I planned all spring and summer to buy new garden ornaments to adorn Flora’s Abode, aka my garden. And here it is mid-September. It just didn’t happen. Unexpected healthcare costs, among other unexpected and expected costs, came up and of course there’s never enough extra for the fun, frivolous things, right? I wanted new birdhouses. … More Gratitude, Perspective, and Garden Art
I’ve just returned home from a week spent by the Atlantic Ocean. My favorite beach activities are walking along the shore looking for seashells, watching birds and dolphins play and remembering what a tiny, although vital, part of the Universe I am. I try to read the many books I drag along each time in … More My Gift from the Sea
Instructions for living a life: Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it. ~Mary Oliver This is exactly what I aspire to do on my daily walks and here on my blog. How do you define living a life? Remember, it’s not just exhaling and inhaling. Nor is it merely surviving. Those things are necessary, of … More The Instructions
It is Sunday morning. Time to rest, renew, and replenish ourselves for the week ahead. Here in North Carolina, a steady rainfall is cleansing the earth of the thick yellow pollen that has covered everything for the past several weeks. I love these rainy, cool, quiet Sundays. There’s something about listen to the raindrops fall … More Another Sunday Morning
Of all the flowers in my garden, these sweet bluets (Houstonia caerulea) rank way up on my favorites list. There’s a reason for this simple spring ephemeral’s prominent place in my garden and heart. When my youngest daughter was about seven years old, she went down to the little stream by our house and dug … More Bluets: The Things That Aren’t Things
This View Looking up the hill. I never tire of this view; this tree; this silhouette. These colorful clouds are a bonus. I always thought I’d have to travel far, far away to experience the wonder and beauty of this world. Now that I’m almost fifty years old, I’m realizing the most beautiful place on … More This View
I’ve been feeling a little meh lately. An uninspired, unenthused feeling has settled in my body. I’m not depressed or frustrated. (OK, I am a little frustrated.) I’m just not feeling like myself. I could blame the recent elections, the state of the world, the visceral contempt that is so prevalent on our streets, … More Stuck In The Mud: Nature as Motivator
Make Peace With Your Mind: How Mindfulness And Compassion Can Free You From Your Inner Critic Meditation teacher and therapist Mark Coleman begins his book with the chapter titled ‘Change is Possible.’ That simple statement acts as a beacon inviting the reader in closer to hear exactly what this change entails and what … More Make Peace With Your Mind
I feel like I’ve been away from here forever. Actually, I have been away quite a long time. So much has been going on. A little bit of good stuff; a little bit of not-so-good stuff. First was a family wedding and that was good stuff. My niece got married at Keswick Vineyards in Charlottesville, … More Weddings, Hurricanes, and Life
Welcome: Enter the Land of Hope September is the time of year that I start a mental assessment of the previous months. It happens automatically like the falling of the leaves. As I walk through the woods, the changing of seasons is apparent. The world starts to look more yellow, orange, and brown and much … More Welcome: Enter the Land of Hope
Giving Voice to My Astonishment 
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