Here's the thing. I am not, nor have I ever been, particularly cool. If you've read any of my blog posts, you have no doubt picked up on the fact that I am sentimental. I appreciate life's simple beauties. Without sarcasm or cynicism. Though I am a bit of a pessimist, I'm not jaded; my … Continue reading Sunny Days & Lonely Times
I was glued to my TV last Thursday when Christine Blasey Ford and Brett Kavanaugh appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee. I found her sympathetic and credible, and her testimony has had me thinking about memory. It's strange that those attacking her credibility seem to think that either you wholly remember something or you don't … Continue reading Like sands through the hourglass, so are the days of our lives.
How is it that I haven't written about old houses yet? My first love. Maybe old houses are so in my blood that I take the subject for granted, like breathing or sleeping... You see, although my father made his career as a journalist, the family business was really remodeling old houses. I guess I … Continue reading Houses, Old
More than a decade ago, I owned stationary with a Jane Austin quotation on the front and a blank inside. The quotation read, "To sit in the shade on a fine day is the most perfect refreshment." The sentiment couldn't be truer, and I used those cards up quickly. Today, as I sit at my … Continue reading On a Fine Day
Maybe it's just me, but in addition to moments of deep connection with other people, I think some of the happiest moments in life are those (increasingly rare) moments of solitary quiet. Or maybe not happiest. Maybe most authentic. Or most peaceful. Moments that ground you to a place and a time—to your reality. Think … Continue reading To Be Present
For most of my childhood, my family had a home in northern Vermont. It was a home base during my family's peripatetic years, and it remained our fond home after we had moved to Illinois and it no longer made sense to have a home in the northeast. And so Vermont became an adopted home, … Continue reading Mysterious Beauty
To Kill a Mockingbird was on TV last night, and I am (not) embarrassed to admit that I was an utterly broken, weeping mess by the end. I've probably watched the movie dozens of times; I watched it well before I ever read the book—before I could even read—since it was a favorite in my … Continue reading Through the Eyes of a Child
