Well, am I, really? Welcome to the dog days of summer . . . I often heard this as a child, but what does it mean? Our canine friends might consider it a compliment, an insult, or something more devious. What else could I do but go on [...]
The berries are gone. Eaten. Spent from the summer sun. What’s left is the memory of waiting for just the right moment to pick, then the sweetness, and finally, the joy of creating something new. Let’s eat! Blackberry Cobbler My husband's favorite made with the berries from his [...]
Welcome to August! The good? It’s my birthday month, and who doesn’t like to revel in a little celebration? I love everyone’s birthday, including my own, and August is full of special days in our family. The not-so-good? It’s hot. Notice, I didn’t write, “The bad.” How could [...]
I made a list of what July keeps. July reminds me to lighten my thoughts, make time for play, and relish all that is good in the world. Awe and wonder never take a vacation. What does July keep? A few words: Splashing. Sun. Shade. Sticky. Silence. Sunsets. [...]
I smiled. Bluebirds splashed in delight. Among the trees and gardens of our two-acre homesite, nature provides daily lessons on the survival of the fittest, squatters' rights, and how wildlife play. We have a Bluebird house in the back, but the Sparrows moved in while Mockingbirds harass both as [...]
Summed up into two words. I don’t remember when these two words first entered my vocabulary or when they became an obsession. The words circle my thoughts. Other times, they become an engine roaring, propelling me forward. I used those two words when I decided it was time to [...]
Today, freedom occupies my thoughts. Who is free? Who is not? Why not? What does it mean to belong to a country, a state, a community, to myself? I remember my visit to the United States National Archives, gazing in awe at the Declaration of Independence through the [...]
How does your garden grow? As I created a mental list of gardening chores for today, a nursery rhyme popped into my head: Mary, Mary, quite contrary How does your garden grow? With silver bells, and cockle shells, And pretty maids all in a row. That took me [...]
We have much to learn from trees. I have always marveled at how trees can bend nearly to the ground and survive. Living near the Gulf Coast, I’ve watched trees as they brave the fierce winds of a hurricane, their branches arching to the ground. A few limbs may [...]
My sister sent me a text. Not unusual, except for her request. Can you send me a recipe from Mom for chicken and dumplings? A simple, straightforward request, right? Our mother never wrote down the recipe. Her mother never wrote down the recipe. I have never written down the [...]
