Stories With Heart And Soul 
Have you ever thought about a bird losing its song? I haven’t. I assumed birds were born knowing how to sing. Then I read an article in the New York Times about the Regent Honeyeater, a critically endangered bird indigenous to Australia. There are now young Regent Honeyeaters who can’t sing because they have to
Continue reading...
This winter, our landscape transformed in unexpected and vexing ways. The biggest change was the moss and the English ivy. I noticed the ivy first and wondered how it slunk so far so fast. We’ve lived in our house for twenty-five years, that’s one hundred seasons of English ivy. It’s always been where it’s always
Continue reading...
It’s been a ying and yang year for my family, which means we’re lucky. On the plus side, we did a major house cleaning. Before the pandemic, I thought we had a pared down existence. It turns out that bags of do-we-really-need-this-stuff emerged from our basement and attic. We looped to and from Goodwill a
Continue reading...
Have you ever seen a seedling begin? It’s sprouts like a ballerina, arching from soil to sky. Then a pale stem presents two itty bitty green leaves to the sun. When you root for something so tender, optimism is a reflex. You believe it’s entirely possible for a nascent plant to thrive. You don’t think
Continue reading...
Home alone in the morning, I made pancakes served on handmade ceramics. Even a tiny clay pitcher for the maple syrup. I added a handcrafted juice cup and napkin just because. Perfection. I adore a handmade table setting.Table set and pancake done, I sat at the kitchen counter with the newspaper and took the first
Continue reading...
While there are many things to be positive about, there comes a time where being sunny seems loony. How can you crack a real smile when there is so much bad news? And so much of it. Hence, the following words. I shut down all my social media accounts a few months ago – Facebook,
Continue reading...
Time moves at the same rate no matter what we do, but now it feels like a tortoise crossing the road. Time is moving the way it does during the second half of an exercise class or the last ten minutes of math (or statistics or physics.) It’s almost like 4:00pm with a baby. You’re
Continue reading...
Saturday afternoon we hurried out of the house at 1:30 to watch The Blue Angels and Thunderbirds fly over Atlanta. They are the Navy’s highly skilled acrobatic flying teams. I caught site of the last plane rocketing into the tree line. The sound was like smooth thunder, very impressive and majestic. We walked down the
Continue reading...
To be real. Totally you is one of the best gifts you can give your children because it gives them permission to be true too. If my dad were alive, I would thank him for never acting like anyone else. Growing up I didn’t appreciate his authenticity because it included calling out posers and sharing
Continue reading...
With every endeavor you need a special place where you can be you. A nook suited to your temperament so you can thrive. Your mission control. My special space for writing includes a room with pin-drop silence, sunlight, and a view of our garden. Otherwise, I can’t do my best or sometimes even do at all.
Continue reading...