The sounds of air battle were loud, we could hardly hear ourselves talk over the noise of the video game the boys were playing upstairs in their grandmother's bedroom. Don, my (twice widowed) mother's third husband, offered to go upstairs and check on them, to get them to tone it… Read full post »

Each year when this day comes, I quietly mark it with a small smile. I don't tend to say a word, but I know. 

Today is my Freedom Day.

The day I left

fear.

So long ago, another world ago,

 18 years

today.

Escaping with my two small boys,

… Read full post »

 Long ago, when my mother once remarked, "You look blowsy" I thought she meant 'vibrant, bright-colored, gyspy-like.'

 I distinctly remember the event:  I was in my late teens and finally daring to wear on a date the Forties-inspired, brightly printed bandeau halter with… Read full post »

Earlier this Spring....

March -- earliest signs of life in the garden

later, an unfurling tulip 

new rhubarb ~ Spring frost

 early April cherry buds ~

(now hundreds of small green cherries)

&… Read full post »

It was pitch black that night a couple months ago when we drove through the canyon on our way to the coast. The only illumination on that winding route came from passing headlights bouncing off the rocky walls as the sparse traffic wound its way through the narrow bends. The only… Read full post »

Well, the grand plan for this weekend was to get the spring transplanting going before the garden buds out, inspired by Phyllis45's bustling garden work on her posts this week  ( http://open.salon.com/blog/phyllis45 ).

Mother Nature has intervened.

So, this snow, snowy Sunday, in the one corner… Read full post »

They were in a fight.

Drinking.

He stormed out of the house, the house they share, where their five year old lay sleeping in her pink, ribboned room. Their son, more used to the tension between his parents, sat in his favorite chair in his room with headphones on, trying… Read full post »

 The legends of the beginnings of Valentine's Day are varied and confused -- some say there were actually three different men called Valentine back in the day, the days of ancient Rome, that is.

One of those stories about Valentine of which fact and legend are impossib… Read full post »

How shall I call my spirit back in...

...when she has been dancing among the forest trees?

                                                    &… Read full post »

The newspaper was found among the multitude of papers she left behind, just a small circular from her hometown in upstate New York. None of her children ever knew she wrote about her childhood memories of Christmas during that last Christmas season she was alive, or that it was ever published.… Read full post »

This week, as the Penn State scandal continues to unfold involving coach Jerry Sandusky's alleged multiple counts of abuse against boys, all boys from Sandusky's charity, "The Second Mile," I felt called to re-post this article written last year at this same time. The article is about a two-part… Read full post »

I last wrote about a crazy dream, and its aftermath in my adult life.

Then things got a little crazier.

On Halloween night, 25 hours or so after I posted that last post (although it is listed as October 29th), I saw a meteor streaking across the sky -- not high… Read full post »

~ A true, scary tale ~

The dream haunted me for years when I was a girl, circling around with other recurring nightly visitations that all conspired to prevent a sweet dream from ever gracing my childhood slumber. This particular dream series repeated each time with little variation of detail and… Read full post »

For most of the year, our area's highest peak is a snow-capped, beautiful vision, one that draws skiers and snowboarders who like steep runs in winter and early spring, one that draws a photographer's eye year-round.

This is a shot I took in late July, the view one would see… Read full post »

The very last secret in my father's life came on slowly:  teasing our family with that first shocking glimpse, leaving its clues scattered, then hiding so quietly we all forgot its existence. I thought it gone, anyway, but I was a child and hadn't yet learned what pernicious meant. 

Glimmer… Read full post »

"Do you know of a good bookstore around here?" I asked the cashier as she handed me an enormous spinach salad and slice of cheese pizza at this unfamiliar restaurant in this unfamiliar town. We had found this low-slung eatery in the downtown area, sandwiched between Thai cuisine and a bar,… Read full post »

If you've ever had doubts that chimps, and other animals for that matter, have feelings, are cognizant, and are aware of their quality of life, watch this:

                                   … Read full post »

 ~ The first and most exciting entry ~

Quilting a baby quilt ! 

Yes, our oldest son and his girlfriend are expecting their first child, a girl.  She is due in two weeks. The quilt I am making for her is the first I've made since this tapestry quilt I made many… Read full post »

At the top of our street there is a beautiful walk, one of my favorite choices for the now-daily routine. There is something about starting out from home and heading straight uphill that acts as an excellent warm up for my sometimes-reluctant muscles and mind.

Today I have company along. As… Read full post »

Something slid into my thoughts today. 

Something almost tangible. 

Glimmers... 

real? 

My small head on your chest,

our two hearts beating

...warm 

...safe. 

Could this be true? 

The smells are of leather

and smoke.

You are reading, 

I am at peace. … Read full post »

In the news this week was a story of a couple from Canada, who gave birth to their third child four months ago, a child they named "Storm."  The parents already have two boys, ages five, and two. New baby Storm's gender, on the other hand, is a mystery.

Storm… Read full post »

Armageddon?  I'm not afraid. 

Here's a love song for my Open Salon friends -- just in case!

...although, not everyone will fit in my bed, and the lovemaking will be platonic grooving to tunes....         

 When the World Ends, Dave Matthews Band

This year, there won't be a last-minute rush to get a Mother's Day card out for you, just like there hasn't been a rush for the last eight years. You did keep the cards your grandchildren sent you each year, I know, I found them. Sister's kids were much better at this… Read full post »

It was heralded as the wedding of the century, a rare love match of royals.

The bride, 16 year-old English Princess Elizabeth Stuart, was actually eager to wed her groom, 19 year-old Frederick, Elector Palatine of the Rhine. Frederick was just happy his bride was intelligent and lovely.

Elizabeth's m… Read full post »