dog days of February

  Finally, the puppy we’ve been waiting for has arrived!  On Valentine’s day, when these pictures were taken, he was … More

crone chronicles

  I’m writing this post to my daughters, those beautiful middling-age women who grace my life, who still carry the bloom … More

good enough

To my horror, I’ve just read that people can spend years and years working on a single literary oeuvre. Years, already. … More

puppy tales [part 2 of 2]

  Early into our visit to Howling Pines Kennels  a few weeks ago, I discovered that Nicole, the breeder, is … More

puppy tales [part 1 of 2]

  Sometime in the next month or so, Younger Son and his lovely wife will become the proud parents of … More

new beginnings

A new year is like a blank book, and the pen is in your hands. May your story be a … More

Bleed, on warfarin

The thing is, you see, blood thinners prevent blood from clotting. That’s their job. They do it well. Great for … More

Word play

True haiku is a Japanese verse in three lines, a mood poem that uses no metaphors or similes. The first … More

Back on the radar

Since May 9, it’s been.  I’m back in the world after over four months spent living the life of a … More

The call

We are dancing now on the mummified remains of ancient sisterhood, and I, weary but duty bound, am loath to be … More

Queen of delusion

  I’ve just lately realized that, in spite of such extensive mental preparation as mentioning it–jokingly, to be sure–at every … More

The long dance

Another oldie:   Here is the latest update on things at The Zoo.  The kids are chafing at the bit … More

Tempest in my teapot

A few years ago a friend gave me a wonderful birthday gift:  a pair of dainty, delicate and absolutely gorgeous jade … More

An e-book e-complaint

I need to rant. It won’t be a long rant, but there’s something out there in the ebook world that puts … More

Hard bucking (32nd anniversary)

Beginning to be comfortable, we two, after all this time; this stubborn, persevering love, sturdy now as the two old … More

Stalemate

Every deep relationship has its ups and downs; there are times when, no matter how hard you both try, you … More

Flashback

The year is 1989.  I’m collapsed on the living room couch with my feet up, feeling much like a wet … More

Torque and fervor

Amagansett Cherry by Mark Doty in Tricycle Magazine Praise to the cherry on the lawn of the library, the heave … More

Warning: addiction ahead!

I’ve never thought of myself as a “writer.”  Oh, I love the English language, to be sure.  I savour new … More

Larkin and the dharma

Pick up any of Buddhist teacher Geri Larkin’s books, and within a few paragraphs you’re treated to her funny, irreverent … More

Roadmap

Looking down at my own hands, I see instead my mother’s; wrinkled and careworn, freckled with age and sun, blue … More

I shall wear purple

Book in hand, I was getting ready to entertain myself over the two-hour train trip by reading. At the very … More

Tempest in my teapot

Definition of TEMPEST IN A TEAPOT: A great commotion over an unimportant matter. A few years ago I received a … More

The operation

Well, folks, here I am back in the world again, after surgery in October to remove a couple of carcinoid … More

Where I needed to be

Most of the time I’m a pretty organized person, so you might believe that I’m one of those far-sighted folks … More