Even though you think you know someone, there is inevitably something new you learn.
Such was the case with one of my daughters.
We were out to breakfast and in the middle of a conversation,when I mentioned it.
I decided to have a small bowl of cereal with a banana.

I peeled the banana and proceeded to break off the end.
I sliced the rest on the top of my cereal.
She was watching me.
There are two things I never eat: the top of a banana and the point of a pickle, I said.

Read More...

On my morning walk, the trees are beginning to change color.
They have not reached the level of spectacular yet.
They appear to be blushing.
Red and orange just beginning to burst forth.

I can see the progress of the change in the leaves each morning.
I am enthralled.
I am witnessing the palette of the Master Artist.
His Perfect brush strokes give us pleasure and give Him glory.

Read More...

The back to school aisles are picked over.
The school supplies are dwindling down.
The shelves that were well stocked just weeks before are beginning to look empty.
These same shelves will hold Christmas decorations very soon.

Don’t you love New York in the fall?
It makes me wanna buy school supplies.
I would send you a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils…
So says the fictional character, Kathleen Kelly.

Read More...

I heard the sound as I walked.
My foot kicked something as I was coming around a curve.
I looked ahead of me and saw something roll down the gentle slope.

An acorn.

I watched it as I walked along.
It just kept rolling ahead of me.
I smiled thinking that it was as if I was playing a catch me if you can game.

Read More...

I was thinking of the calluses on his hands, which is what happens to drummers.
Calluses are thick, hardened layers of skin.
They develop when your skin tries to protect itself against friction and pressure.
They are painful at first but then they act as a sort of protection, a toughening.

I would always comment that his hands matched his personality.
Strong and gentle.
A wonderful combination.
His hands tell his story.

Read More...

Fall is coming.
To a person who loves summer, that statement does not produce warm, fuzzy feelings.
Fall means cooler weather which becomes colder weather which often means snow.
The cooler weather followed by the cold weather makes me happy.

That is not typical, I know.
I associate fall with things that make me smile.
Spectacular colors, chilly nights, and squirrels gathering nuts for the winter.
Preparation.

Read More...

I pass the picture as I come downstairs each morning.
A lovely, numbered print of a stone barn; much like I see as I drive the nearby roads.
The picture is of an historic 1787 barn.
The artist captured its beauty in 1987; painting the picture 200 years after it was built.

I find myself glancing at the print as I enter my foyer.
The serenity of the place seems to call to me.
I can feel the cool stone as I imagine running my hand over the barn wall.
I try to envision the owners of the barn and what kind of life they lived there.

Read More...

All over the news last week was the story of the death of one of the great comedians.
Death, as it has been reported, by his own hand.
Impossible, seemed to be the most common response.
How could someone who made us laugh, who touched our heart, struggle with depression?

We have our categories.
Funny.
Serious.
Happy.
Sad.

Read More...

Traveling around the Ring of Kerry, each site was more spectacular than the last.
Botanists come here to do their research since holly grows here as undergrowth.
Rhododendron has taken over and for six weeks the lavender color borders the roadway.
Such incredible beauty, words cannot begin to describe.

I was intrigued with a bit of history surrounding the Herbert family and Muckross House.

It is said that Henry Arthur Herbert desired a formal royal title.
In those days, a royal title would ensure the financial security that Herbert desired.
He went to elaborate plans to secure such a title.
It happened in 1861, with the visit of Queen Victoria.

Read More...

I am not a traveler.
I am a homebody, if truth were told.
The travel angst does not call to me as it does to my husband.
Close-by places are more desirable to me than faraway places.

This trip was different.
This trip was a celebration.
This trip was a once in a lifetime event.
This trip was one for the memory books.

Read More...