Long Hollow

Where seeds of thought have room to grow

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Realtor, writer, blogger in Austin, TX

Category: Family

  • Introducing (the other) Mr. and Mrs. Tom Shallue

    I had a flash of deja vu this weekend when the priest announced to the wedding guests, "May I introduce Mr. and Mrs. Tom Shallue"… It helped that I was sitting in the pews, one of the wedding guests, instead of standing near the altar dressed in white. But still…it was a strange sensation. It was…

  • I’m Thankful For…

    …a houseful of family, including all three of my kids…blue skies and mild temperatures perfect for opening windows, walking through the woods and up to the top of the hill, and playing ping-pong…my mother's cornbread dressing recipe and Thanksgiving Day dinner instructions…double ovens and Chinette plates…in-laws who chip in and help out… I'm grateful for friends…

  • A Not-Quite-Treasure Hunt and My Favorite Color, Gruene…

    I have a million things to do before company arrives this afternoon, but I have done a wonderful job ignoring them so far…I slept in, and then it was such a gorgeous morning that Tom and I had to take the critters for a walk (these days, with Charly, there's no way to rush that.) And…

  • Cribbage and…St. Frances?

    It's like magic…whenever Shallue families gather in one place, you can count on a cribbage board and several decks of cards materializing on a nearby surface. Tom's mom and dad arrived Saturday evening and already there have been dozens of cribbage games, 3-13 matches (a kind of rummy), and the curses, whines, excuses, (and pages and…

  • Love justice, you who judge the Earth…

    …think of the Lord in goodness and seek Him in integrity of heart. (Wisdom 1:1) Tom has been sleeping in starts and stops in between hours of lying in bed, wide awake. Last week he spent hours on a jury faced with a child abuse case – he was inundated with the kind of details that sink into…

  • Updates from a Week with Wings

    It's almost too much for me to fathom that Thanksgiving is only a week away. Why does time speed up so much as you get older? Is it because you start to realize how precious each minute is and you know you've wasted zillions of them already that you can't get back? Do we then…

  • How’d they know?

    I started dumping my thoughts and memories on paper when I was 8 years old and continued for years, on through high school, mostly in those little 5 year diaries with the flimsy locks. I ignored the boundary lines that were supposed to separate yearly entries…I sometimes used up several pages for one day. Sadly, when I moved…

  • The Deepwater Weekend Report

    I blinked and a week vanished. At this very time a week ago, I was sitting in my parents' house…specifically at the kitchen table. Tom and I were there to celebrate my mother's birthday, although she didn't actually turn 78 until yesterday (Friday the 13th…a lucky day in our family!) but she graciously agreed to have a pre-celebration last…

  • Lesson #78

    In one of my earliest memories, I'm lying in bed with my mother perched beside me…teaching me…"Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep…" A few years later, she decides I'm old enough for a little more…"Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name…" The past couple of…

  • “It was the thing to do…”: Thanking Those in Uniform, Past and Present

    My big brother Buster was headed to Viet Nam, saying his goodbyes, when I stood beside him in this photograph and smiled. I had no idea what was ahead of him. This was probably taken before his first tour of duty and so he had only a vague idea himself what to expect. When he volunteered…