It’s time to grow
The women’s group at my church held its Spring Brunch yesterday. I signed up to attend as soon as I heard about it, and was looking forward to it for a number of reasons. For one thing, I was excited about meeting and getting to know some of the women at our new church. For another, the speaker was going to be a woman from a local nursery, who would be talking about herbs, one of my passions – and [...]
A stormy situation hits close to home
Thunderstorms were predicted for yesterday, and the sky was turning dark as my husband and I finished our shopping and left the store. “Something nasty is coming,” I said, “and it’s more than just a thunderstorm.” When you grow up in the Midwest, as we both did, you get to know the smell and feel of what we call “tornado weather.” It doesn’t mean a tornado is definitely coming, but it means the conditions are right for one to develop. [...]
Making the most of a squirrelly situation
It started with a few creaks and groans on the back wall, which I took to be house-settling noises, ones I would get used to before long. Then I heard some tapping sounds. My husband was working outside, so I looked out the window to see if he was on the deck doing some maintenance on the outside wall. He wasn’t. By the time I heard the pitter-patter of little feet, I knew we had one of two problems. Either [...]
Enjoying a Different Kind of “Night Out”
The sun was just starting to set as I drove home from the first meeting at my new Toastmasters club. I drove slowly, partly because I’m not entirely familiar yet with the winding roads, and partly because it was the time of day when deer often dart out into the street. We’ve already seen plenty of them, including – along the side of the road – some that didn’t quite make it across safely. When I got home, my husband [...]
Times change
My alarm clock was particularly jarring when it went off this morning. Not because it woke me up out of a sound sleep – I was actually already awake – but because I hardly ever hear it anymore. Since my husband retired and we moved to Georgia a month ago, there have been only a few times when we’ve even set our alarm clock. This morning, it was because we were expecting a delivery that was scheduled for early in [...]
“Old friends” can’t be replaced by new technology
A landline telephone. Paper calendars. Print versions of books and newspapers. These are items I refuse to part with, even under pressure – sometimes subtle, sometimes intense – to embrace their technological replacements. Holding on to them often feels like a losing battle, but it’s one I’ll keep fighting nonetheless. It’s a battle that’s come to the forefront, in different ways and with different results, during my recent move to Georgia. Wherever we’ve lived, I’ve always subscribed to a daily [...]