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Followed by Aliens. The first time I flew, there had been UFO sightings near Green Bay, Wisconsin.
被外星人跟蹤。我第一次飛行的時候，在威斯康辛州的格林灣附近看到了UFO。
My plane made a stop there, and when we were back in the air, I noticed red and green lights following us.
我把飛機停在那里，在我們充新飛向天空的時候，我看到有紅光和綠光跟著我們。
After noting this for several minutes, I summoned a flight attendant.
在注意到這個幾分鐘后，我叫來了一名空乘。
"I don't want to sound an alarm," I said, "but those lights have been following us since Green Bay."
我說，“我不想拉響警報，但是這些光從我們飛到格林灣開始就跟著我們。”
She looked out the window, leaned closer to me, and replied, "I hope so. Those are the wing lights."
她望著窗外，靠近我說道，“我希望如此。那些是機翼燈。”
Grandma's Slice of Love. I spent a lot of my childhood in my grandma's country kitchen.
祖母沉默的愛。我童年的很多時光都是在祖母的鄉村廚房里度過的。
A vintage stove anchored one side of the room,
房間的一側固定著一個老式火爐，
while her sparkly countertops were topped by a bread box that held Little Debbies and Wonder Bread slices.
而她那閃閃發光的工作臺面上放著一個面包盒，里面裝著小德比牌小吃和神奇牌面包片。
The most prized possession in her kitchen was her recipe box.
她廚房里最珍貴的東西是她的食譜盒。
A brilliant baker, my grandma cherished the burnished wood box jammed with beloved and secret family recipes,
作為一個出色的烘培師，我祖母很珍愛裝滿著心愛的、秘密的家庭食譜的木盒。
organized into different categories—pies, cakes, cookies, breads—and all written in her slanting cursive.
食譜有很多類別-派，蛋糕，餅干，面包-所有都用她傾斜的草書記載著。
Her Formica dinette table provided a glamorous backdrop for her glorious fresh-fruit pies—strawberry rhubarb, blueberry, apple, cherry—
她的塑料餐桌為她的美味的新鮮水果派-草莓大黃，藍莓，蘋果，櫻桃-提供了迷人的背景，
the golden crusts decorated with a pretty S for her last name, Shipman,
金色的外殼上裝飾著一個漂亮的S，代表她的姓，希普曼，
the only demonstrable sign of pride my grandma ever presented.
我祖母唯一呈現的顯而易見的驕傲的標志。
That tiny kitchen was where my family gathered every Sunday and holiday, but it wasn't just a place to cook.
那個小廚房是我家人在每周日和假日聚集的地方，但是它不只是一個做飯的地方。
It was the place where she connected our family's past to the present, teaching me our family history through the food she made.
它是一個祖母用來連接我們家族過去和現在的地方，通過她做的食物教我們家族的歷史。
Her kitchen is where I shared my life with my grandma too.
祖母的廚房也是我和她分享我的生活的地方。
After baking, she would always cut two slices of pie, then pour a cup of coffee for herself and a glass of milk for me, and we'd sit and talk at her table.
烘培完成后，她總是切兩片餡餅，然后給自己倒杯咖啡，給我倒杯牛奶，我們坐在她的桌邊聊天。
We'd mostly discuss what I was going to do when I grew up,
我們多數時候會討論我長大后要做什么的事情，
how I was going to change the world and see places she'd never had the chance to see.
我怎么去改變世界，去到她從沒機會去的地方。
"What do you think Paris is like in the spring?" she'd ask. "Send me a postcard when you go."
“你覺得春天的巴黎怎么樣？”她會問。“你去那里的時候給我寄張明信片。
I was in college when my grandma hosted her last Thanksgiving.
我上大學的時候，我奶奶主辦了她上個感恩節聚會。
I returned home on break and spent most of my time in the kitchen with her,
休息時我回到家，大部分時間都和她呆在廚房里，
baking the pies for our family, decorating the tops with that signature S.
為家人烘培餡餅，在上面裝飾上簽名S。
When we finished, she cut two slices and poured the coffee and milk, as always.
完成后，她會切兩片，倒杯咖啡和牛奶，一如往常。
"Tell me about Chicago," she said, eyes wide, elbows resting on her Formica table.
她會眼睛睜大，手肘放在塑料餐桌上，對我說，“跟我講講芝加哥。”
Every Thanksgiving, I make the treasured desserts from my grandma's recipe box.
每個感恩節，我都按照祖母的食譜做珍貴的甜點。
And after I finish, I still cut two slices of pie, pour a cup of coffee for her and a glass of milk for myself,
做完之后，我還是切了兩片餡餅，給她倒了一杯咖啡，給自己倒了一杯牛奶，
take a seat at my own kitchen table, and tell my grandma all about my life.
在我的餐桌邊坐下，跟我祖母講我們的生活。
The Operation Failed, Fortunately. I had just awakened after a 12-hour surgery to repair my brain aneurysm.
幸運的是，手術失敗了。我剛從12個小時的腦動脈瘤手術中醒來。
Standing over me, my wife said, "They couldn't fix it." The brain surgeon next to her replied, "Your aneurysm was too large.
妻子站在我旁邊說：“他們治不了。”她旁邊的腦外科醫生回答說：“你的動脈瘤太大了。”
We did the best that we could. I don't know how much time we bought you, but live life to the fullest."
我們已經盡力了。我不知道我們給你爭取了多少時間，但是盡情地生活吧。”
Smiling at them, I said, "Well, at least I didn't die!" The surgeon grinned. "You just wouldn't die!" That was 16 years ago.
我笑著對他們說：“好吧，至少我沒死！”外科醫生咧嘴一笑。“你就是不會死！”那是16年前的事了。
Puppy's First Fetch. My wolfhound puppy was six months old and 100 pounds
小狗第一次取物。在我的獵狼犬小狗六個月大，100磅重時，
when his trainer taught him to fetch in a large veterinary-clinic lobby.
她的訓練師在獸醫診所的大廳中教他取東西。
The trainer would tell him to get the ball and reward him when he returned with it. He repeated this several times.
訓練時告訴他把球取來的話就獎勵他。他重復了幾次。
He then threw the ball twenty feet. It rebounded down a long corridor.
然后他把球扔了20英尺遠。彈落在一條長長的走廊上。
The trainer said, "Fetch!" and the puppy ran after it—
訓練師說，“去取！”然后小狗向球跑去，
and returned five minutes later carrying a walker with two tennis balls on its legs.
五分鐘后，它帶著一個帶兩個網球的助行器回來了。
