I’m dreaming of a white Christmas. The snow casts a quiet and pure spell, just what we need now. Snowflakes are scattered all around inside my house. I would like to see the woods and trees outside my windows also gently blanketed and the bushes tinged with a little frosty glow. But not for a few more days! Charlotte…
“Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs … And he took them up in his arms, laid his hands on them, and blessed them.” Mark 10:13,16 “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness.” John 8:12…
Last Thanksgiving we were thankful that the unusually harsh weather in the Northeast was over. The destruction and power failures had been severe, but things were looking up, and, after all, how many times would we experience a hurricane followed by a blizzard ??? Hmmm. Now we know it will be at least twice! Hurricane Sandy blew through, leaving unbelievable destruction…
My scariest friends are guarding the dining room door, hoping to frighten away Hurricane Sandy. She is more terrifying than any ghosts or ghouls who are planning to come our way this Halloween! But I don’t think it’s going to work! Two days ago my backyard trees looked like this: And right now: Mr. Fun, Nellie and I are…
The brilliant blue sky and cool nights of autumn have arrived here in southern New England. It’s time for animals to grow winter coats ~~ ~~ and time for me to cut and dry my remaining hydrangea blooms. It’s also time to bring in my plants to be repotted for their wintertime rest. The spider babies need to be snipped…
We know autumn is here when we make our annual trip to the northernmost reaches of New Hampshire, where the state bumps into Canada in an area whose national identity was still in dispute well into the 1800s. click here to read about The Republic of Indian Stream Here, the majestic Connecticut River starts as a spring on the Canadian…
A few weeks ago, when my sister wasn’t looking, I liberated these metal garden chairs from my parents’ basement. I remember playing in my grandparents’ yard while my father and grandfather sat in them, under the trees at the end of the grass. There were other dogs then ~~ three huge German Shepherds ~~ Mitzi, Bruno and Seta. My…
3000 B.C. ~~ long before we were using the glorious SUNFLOWER to adorn our dishes and tabletops ~~ ~~ and long before van Gogh and O’Keeffe were inspired by its beauty ~~ van Gogh O’Keeffe ~~ Native Americans in the southwest had domesticated it and were pounding and squeezing its seeds into flour and oil, and using various parts of the plant for…
What do I do when my little pink bundle of joy is having a birthday and I can’t share this most special of days with her? I find her favorite old friend ~~ doggy ~~ (who is also missing his girl) and I dress him up with a new pink bow. I think about the day she received Doggy from…
You all know by now that I love the beach ~~ gentle waves, soft breezes, birds, crabs, shells ~~ and especially the way the warm sand feels on bare feet. Keeping the sand out of our clothes, bags, books and even food was once a battle for me. But I have learned to make peace with those tiny grains…