Long Hollow

Where seeds of thought have room to grow

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Realtor, writer, blogger in Austin, TX

Category: My Country Life

  • “The End” of an Era (and my Friday Favorite Photo)

    This is the book that was the beginning of the end. Each evening for years and years, Daniel, TG and I would huddle around a book on the couch, taking the adventure together, a chapter at a time. I would read out loud, relishing the warmth of my two little ones cuddled up against me.…

  • Smiles (and Friday’s Favorite Photos)

    Oh, I had big plans for yesterday, all spelled out in a realistic and do-able list of things to accomplish on my day off. Besides the usual – my morning walk with the dogs, their breakfast on the back porch and my work-out which I always dread and want to get out of the way…

  • Saturday’s “Sweet!”s on Sunday

    Years and years ago, I worked weekends, the natural consequence of rotating twelve hour shifts. First one weekend of nights, then one weekend of days and finally! two weekends free. I hated it. Once I quit, I never, ever wanted to tie up my weekends like that again, but here I am, twenty years later, trying…

  • New Directions and Aching Feet – plus Friday Favorite Photos

    For the past decade of my life, whenever the trail I was following narrowed to a dead-end, a new path would suddenly appear. Now I've begun watching for those trailheads. At times it feels like I'm wandering through a maze – if I think about it, it seems a little scary, but I just need…

  • Just Three Things (and a Friday Favorite Photo)

    I'll be traveling today, driving miles of highway in my air-conditioned car, singing along to the radio, probably dancing in my seat and drumming on the steering wheel, perhaps swerving off the road to capture something in my camera (because I can do that when I travel alone.) (Don't worry, Mama I promise I'll be…

  • It was a dark and stormy night…

    I dreamed rain pelted our tin roof, hard, and thunder shook our windows. Then I realized it wasn't a dream and, snuggling under my covers, dozed off again, grateful. "Mom? Dad?" I woke again with a start, disoriented. Glanced at the clock. Midnight. "We had a power outage. You probably need to set your phone…

  • The (Only) Good Thing About a Drought

      Because of the drought, the University of Texas is turning off their fountains to save water. I'm glad I didn't procrastinate any longer than I did on Daniel's photo shoot. He would have looked funny sitting there in front of a stone dry Littlefield Fountain. Imagine this one without the water shooting up… wouldn't…

  • Puppy Dog Mornings (and a week of sweets)

    I follow a certain ritual almost every morning, finding a spiritual, mental and physical balance that goes completely out of whack the rest of the day… I begin at the kitchen table, enjoying a first cup of coffee and my healthy cereal (topped with blueberries and Greek yogurt) while reading something inspirational. Right now it's…

  • Time, Water and other missing things (plus Friday’s Favorite Photos)

    I walked at dusk, a tangerine glow still lining the horizon, not quite snuffed by the night sky. The wind blew hard, but it was comforting, like a friend's reassuring hug, and its roaring in my ear was a lullaby, soothing. While the puppies hunted for lizards and rough-housed in the sand, I turned inward,…

  • The Only Water Around Here is My Sweat!

    It's hot here in Texas, ladies and gentlemen! "Yesterday was the 5th consecutive day that the Austin, Texas Bergstrom Airport tied or set a new daily temperature record. On Monday, June 6, the airport hit 103°F, the earliest in the year that location had ever hit 103°.(Dr. Jeff Masters'WunderBlog, June 8, 2011) Hot and dry! …