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
Tag: Family
Time Together
When Daughter Number One and her husband arrived from Wyoming, they came bearing gifts: a couple thousand-piece jigsaw puzzles. D#1 chose the ones she did for their pleasing images—one of North American birds and one of Yellowstone—and because they looked hard. She forgot to factor in that she’d be among those putting the puzzles together. … Continue reading Time Together
A Warm Place
This week’s post isn’t about Michigan. It’s about Michiganders traveling. To a warm spot. In winter. My husband and Daughter Number 1 and I met up with Daughter Number 3 in Charlotte, North Carolina, where D#3 lives. The next morning, the four of us were packing the car before leaving for South Carolina, where D#3… Continue reading A Warm Place
Dogs and Dishtowels
My husband and I realized with sorrow, yesterday, that the Thanksgiving leftovers are nearly gone. We’ve eaten our way through the special-occasion fuss-and-bother favorite foods. We’ve even finished the treats Cindy brought us a couple days after the feast—homemade sticky buns and pumpkin pie with whipped cream. Everything looked gorgeous and tasted so good. All… Continue reading Dogs and Dishtowels
Building
We’ve had our first stick-to-the ground snow. Often, the first real snow of the year is strikingly beautiful, sitting decoratively on branches and the last of the autumn flowers. This snow, not so much. There was enough to need shoveling, and that’s about it. Children, however, think of any amount of snow as raw material… Continue reading Building
Douglas Lake, II
My husband and I just spent a few more days on Douglas Lake. A highlight of the reprise was a walk in Otsego County’s Louis M. Groen Nature Preserve, in Johannesburg, Michigan. The park is new and still in process; the bequest will eventually total 800 acres. The first thing you notice at Groen is… Continue reading Douglas Lake, II
Ooh. Ahh.
“Do you want to go for a walk?” Marilyn asked, after dinner. I’d already been for two long walks that day. We set off. “Okay, but I don’t want to go too far. Or too fast. Also, I don’t want to use my right leg.” “How’s that going to work?” my sister… Continue reading Ooh. Ahh.
Niceness Awards
Our friend Don coaches the Ann Arbor Masters swim team. He has since 1984. The team practices five days a week at oh-dark-thirty. And although I never witnessed this myself, when I was at the pool for my group of swimmers–who met after the Masters at the relatively civilized hour of seven a.m.–it’s possible that… Continue reading Niceness Awards