Long Hollow

Where seeds of thought have room to grow

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Realtor, writer, blogger in Austin, TX

Category: Family

  • Epiphany

    Today is Epiphany. Since we couldn't all be together on Christmas, I stole an idea from my friend Jim "Suldog" Sullivan, who waits until Epiphany to exchange gifts with his wife: I gathered my kids and husband together for a special meal and gift exchange. We used the good china and everything! More on that later.…

  • A New Year and Three Small Stones

      So here we are on the third day of a new year already. When I last spoke to you, way back in 2012, there were gray skies above as well as inside. I'm happy to report the sun has broken through in both places at least a few times since then, warming me with…

  • So, 2012, this is how we say goodbye…

      This morning raindrops plopped on my head, making me think of that old B.J. Thomas song. I couldn't remember all the lyrics, just the "cryin's not for me… nothin's worryin' me" part. Perfect timing, because as of yesterday afternoon, my dad's back in the hospital with a suspected stroke.But even though I shed a…

  • Assorted, one by one

    TG and I shared a bag of assorted Toblerone chocolates this afternoon. Have you ever had one? They just melt in your mouth. Of course, it had been a long time since lunch, and that just made them taste even better. As much as I love dark chocolate, my favorite flavor was white chocolate, but…

  • How is your Christmas going?

    TG sits near me watching Rush Hour 2. I've been listening while editing photos from the past week, laughing because I've watched it with her often enough to see the scenes in my mind. The Christmas tree sparkles between us. I won't take it down for a couple of weeks. That's when the Christmas season…

  • A Sweet Saturday Morning

      My kids will be here today.  That was the first thought that crossed my mind when I woke up this morning. And I awoke without the usual pre-waking symphony of dueling alarm clocks.  The sun had already made itself at home in the Hollow. Belle sat patiently outside the door, staring, waiting for a sign…

  • Why I Love “The Hobbit”

        He was five, snuggled up close beside me on the loveseat for our ritual bedtime story, sucking his thumb. "Are you sure?" I asked him. "There aren't any pictures in this book. Just a lot of words." He nodded, so I opened the worn paperback and began reading… "In a hole in the…

  • Blurry Days and Short Lists

    Confession time: My tree is still bare. Also, and much worse, I'm guilty of only haphazardly noting my sweet!s this week. The days just melted into each other. I jotted a few on random pieces of paper around the house, but most never got past the good intentions stage and the memory is gone. Why…

  • A Feliz Navidad to Remember

    When my kids were young, I liked spending Christmas at home. I liked Santa coming down my chimney and leaving gifts under my tree. I liked my children having memories of waking up surrounded by Christmas magic in their own beds. But one year we made an exception. My husband's youngest brother (he has eight) was getting…

  • Mastering the Fine Art of Procrastination

    If we are ever in doubt about what to do, it is a good rule to ask ourselves what we shall wish on the morrow that we had done. ~ John Lubbock It's all John Lubbock's fault that my Christmas decorations still languish in boxes piled in the middle of the living room. Instead of…