Writer, Speaker, Editor, Blogger
In recent weeks, every weather forecast includes mention of our area being in a drought, even after rainfall. Drought conditions exist when rainfall accumulation is below average, stream flow decreases, lake levels drop, and soil moisture is low. Recovery from drought requires a long soaking rain rather than a sudden, short cloudburst. Do you feel […]
This winter, I enjoyed watching my grandson play basketball. In spring, I attended ball games for both grandsons—soccer and baseball. It’s always interesting, and encouraging, to see how much the players improve over the course of the season. Initial games are slow and low scoring, but as the season progresses, skill increases and teamwork refines. […]
One of the not-so-nice elements of accumulated birthdays is skin that easily bruises. All it takes is a tiny tap of a cabinet corner or some other hard surface for a bruise to immediately appear. Sometimes, I don’t even know what I’ve brushed against to produce an unsightly subdermal rupture, but there it is, blooming […]
I was in kindergarten the first time I remember comparing myself to someone. As we sat in a circle for show-and-tell, a classmate pulled a shiny pair of black shoes with ribbon ties out of a silky bag. She put those shiny shoes on her feet and tapped around the circle, drumming out a rhythm […]
Last week, I was in stop-and-go traffic on an interstate highway. This highway is notorious for traffic backups and sitting in non-moving lines. It seems as if there is always a traffic accident of some form, or long lines at exit ramps that back up onto the highway. Sometimes, life is like the stops and […]
Have you ever taken a test for which you were unprepared? Perhaps you intended to study, but allowed other activities to take priority. Then, the night before the test, you tried to review, cramming principles and concepts into your head one atop the other until frustration took over and you gave up. On test day, […]
If you think people are kind, scroll through social media or spend a little time in traffic. From critical, hurtful comments to blaring horns and cars that crowd out lane changes, you quickly realize kindness is not an attribute many possess. Years ago, I witnessed a lane change that resulted in a crash. The driver […]
Each spring, I am delighted to see green leaves emerge from what look like dead sticks. During winter, those sticks appear as dead wood. Then, seemingly overnight, green emerges, and with that green, a reminder that renewal lurks just beneath the surface. Renewal One definition of “renew” is to resume after a period of interruption. […]
Years ago, when I bought a struggling plant on the sale table at a local garden store, I didn’t know what I was getting. I was attracted to the purply-maroon, triangular-shaped, butterfly-looking leaves, but didn’t know the name of the plant. I later learned its botanical name, oxalis traiangularis, commonly called ruby shamrock, purple shamrock, […]
This week, I attended a cousin’s funeral. While it was a sweet time of remembrance, and seeing other cousins, this occasion was also a sobering reminder of the brevity of life. As an only child, my cousins have always been important to me. I am blessed to have cousins by the dozens, literally. I share […]