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

  • Sugar Frosted Mornings and other Sweet!s

    I stepped out into a frosted world… even the tops of the cedars sparkled in the first rays of morning light peeking into the Hollow. The frozen mud crunched with each footstep. Like a tourist with their first glimpse of the Grand Canyon, I snapped photo after photo of crystal-crusted oak leaves, flowers, blades of grass,…

  • A Birthday, a Graduation and Texas Heaven…

    We let Max sleep inside the past two nights. Belle, too, of course, although it was more for Max's sake than hers. They have a large dog house, nestled up against the house and the hill, protected from the elements, but even though temperatures were just in the low forties Sunday night, it was bone-chilling…

  • 26 Sweets (and then some)

      I was 26. I had felt the life inside of me, kicking my ribs, pressing on my bladder. Had heard the amplified swoosh swoosh of the heartbeat in the doctor's office. Had spent all night and most of the morning gritting my teeth and breathing heh-heh-heh through the waves of pain. And then, there…

  • Ssssh! Don’t Tell my Mom! (plus the Shutterfly winners)

    Life has gotten crazy busy. My oldest son and his girlfriend are heading here this evening, joined by a few of his 'old' college buddies who are driving in from Dallas. Tomorrow is his birthday and he's letting me celebrate it with him for the first time in years and years… well, since he left…

  • In the Clearing

    Standing in the clearing, just standing there breathing and listening to bird song and puppy scuffles, I feel them sprouting in my head, fed by the sunshine and fresh air and stillness. So many thoughts popping up… brilliant, original thoughts blossoming like beautiful flowers never before seen by anyone. I gather them into a bouquet to…

  • Just popping in…

    …to say thanks for the prayers for Max. This morning he didn't just use all of his legs on our walk, but even trotted a little and played with Belle, pouncing and prancing and twirling so she couldn't bite his ankles (her favorite move.) I believe in the power of prayer and I know those…

  • Summer, a fading memory

    A splash of light from my iPhone guided me through the dark to my car last night. The wedding guests were long gone and only one light glowed in the winery Bistro behind me.  Pausing in a clearing, I gazed up at the stars crowded around a sliver of moon. My frosty breath rose to greet…

  • Simplify! (and my Saturday Sweet Report)

    "Simplify, organize, simplify…" a small voice has been chanting in my head lately, making it difficult to concentrate. So when my friend Gwen invited me to add some of my things to her garage sale this weekend, I jumped on the chance to de-clutter. By yesterday morning, my car was loaded with two large boxes for the…

  • “The Best Laid Schemes…” (What happened to Monday and Tuesday?)

    According to my calendar, I'm in Galveston right now, visiting my friend Ann, finally getting to see the cute little Victorian house she's fixing up and browsing through some wonderful eclectic shops. Things don't always go according to plan, though, do they? Instead of strolling the tourist-free beaches and staying up late talking and laughing…

  • The Chase (and this week’s Sweet!s)

    There I was, walking along with my puppies on our dirt road yesterday morning, the sun just barely peeking into the Hollow, when suddenly Max and Belle caught a whiff of something exciting and took off in a full run. I thought they would stop after a few yards as they usually do, but to…