Long Hollow

Where seeds of thought have room to grow

recent posts

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Realtor, writer, blogger in Austin, TX

Category: Friendship

  • And just like that…

      Tuesday afternoon around 3, I got a phone call that derailed the rest of my plans for that day, and shifted all others for the rest of the week… My mother had fallen, the nurse said. EMS was on its way. What hospital did I want her taken to? Frustration with her welled up…

  • Silver Linings of a Not-So-Empty-Nest

      On Monday my middle son turned 26. He celebrated by taking the day off from work, sleeping in, and then relaxing on the back porch with Belle, reading and drinking his coffee.  He's definitely a child after my own heart.  The day started out a rainy one. But by the time Belle and I…

  • 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…

  • 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.…

  • Sisters (and other sweet!s)

      It would have been intimidating growing up with such a beautiful big sister if she had been the type to criticize or belittle. But I was blessed with Brenda.      Sure, she liked to tease me sometimes, and even lost her temper with me once or twice, but given that I was a…

  • Old puppies, morning walks, and other sweet!s

      Whether it's the heat or just old age catching up to him, Max has gone down a pretty steep hill lately. Just last week we took the long walk, around the curve and down into the creekbed. But now he can't walk far before having to stop and rest. Our walks have gotten shorter…

  • Daughters (and other sweet!s)

          They grow so fast, don't they? One minute they're crawling around on your stylish-at-the-time-rose-colored carpet, exploring and investigating… picking on their older brothers, trying to stir things up…cuddling in your arms because they're still shorter than you and easy to pick up… …and then suddenly they're wanting to explore far beyond your…

  • Chuck-Will’s-Widows, and other sweet!s

    After a long day, I pulled up to my house at dusk and stepped out of the car, my brain whirring with the day's events and to-do's still left on my mental list. Then the chuck-will's-widow sang to me, pulling me back into the moment and the beauty around me… …the dusky blue horizon ……