Long Hollow

Where seeds of thought have room to grow

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Realtor, writer, blogger in Austin, TX

Category: Food and Drink

  • Mary Poppins and other Sweet!s of the week

    I would lie on the wooden floor for hours… or at least it seemed like hours… listening to my Mary Poppins soundtrack album, over and over. Asthma held my lungs hostage – each breath was a major accomplishment – so lying there listening to "Step in Time" and "Feed the Birds" was about all I…

  • Traipsing through Cemeteries and other Sweet!s

    It might seem unusual to wander through a cemetery on your birthday, but that's what I did yesterday. There's a small one dating from the 1850's down the highway toward Marble Falls. When I heard it was blanketed with bluebonnets, I couldn't wait to visit it. There's just something about wildflowers growing beside a headstone that…

  • Adding to my collection…

    I started substitute teaching again. Three years ago I started a (mostly) full-time job and, except for Voting Day and a couple of quick visits to talk about writing to students, I didn't step a foot into the schools during that time. I missed it, and I'm so grateful the district accepted me as a sub…

  • Catching My Breath (and other Sweet!s)

    I haven't blogged in a whole week. I think that's a record.  Snippets and ideas for posts have popped in my head – random words are scribbled on scraps of paper all over the house and in the car – but I haven't been able to stop long enough to work them into full posts.…

  • Beauty in the Midst

    Last week I helped celebrate my cousin Ronnie's life.  Looking through the photos afterward, Claire Bidwell Smith's words kept coming back to me… "Even in the midst of all this pain and sadness I see something beautiful."   I snapped this one of Ronnie's sister Cindy surrounded by her daughters, grandkids, and great-granddaughter because of the…

  • Team Valentine (Who needs a dozen roses…?)

    Valentine's Day Eve… Tom made the cookie dough. I peeled the wrappers off the milk chocolate hearts. He formed the balls, rolled them in sugar and placed them on the cookie sheets I lined with foil. He kept an eye on their baking, but together we topped each cookie with a heart and popped them…

  • Snowflakes and other Sweet things

    Winter remembered us here in Austin this weekend. Right after lunch today, I headed up the pathway to my car, loaded down with jewelry, catalogs and order forms for a Silpada party at my friend Darla's house. Raindrops speckled the stones, but only one or two drops hit my head before the rain turned to…

  • “Girl…We SO Crazy” (a Diva weekend in Long Hollow)

      This tiny naked baby, arms opened wide for a hug, sits on my kitchen window sill, a sweet reminder that just two weeks ago my kitchen was overflowing in love and friendship and hugs from women who have known me almost forever.       The baby came hidden in an authentic King Cake,…

  • The Privilege of a Lifetime

    "The privilege of a lifetime is to be yourself."  ~ Joseph Campbell   A big pot of chicken soup is simmering on the stove. From where I sit across the room I can hear the little bubbles playing on the surface and the aroma is making my stomach growl. I made it for myself, because…

  • It’s already Saturday? (Sweet!)

    I'm in a calm spot between a busy week and a busier weekend. We've been blessed with spring-like weather, lately, and I admit I'm ready for it to just stick around. Wildflowers haven't yet ventured our way, but we're being serenaded by birds and frogs and a running creek. Storm clouds and sunshine are taking…