While trying to figure out when and how — and even, if — I would haul myself back into a regular blogging practice, I have also been re-prioritizing my interior life, purging all kinds of stuff that is no longer of use. The great thing about decluttering is that fresh space appears. A predictable scenario, but thrilling,…
Category: Friendship
How to Create a Modern Crafting Bee
I haven’t read the Laura Ingalls Wilder Little House on the Prairie books in decades, but a happy memory that lives on is the image of women crafting, their hands busy with making things both beautiful and useful. The women are seated around a table, enjoying a break from regular routines as they engage in…
When the cheerful need cheering
It was one of those lunch dates that, once the day arrived, I really felt as though I shouldn’t leave my desk. My mind was busy with voices saying fingers should stay on the keyboard, be productive not social, etc. But this was to be an unusual celebration: a friend from one facet of my…
Sing a Song of Gingerbread
There’s nothing like having company over to motivate me to organize piles of books, discarded mail that needs shredding, fabric-waiting-for-a-project, and at this time of year, holiday catalogs that I feel as though I must look through at least once for fear of missing that great something. On the first Saturday every December a group…
How to Reinvent a Life When You’re 84
I held her hand through the forty-five minute MRI scan of her brain and chest. We had not shared such extended proximity to one another in decades. That afternoon she had crumpled on the sidewalk outside the senior center. After refusing medical attention, she was eventually lured into the ambulance by my cousin, who lives…
Another gardener shares, as summer whispers to a close
Please welcome guest blogger Melissa Mannon, who is a kindred flower-loving soul and agreed to share reflections on what gardening means to her. Photos and text by Melissa Mannon. I try to walk through my day with an image of my garden in my head. It feeds my creativity. It makes me smile. It induces a…
Something new!
Hey folks, I’ve added a free e-card page to the site, using my photography. A fresh image will be posted every Monday and there is no limit to the number of e-cards you can send. I also want to make sure you know that once your e-card goes off into the ether, there is no…
January Bits
We had an esteemed houseguest recently, but someone wasn’t pleased. Beware of the calico personality! Our visitor, Ann, is the author of the lighthearted-with-serious-subtext novel, On Maggie’s Watch. Ann makes me laugh more than almost anyone, but Corabelle fails to appreciate the humor. “How long is she staying?” she seemed to be asking. Before Cora’s patience…
Come meet my friend …
There’s a new gal in the blogosphere and I thought you might be interested in following her Year in the Studio. Her journey has just begun and I think it’s going to be a fun one, with some surprises along the way. She’s super talented, funny, and a dear friend. When you meet her, you’ll…
A Day of Beauty, or Saturdays are for Road Trips, part 1
What better way to celebrate the arrival of an out-of-town friend than to organize an all-day art tour? That’s what my friend Cynthia did, and Trudie and I were fortunate to be invited along. The day was full of many wow!s, beginning with a tour of C’s house and gardens, and an al fresco breakfast served…