Long Hollow

Where seeds of thought have room to grow

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Realtor, writer, blogger in Austin, TX

Category: Call me mom

  • Thank you, 2017… Hello, 2018!

    Whether we want them or not, the New Year will bring new challenges; whether we seize them or not, the New Year will bring new opportunities. ~Michael Josephson   Can you believe another year has come and gone?  2017 will be unforgettable for me in many ways. I visited Las Vegas again, thanks to the…

  • December Sweets on a Christmas Eve…

        It's Christmas Eve. I spent most of the afternoon baking cookies and making fudge. It was my first attempt at baking gluten-free, and I have to admit, my Cyclops Cookies turned out as fabulous as ever. God bless who ever developed the 1-to-1 gluten-free flour!  I finished up just in time to make…

  • I give thanks for you…

      When I was young, Thanksgiving was my least favorite holiday. There usually weren't any cousins my age to play with and the older ones didn't like me tagging along; I didn't care for most of the food (I didn't even like pie!); and after eating, everyone just sat around watching football, so I couldn't…

  • October, Friday the 13ths, Baby Boys, Birthdays, Growing up, Reunions, Italy, and a bunch of other sweet!s

        Our weather has been in a see-saw pattern the past few weeks. Beautiful, cool, autumn-like days swoop in, making everyone smile, and then suddenly summer is back, with highs in the 90's, sticky air, and sneaky mosquitoes.  But at least we're getting the promise of autumn and a reprieve from the true summer…

  • Postcards from Greece, Dragonflies, and other sweet!s

     Deep in the sun-searched growths the dragonflyHangs like a blue thread loosened from the sky. ~Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Silent Noon   This morning as Belle and I finished our walk, a dragonfly buzzed close, circling and circling. It even hovered about a foot from me for a few seconds, providing me a good look at its…

  • Harvey’s blowing us a kiss… (and a few recent sweet!s)

        Name the season’s first hurricane Zelda and fool Mother Nature into calling it a year. ~Robert Brault   Throughout the night I woke several times to the sound of heavy rain outside my window. And this afternoon on my back deck, I watched as the wind swooped hard through the hollow every few…

  • 35 years!… and other sweet!s

        "I love being married. It's so great to find that one special person you want to annoy for the rest of your life." ~Rita Rudner   If you haven't guessed, it's been 35 years since that Friday the 13th when Tom and I said "I do" to a lifetime together. It's actually tomorrow, but…

  • Florida, Family, the Fourth… and other not-quite-forgotten “sweet!”s

        This is the post I intended to write back in June, when I returned from a glorious two weeks in Florida, visiting my mother-in-law. I've had the intention just about every day since.  So enough is enough. I've decided "Today's the Day"! (Click on that to hear the awesome Shake Russell song that is…

  • A Truly Rich Man…

    I dreamed of Daddy two nights ago. He stood at a distance from me, like at the end of a hallway, a big smile on his face. And then he was beside me, giving me a hug. We talked, but I don't remember what was said.  It was Daddy, circa 1980's or 1990's, strong and…

  • He’s still here… and other sweet!s

    Tom and I once spent a week in a downtown Austin high-rise which had fabulous views of the city. It was especially beautiful at night, with the Texas State Capitol and other downtown buildings all lit up. Unfortunately, that high-rise was Brackenridge Hospital, and Tom wasn't in any shape to appreciate those gorgeous views. He was recovering from…