One of my most prized possessions is a 10-cent spiral notebook from the early 1960’s. Not just any old notebook, this beauty contains recipes that my mother collected and prepared as she grew in her cooking prowess. The grease stained pages with faded handwriting transport me to a place of wonder. Cue Glen Campbell’s “Dreams…
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One of my favorite summer activities as a child was going to the beach. Not the beach you’re thinking of. I grew up in the Chicago area. The Great Lakes do have beaches. We especially enjoyed making several trips each summer to the Warren Dunes in Michigan. We’d get up super early in the morning,…
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We can debate pumpkin spice vs. apple all you want. Autumn is upon us. I couldn’t be more thrilled. Cooler temperatures. Hoodies. The crunching of the fallen leaves beneath my feet. And the colors. All the colors. I want to capture them all. Like pilots chase sunsets, I chase the autumnal leaf peak. For weeks…
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There is an oft shared post on social media lately that goes something like this: 0% of people in 2015 accurately predicted where they would be in five years. Truth. Aside from maybe Bill Gates, a handful of epidemiologists, scientists, and several imaginative authors, who could have predicted the coronavirus pandemic? So much to say…
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In a recent conversation, I was asked how I felt that I was doing in working toward my goals. Really? In the middle of a lockdown you want me to think about where I’m at with the goals that were set with an entirely different year in mind? Really? Pause. Breathe. Then I asked myself…
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If you drive by our home around dinner time, you might catch our nightly dinner dance. It goes something like this: I call out in earnest trying to rouse my teenager away from the computer. He doesn’t respond. Whether he is socializing online with friends or doing homework, he’s often plugged in around this time…
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I keep waiting to have all of that “extra time” on my hands during this pandemic season. I confess that I am envious of folks who binge watch all the shows, bake all the sourdough, and have gardens that rival Martha Stewart’s. Not me. I feel like I’ve been busier than ever just trying to…
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In the immortal words of Neil Sedaka and Howard Greenfield, made famous by Captain & Tennille, “Just stop. Cause I really love you. Stop, I’ll be thinking of you. Look in my heart. And let love keep us together.” While the rest of the song has some cringe-worthy lyrics, these particular lines stood out to…
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I have great intentions. Really, I do. I want to keep in touch with my friends. I certainly think of them often enough. A song on a playlist, a movie or television show, a certain day, a store or a restaurant…all of these things evoke memories of our friendship. You’ve loved the best of me…
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Let us pray for fire ravaged areas:For those battling wind and weatherprotecting livestock, livelihoods and livesFor rangers, foresters, volunteersneighbors and strangerswielding firefighting tools from shovels to helicopters to garden hosesFor displaced wildlife and personsassessing the damage atop ashen heaps of rubble wondering if all is lostSerotinous cones burst open amid the intense heat, dropping seeds…
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