48 posts
Some of life's most important lessons come without warning. You know, like my Norwegian grandmother used to say to my mother and then, my mama to me, "This could just be one of life's valuable lessons." To which my Mama and I often responded aloud…
The young boy replied, "Embarrassed," when asked how he'd have felt standing near the cross when Jesus died. Wow! That's a lot of honesty in one word. It leaves me wondering what I'd have said? Or done? How about you? Well, the observance of Good…
Happy Thanksgiving to all y'all. Well, the very fact that I'm writing this when I'd normally be cooking or eating tells you something different is going on. Yup. A few days ago a nasty cold caught up with me. Tested: no COVID nor the other…
It's that time of year when we set aside a day to focus on what we have, not what's missing. But I did both this week when I remembered it's been ten years since Jud headed to heaven. (November 20, 1014) And then I remembered,…
Before flying to California, I flipped the calendar to April. I like doing that, just not as often. Minutes and days used to fly by. Now, it's months and years. But back to the calendar in my kitchen. April showed a bouquet of springtime flowers.…
Mama confessed and the Bible in Ecclesiastes 3:4 declared there's "A time to dance." In the Baptist churches where I grew up, dancing was forbidden. Like one of the deadly sins. You know, almost as serious an offense it should've been added to the Ten…
So much for setting goals for 2024. I'm already behind and it's just the 4th of January. For faithful followers of this blog, you know I planned to post photos of Chad, Kristina and Grandgirls, Maggie and Poco by today. But I missed my deadline.…
Her smile welcomes me into the Walgreens, just down the hill from where I live. She watches as I wrestle to free a cart that's determined to stay put. Then asks, "Can I help you?" "No thanks. I think I'm OK." (Famous last words.) "Well,…
If you love music and generations singing and playing instruments, you needed to be at #4 Jeffrey's Neck Road for Chad and Kristina's Backporch Jamboree last night. Professional musicians and lovers of music planted themselves on the hillside that rose just beyond the back porch.…
Supposedly, these four words are the most dreaded in a marriage or relationship. "We need to talk." It usually translates to the hearer as, "What have I done wrong this time?" Which is why, in part, I'm taken by the way Jesus, shortly after the…
Yesterday was our annual church picinc. It was a beauty, after several days of high heat with humidity to match. Folks brought their best salads, desserts and appetites. Kids and some adults brought swimwear to enjoy the backyard pool in Levon and Cathy's yard, our…
Somewhere I read a poem about making soup after all the holiday feasts. Something simply nourishing for body and soul. True for Easter, too. Jud, not known in the family for his culinary skills, took to making bean soup with the ham bone after Easter.…
It's a simple prayer request. "Give us this day our daily bread." Still, sometimes we feel full of dread more than bread. We sense something's missing. Some One. Which may be why more than two thousand years ago, God said, "It's time." And Jesus Christ,…
Advent came early this year, right along with Thanksgiving. I like when that happens. The tree's up, the Perch decorated and it's still November. Frenzy's lost it's foothold. For now, calm carries the day. It's one of the carryovers from Covid's lock downs, learning what…
Early on, my brothers and I learned a few Norwegian phrases like, "nok er nok." It meant, "enough is enough!" For my parents and us, it functioned like an early warning system. They expected us to cease and desist, knock it off and get serious,…
Is it OK to laugh during Lent? I suppose that's a little like the Pharisees asking Jesus, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?" But back to Lent. This a time to reflect, repent and take a closer look at what we're about and…
Two avocados, four peaches and one cantaloupe struggle to ripen while I watch. It's one of those lazy, hazy days of summer. But not quite as still as ones I remember as a kid in Georgia, when the heat and humidity bore down like a…
These are strange times when it comes to food. The President commands meat to come forth, no matter the cost. Lines of folks wait for something, anything to eat. And I go on a daily archaeological dig to my freezer to unearth something edible, then…
The debate started on the way to church, leaving one grandchild sobbing, the other determined to stand her ground. "We will NOT serve Mama and Daddy's anniversary dinner in the tree house, Poco!" "You always have to have everything your way, Maggie. Mama'd love dinner…
What's not to love about a late summer's day, puttering around the farmer's market at Stage Fort Park, overlooking Gloucester Harbor and the Atlantic ocean behaving itself. An eco-friendly bag dangles off my arm, important identification with responsible folk who buy locally and organic when…
In winters before we left DeKalb, Illinois, radiators clanked and hissed warm greetings, fed by the coal furnace in the basement of the parsonage on Grove Street. After Daddy answered "the call" to a Southern Baptist church in rural Georgia, we learned of different kinds…
She wears one. Come for a meal or afternoon tea and you'll find her in the kitchen, dressed to thrill in an apron. Not just an apron, for any taking thrill to another level. Aprons are throwbacks to another time, when eating out meant you…
Summer's officially here. Heat radiated off sidewalks and the top of my head earlier this week as Lily and I walked from the parking lot, headed for brunch at Comforts in downtown San Anselmo. Comforts, well named. A good word to settle into, even before…
Basil didn't feel well. He and I'd been huddled in the Snuggery(small den), reading aloud, trying to stay warm on a wintry-April day last week. After a while, I got up to heat water for a cup of tea and fix something for Basil. Cold…
