Long Hollow

Where seeds of thought have room to grow

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Realtor, writer, blogger in Austin, TX

Category: My Country Life

  • Before we go any farther into November…

      … let's take a step back to October. I need to finish a post I started weeks ago, because October is one of my favorite months, for lots of reasons…  Although we met in September, it was in October that we knew we were in love.      Aren't we cute? Sigh. That's probably…

  • “Is, then, September come so soon?”

        Is, then, September come so soon?Full time doth summer ne'er abide?While yet it seems but summer's noon,We're floating down the autumn tide. ~Eunice E. Comstock, The Atlantic Monthly, October 1873   Is it just me, or did Summer just set a new record for "Fastest Season Ever"?  Temperatures are still climbing to 100 degrees…

  • Call me BiBi (Have I mentioned I’m a grandmother?)

        Yes, yes. I know I've already mentioned it, but hey, I'm a grandmother now, so you'll probably hear about it a lot!  It's hard for me to believe, but my grandson will soon celebrate his 1 month birthday. He is still mostly just eating and sleeping and growing, but it's so amazing to…

  • A Post-Florida / Pre-Grandbaby “Sweet” and “First” Update…

    "My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we'll change the world." ~Jack Layton     When I headed to Florida with Tom last weekend, weather forecasts indicated we could be meeting up with a mini-hurricane. Ever-hopeful,…

  • Italy flashback, time capsules … and other sweet!s

      "The next best thing to the enjoyment of a good time, is the recollection of it." ~James Lendall Basford      For someone who has a zillion photo albums collected on shelves all over her house, it amazes even me that I rarely print photos anymore. But I didn't want my memories of Italy…

  • Happy birthday, Belle! (and other sweet!s)

        Eight years ago, while we were mourning the loss of our sweet Charly, a litter of puppies was born in east Texas.  Whether the mom was a pure-bred who had a wild fling with a stray, or she was a mixed breed stray herself, we'll never know.  We do know that a few…

  • October, Friday the 13ths, Baby Boys, Birthdays, Growing up, Reunions, Italy, and a bunch of other sweet!s

        Our weather has been in a see-saw pattern the past few weeks. Beautiful, cool, autumn-like days swoop in, making everyone smile, and then suddenly summer is back, with highs in the 90's, sticky air, and sneaky mosquitoes.  But at least we're getting the promise of autumn and a reprieve from the true summer…

  • Postcards from Greece, Dragonflies, and other sweet!s

     Deep in the sun-searched growths the dragonflyHangs like a blue thread loosened from the sky. ~Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Silent Noon   This morning as Belle and I finished our walk, a dragonfly buzzed close, circling and circling. It even hovered about a foot from me for a few seconds, providing me a good look at its…

  • Harvey’s blowing us a kiss… (and a few recent sweet!s)

        Name the season’s first hurricane Zelda and fool Mother Nature into calling it a year. ~Robert Brault   Throughout the night I woke several times to the sound of heavy rain outside my window. And this afternoon on my back deck, I watched as the wind swooped hard through the hollow every few…

  • 35 years!… and other sweet!s

        "I love being married. It's so great to find that one special person you want to annoy for the rest of your life." ~Rita Rudner   If you haven't guessed, it's been 35 years since that Friday the 13th when Tom and I said "I do" to a lifetime together. It's actually tomorrow, but…