Today I hit my personal panic point with everything going on. It was one of those spirals that just kept feeding on itself and getting bigger and bigger. One “What if?” leading to another leading to another until I was so far removed from the source I couldn’t remember exactly what triggered it to begin with. I kept reminding myself that this situation is a much bigger issue for other people. I kept telling myself that other people are struggling with real consequences of this and that my life, for the moment, has not been majorly impacted. I kept telling … Continue reading Take a Breath

One of the things I really wanted when we moved to “The South” was a dogwood tree. I know nothing about them but they sound like something a southern house should have. Heading out this morning with my dogs, I spotted a few tiny blooms on one of the rather nondescript trees in the front yard. This tree has been leafless and barren since we moved in and I have been anxiously waiting to see what might bloom and what it would reveal itself to be. I think I may have my dogwood! (If anyone thinks it is something else … Continue reading Dogwood Days

Today was a strange day. As an introvert and a person not really into organized religion, Sunday has always been a fairly quiet day for me. It is a day to sleep late and linger in pajamas. To stroll leisurely down side streets with the dogs, to drink champagne with pancakes and call it brunch, to take in an early movie and call it a day. Sunday has always been a quiet day for me but today it seemed like a quiet day for the world. The automated church bells rang and no one answered. Signs on the doors informed … Continue reading Somber Sunday

Our area of town, South of Gloucester Street, is putting on a scavenger hunt “safari” for the kids. The premise is simple: houses and businesses place animals in the window and parents can take their kids for a walk (following safety precautions) and see how many animals they can find. Parents can then parlay this into different learning activities at home. Our house has eight animals on display including, of course, a narwhal. The above photo is the window of a local shop, Antiques Etc. This shop is in the process of going out of business. And yet….this shop put … Continue reading SoGlo Safari

As more and more communities are being told to “Shelter in Place,” the world is becoming bigger and smaller all at the same time. We are physically far from one another. Tucked away and sequestered in our own little corners of our own little worlds. The vastness of the physical space, the yawning chasm that separates us, seems bigger now that we are told we are unable to bridge it. And yet, as the immediate physical circle becomes smaller and more intimate, the conversations become deeper and bigger. It is in this less that we become more. In this smallness … Continue reading The Distance Between Us

Despite all of the chaos in the world, Spring is here….if we extend her an invitation. Spring is a finicky season. She is fragile and formal and undecided. She raises her sleepy head from beneath the heavy rain soaked soil several times before awakening fully. With the changing of the seasons I am changing out my dishes. Winter, with Christmas and New Years, is for most people, the time of year to dress the table in its most formal attire. For me, the time to do so is Spring. Winter is decided by Autumn but Spring emerges at her own … Continue reading An Invitation To Spring

Those who seek me out need look no further than the front porch, hidden and shaded by the Magnolia, leaves scarred and broken, one good rainfall away from blooming. Continue reading Hide and Seek

I took this picture weeks ago. I have a thing for globes. The way they record the ever changing names and boundaries of countries. The way you can spin the Earth dizzy, finger gliding over oceans and seas, deserts and rainforests. The way they allow you to see the pieces of the puzzle, to see how everything once fit together before it all drifted apart. Mostly I like globes because they give us perspective and allow us the illusion of control over everything if only while we are doing the spinning. They show us that as vast as “The World” … Continue reading Small World

The shut down has started. Sundays usually find our street bustling with activity. We are surrounded by churches which usually have services and events ongoing throughout the day. There is usually a steady stream of cars coming and going, bells ringing, and children playing in the park behind our house while their parents chat on the sidewalk nearby. Not today. As we walked the dogs we noticed that several of the churches had makeshift signs on their doors alerting parishioners that services had been cancelled. The turnout for those still in operation appeared very low with people hurrying off right … Continue reading The Sound Of Silence