Spring's arrived, despite below average temperatures. This morning's Boston Globe featured pictures with a piece on birds: Know Them By Their Song. After reading, just before propping up my knee to ice and elevate for swelling, I put on a CD. Needed something familiar so…
The backboard outside the shop read: Chocolate Lobsters . Didn't need red hearts to know it's almost Valentine's Day in this corner of coastal New England. February's the month of love sweet love and for elementary school children, the making or buying of Valentines for…
Heard a knock on the door at the Inn where I'd been staying, Opened it to find Heather with Basil, fresh from school. First we'd seen each other since I arrived. We hugged and hugged, then Bazy handed me a wrinkled treasure. "I made it…
Stood at the counter, slicing a mango for dessert. Delicious, exotic fruit. Growing up we enjoyed the fruits and vegetables in season, which usually meant out of our garden, a tree in our yard or a generous farmer from our church. Never heard of an…
Good to be back in North Carolina with family. It's those lazy, hazy days of August, when heat hangs low, skies darken and sudden showers show up to do the watering. The rains, like much I worry about, don't last long. Yesterday, Chris, my sister-in-love…
One of my favorite places to walkabout in the summer is the Farmer's Market at Stage Fort Park in Gloucester. Every Thursday from June-October, farmers and vendors show up, pitch their tents on grassy knolls overlooking the harbor, then unload the backs of their pickups…
Between reading Hebrews 11 for my NT class and The Chronicles of Narnia for our book group, I'm swimming in images of faith and fantasy, at its best. After lunching and listening today with women from Gordon-Conwell Women's Council, I'm feeling I've been to a…
Spending time in the California desert enlightens. While not etched on stone tablets, there seem to be two unpardonable sins: a dirty car and sagging body parts. Never have I seen so many car washes or shops to lift, tuck or enhance that which, no…
My assignment? "Please pick up Valentines for Basil." Remembering last year, Heather urged me to avoid seeking Basil's opinion. "Anything will do, though he really likes Star Wars." Last year Basil and I shopped together at CVS. His bent towards war-like characters drove me to…
I love Sunday. Got up early to pack a party. After church we planned to celebrate Jud's birthday at Chad and Kristina's house, even though Jud wouldn't be eating with us, just observing from higher up. Tucked into totes were eggs, blueberry jam, English Muffin…
Chilly. Wind's off the ocean. Beach forsaken by summertime's sun seekers, swimmers and sandcastle artists. Seasons fly like days, whisking me through these latter years like a time traveler. Wondering how to invest what's left of my one small dash . Been pondering familiar words…
What is it about the challenge of losing weight that increases interest in food?! Out of nowhere comes the idea to bake chocolate chip cookies. It's 90+ degrees! Summertime. Watermelon season. Suddenly I want to bake. Not for myself, of course . For our troops.…
Dinner over. Plates cleared. Time for a little something sweet at the end of the meal, not an everyday happening at this house. My turn to cook the meal, since Matt and Heather'd just returned a few hours earlier from their five day jaunt to…
Probably because I had to fast before blood work, food's on my mind. Also, several of you asked for the Taco Salad recipe. Food brings people together. To put some merry into you Monday, I'll start with a few of my favorite quotes on food.…
Shepherd's Pie for supper tonight reminded me of one of Heather's gifts to her Dad during his final weeks at MGH. I bought mine today at Common Crow, kind of a local Whole Foods, just up the road. My choice motivated by convenience, Heather's by…
One awkward aspect of social gatherings involves encountering someone who expectantly asks,"Remember me?" And I don't. Usually, I remember the face, if name's lost in space. But now and then, I have to confess,"I'm so sorry, I don't remember. Please refresh my memory." No one…
Basil raced back into the house yesterday morning exclaiming, ""Yay! I don't have to sing!" He's in the Cherub choir at St. John's. Luke still had to sing but Basil took his reprieve and ran with it, right back into the house, ready to play…
Church. We went to Glide Memorial Methodist Church in San Francisco this morning. I clutched my purse as Lily and I threaded our way through homeless folks who hung around the church like they'd be welcome. And they were. Most came for the soup kitchen,…
Sometime during the night, all color drained from the sky, leaving the morning blanketed in fog. It's left me feeling like earth dragged the heavens down to its level, blurring lines between here and there. Shrubs close to the ground and some lower branches of…
Almost nothing at Christmas in our culture falls under the spell of "all is calm ." We do better on " all is bright ", as in blinking bright lights, sparkling bright decorations and packages but especially, bright red eyes from sleep deprivation. For sure…
Cinnamon Rolls. Mama made them most Saturdays during my growing up years. My job was to stand on a stool, washing dishes, pots and pans while Mama mixed ingredients to provide both nutrition and nurture for her family. She rolled the dough, I rolled my…
Heather, Matt, Lily and I squeezed into the pew last Sunday evening, full of pride and high hopes. Luke and Basil were singing in the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols at their church. I'd booked my flight weeks ago to be sure I'd be…
Summer lingers. Love these days of lazy transition from summer to fall in New England. Our book group gathered this past week for dinner and discussion of The Boys in the Boat. Really good book. Bought it for Jud but he was too ill to…
September. Back to school. Basil, his new blue backpack and I trudged off to kindergarten yesterday. He held my hand as we walked. It helped me. The young woman at the door introduced herself as the teacher’s assistant. I smiled a knowing smile and said,…