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Beginner's Heart

It was raining when I woke up today. The deck was littered w/ scarlet & yellow leaves, vivid against the wet wood. In the sky, clouds hung low & heavy. Not a good day for the final moving in of outside plants to winter inside. But when I sighed, I remembered what my sister-in-law said…

Today’s gratitude is brought to you by coffee, that magical drink of ages. You know, the one that also may have fueled the Enlightenment? This is what great coffee looks like — it brews up thick, and rich, w/ lots of lovely crema on top. It’s where the coffee’s volatile oils (those yummy fragrant &…

I love autumn. Especially November, for some reason. Maybe it’s years of living where fall was an illusion in a textbook featuring an American family that didn’t really exist. In Thailand, we often swam on Christmas. November was no cooler. Today, as I divided up outside plants for pass-along, I thought about last year’s gratitude…

As a kid, summer was my favourite season. Then spring, as I grew into adulthood. Now, as I age further, it’s autumn. It’s the only season we have two names for: autumn, and fall, to commemorate the incredible palette of leaves sifting through the honeyed light. Camus, that existentialist who believed only in the leap…

We bought my grandson’s first ‘real’ Hallowe’en costume this year — a teddy bear. At least, I thought it was a teddy bear. Except that my incredibly crafty son & DIL made it into a (wait for it…) EWOK! How cool is that?? So here’s Trin, in his Ewok costume, w/ his orange pumpkin ready to…

My friend Richard died this week. Tuesday, to be precise. And in light of that precision, he was really my sister’s friend, at least at first. But because we ended up talking across her FB page, we became friends too. I can’t believe he’s gone. Funny, sly, profane, intelligent & wise, Richard dominated any conversation…

The word ‘foxhole’ has multiple meanings. First — of course — is the den foxes build for their young: a skulk of foxes. The other comes from WWI — trench warfare, a hole to (hopefully) save your life. Today’s foxes aren’t life-saving, but (for me) they’re sanity-saving. I am so angry about the ongoing war…

This is a story about what happens (far too often) when you have a PhD, or at least when folks find out you have a PhD (and I rarely confess to this!). It’s the sad story of a culture where folks either react w/ insecurity, or hostility. In about equal measures, depending on the conversation.…

In the spring, when my roses begin to bloom, it’s wonderful: it means winter is over! And I’m always ready. But to be honest? The fall roses are more lovely. They’re more fragrant, more vivid in colour, just overall more beautiful. And oh so fleeting — you know winter is ahead, not spring. Cold and…

If you’ve been following the blog, you know that my beloved broke his ankle about 6 weeks ago. He was unable to walk these past weeks, since the accident and the surgery. Noooo load-bearing on that foot, the doc said. And believe me: we were NOT happy about it. It’s amazing what you can’t do…
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