Long Hollow

Where seeds of thought have room to grow

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Realtor, writer, blogger in Austin, TX

Category: Call me mom

  • And just like that…

      Tuesday afternoon around 3, I got a phone call that derailed the rest of my plans for that day, and shifted all others for the rest of the week… My mother had fallen, the nurse said. EMS was on its way. What hospital did I want her taken to? Frustration with her welled up…

  • Nightowls, Revisiting Spring, and other Sweet!s

      Temperatures here have been in the 70's and 80's. Wildflowers, mostly yellows and purples, line the roadside and dot the woods. Birds chatter and sing in the treetops, bright green bushes dotted with new blooms hum with industrious bees, and Monarch butterflies dance among the snow-on-the-prairie.     Is this spring or autumn? It doesn't…

  • Silver Linings of a Not-So-Empty-Nest

      On Monday my middle son turned 26. He celebrated by taking the day off from work, sleeping in, and then relaxing on the back porch with Belle, reading and drinking his coffee.  He's definitely a child after my own heart.  The day started out a rainy one. But by the time Belle and I…

  • Good boy, Max.

      "Dogs’ lives are too short. Their only fault, really." ~ Agnes Sligh Turnbull     He wandered up to our house from the woods almost 11 years ago, a not-so-small puppy with crooked ears and a face so black you could barely see his eyes. We never found out where he came from, but…

  • Reality (or “Why I need you to sign this contract and show me your ID”)

        I worked in a chemical plant for thirteen years, where all kinds of explosive and flammable materials swam through the pipes surrounding us. Propylene, hydrogen, syngas, and methanol, to name a few. For the first decade it was a DuPont plant, where safety and proper procedures were taken very seriously and drilled into…

  • A Rollercoaster Ride with Max

          Two days ago I knelt beside Max and whispered in his ear that it was okay if he just let go. I told him he had trained Belle well, and she would take awesome care of us, and if Charly was close by, asking him to come play, that it was okay.…

  • This time last year…

    About this time last year, I was on a walk of faith. I began a new career. It coincided with dramatic and tragic turns in my parents' lives. The changes that have taken place in all of our lives since July 2013 are mindboggling when I think about them too long. Despite his illness and…

  • They’ve landed! (…and other sweet!s)

    For the past week or so I've been living vicariously through a couple of my kids. Again. My son and his wife have now experienced the beauty, beer, food, art, sights and sounds of Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Amsterdam. And through the wonders of technology, I've been able to tag along through their photos and…

  • Sisters (and other sweet!s)

      It would have been intimidating growing up with such a beautiful big sister if she had been the type to criticize or belittle. But I was blessed with Brenda.      Sure, she liked to tease me sometimes, and even lost her temper with me once or twice, but given that I was a…

  • A Max Update

      Earlier this week I let you know that my old puppy Max had slid downhill, health-wise. Thank you so much for all of your well wishes, both here and on Facebook.  There is power in well-wishes. I truly believe that, especially after watching Max rally the past few days. His rally isn't 100%. He's…