Category: Spinning Plates

  • Twenty-four years ago today I became a new person…a mother. Becoming a mother revealed qualities within me that I never dreamed existed. "Self-centered" and "self-indulgent" were stripped away the moment I set eyes on the little life we named Tommy…the miracle combination of me and Tom that God created and presented back to us. From…

  • There are more truths in 24 hours of a [person's] life than in all the philosophies. – Raoul Vaneigem This struck a chord in me when I read it today. After a quick Googling and Wiki-read of Raoul, I'm not sure I would agree with him on much else, but on this we agree…what a difference…

  • On clear days, the morning sunshine spills and splashes into the hollow, but there are places it doesn't reach…spots where the road hugs tight to a steep side of a hill and down along the creek and other places in the woods where the sunlight can't pass through the leaves on the oak trees. There are days…

  • I headed off for my walk before the sun even kissed the tops of the trees in the hollow today. The full moon started the magic of the morning…when I emerged from the bedroom, I was greeted with moonlight that splashed across the back deck and reached into the house through the French doors.  I hurried to…

  • I expected a stormy afternoon. Instead, blue skies and a brisk wind greeted me when I stepped outside after work…invigorating weather that makes you want to forget about to-do lists and go hiking in the woods. So that's what I did when I got home – I joined Tom and the boys for a walk…

  • 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 -…

  • …birthdays, seeing my kids (2 out of 3, anyway), beautiful sunsets, yellow and purple flowers, sunshine, ping-pong, Dirty Dancing and sore muscles… Yes, sore muscles. I've been wanting to rev up my work-out, but couldn't afford a personal trainer. Thanks to Self.com, I started a new, more intense, work-out this week, and for the first time…

  • A father's birthday celebration. A sick child. I was in limbo. The critters were fed, bills were paid, I was showered and dressed, ready to hit the road to Pasadena, but I just couldn't go out the door. Although the child is technically an adult, not living at home and there was really nothing I could do, for some…

  • As a welder's helper for H.B. Zachry back in 1978, I learned alligator cooked in a welding rod hot box tastes a lot like chicken and that it's important to know who you are and have a tight grip on your values when submerged in a world of loose rules and questionable ethics. I was introduced to…

  • It's a soft morning…muted sunshine, a sky swirling in faded blues, pinks and grays, a whispering breeze that's not too warm, not too cold. My walk was quiet – just light birdsong, puppies panting and our mingled footsteps padding along the wet sand of our road. (Frankie has opted out of our morning walks lately…