Over the years, the old-timer-up-the-road has given me a lots of advice… albeit, mostly ridiculous advice, but advice nonetheless. “Never get involved with the mafia,” he whispered to me one day in the barn, peeking over the back of a cow. “Whaaaaat?” I replied incredulously, as my eyes rolled around a little. “Hush, girly,” was…
And when the broken-hearted people
Living in the world agree
There will be an answer
Let it be
For ’tis green, green, green, where the ruined towers are gray, And it’s green, green, green, all the happy night and day; Green of leaf and green of sod, green of ivy on the wall, And the blessed Irish shamrock with the fairest green of all. ~Mary Elizabeth Blake
STELLAAAA! STELLLLLAAAAAAA!! The afternoon before the storm, the local forecast had people whipped into a frenzy. Schools closed, businesses shut down and the governor declared a state of emergency in anticipation of Stella. All this sent hoards of preppers to the grocery store for the customary storm supplies: milk and bread. I, however, thought that…
I was making my way down a dusty back road, minding my own business, when I was startled by an Unknown Flying Object that swooped down across the hood of my SUV. I hit the brakes, came to a stop and threw the vehicle in park. “Holy sh*t, was that a dog?” I blurted out…
This is a frog… clinging to the glass of the storm door… about eight feet off the ground. Against the odds, he survived two curious Australian Shepherds, the constant opening and closing of the door and several red-tailed hawks. He hung around all day and into the night, slowly making his way up higher and…
Being a mom comes with those inevitable consequences, like that 10 lbs of “baby weight” that you still have 20 years after giving birth. Or, everything that you own gradually becoming the property of others. Not remembering your real name because all you ever hear is mom, Maaahhm, mom-mom-mom, mommy, MOMMMMMMM or my personal favorite,…
We’ve had a relatively mild winter here in my neck of the woods. That was until that pompous groundhog just HAD to put his two cents in and muck up the weather pattern. No sooner did he see his shadow last Thursday, then the snow started to fall, finally culminating today with another 12 inches.…
I’ve been sidelined with a nasty sinus infection since New Year’s Eve. Yesterday, I finally got a little spring back into my step and was able to do some grocery shopping and run a few errands. However, that was enough to exhaust my entire body. Achy and tired, I thought I’d take a nice soak…
Branches on the evergreens, are dressed in snowy white, as soft the moonlight sparkles, on this blanket of the night. Delicate, untouched and pure, is found the ground below, as gentle moonbeams glimmer, on the freshly fallen snow. -Pamela Joyce Randolph
Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy.
Around the middle of December, in a snow covered field along a quiet country road, appears a little Christmas tree decorated with a tin foil star and a lone red ornament. At sunset, a solar battery powers a single stand of white Christmas lights. Nobody seems to know the mysterious tree owner and most people…
May you never be too grown-up to search the skies on Christmas Eve
The first winter weather of the season arrived as an ice storm today. Schools closed. Power lines came down. Roads iced over. And the old timer up the road slid his truck into a ditch. Despite the inconveniences caused by the storm, I cannot help but see the beauty of the ice.
The little white church in my small town has just a handful of members now. It has, however, miraculously managed to keep its doors open. Many of the small churches around here have long been shuttered. A few have been lucky enough to find a second life as office space or storage. It’s sad when…
Lately, I have lost all patience with people who I perceive as jackasses. And lately, I perceive everyone that I encounter as a jackass. So, you see, it’s a Catch-22. I blame this vicious circle on the hell fires of menopause, which seem to have charred every last synapse in my brain, leaving me totally…
As the sun wanes and the leaves slowly change, you can still find the beauty of summer tucked into the woods, if you just look closely.
When you come to the edge of all the light you have known and are about to step out into the darkness, faith is knowing one of two things will happen… there will be something to stand on, or you will be taught how to fly.
Let me just preface by saying… Eww… eeeewwwww… and EEEEWWWWWWWWW! I now have a new pest in the garden – the Colorado potato beetle, a notoriously hard insect to control. Anytime I encounter a new bug, my first reaction is to destroy them in the most violent way possible. Because my flamethrower was out for…
