I squat like a miner; sift through rubble, barefoot in Levis. Memories swirl the pan ― most of them look the same; unfossiliz...

I press your palm, inhale a brand new head note. Dry-down does not alter its mellow ego.  It smokes grassy through skin, overri...

Modest lunchbox. Preferably tartan. Brodie or MacGregor. No thermos necessary. Replacement for brown bag. Bologna and...

Willow Manor was quite rural when I arrived the summer of 1988. From the kitchen window I could see an open field across the road. Dogs wa...

The boiler furnace at Willow Manor is going tapocketa-tapocketa-tapocketa, trying unsuccessfully to keep up with the Polar Vortex of 2014....

We are all dying, every moment that passes of every day. That is the inescapable truth of this existence. It is a truth that can paralyze...

Castile soap is a name used in English-speaking countries for olive oil based soap made in a style similar to that originating in the Castil...

Isn't it amazing how a tune can evoke a specific event in time? Woody Allen includes the best music in his films. Last weekend, I watche...

New Television Antenna, 1949, Norman Rockwell I've been getting a ton of hits on my sitemeter lately on a particular post about my Shirl...

Last week, when I wrote the poem titled Pink , a long legacy of pink hair curlers came to mind. It all started when I was eight, and my hair...

In my early childhood, I spent many idyllic days with my paternal grandmother. The things that inspire me most, I can trace back to this dea...

A grand set of mounted Longhorn steer horns hung in his bedroom, over his bureau. It was an awesome sight to a small girl, peering up from u...

In second grade, we were allowed to bring cough drops to school and keep them in our desks. Since I had a cough, my mother let me take an o...

I can't see polka dots today without being reminded of my Demendante dress. Do you ever name your clothes? Well, I did, and still do. Th...

Years ago, when my youngest son was four years old, he was enamoured by the Dickens classic, A Christmas Carol . It was approaching the hol...

My sister and I were chatting last week about the start of the new school year. With my last son starting his (hopefully) last year of co...

It was 21 years ago this month that we moved into our beloved Willow Manor. The stone lined culvert that cuts through the front of the prope...

Obon The element of surprise on that ancient dirt path heavy velvet night warm with the scent of ginger and fried fish and the sound of Jap...

I am a sucker for garage sales. Even though it was raining cats and dogs yesterday, I still managed to pass several sales, as I was out and ...

Several years ago, we were heart broken at the thought of losing our beloved Willow Manor. The tragic events of September 11th nearly destro...