Long Hollow

Where seeds of thought have room to grow

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Realtor, writer, blogger in Austin, TX

Category: Call me Grandma BiBi

  • 2023 Part 1 – “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…”

      "…it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair." ~ Charles Dickens If ever there was a year of ups and downs, it was 2023. We lost too many loved ones, and yet also experienced amazing new adventures and…

  • 2023 – A Year for Gratitude

      Gratitude. That's my word for 2023. While I've faithfully written in my gratitude journal every morning for a few years, and have gotten better at noticing my blessings and telling God thank you, I realize I've become neglectful in telling the people around me thank you and showing my appreciation when they help me,…

  • I blinked and somehow it’s November, so Happy Thanksgiving!

      It is a glorious autumn day here in Long Hollow. The window behind my monitor is filled with cloudless blue sky and shimmering leaves of orange and gold. Tomorrow I will be focused on cooking and celebrating with a few of my kids, so today I'm indulging myself with reflection and the sharing of…

  • Even in the madness…

      Every morning Belle and I take a walk on our caliche road. We have a set path of about 1.5 miles. First we head in one direction where the road twists and turns and dips, then we backtrack past our house and up a short hill before turning around and returning home.  Belle sets…

  • I couldn’t help myself!

    Being a mother means that your heart is no longer yours; it wanders wherever your children do. ~Author unknown   In the old days, before masks, hand sanitizer, and social distancing became customary, I would get an achy feeling in my heart if it had been more than two weeks since I saw my grandson…

  • Sweets in the Time of COVID-19

        Hi, how are you?  I hope you are doing well and staying healthy.  What a strange time we're living in, right? But to be honest…. my life hasn't changed much over the past couple of months, despite the shelter-in-place orders, toilet paper shortages, and face masks. Realtors are considered "essential workers" because people…

  • On Hearts

      Man has made many machines, complex and cunning, but which of them indeed rivals the workings of his heart? ~Pablo Casals   I had just stepped into the last house on a property tour when it happened: my heart seemed to turn a somersault, I nearly passed out, and the pounding started …as in,…

  • On Peace, and a decade of surprises

      "There will be peace in the valley…"   Almost every morning I run up a small hill near our home to take in this view of the Texas Hill Country. The last couple of days of 2019, I was greeted with this image of golden light, crisp blue skies, and mist forming over Lake…

  • The Sweetest Year of the Sweetest Firsts

    Every child begins the world again…. ~Henry David Thoreau   As some of you know, just over a year ago, I experienced the sweetest of 'firsts' – I became a grandma. I've already mentioned it a few times, but as you're well aware, grandmas love to talk about being a grandma! It was a complete…

  • On Joy … plus a smattering of sweet!s

        “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds” (James 1:2).   A few months ago, in a process I can't really describe, Joy stepped up to be my word for 2019.  When pulling out my Christmas decorations, seeing it written on so many ornaments, I realized it had…