12 Oct 2022

This Time, I Went With Him

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Is it possible to have a holiday do double duty — say, wholeheartedly embrace Indigenous People’s Day while not spurning absolutely everything related to Columbus Day; or perhaps ditching the Columbus (who never stepped foot in the US mainland) part and thinking of that second Monday in October as primarily Indigenous People’s Day, because it’s about time, but making some room for Italian Heritage Day; or maybe, with full enthusiasm for the new designation, looking elsewhere in the calendar for … Read More
20 Feb 2022

The 5 Ground-Conditions-in-Winter Languages, or The Varieties of Perilous Walking Experience

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Are you reveling in your February, just tolerating it, or — no shame here — suffering through it? I’m thinking of the month, oddly enough, in two groups of five: one having to do with love, and the other, all about ways of moving across frozen terrain. You may need to try to bear with me a bit through this one, but the exercise will be so rejuvenating, like a nice spray of snow from a sweetheart, perhaps. Is it … Read More
14 Feb 2021

Some Falls are More Comfy Than Others

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It’s February 14th — about the only day in the whole year when taking a fall, or the memory of having taken one, can be considered a good thing. Why is it, anyway, that we talk about “falling in love”? The image conjures up someone keeling over into some kind of all-encompassing, mushy, welcoming substance; or maybe jumping into a pit filled with big, blue rectangles of foam, as I’ve done once or twice when I’ve taken kids to one … Read More
17 Jul 2020

Ins and Outs

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“In or out?” There’s a question that’s been asked of many dogs by humans standing at doors, through the ages. During this current age, we’re asking it more commonly of both ourselves and other people, too. More often than not, and partly because summer is an ally, we can answer it with “out.” “The Great Outdoors” has never rung more true. Until we can defeat the virus, we need to at least try to de-claw it by bringing our breathing … Read More
17 Jun 2019

Post Playoff Packing Up

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Ah, the first half of June— time of fragrant blossoms, gentle breezes, lawns a-greening, birds a-twittering. And, depending on your perspective, either right in keeping with the burgeoning season or completely out of synch with it, the double whammy of TWO Best-of-7 Series (make that plural). Did you watch? I sure did. Having been steeped in athletic activity from a young age, I’m not about to change now. Yep, I’m a pastor’s wife, and proud to be. But when I … Read More
24 Mar 2019

Hooping for Spring

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“There’s no Jeopardy on tonight because of March Madness,” said my disappointed husband, much more a fan of the quiz show than of the N.C.A.A. That was on Thursday. Meanwhile, I’ve been well aware of March Madness, and not just because I grew up with four older brothers. This year, the kind on TV is just a backdrop, though, to the kind simmering in me. My version might more accurately be described as Mad at March. Is April the cruelest … Read More
17 Jun 2018

Summer is Becoming, and You Are Too

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During this month of graduating seniors, burgeoning plants, and creatures newly born, are you also coming into your own?     Are you just the same self you were last year at this time, or do you notice some small but significant differences in your inner landscape? It’s a personal question, I know, and you don’t really have to answer. But I can’t emerge from a year in a Memoir Incubator without asking it, at least of myself. And then, … Read More
14 Dec 2017

This Time of Year, We Go Hot and Cold

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If, like mine, your heart gets pounding faster with a stark contrast, then you must have already noticed that we’re in a fire and ice time of year. First, the ice. Asserting itself in streams that persist in running, the trying-to-be-firm stuff is always valiant in seeking to overtake the water.         But anyone with a dog around here already knows that the coveted (by dogs, mostly) daily walks have gotten a bit challenging in the past … Read More
16 Nov 2017

Feeling For the Trees

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Whenever I get tired of tracking my daily ups and downs, which is often, I find it refreshing to pay closer attention to the ups and downs of trees instead. Looking around outside with more vigor takes me out of my own limelight. It works well in November, or any other month for that matter. And that surprising storm we had last month sure did a number on many of our tall, usually very sturdy neighbors. It’s disconcerting when you … Read More
29 Aug 2017

Seeking Texture on the Page, Finding it Everywhere Outdoors

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With the floods in Houston at Biblical proportions, it feels almost flagrantly disrespectful to go on enjoying the glorious weather we have had at this end of August in New England. But we are watching and listening and, as this evening’s news reports from Boston show, finding ways to help from a distance. May the patience of people waiting to be rescued be rewarded with their safe transitions to places providing comfort. And may Louisiana be spared a repeat of … Read More

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