Siri in Isolation

Some years are harder than others, and for us, the first part of 1986 was a difficult year. I remember thinking of us as survivors of a bad patch, when in August we sat in our garden sharing a bottle of champagne in celebration of our 7 th wedding anniversary. With some insistence a large blue butterfly started circling around my head and as I jerked away, Oswaldo said, “Calm down, she just wants some champagne.” Sure enough, when I put down my old-fashioned, wide-mouthed   coupe , the butterfly sat on its rim and helped herself to some   Veuve Clicquot . We felt in the presence of something wild and unexpected, a kind omen perhaps, and a few weeks later I discovered I was pregnant with Victor. He was born on the birthday of my grandmother, who had passed away that July.   After a stoic 2020, the first part of 2021 has not been easy for us due to several health-related reasons. Today, when I limped out in my garden, still with a brace on my leg, I suddenly realized nature...