It may be a bleak, chilly fall day, but Autumn still and always is my favorite season of the year. Something about the falling leaves and the crispness of the air reminds me that the months of the year are coming full circle. The gold of the sunflowers is replaced by cornstalks and almost every porch has a pumpkin decorating the steps, whether carved or not. There’s sweet apple cider and the warm smell of smoke from the neighbor’s fireplace to put me in the mood for a good book and sharing my lap with a warm cat. Sometimes, I think that fall is so beautiful because it is preparing us for what lies ahead…cold, wet, snowy days when we will be cooped up inside for months. Continue reading “Winter’s a Comin’”
The Wealthy Poor
Often, on a nice morning, I like to sit on the front porch enjoying a cup of coffee and observing the neighborhood. Most mornings, no matter what season it is, I will be privy to the conversations of the people across the street who occupy one of the two ramshackle houses on our block that always seem to be rented despite their poor condition and constant need of being repaired. Continue reading “The Wealthy Poor”
Our Fractured Society
I, along with most of the nation, find myself suffering from what might be called whiplash, shellshock, or PTSD after the events of the past week. As if the natural disasters brought by the hurricanes this season and now the fires in California are not enough, we are being bombarded with news that is incomprehensible and almost impossible to bear. It doesn’t take a crazed gunman in Las Vegas to tell us that as a nation we are flailing, drowning in a morass that is mostly of our own creation. Continue reading “Our Fractured Society”
Writers Write
A few years ago, while attending the Tallgrass Writing Workshop at ESU, I found myself complaining to one of the guest speakers about how I never got a chance to work on my still unfinished novel. I was working long hours and traveling at the time but his response was, “That’s no excuse, writers write.” Continue reading “Writers Write”
Thoughts on Enabling
According to Wikipedia, codependency is “a type of dysfunctional helping relationship where one person supports or enables another person’s drug addiction, alcoholism, gambling addiction, poor mental health, immaturity, irresponsibility, or under-achievement.” Continue reading “Thoughts on Enabling”
Every Grief is My Own
For the most part, Emporia is a fairly safe place to live. When we first moved here we were amazed that if the plumber or electrician was working in the house, you could go off and leave them all alone with no repercussions. They would lock up after they were done and send you a bill later. Everything here in Emporia operated on the trust system. Continue reading “Every Grief is My Own”
Sit Down You’re Rockin’ the Boat
Sit down, sit down, sit down, sit down
Sit down, you’re rockin’ the boat –
Lyrics by Frank Loesser from “Guys and Dolls”
My husband and I have different memories. My memory was never good. I can’t remember proper nouns, including people’s names. I can’t remember dates. He remembers both names and dates and stories as well. I remember pictures and songs.
I have been thinking recently about this great ship we call America and how it seems to be buffeted about recently by a lot of forces as well as strident voices from both sides. That brought to mind the song “Sit Down, You’re Rockin’ the Boat,” which in turn brought back long forgotten memories of when I was in India years ago. Continue reading “Sit Down You’re Rockin’ the Boat”