Wintertime Woods

Wintertime Woods

I drove by a small grove of trees the other day and memories filled my mind of other days and other wintertime woods–times when the trees rose, gray and bare to a cloudy sky, just like this day. Brown, crisp leaves of autumn lay in heaps at their feet.  The wind that stirred the leaves […]

Under a Misty Moon

Under a Misty Moon

Why had I listened to Daisy Stanton? “You don’t have to take this assignment, Ned,” she had said when we met for coffee at Grandy’s last week. “I do need the pictures and you are such a great photographer. But, I may be able to find time to run out there in a few days.” […]

Batten Down the Hatches

Batten Down the Hatches

  It seems that life is made up of one storm after the other, with peaceful stretches in between. When we feel tossed around by circumstances, it’s time to batten down the hatches and hold tight. One of my favorite poems is The Voyagers by Van Dyke: O Maker of the mighty deep, whereon our vessels […]

Keeping the Hearth Fire Burning

Keeping the Hearth Fire Burning

  Maybe it’s because October is here and with its arrival, the promise of cooler weather. Crisp days and nights make me think of much chillier temps and that, of course, leads to the thoughts of the fireplace. So, why do I have a life-long love of fireplaces? Could it be because Irish ancestors sat […]

Manos Meanderings

Manos Meanderings

  It’s my own fault that I’m feeling muddled and fuzzy-minded this morning. It was my dream, you see, and the dream was because of the book I’m reading. I’m enjoying Emily Brightwell’s newest cozy, Mrs. Jeffries and the Alms of the Angel. I have the bad habit of waking up during the wee, small hours, […]

Dreams, For What They’re Worth

Dreams, For What They’re Worth

Dreams! I don’t mean hopes and goals, I mean the things that pass through our minds as we sleep. Do you pay any attention to them? I’ve read that some are caused by what has happened during the day, or perhaps long ago. Some are subconscious thoughts and worries that surface while we sleep. I […]