Q. What inspired this story?

“A Brief History Of Nephology” is a text from the field guide to weather that my sister Christy and I are writing. The guide has sort of grown out of this constant fascination we’ve had with weather. I can’t completely speak for my sister, but I do think it’s important to say that weather directly affects the well-being of our family: our father flew fighters in the Air Force until recently, and now he flies for USairways, so my sister, my mother, and I all were, and still are, intensely aware of the ways the atmosphere can affect his safety in the sky. I like to think that both this particular text and the larger project of the guide put into words our appreciation for weather and for our family.

Q. What song would you pair with this story?

In working on this project, I’ve favored listening to Flying Saucer Attack. The song that best pairs with this text is “Tides” from the album Mirror.