To Thine Own Self Be True
I never used to have gray hair. Or wrinkles. Or a loud voice. I do not blame these things on age. I blame them on the little being who came to live with us almost 10 years ago. The one who likes to jump off tall lifeguard stands (resulting in a knocked-out filling), run helter-skelter…
No Tricks, Just Treats!
Greetings, peeps! With only THREE days till Halloween, I come bearing gifts! First off, did you know that coincidentally, there are only THREE days left to register for the Unboxed Conference in Salem, Massachusetts? That’s right — the chance to register closes on Friday. So if you’ve been on the fence, hop over and sign…
Letting Go
A few days ago, a friend and I met up for a hike. Just before the trail entrance, we heard a weird noise, like the commotion of a bunch of chickens. We stopped, tried to locate the sound, couldn’t, and continued on. The Slobbering Beast was with us, and it’s been a bit since he was…
Can Creativity Be Organized?
It may come as a surprise, but I’m not the most organized person in the world. (My husband and mother don’t need to chime in on this.) My organizational strategies are few, but hard-won: The keys go on the hook right when I walk in the door, or I lose them. The phone goes on…
Did You Miss Me?
I think, somewhere between when I opened my eyes in June and blinked in September, there was a thing called summer. I have memories of warm beach days, dripping ice cream, hot buttery lobster rolls, the smell of suntan lotion and chlorine, but they happened so fast it’s as if I dreamed them. On the…
If You Want My Business and You Want My Money, How About You Let It Show?
It’s been a crazy few weeks, with lots of good stuff, bad stuff, and holy mother of moly isn’t it summer YET stuff? But we are on the home stretch, people! And I’ll post one or two times more before taking a much-needed break from the internet. So, I’ve been thinking about this post for…
It's Not Them. It's You.
When I used to show my dog in the obedience ring, I had a joke with a friend. If a dog sat when he was supposed to down, wandered off when heeling, or jumped out of the ring to snag a jelly donut (before jumping back in!) it was ‘handler’s error.’ Translation: my fault. My…
Spring in New England
New Englanders are a reserved bunch. My sister-in-law down South moved to a new home at the same time I moved to where I live now. Within a week, she had five pies on her doorstep. Here, it took me three months to meet my first neighbor. Which is why spring in New England is…
Naming of Parts — Odds Are
I was going to link to this poem today — it is one of my favorites and I try to read it every spring. But it is gray and rainy here, so I thought we needed something more upbeat. In my family, I am notorious for becoming infatuated with a song and playing it obsessively,…
Riding (And Revising) With Ghosts
I’ve been riding horses, off and on, since I got my first paycheck out of college. One of the reasons I can still get on and (kind of) giddyup after years away from the barn is because I had great instructors. No matter how high my rent was, or what odd expenses came my way, I…