This year brought us new understanding of a white Christmas.  We had one.  There just wasn’t any snow.  The whiteness was fog, thickened occasionally by drizzle.  The weather was quite pretty, in a muffled, damp sort of way that didn’t involve the creating of any snowman, or any sledding or skating.  Christmas lights, and Christmas… Continue reading Outro

There’s such thin ice on the water in the little no-name pond north of us that little dots of open water perforate it.  A breeze ruffled the dots as the dog and I walked past the pond this morning, causing the ice to undulate with the water.  It was quite wonderful to see, and we… Continue reading Merry Christmas

     My husband had an errand to run across town this morning and suggested he drop the dog and me off at Gallup Park for a walk, then collect us again on his way home.  Terrific idea.  Inspired.  The weather was bright and sunny and not too cold—perfect for a stroll around Gallup Park.     … Continue reading Gallup

While walking in Thurston Woods this morning, just before the turn that would take us home, Rascal and I suddenly found our way blocked by a fallen tree.  It was a whopper, big enough that it blocked the path in two places.  The trunk lay across the path in one spot, and a major limb… Continue reading Happy Ending

We have an outlier squirrel running around the neighborhood, lately.  It seems to be a healthy, perfectly formed fox squirrel, which is what we mostly have around here.  Only, this particular fox squirrel has a black body.  So, black body and brown fox-squirrel-colored tail, a striking color combination.  Whether this is a fox-squirrel color variant… Continue reading Thanks Be

The neighborhood looks different today, this Friday after Thanksgiving.  There are scarcely any cars traveling on the roads, as travelers have arrived at their destinations and hardly anyone feels like rousing themselves, even the day after Thursday’s sumptuous meal.  On the other hand, there are extra cars parked in driveways and at the curb, having… Continue reading Thanksgiving

A friend asked me recently if I had loved my mother-in-law.  Absolutely.  I won the mother-in-law sweepstakes with Eleanore.  She was kind and thoughtful and loving.  She laughed easily.  And, as a special added bonus, she was a pie goddess.      This is a claim she would laugh off, but I present it here as… Continue reading Pie Goddess

Our back yard is quite the busy place, the last few weeks.  Herds of birds occupy it in turns.  Starlings and grackles feed there, periodically.  We’re just as glad they don’t stay and roost, as the collective nouns for the critters, deservedly, are a filth of starlings and a plague of grackles.  The birds are… Continue reading Wonders of a Fall Day

Our friend Rhonda says the first day she can see her breath in the fall is a highlight of her year.  She finds it exhilarating.  She must be one contented person, today.  She popped immediately to mind, this morning, when I realized I could see the dog’s breath.  If he noticed, or cared about it… Continue reading Halloween