The First Signs of Christmas

December begins and my house is seeing the first signs of Christmas. Take a look – see it?

Not my desktop – that Christmas mug over on the right. See? Yeah, that’s it.
Each year in my house as the Christmas season begins there are two small items that lead the way … my red Christmas mugs [...]

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Just an Old Folkie at Heart

Sometimes in the middle of the work, sometimes in the middle of the stress and nonsense, something just keeps shining through. And for me, that is music. Does music do it for you, too?
I love many forms of music, and certainly have several favorites, but what always feels as comfortable as a pair of old [...]

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Honored to Receive the Honest Scrap Award

I recently found I was chosen for an award by a fellow blogger, The Battered Trunk.
I readily found what I, as a new recipient, needed to do, but was unsure exactly what the award was about. A little online delving, and I found the following definition of the Honest Scrap Award on Buddhist Minister Rev. [...]

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Can Children’s Books Reduce Hate?

I got a letter from John Grisham yesterday.
At least that’s what the envelope said. I found it to be an appeal on behalf of a person and an organization that I’ve heard of, but knew little about – Morris Dees, an Alabama lawyer and friend of Grisham’s, and the Southern Poverty Law Center.  It is [...]

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Freshness Expert

One of the things that is so endearing about our pets is how they come up with these little quirky behaviors on their own.
One of my cats is the official, self-appointed Freshness Expert (and yes, that is with a capital F and E.) Just ask her.
Whenever I open a new bag of their food and [...]

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Alice Hoffman – Local Girls

One of the things I love about reading Alice Hoffman is that I never know quite what to expect with the exception of one thing – I will be deeply moved by her story. I find Hoffman’s writing brilliant in her ability to take us so penetratingly into her characters, characters who are not heroes, [...]

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The Deer Ate Them

Who was it that said “No good deed goes unpunished?” Seems so true on this count! Because I am so behind in getting flowers in pots around the house, I decided a couple of weeks ago to at least buy two big pots of lovely pink, dark-leaved begonias for the edge of my front porch. [...]

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Vicarious House-Hunting

Now this was fun! My friend, unfortunately, has to move, as his house has sold and there’s but so much time to be out and into a new place. However, looking at places to buy can be lots of fun for me, as there’s no pressure to pack, move, etc. Been there, done that, 2-1/2 [...]

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