Long Hollow

Where seeds of thought have room to grow

recent posts

about

Realtor, writer, blogger in Austin, TX

Category: Odd Jobs

  • Gifts

    O Sunrise, splendor of light eternal and sun of righteousness:Come and enlighten those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death. This sunrise was a gift, a splash of tangerine through my window reminding me that light conquers darkness, that each new day is a promise fulfilled, a gift to savor. I rose at 4:30 this…

  • 26 Sweets (and then some)

      I was 26. I had felt the life inside of me, kicking my ribs, pressing on my bladder. Had heard the amplified swoosh swoosh of the heartbeat in the doctor's office. Had spent all night and most of the morning gritting my teeth and breathing heh-heh-heh through the waves of pain. And then, there…

  • Ssssh! Don’t Tell my Mom! (plus the Shutterfly winners)

    Life has gotten crazy busy. My oldest son and his girlfriend are heading here this evening, joined by a few of his 'old' college buddies who are driving in from Dallas. Tomorrow is his birthday and he's letting me celebrate it with him for the first time in years and years… well, since he left…

  • Simplify! (and my Saturday Sweet Report)

    "Simplify, organize, simplify…" a small voice has been chanting in my head lately, making it difficult to concentrate. So when my friend Gwen invited me to add some of my things to her garage sale this weekend, I jumped on the chance to de-clutter. By yesterday morning, my car was loaded with two large boxes for the…

  • “The Best Laid Schemes…” (What happened to Monday and Tuesday?)

    According to my calendar, I'm in Galveston right now, visiting my friend Ann, finally getting to see the cute little Victorian house she's fixing up and browsing through some wonderful eclectic shops. Things don't always go according to plan, though, do they? Instead of strolling the tourist-free beaches and staying up late talking and laughing…

  • On November (and my Sweet! Report)

    Today is the fifth of November. How can that be? Does anyone else feel the swoosh of time flying by?  If I'm not careful, with just a blink it will be December Eve. November is full of writing challenges – novel writing, nonfiction writing, blogging… Why? Who decided this was a month to focus on writing?…

  • Ambience Lost

        Writers, especially those trying to write at a desktop in the middle of the livingroom in a houseful of people, know you have to learn to tune everything out around you. And anyone who works from home and hopes to accomplish anything at all has to learn to ignore laundry, dishes, dust… I've…

  • Finding the Rhythm

    This morning the sun's red-orange fingertips barely touched the horizon when I stepped out onto the road for my walk. Belle and Max, prancing in the pre-dawn darkness just beyond the French doors, had convinced me not to wait until daylight. A rowdy wind whipped down the road, whistling through the trees and playing with…

  • My Saturday “Sweet!” List (and considering the future)

    To have courage for whatever comes in life – everything lies in that. St. Teresa of Avila   I paid bills yesterday. Watching our balances dwindle away, I realized there's a good chance I'm going to have to give up on my book and my personal history business and my photography – or at least…

  • How to Be an American Housewife

    No, I'm not trying to give anyone advice here! (Those who know me would laugh! Especially Tom!) How to Be an American Housewife by Margaret Dilloway is the latest selection for the BlogHer Book Club. It's a story about forgiveness, perserverence, understanding, examining your life and following your dreams. All the things I love to write…