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
Handsome Chef Boyfriend
Resolve
I’ve worn out this plucky little word as both noun and verb for about a week. The nor’easter that moved into New England on Tuesday stalled out right over my neighborhood, evidently right on top of my house. The snow came stealthily at times and brazenly at others, mostly in silence. It was wet and … Continue reading Resolve
Mise En Place
Today I had a huge, long list of stuff I planned to do. Some was work related, some was house related (actually most was house related), and there was the usual catching up on correspondence. Handsome Chef Boyfriend's mandate to me as he was leaving this morning: go out and pick up sticks. (Manly Vermonter … Continue reading Mise En Place
Rolling Back The Clock
Ever played that game where you imagine you could go back in time to some watershed moment in your life and make a choice that would instigate a dramtically different outcome? I do it all the time. Lately the theme has been work related for pretty transparent reasons. If I found myself poised on the … Continue reading Rolling Back The Clock
New World Order. Again.
I shot a couple of photos today on a brief outing through Shaftsbury to retrieve a particular young 'un from a day-long outdoor adventure. It is cool in Vermont and there is indiscriminate rain; a short time down the road the rain will be snow. Fall's vibrant colors abound, although the peak of the season … Continue reading New World Order. Again.
Afternoon at Bedlam: the Ministry of Encouragement
More than a decade ago I stood in the book aisle of a big box department store in Knoxville, Tennessee, fingering a papberback with a full color closeup of a border collie on its cover. I was having a bad day--a series of bad days, really, that grew into bad weeks and months and difficult years. That … Continue reading Afternoon at Bedlam: the Ministry of Encouragement
Farmstand Outing, Big Questions
I had some loose change rattling around in my pocket this afternoon and precious little else. My fiscal landscape changed dramatically a couple of weeks ago--not by way of a little hiccup, but a big, loud, stinky belch. (It did not even have the decency to cover its gaping mouth.) I realized my cupboard was … Continue reading Farmstand Outing, Big Questions
Afternoon at a Vermont Bakery: Sunday Photo Essay
Friday afternoon I had the great pleasure of looking over the shoulders of several of the staff at a particular Vermont bakery. I could not resist the design on this cakewheel, seemingly frozen in another era. Today I showed a very young friend of mine how I edit the photos I use on my blog. … Continue reading Afternoon at a Vermont Bakery: Sunday Photo Essay
Mad Tom Apples: Sunday Photo Essay
My Irish ancestors settled in the Tuckaleechee Cove area of the Great Smoky Mountains in the 19th century and made their living as apple farmers. I wonder how they would view New England's landscape, where harvesting apples in the fall is woven into the fabric of life and where the topography is at times so … Continue reading Mad Tom Apples: Sunday Photo Essay
I’ve created a LOL monster.
A while back I wrote a little story about a particular brand of fifth grade humor and my penchant for it. Call it a character flaw if you must, but I wear it proudly. I even sent my dad a fart-themed birthday card last April. (Really, can the world have too many fart jokes? I … Continue reading I’ve created a LOL monster.
Sycamore Stories 