Long Hollow

Where seeds of thought have room to grow

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Realtor, writer, blogger in Austin, TX

Category: Remember when…

  • Updates from a Week with Wings

    It's almost too much for me to fathom that Thanksgiving is only a week away. Why does time speed up so much as you get older? Is it because you start to realize how precious each minute is and you know you've wasted zillions of them already that you can't get back? Do we then…

  • The Deepwater Weekend Report

    I blinked and a week vanished. At this very time a week ago, I was sitting in my parents' house…specifically at the kitchen table. Tom and I were there to celebrate my mother's birthday, although she didn't actually turn 78 until yesterday (Friday the 13th…a lucky day in our family!) but she graciously agreed to have a pre-celebration last…

  • Lesson #78

    In one of my earliest memories, I'm lying in bed with my mother perched beside me…teaching me…"Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep…" A few years later, she decides I'm old enough for a little more…"Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name…" The past couple of…

  • “It was the thing to do…”: Thanking Those in Uniform, Past and Present

    My big brother Buster was headed to Viet Nam, saying his goodbyes, when I stood beside him in this photograph and smiled. I had no idea what was ahead of him. This was probably taken before his first tour of duty and so he had only a vague idea himself what to expect. When he volunteered…

  • Connected by Words

    I didn't want to drive Tom's car to work Friday. My free trial period for XM Radio was on the eve of termination and I wanted to listen every minute I could until it was gone. At $12 a month, I didn't care about it enough to subscribe, but I wanted all the 'free' I…

  • All Tricked Out (Happy Halloween!)

    Halloweens just aren't the same for me and Tom. It seems like only yesterday I was tagging along with my costumed kids, screening houses, holding a flashlight, warning against eating the candy before we had a chance to check it for razor blades and straight pins.     This year I helped Kendall shop for a costume…

  • Spirits Bound by Timeless Love and Sweetness

    This past weekend – a glorious Texas-style autumn weekend of golden sunshine, blue skies, vivid sunsets and star-filled nights – my house was filled with laughter and voices that have kept me company off and on for more than 30 years…some for more than 40…bringing back memories of those first slumber parties when we ate…

  • To All the Guineas I’ve Loved Before…

    This was a gift from Kirby, my almost-daughter. We (as in Tom) finally took it off the kitchen counter and securely attached it to a post in front of the house. We're officially a "Guinea" house. Once upon a time, there were two. Remembering Ruthie…

  • “My Friends Meet Shake Russell and All I Get is a You-Tube Video”…or “Where’s a Teleporter When You Need One?”

    I'm not really whining. Well, okay, I am a little. It just seems that sometimes everything happens at once, doesn't it? Here's the story… For months I've been looking forward to this past weekend…my friends Tully and Brad were coming to Austin and a bunch of us were going to meet downtown. Then came the call…

  • Procrastinator’s Creed

    I just hung up from talking to Tommy, my oldest that lives and works near Dallas. I rarely get to see him or talk to him. He's never been much of a phone-talker, but now, as a transportation broker, he has to spend hours on the phone at work. So I hesitate to call him -…