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Followed by Aliens. The first time I flew, there had been UFO sightings near Green Bay, Wisconsin.
被外星人跟踪。我第一次飞行的时候，在威斯康辛州的格林湾附近看到了UFO。
My plane made a stop there, and when we were back in the air, I noticed red and green lights following us.
我把飞机停在那里，在我们充新飞向天空的时候，我看到有红光和绿光跟着我们。
After noting this for several minutes, I summoned a flight attendant.
在注意到这个几分钟后，我叫来了一名空乘。
"I don't want to sound an alarm," I said, "but those lights have been following us since Green Bay."
我说，“我不想拉响警报，但是这些光从我们飞到格林湾开始就跟着我们。”
She looked out the window, leaned closer to me, and replied, "I hope so. Those are the wing lights."
她望着窗外，靠近我说道，“我希望如此。那些是机翼灯。”
Grandma's Slice of Love. I spent a lot of my childhood in my grandma's country kitchen.
祖母沉默的爱。我童年的很多时光都是在祖母的乡村厨房里度过的。
A vintage stove anchored one side of the room,
房间的一侧固定着一个老式火炉，
while her sparkly countertops were topped by a bread box that held Little Debbies and Wonder Bread slices.
而她那闪闪发光的工作台面上放着一个面包盒，里面装着小德比牌小吃和神奇牌面包片。
The most prized possession in her kitchen was her recipe box.
她厨房里最珍贵的东西是她的食谱盒。
A brilliant baker, my grandma cherished the burnished wood box jammed with beloved and secret family recipes,
作为一个出色的烘培师，我祖母很珍爱装满着心爱的、秘密的家庭食谱的木盒。
organized into different categories—pies, cakes, cookies, breads—and all written in her slanting cursive.
食谱有很多类别-派，蛋糕，饼干，面包-所有都用她倾斜的草书记载着。
Her Formica dinette table provided a glamorous backdrop for her glorious fresh-fruit pies—strawberry rhubarb, blueberry, apple, cherry—
她的塑料餐桌为她的美味的新鲜水果派-草莓大黄，蓝莓，苹果，樱桃-提供了迷人的背景，
the golden crusts decorated with a pretty S for her last name, Shipman,
金色的外壳上装饰着一个漂亮的S，代表她的姓，希普曼，
the only demonstrable sign of pride my grandma ever presented.
我祖母唯一呈现的显而易见的骄傲的标志。
That tiny kitchen was where my family gathered every Sunday and holiday, but it wasn't just a place to cook.
那个小厨房是我家人在每周日和假日聚集的地方，但是它不只是一个做饭的地方。
It was the place where she connected our family's past to the present, teaching me our family history through the food she made.
它是一个祖母用来连接我们家族过去和现在的地方，通过她做的食物教我们家族的历史。
Her kitchen is where I shared my life with my grandma too.
祖母的厨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，她总是切两片馅饼，然后给自己倒杯咖啡，给我倒杯牛奶，我们坐在她的桌边聊天。
We'd mostly discuss what I was going to do when I grew up,
我们多数时候会讨论我长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.
我怎么去改变世界，去到她从没机会去的地方。
"What do you think Paris is like in the spring?" she'd ask. "Send me a postcard when you go."
“你觉得春天的巴黎怎么样？”她会问。“你去那里的时候给我寄张明信片。
I was in college when my grandma hosted her last Thanksgiving.
我上大学的时候，我奶奶主办了她上个感恩节聚会。
I returned home on break and spent most of my time in the kitchen with her,
休息时我回到家，大部分时间都和她呆在厨房里，
baking the pies for our family, decorating the tops with that signature S.
为家人烘培馅饼，在上面装饰上签名S。
When we finished, she cut two slices and poured the coffee and milk, as always.
完成后，她会切两片，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.
她会眼睛睁大，手肘放在塑料餐桌上，对我说，“跟我讲讲芝加哥。”
Every Thanksgiving, I make the treasured desserts from my grandma's recipe box.
每个感恩节，我都按照祖母的食谱做珍贵的甜点。
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，我还是切了两片馅饼，给她倒了一杯咖啡，给自己倒了一杯牛奶，
take a seat at my own kitchen table, and tell my grandma all about my life.
在我的餐桌边坐下，跟我祖母讲我们的生活。
The Operation Failed, Fortunately. I had just awakened after a 12-hour surgery to repair my brain aneurysm.
幸运的是，手术失败了。我刚从12个小时的脑动脉瘤手术中醒来。
Standing over me, my wife said, "They couldn't fix it." The brain surgeon next to her replied, "Your aneurysm was too large.
妻子站在我旁边说：“他们治不了。”她旁边的脑外科医生回答说：“你的动脉瘤太大了。”
We did the best that we could. I don't know how much time we bought you, but live life to the fullest."
我们已经尽力了。我不知道我们给你争取了多少时间，但是尽情地生活吧。”
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.
我笑着对他们说：“好吧，至少我没死！”外科医生咧嘴一笑。“你就是不会死！”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。在我的猎狼犬小狗六个月大，100磅重时，
when his trainer taught him to fetch in a large veterinary-clinic lobby.
她的训练师在兽医诊所的大厅中教他取东西。
The trainer would tell him to get the ball and reward him when he returned with it. He repeated this several times.
训练时告诉他把球取来的话就奖励他。他重复了几次。
He then threw the ball twenty feet. It rebounded down a long corridor.
然后他把球扔了20英尺远。弹落在一条长长的走廊上。
The trainer said, "Fetch!" and the puppy ran after it—
训练师说，“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.
五分钟后，它带着一个带两个网球的助行器回来了。
