I spent some time picking blackberries this weekend, a favorite and also least favorite summer activity. It is my experience that no matter how I plan, no matter what time of the morning or evening, the temperature rises above 100 degrees the moment I get within picking distance of a blackberry patch. I suspect blackberries have their own environment where[…]
On Mother’s Day
It is Mother’s Day. My mother left this earth in 2018, four years ago. If you still have your mother, let me be cliché for a moment and tell you to cherish every minute with her. Of course, you cannot do that, because well . . . life. But make your best effort, so you minimize your regrets. Loss is[…]
On Being Right….
Him: You always think your opinion is correct. Me: Well, of course I do. Why would I choose to have an incorrect opinion? I had the above conversation, and similar ones, repeatedly during a marriage that ended after twenty years. It ended, ultimately, because he was wrong, and I could prove it. But that is not the point I’m trying[…]
On Turning 58…
I turned 58 years old on April 7, 2022. There was absolutely nothing I could do about it if I wanted to keep living. I was simply not given a choice in the matter.
On Tribes…
The word “Tribe” has gained popularity among women over the past decade. Here in Oklahoma, we mainly think of a tribe in the indigenous people sense of the word and I find it a little curious that in a time where athletics teams have had to change their mascots in the name of political correctness and sensitivity, scores of blonde-haired,[…]
On Human Arrogance…
Pictured is the Guanacaste tree for which the province of Guanacaste, Costa Rica was named. My beloved and I (wait, I get to call him my fiancé now!) spent the past week in this lovely part of the world. If you have the opportunity to visit, it would do you some good. The beaches are clean – not white like[…]
On The Relief of Being Ordinary…
Aren’t we tired? Aren’t we all tired of our quest to be extraordinary? The need to make one’s mark in a world full of people who are also trying to make their marks is exhausting. There are myriad self help books on our night stands, only half read because we tell ourselves we cannot possibly achieve what this book says[…]
On Our Impact…
The northernmost sugarberry.
On the Full Length Mirror…
As our physical bodies become less attractive, the Universe balances things out. As the hair grays and the wrinkles multiply, my relationships become more refined, more relaxed, more important, and more beautiful. As my eyesight weakens and becomes blurry, my vision moves from the eyes to the heart, and I see more beauty through the filter of age, experience, and[…]
On Writing Off the Year…
2022 has to be a better year. We’ve all heard it. We’ve all said it. 2020 and 2021 were horrible years, complete and total losses. We were optimistic, even if cautiously so, that 2022 was going to be better. We had hope for this brand new set of twelve months. We were betting on 2022 being the redemption year for[…]