Today is my last ‘official’ day off in a week with a couple of holidays plunked smack into the middle of it, courtesy of our Gregorian calendar. I exercised a little opportunism, nudging some unclaimed vacation time around what was already coming, like a pair of bookends. There is still the weekend ahead, which will … Continue reading Journal Entry: A Holiday Reflection
Reading
Travel Story: Road Trip to Tennessee the WPA Way
Looky what came in last week’s mail. The only thing better would have been stumbling across this in a Vermont antique store or at a local tag sale. Well, that, and maybe a first edition, instead of this third edition. I did locate a first edition in excellent shape in another online vendor’s inventory, evidently … Continue reading Travel Story: Road Trip to Tennessee the WPA Way
Travel Story: Writer with a Wanderlust
The best gift Chef David gave me this past Christmas is a beautiful little piece of non-fiction writing by John Steinbeck called Travels with Charley: In Search of America (Charley being a colorful and personable Standard Poodle). I’ve always loved me a good Steinbeck story, but ‘til now have read only his novels. Travels with … Continue reading Travel Story: Writer with a Wanderlust
Forgotten Books, Forever Friends, & Harper Lee
In Memphis and other parts of the South and Midwest powerful storms are inseparable from the spring and summer landscape. Once upon a time civil defense sirens meant a tornado, prompting the requisite sequestration of our family in a tiny downstairs bathroom under piles of pillows. By age six or so I learned to fear any old thunderstorm that … Continue reading Forgotten Books, Forever Friends, & Harper Lee
Balance: Sunday Journal
Spring has never felt more welcome. And as sure as it has felt like spring for the past week we are evidently in for 50s, clouds and rain for the next. It's okay by me: there is no snow in the forecast, and I have noted very definite signs of thickening in the tips of … Continue reading Balance: Sunday Journal
Rebecca’s Reading Challenge
Rebecca is an intelligent, creative woman whose work I had only known through her blog when I arrived in Vermont. Later we met in person on several very happy occasions, once at her beautiful home (we also discovered we lived on roughly opposite ends of the exact same rural highway). Anywho. About a month ago … Continue reading Rebecca’s Reading Challenge
First Day Jitters
Yesterday dawned clear and sunny and very cold in central Vermont, my last time to wake up in the loft, HCB at my side. We had the big work of packing and moving ahead of us, still time for a final cup of coffee before we pushed up our sleeves. The winter storm that is … Continue reading First Day Jitters
Pleasantly Neurotic
One thing I've learned from hanging around with shrink friends through the years: everybody behaves neurotically sometimes--nobody is exempt. Getting a diagnosis as clinically neurotic in some way depends on where your behavior lies along a continuum--are you neurotic all the time, or are you a once-in-a-while, casual neurotic? I have self-diagnosed Obsessive Compulsive Disorder--not … Continue reading Pleasantly Neurotic
Sycamore Stories 