Jo’s Boys” were never as good as “Little Women.”
You’d be surprised at how easy baking bread can be, though. And that “Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes” book makes it even simpler!
–Deb’s last blog post..A Sextet of Information
“Most of my hobbies are ones which were shaped by my childhood reading.”
Hm, I read every wilderness book from Davy Crockett to White Fang to My Side of the Mountain as a kid, and yet I can’t even find my way off my neighbor’s farm with using the GPS on my iPhone. What the heck happened? 😛
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Hey, the hobby-inspiration doesn’t provide the SKILLS, just the desire to give things a try. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to follow ALL the things I would have liked since I never did find a magic wand that worked properly, and oddly enough, no mysteries to solve manifested themselves in my quiet neighborhood, so I had to work with what I had … you know, a kitchen, and access to yarn and things.
And, lordy, did I ever want to try living in a tree! I loved that book.
Deb,
I’m sorry to hear that your twin didn’t make it.
I know this might sound a little too personal, but do you ever wonder what it would have been like to have a twin sibling?
With regards to the photo of Chappy, I agree with Lillie, Brad and Melisa – the photo is lovely and it brings a smile to my face.
Dogs make such wonderful friends. Unlike people, they don’t seem to argue or fight with their owners, but they never cease to show their affection.
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@Andrew–I think about what it would have been like if Susan had stuck around ALL the time! (Well, you know, not literally all the time, but often.)
Isn’t that a great picture of me and Chappy? We were visiting a friend in Maryland and one of our other friends came too, with her two dogs, and by Sunday morning, Chappy was feeling kind of stressed and just wanted some peace and quiet. I had sat down in Kirk’s chair, and Chappy somehow scrambled up behind me–the only place he felt safe from the crazy puppy. By then, he was so exhausted from having barely slept for 24 hours, he nodded off, even though it was a chair that rocked and was slippery leather … Hence the amused expression on my face. Poor, tired little boy!
Haha. You and Chappy really do look alike!
And I am almost equally impressed by your reverse-alphabet recitation skill. That is actually really handy. Whenever I am reverse-alphabetizing something, or doing something that requires me to start at Z, I have to repeat the alphabet in my head for just about every ‘next’ letter. 🙂
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My sisters are twins, born in 1970, and no one knew until Melissa showed up and they had to come up with a second name. 🙂 That sounds crazy with today’s technology, doesn’t it?
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