Handsome Chef Boyfriend and I squeezed much into our Saturday as we are wont to do; it is really our only day together every week, so to quote Eloise, You can imagine.... In the late afternoon we pushed up our sleeves and got to work clearing and preparing beds in the terraced gardens on the beautiful … Continue reading Secret Garden Part I
Clarence
Rancor-Me-Not
This morning my Handsome Chef Boyfriend gave me a smooch on his way out the door back to his own stomping grounds, just a bit further afield than I would like. Be careful, I said; let me know when you’re there safe. Do you ever stop worrying about things, he chided? No. Never. I never, … Continue reading Rancor-Me-Not
Hole in My Heart
Obsessive, almost maniacal scrubbing: floors, clothing, blankets, furniture, my car, everything. For reasons I can't completely understand I have done this with unrelenting urgency for the past week and a half, save a couple of days when I pressed pause so I could be with HCB. Today I will close up the giant plastic tub … Continue reading Hole in My Heart
Simple Gifts
Best Christmas present ever, from Clarence-the-Canine and Handsome Chef Boyfriend, who reported that it was no small thing to achieve doggie cooperation and do this more or less when I had my back turned. Stealth dogs, both. This is one ornament that will not be packed away, nor will the other two whimsical ballet-themed ones … Continue reading Simple Gifts
Knowing When
Not long ago during an afternoon break between job one and job two I sat in a quirky White River Junction coffee shop thinking about my Clarence-the-Canine, reflecting on images in my mind's eye of the unmistakable changes in his gait over the last few weeks. Then I did what you're not supposed to do: … Continue reading Knowing When
It takes all the running you can do…
...to keep in the same place.--Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland On a gorgeous summer morning several years ago my now-ex and I sat at a small sidewalk café in downtown Knoxville, our family’s Shiloh Shepherd Teddy Blue resting comfortably under the table. (A Shiloh, in case you wondered, is a giant breed with ties to the … Continue reading It takes all the running you can do…
Quiet November Saturday: A Photo Essay
Finding peace is work. It takes effort--every single day--to keep pushing back the fear and worry that refuse to loose their grip on me since my solo mid-century reboot last August. And then there are beautiful moments of amnesty. Vermont has been good to me mainly; for the time being I come home to 180 … Continue reading Quiet November Saturday: A Photo Essay
Sunshine on a Cloudy Day, and All That. (Beauty herein.)
Promised rain and chilly temperatures came to my corner of New England today, and so I did the only reasonable thing under the circumstances. The season's first pot of chili now sits on my stove. My little loft has been filled variously with the earthy aroma of boiling Mung and Azuki beans (gifts from Handsome … Continue reading Sunshine on a Cloudy Day, and All That. (Beauty herein.)
Little Tests, Big Tests
The last time I raced I injured myself badly. Waiting at the starting line I felt growing irritation for a pack of college kids who had clearly decided to run that day as an afterthought; I gathered from their jawing that they were not runners, and also that they had been at a kegger 'til … Continue reading Little Tests, Big Tests
A Very Good Day
Today began badly. Clarence-the-Canine and I struck out for an early morning run that was supposed to be perfect, crisp, and beautiful. What happened instead is that I continued to ignore the gathering tightness I have sensed in my right calf and Achilles during our last two or three runs, hoping it would work itself … Continue reading A Very Good Day
Sycamore Stories 