Long Hollow

Where seeds of thought have room to grow

recent posts

about

Realtor, writer, blogger in Austin, TX

Category: Worthy Causes

  • This is where it starts (thoughts on Memorial Day)

    This is a repost originally published on my other blog almost 5 years ago. I was thinking about it this morning and felt it was a fitting tribute to those we are remembering on Memorial Day. I'm proud to say this young Airman is now my son-in-law.    I was honored to attend the Air…

  • I couldn’t help myself!

    Being a mother means that your heart is no longer yours; it wanders wherever your children do. ~Author unknown   In the old days, before masks, hand sanitizer, and social distancing became customary, I would get an achy feeling in my heart if it had been more than two weeks since I saw my grandson…

  • “Freedom is never free.” ~ Anonymous

      In gratitude to all of you who have served, or who continue to serve, here's my annual tribute about my own favorite veterans. All too often we take your service and sacrifices for granted. Thanks for serving anyway.    "Lord, if your people need me, I will not refuse the work. Your will be…

  • Before we go any farther into November…

      … let's take a step back to October. I need to finish a post I started weeks ago, because October is one of my favorite months, for lots of reasons…  Although we met in September, it was in October that we knew we were in love.      Aren't we cute? Sigh. That's probably…

  • A Post-Florida / Pre-Grandbaby “Sweet” and “First” Update…

    "My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we'll change the world." ~Jack Layton     When I headed to Florida with Tom last weekend, weather forecasts indicated we could be meeting up with a mini-hurricane. Ever-hopeful,…

  • Reflections on Veterans Day

        Yesterday afternoon, I stood under a gray sky in the Central Texas State Veterans Cemetery paying tribute to a friend who passed away a few months ago. He had retired from the Texas Army National Guard as a Sergeant Major. We also paid tribute to his father-in-law, a retired Air Force Major, who…

  • You’ve Got a Friend…

          "When you're down and troubled, and you need a helping hand… and nothing, nothing is going right…" Year ago, I used to cover for our church secretary when she had to be out of the office. One of the best, but still toughest, parts of the job was answering those calls from…

  • 35 years!… and other sweet!s

        "I love being married. It's so great to find that one special person you want to annoy for the rest of your life." ~Rita Rudner   If you haven't guessed, it's been 35 years since that Friday the 13th when Tom and I said "I do" to a lifetime together. It's actually tomorrow, but…

  • He’s still here… and other sweet!s

    Tom and I once spent a week in a downtown Austin high-rise which had fabulous views of the city. It was especially beautiful at night, with the Texas State Capitol and other downtown buildings all lit up. Unfortunately, that high-rise was Brackenridge Hospital, and Tom wasn't in any shape to appreciate those gorgeous views. He was recovering from…

  • Mother’s Day, Husband’s Day, and other May Sweet!s

    About 50 years ago, this little cutie was collecting turtles near the Magothy River …pretty much having a Tom-Sawyer-like childhood in the Maryland woods where he grew up with his 8 brothers. He just turned 60, but still loves playing in the woods around our house, discovering and observing wildlife, and he still looks pretty dang cute…