Long Hollow

Where seeds of thought have room to grow

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Realtor, writer, blogger in Austin, TX

Category: Call me mom

  • Firewood and other sweet!s

    My socks may not match, but my feet are always warm. ~Maureen McCullough   The drought took its toll on many of the oak trees in the Hollow. But Tom found the good in that this past weekend by cutting up the dead ones into woodburning stove sized pieces. Our woodpile had dwindled so much…

  • Dancing, Sunshine, and other sweets

              After several days of gray skies and temperatures below freezing, the sun finally made an appearance yesterday afternoon. And the clouds even stayed away long enough for me to say hello to a half moon and a sky full of stars that dripped all the way to the tree tops.…

  • Twenty-Eight, and Wishes Come True

    "May your coming year overflow with love and blessings and wishes come true!" Last year I wrote that in my oldest child's birthday post, in honor of his 27th birthday. A few months later he married the love of his life, honeymooned in Italy, and bought a home in a city he loves. My wish…

  • Chicken and Rice Casserole, a la Terry Boer and Campbell!

    http://ads.blogherads.com/65/6567/campaigns/14/1426/1426662/x90.js   The index card is yellow and splotched, the ink faded, but considering all of the action it's seen over the past twenty years, it's amazing it's still around at all, much less legible. When not in use, I keep it tucked in a small recipe box with other favorites, mostly one-pan wonders where…

  • Mom hugs, singing frogs, and other sweet!s of the week

    We couldn't have asked for better weather in Austin, Texas on Thanksgiving Day. Clear blue skies, a touch of autumn in the breeze…perfect for throwing open the doors to cool off a small kitchen full of cooks trying to get dinner on the table.  I'm so grateful we were able to stay here and celebrate…

  • A Thanksgiving Shift

        I'm up late, waiting for pumpkin pies to cool enough to go into the fridge until tomorrow. Fresh, clean, asparagus spears and cornbread dressing (my mother's recipe) are already in the fridge, waiting to be popped in the oven first thing in the morning.  It's not the first time I won't spend Thanksgiving…

  • Raindrops are falling on my head…

                …and I'm glad of it! We've needed the rain! Ponds are filling up and I'm already envisioning the fields of wildflowers we'll have in the spring. The rain brought other gifts, too. I've been trying to capture a tiny reflection in a raindrop for a long, long, long time.…

  • Daughters-in-Law and other sweet!s

    Yesterday I drove to the other side of Austin to wish my daughter-in-law a happy birthday in person for the first time, grateful that they finally live close enough that I can do that. It comes in handy for someone like me who always forgets to put birthday cards in the mail in time to…

  • Saturday Nights and other sweet!s

        There was roast pig and birthday cake. Wine and dancing.   A gorgeous sunset over the hills.    A warm fire. Familiar faces. Laughter and hugs.   50th birthdays are the best! I love helping friends celebrate them, especially when it means I get to spend time with my son and daughter-in-law…    …

  • Random Five on Friday

      1. Do yellow wildflowers lining roadsides count as "Autumn Color"? (I love them whether they do or not!)   2. This morning at an orientation at the Austin Board of Realtors, I won two door prizes in a row, first a bottle of wine and then a canvas bag that tells the world I'm…