Snow Day!

December 5, 2025 The fluffy white boughs of the nandina outside my window bend and bounce as sparrows shift position, snuggling next to each other for warmth. The scarlet berries stand in contrast to the muted grays and browns of the late fall landscape. My cat Lily is entranced by the snow, the birds andContinue reading “Snow Day!”

Stillness of the Autumn Landscape

10/25/25 A walk today in the mid-afternoon sun on a nearly deserted lake front road stimulated my senses. As I approached the water, it was so quiet that I could hear the wind rustling the Pampas grass by the water’s edge while insects in the reeds trilled to each other, oblivious to my presence. AnContinue reading “Stillness of the Autumn Landscape”

A Change of Season

September 14, 2025 There is a slant to the sunlight, even on an 80-degree mid-September day that tells me it is almost Autumn. The oak trees and hickories I pass on my walks are still fully festooned with dark green leaves, but the angled sunlight gives them a yellowish cast. Here and there I seeContinue reading “A Change of Season”

Time for a Little Restoration

July 14, 2025 As a career educator, I have lived for my summer breaks for over 30 years. Teaching is very demanding of my time and energy by itself and teaching while being a spouse, a parent and a homeowner has meant that I have always juggled many responsibilities. The 8 weeks I get offContinue reading “Time for a Little Restoration”

Reaching the Home Stretch

May 27,2025 It is the final week of the school year, and we just had traditional Memorial Day weekend festivities. There was a cookout with family and friends on Monday, a lovely visit with Andrew’s girlfriend Anna for the weekend, and I managed to get in day hike to a new place with Nick. TheContinue reading “Reaching the Home Stretch”

Isolation vs. Solitude

January 6, 2025 This weekend I attended a meeting in which the chairperson brought the topic of isolation vs. solitude. She opened with some research that she had done, shared her own thoughts and then threw the query out to the group to discuss. People in the group had a lot to share and IContinue reading “Isolation vs. Solitude”

The Value of Retreats

November 10, 2024 This weekend I spent four days and three nights in Sandbridge, Virginia in a grand beach front house where the main agenda was writing in community. The retreat was a lovely balance of group writing sessions, constructive feedback from our instructor, shared meals prepared by an amazing chef and time to writeContinue reading “The Value of Retreats”

In Tough Times, Remember to be Kind to Yourself

May 28, 2023 “In tough times, remember to be kind to yourself” was the title of an article I read yesterday in Mindful Magazine. It was extremely well timed for me, as if the universe was giving me permission to be human and admit that I had finally hit the wall after a series ofContinue reading “In Tough Times, Remember to be Kind to Yourself”