I love my family and I also love my solitude. Right now, Laurinda is at work, Makiya and Gerry are at the gym, and I'm home alone with the dogs. I danced a little jig when the last one was out the door. The dryer is running and, save for the tap-tapping of my fingers
The weather yesterday was glorious, and today promises to be even warmer. There’s no frost in the long-range forecast and I believe we’ve finally crossed over into full on spring. Hurray! Taking advantage of the beautiful sunny afternoon (after Gerry hiked in the morning and I painted), we tended to some things around the yard
I'm sitting on the back deck writing this blog post. How sweet is that?! It's the first time this year I've been able to do so and—fingers crossed—there will be more opportunity to do the same next week. There is a herd of empty pots here with me, and my little pup, Murphy. Lettuce and
I'm just in from trimming back the lavender in the bed next to our front door. It's fragrant, even now, and the dose of aromatherapy paired with a reasonably nice afternoon was wonderful. Now I'm eyeing my new backyard vegetable garden and itching to get out there and toss some seeds in the ground. We're
It's early Friday afternoon as I write this and, after a busy morning, I'm ready for a break. Seems like a good time to pop in and say "hello!". I've spent the morning working on Story Circle Network business--wrapping up the blog competition (winners will be announced next week) and getting ready for the poetry
Gerry heads in one direction, exploring a potential hiking path to see if it's still too muddy for a group. Meanwhile, I stand in a silent space with a tiny Yorkie in my arms and breathe deep. Here, there are no distractions. No sound to break the sweet silence. No pressure to do anything but
I woke up this morning feeling overwhelmed so I did our taxes. If that isn't nonsensical, I don't know what is. The annual task usually makes me extremely grumpy, but this year it acted as a respite that allowed me to focus on something other than current world events. This afternoon, Makiya and I went
As a kid, I didn't like art class. I never allowed myself the gift of getting lost in creating something because I compared my work with others and always came up lacking. Thank goodness, those days are in the past. These days I spend a lot of time creating. Whether I'm weaving words, planting a
We go to Costco to buy popcorn. And more. Always more. After deciding I don't need them I loop back and pick up a yellow box of Dad's Oatmeal Chocolate Chip cookies. (48 individually wrapped packages containing two cookies each.) Because school lunches. And childhood memories. When we get home I brew tea and dip
It's my birthday. I'm 63-years-old today. When we live longer lives than our parents, it's hard to imagine ourselves aging past them. It was that way for me as I approached 55, the age my mom was when she died suddenly. Now I'm two years away from reaching the last birthday milestone my dad celebrated.
The January melt continues. Our cars are dirty and our garages are mucky; roads are slushy and our shoes are wet. We're on the downward slope toward spring and, while it's entirely possible we're in for another dump or two of snow, I'm choosing to believe the worst of winter is behind us. I even