The Fishmonger and the Note
Something really nice happened to me today as I was buying fish. Yes. Fish. I needed fish for a dinner party, and the fishmonger (I’ve never used that word in writing before)–the fishmonger–asked me how he could help me. He stood there in his big white apron with all the fish smells wafting about him, and […]
Favorite Tree
I have waited for this view as I walked to school on this cold, spring day.
Slow of Heart
This morning in Luke 24, we learn about the disciples who walked on the road to Emmaus with Jesus, but they could not recognize Him. They walked, with downcast faces, and talked about how hopeless it all was now that Jesus was crucified. It feels like one big complaining party right there on the road. And Jesus was […]
Our Wonderful Spring Activity: Pressing Flowers
My daughter and I go hunting for spring blooms, and we take a slow walk in the chilly spring air. I tell her that, when I was her age, I did this very same thing. I searched for blooms because my mother and father gave me a Colonial Flower Press with a book to teach me […]
Some Sweet Things
1. My neighbors stop by to admire the Weeping Cherry and to just say “Hello.” 2. My oldest daughter practices Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” on the piano. The lessons have paid off! It’s a private concert right here in my living room. 3. My youngest daughter and her friend make sugar cookies, and the whole […]
Here We Are
Another Form of Hope
What motivated me to walk this morning in the unusually chilly weather–after the winter coat and gloves had been retired to the depths of the closet–was the hope of cherry blossoms, wood peckers, and new, green growth on the path up the hill and through the woods. We spy the Wood Pecker, and we surmise […]
Just as Important
My cat reminds me that others in the universe might dare to think they are just as important as I am. It’s annoying. I’m making the bed, and the cat meows pitifully that I might dare disturb her slumber. I’m typing my manuscript, and the cat meows pitifully that I’m not giving enough attention to […]
A Little Writing Analysis
Today I remind my students to analyze their papers to determine how much variation they use. Do they always repeat the same verbs? Is each sentence the same length? Do they vary punctuation? Without this kind of analysis, student revert to the default states of simple sentences and weak verbs. There’s no flair! There’s no […]
The Perfect Easter Weekend
You must know that nothing changed about our Easter Weekend. The traditions were the same: the neighborhood Easter egg hunt and brunch on Saturday, the church service, the dying of eggs, the planting of seeds, the making of the smoked salmon platter, the enormous ham for the graduate students, the Easter baskets, the painting of fingernails […]