I’ve been spending these early-August evenings sewing wonky felt Halloween ornaments while listening to The Fellowship of the Ring on Audible. It’s been so much fun. I sit on the dining room floor surrounded by cats and drink hot Country Peach Passion tea and dream …
On Tuesday, I took the day off from work. I really needed it. Tuesday was my day off, but I’m not going to tell you about Tuesday. I’m going to tell you about Monday night because it was even better than Tuesday. On Monday night, …
This weekend I got to decorate the house for Halloween. It was a nice distraction from the news. I had quite a large stockpile of homemade ornaments, and I found a place for every one! Making ornaments helped me get through the worst of the …
Two Saturdays ago, I finished this ridiculous portrait of my teddy bear Cecilia. I spent a pleasant three weeks working on it, sitting at the dining room table in the evenings and on weekend mornings, the cats gathered around me to nap or take very …
In the eighties, when I was in high school, my mom took a doll-making class and made three porcelain dolls, one for me and one for each of my sisters. During this time she was working as a night nurse at the hospital, putting in …
I know it’s after Christmas now, but I just have to pay tribute to my mom’s Christmas spirit. Even at 81 years old, she can still create Christmas magic like nobody else. At Christmastime (and, really, all the time) there’s a wonderful feeling at Mom’s …
When I was a child, October was my favorite month. I loved Halloween and the special crispness and sparkle of the early-fall days. All month I’d live in a state of high excitement and dread going to sleep for fear I’d miss something–a visit from …
Last Thursday and Friday I asked off from work so I could have a long weekend. But I didn’t plan to go to the beach or Disney World or St. Augustine or anywhere at all. No, I planned to stay home (with my cats and …
The other day I read an interesting opinion piece in USA Today suggesting that the current epidemic of depression in America (suicide rates have increased dramatically over the past 20 years) is largely caused by our culture’s overemphasis on personal accomplishment. Our emotional suffering, the …
