Continuing my December theme, I give you my own personal ode to oranges. . . Oranges are loud. Oranges are splashy. They are not subtle. They are not shy. They may be as big as softballs, but they consider themselves to be miniature stars, small globes of fire, a reflection of the solar energy that … Continue reading Juicy
Wishing you a Blessed Solstice, Merry Christmas, Happy New Year! I'm feeling the need for a long winter's nap. See you in January. . . Photo by Ben White on Unsplash
Greetings! This week I've updated a Christmas post from a few years past. It seems more meaningful than ever right now. Long ago, in the pagan cultures of the far north, work and travel were severely limited by cold and snow as days grew shorter. Farmers and their families would remove a wheel from their carts … Continue reading Meditation on an Advent Wreath
Last week I listed a few of my favorite books for cold weather reading and gifting. This week, allow me to tell you about a few of my favorite read-aloud picture books for kids. These are all books I loved to read to my students when I was teaching, and I feel safe in saying they’re modern … Continue reading Read-Aloud Picture Books
I’ve heard it said that Russian novels are so long because Russian winters are so cold! What better way to spend time inside than reading a book? In Iceland I hear there’s a tradition of gifting family and friends with books and chocolate so they may take to their beds cozy and satisfied for a long … Continue reading Celebrating Books
Written with my Thursday night group with the prompts: Â in a clearing by a river, driving to San Francisco in the rain, under the bleachers, out of touch with the child I was, she is the only one who knew me, chased by a large creature The first thing I remember is being chased by … Continue reading Malleable Memory
Written with my Thursday night writing group (now meeting on Zoom!) with the prompts:  one red shoe and oh, dear. Madelaine wore one red shoe and one green shoe because it was Christmas and she was in a wild holiday mood. She wondered, do cats see color?—because it was only the cats who would see … Continue reading How Madelaine Survives Quarantine
Wishing you joy and serenity this Holiday Season and throughout the New Year.
I wrote and published this piece six years ago, shortly after the death of a close friend. Â I came across it this week, and honestly, I'd forgotten that I wrote this as a Christmas meditation. Â The idea of surprise is becoming a theme for me this December. Â Life deals us all some pretty unpleasant surprises … Continue reading Loving Harvey: some Christmas musings
This is a true story. It happened several years ago, when I was still working full time. It was early on a Saturday morning when I set out with a long list of errands. First up: go to the ATM for cash so I could do the other errands! As I walked across the parking … Continue reading grace: a surprise from the universe
