Category: Remember when…

  •   If Daddy answers the phone when I call my parents, our conversation is a quick one. "I can't talk," he'll complain.  "You sound fine to me," I'll tell him.  "What? I can't hear you. Here's your mother." And that's that. Strokes have taken their toll on his vocal chords. The effort to speak is…

  •     "Life's about changing, nothing ever stays the same." ~ Patty Loveless, "How Can I Help You To Say Goodbye" That Memorial Day weekend in 1998 was one of the best we'd ever had. We had laughed with friends and danced to Johnny Dee and the Rocket 88's. Spent a glorious day swimming in…

  • Linking with A Rural Journal's Random 5 Friday    1.    This card, full of words of love and encouragement and inspiration, waited for me in the mailbox earlier this week, a precious gift from my friend Rae.  How could I not share them with you, because the words are true for all of us,…

  • When the rain started around 3 am, pounding on the house like we were under a giant faucet, Tom remembered he left his car windows down. A mad dash in the rain up the hill in the middle of the night isn't the greatest way to start your birthday.  I think the worst of it…

  • 1.   Remember this old farmhouse? I pass it on my way to work at the winery. It's weathered, but has wonderful stonework on and around it, a working windmill (at least it spins!) and outbuildings oozing in character. As far as I could tell it was abandoned, which made me sad, so I wrote…

  •   The sun still yawned under a light gray blanket this morning when the puppies and I headed out for our walk. Josie, my grandpuppy, took the lead as usual; she's still excited about her visit to the country. Belle, my sweet companion, fell into step near me. She never strays too far from my…

  • Through the window, I see my brother-in-law's SUV pull up in front of the house. Several younger men gather to help maneuver my mother down from her seat and into the waiting wheelchair. For a moment exhaustion pinches her face from the three-hour road trip and constant struggle to breathe, but then I see that…

  •     I lingered on the back porch this morning with my coffee after the dogs finished their breakfast, listening to birds chirp their confusion over the unseasonal cool temperatures and the wind play rough with the trees.  The sun was shining, and I could see the surface of our little pond sparkling through the…

  • Does anyone read blog posts in the middle of the night? It seems it's the only time I finally get to post, after finishing up the higher priority items on my to-do lists.  BlogHer is asking for nominations for their Voices of the Year, in the categories of Heart, Humor, Inspiration, and OpEd. I had…

  • 1. Last night I attended a funeral for the mother of one of my long-time, closest friends. Hers was one of the houses where we all congregrated, from middle school on up (I had my first kiss on the sidewalk in front of that house)… and now my friend opens up her home to all…