First, a few poetic thoughts . . . “…whoever you are, no matter how lonely, the world offers itself to your imagination, calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting— over and over announcing your place in the family of things.” — Mary Oliver, “Wild Geese” in [...]
Hint: You can’t stop it. We don’t enter the world with a sense of time, how it passes or what it even means. Babies wake up, get hungry, and want to be fed and changed. Comfort is important. Young children don’t comprehend the concept of an hour. Ask any [...]
My mundane nine-hour drive came alive when I noticed the colors, especially the green. The trees, bushes, and vines spoke in thousands of shades of one color: green. Emerald, lime, chartreuse, mint, and seafoam splashed across the landscape, and no two trees sported the same shade or hue [...]
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 [...]
