“Please tell the girl who saw the purple tree that now it’s time to look for pink ones,” I texted our daughter, who teaches elementary school music. One of her young charges showed up with clear evidence of having been crying, recently, and this was not a child given to tears. It seemed the… Continue reading Suddenly Spectacular
Author: Nancy J. Moncrieff
Early Coat Weather
In the checkout line at Busch’s with my husband, recently, I realized that I had, as usual, left our grocery tote bags in the trunk of the car. I dashed for the parking lot to get them, holding my arms to my chest as I hustled, as the store was cold enough that I… Continue reading Early Coat Weather
How to Tell It’s Fall
From the time I was a child, I’ve played a how-could-you-tell game: if you’d just been plunked down here, without context, how could you figure out what season of the year it was? Now, for instance, how could you tell it’s fall? Today, I could tell from the first glimpse of the out-of-doors, through… Continue reading How to Tell It’s Fall
Little Pleasures
Curled up with my knitting, one day this week, I got to thinking about life’s little pleasures. Making something lovely is one of mine. How about the people dear to me—what are some of the pleasing aspects of life for them? I started with my serene friend Pat. She said, “You can’t ask me… Continue reading Little Pleasures
It’s Official
Wednesday morning, as the dog and I strolled down Georgetown, a group of small brown birds came swirling into a nearby treetop. The sun was low in the sky and the birds were, as per normal when some critter catches my eye, backlit. Still, we stopped so I could watch them for a while. They… Continue reading It’s Official
September Pivot
The weather in Michigan has made the September pivot from summer to fall. Nighttime temperatures have slipped into the forties. Grabbing a fleece seems like a good idea on morning walks. A fleece sometimes seems like a good idea in the house as well. And harvests are coming in. The neighbors around the corner… Continue reading September Pivot
Walking the Bridges
At ten o’clock on Labor Day morning, my friend Pat and I joined about thirty other people outside the Freighthouse in Ypsilanti’s Depot Town for a walking tour of the city’s bridges. Our host, amateur historian Stefan Szumko, told us the walk was part of Ypsi’s bicentennial celebration, but I hope he repeats the walk,… Continue reading Walking the Bridges
Swatting Trees
“Ooh, I know what’s going on,” Rascal announced this morning, as he pranced into the garage and hopped into the car. “We’re getting dropped off somewhere and walking home from there. Oh, boy!” He was right, too. He doesn’t like riding in the car, but he sure enjoys less-familiar walks. My husband dropped us off… Continue reading Swatting Trees
Mini-Horse Pull
The mini-horse pull was well underway when I arrived at the Chelsea Community Fair this morning. Teams of two miniature horses took turns pulling thousands of pounds of weight piled on a stone-boat, a sort of runnerless sled. Moving the boat forward ten feet is a “full pull,” just as it is for the teams… Continue reading Mini-Horse Pull
Burnished
Sue’s dog Vesta—the one that another dog attacked some months ago—has decided that Rascal con be trusted. In fact, she rather likes him again. All other dogs? Not so much. She’s making progress, but other dogs still mostly freak her out, a state of being she announces with prolonged barking. Seeing another dog approaching… Continue reading Burnished