Long Hollow

Where seeds of thought have room to grow

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Realtor, writer, blogger in Austin, TX

Category: Every Picture Tells a Story

  • Sweets and Sorrows

        Each morning since my old puppy Max passed away, Belle and I have ended our walk in the little cemetery where he, Charly, Chewy, Ruthie, and Frankie are all buried. It may seem like a bittersweet way to start the day, but I believe it has helped me, and maybe Belle, transition to…

  • 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…

  • Sunday afternoons and belated sweets

      Just before sunset this afternoon, I escaped to the front porch swing with a glass of wine and a long-lost book from my childhood. I'd spent the day taking care of the dogs, going to church, fixing one of my signs that got knocked over by city mowers, visitng my mom, and finally making…

  • The Story of Us

      Tom asked me to dance for the very first time 33 years ago tonight.  I was at Kenny Stabler's Diamondback Saloon in Houston on a rare Friday night off, in a bad mood because my boyfriend of five years "had other plans" that night. That wasn't unusual – he wasn't a very good boyfriend.…

  • Can you hear it?

        Our grandfather clock is chiming midnight. Rain pours – no, roars – outside my window, just the kind of rain we need. A blessed sound, for sure. Every once in awhile I catch a flash of lightning in the distance. I've just finished a few things for work … or at least all I can…

  • Surprises…

        “God put us here, on this carnival ride. We close our eyes never knowing where it'll take us next.”  ~Carrie Underwood   There are good surprises, and there are bad surprises. Years ago I met a woman who impressed me with her beauty and bubbly personality. I didn't know her well, and haven't…

  • 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…

  • Lucky in Love

        Thirty-two years ago today, Tom and I dismissed superstition by getting married on a Friday the 13th. We were so sure of our decision, so confident of our love and our future together, that we challenged those centuries-old superstitions to a duel. Well, of course they just turned tail and ran, because they…