new england writers

We have been in the area of Boston for about two weeks now and Addie has already peed on Emily Dickinson's front lawn, pooped in Mark Twain's backyard, and then later pooped and peed on the campus of Harvard. She has no respect for the written word.

And Jr likes to just poop everywhere.

But unlike my pets, I'm hoping you actually care about this kind of stuff, so here are some things that I learned while stalking writers.

--Stalking Target 1: Emily Dickinson

Her house in Massachusetts

The family owned 19 copies of the King James version of the Bible.

She lived in this house for the majority of her life, but she briefly lived in a different house a little bit away during her teen years before moving back here. In that other house, her bedroom window opened up to a view of the cemetery. 

This tree was here when she was alive.

Emily Dickinson and I are the same height.

Shortly after relieving herself.

Our guide did not mention this, but I remember it from when I came here as a kid: due to her highly religious family, many of her poems can be sung to the tune of hymns. The guide referred to it as the "Hallelujah Chorus". But her poems can also be sung to the Gilligan's Island theme song.

Addie really does not trust Robert Frost.

--Stalking Target 2: Dr. Seuss

A sculpture garden dedicated to his works in Massachusetts

Since this memorial garden's location does not have any connection to Dr. Seuss' life, all I learned here was that parents apparently cannot read signs.

Unless it's part of a photo op, in which case they will stand right in front of it to block it from anyone else nearby waiting to take a photo and take 20 minutes to read a children's book.

--Stalking Target 3: Mark Twain

His home during the highest point of his career in Connecticut

In the library, there are a set of objects going across the mantle above the fireplace. Samuel would tell a new story every night to his daughters using each object as a part of the story, always starting on the right with a painting of a cat wearing a ruff (how great is that?) and ending on the left with a painting of a young woman that his daughters named Emmeline. Emmeline went on to be a character in Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

Also shortly after relieving herself.

On the third floor of the house, there is a room that was designed to be a guest bedroom. However, not many people slept in there, so it became the room where his daughters stored live, wild squirrels to keep as pets.

On Samuel Clemen's actual bed, the pillows are propped up at a steep angle. People in this time slept sitting up because, according to our guide, "Victorians are weird".

And this exists!

much love,
hedgie