December 15th, 2022 | Family, Friends, Genealogy, General, Holidays
Best news first. my Dear One’s grandson Miles proposed to Holly, apparently in a New York City photo booth, and she said yes! While last year’s missive announced the nuptials of my nephew Dan (a brother’s middle son) and Lish out in Minnesota, this year I am...
November 15th, 2022 | Cooking, Kitchen and Table, General, Holidays, Popular Culture
I noticed the post on Facebook suggesting that you remove the bottom of the pumpkin and not the top. While I didn’t pay attention to the details, I grasped that the seeds and guts would be easier to clean and that the candle or other illumination would be more firmly...
December 5th, 2021 | Family, General, Holidays, Time Passes
Christmas 2021 Dearest All, The box turtles look so surprised, heads withdrawn above the hinged front of the plastron, topaz eyes wide and startled. They are invisible until I yank weeds or scatter fallen leaves; then the carapace, rounded and daubed with orange, is...
June 3rd, 2021 | General, Holidays, the world and Mother Nature
My Dear One and I headed out that sunny Memorial Day to Swan Harbor Farm. A pleasant stroll down by the Chesapeake Bay. Just the thing. Swan Harbor Farm is administered by the Harford County Department of Parks and Recreation, has agricultural education opportunities...
January 2nd, 2021 | General, Holidays, music, the world and Mother Nature, Time Passes
I hate that “thud.” It always means a bird has mistaken the sliders—despite the raptor and leaf decals—as navigable space. The first thud we heard was a male red-bellied woodpecker only a few days after we had moved in. Then there was a goldfinch. Maybe a couple of...
December 31st, 2020 | General, Holidays, Politics, Society at Large
Advent proceeded inexorably toward the First Day of Christmas. I went for minimalist normalcy: the Crèche and the Peaceable Kingdom, candles in the windows, wreaths flanking the front door. Unsettled After The Election Donald Trump is still grinching about a rigged...