Touch Hands!

The phone calls started the night before and continued well into the morning: “Are you going?” “Do you think the roads will be safe?” “What does your husband say? What does your mother say?” I had been watching the weather forecasts just as intently as everyone else. And I was just as torn up about…

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The Surety of Joy

This flurry of plansis over, over.And I’m sorry and glad together. Our bustling houseis sane now, sane now.And I’m sorry and glad together. “Sorry and Glad Together,” Karen Peris This lyric by Karen Peris of The Innocence Mission perfectly articulates my feelings on this ripe and radiant November day. It’s the first “normal” Monday I’ve…

Giving Thanks

It is the afternoon before Thanksgiving and I’m sitting for a moment by my kitchen fire with my tea (and a wee drop of sherry, just to celebrate all that’s been accomplished thus far!). The cranberry conserve, with its aromas sacred to this day since time immemorial, is simmering away on the stove, and the…

A Happy Christmas

It is the Feast of the Epiphany, and I’ve watched the sunrise—as I have almost every morning of this blessed season—beyond the sparkle and magic of my Christmas tree. I’ve seen the low-hung clouds turn lavender and then flush with gold, as if at some heavenly delight, and the old holly tree awaken, its branches…

October Greetings

Dear Friends, Greetings on this October afternoon-almost-evening. I’m sitting in the den with my tea, windows open to the brisk sweetness of an autumn breeze and the house fragrant around me with the scent of tonight’s pot roast supper. From the barnyard comes the occasional plaintive bleat of a sheep who’s decided it’s high time…

Ordinary Time

Face my direction, I wanna to see you better, dear. You’re a distraction from everything that I feel. ~ “Turn to White” by She and Him   A week ago today, the spouse and I arrived at our getaway spot—a swanky hotel in the not-so-swanky city of Chattanooga. (Sometimes, the hotel is the destination.) Luke fetched a…

I’m So Not the Cool Kid

  Disclaimer: The following represents a cornucopia of experiences, some of them exaggerated for dramatic effect. A composite, if you will. Names have been omitted or changed to protect the guilty. Congratulations! I say this with a megaphone, ticker tape—with gusto! I feel like I need these things to get your attention. Because your high…

Home.

April 8, 2018 I’m writing this post from my sunroom, looking out over the last golden remnants of a brisk-but-beautiful spring day. Behind me, the dogs are snoozing on the kitchen floor, and I know that my husband is sitting at his desk in the den beyond. Yes, my friends, we are HOME. Last Wednesday…

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Dear Ones,

Just popping in to say that I’ve finally completed and dispatched the first installment in what I hope will be a weekly newsletter chronicling our restoration story. I’m still overwhelmed by your response to my query, and I sincerely hope I didn’t miss anyone who asked to be included. Please do not hesitate to let…

The End

The End