Check off list for the Fourth: The barbecue is ready. The dogs are ready to grill, The tote is packed for the beach. The sunscreen and hats are loaded. All that remains is to hug a soldier. The soldier is the one to whom you are indebted this Fourth of July. He carried […]
Faith Matters
The Need for Nurture
Today I fed my summer flowers. Sounds easy, doesn’t it? But more than two dozen pots and planting beds sit in various locations on my patio and the task of keeping them nurtured is not a job for the faint of heart. If you’re not a gardener feeding a plant means I mixed water with […]
From Boys to Men
Dads come in all shapes, sizes, and levels of expertise, with pre-formed notions of what a father should be. Father’s Day can be a joy-filled occasion. Or, for others, not so much. Men who have been reared with a role model who taught character and values, or one who led by example, come into […]
Here’s to Geni
Everyone needs a friend like Geni. She and I met at a critique group meeting more than a decade ago. She had published many magazine articles and short vignettes, bringing a vast knowledge of writing and techniques to our group. I was the newbie. I’d had magazine articles published here and there, but for […]
Entertaining Angels Unaware?
Though door-to-door salesmen are rare these days, they still exist, but I’m not comfortable with a stranger coming into my home to demonstrate a product he has for sale. This week, though, my husband, who has a tender heart for anyone struggling to make a living, invited a vacuum cleaner salesman in. I know what […]
Find Your Happy Place
Where are you most happy? Is there a special chair in your house? A swing in the back yard? A window seat? You know. That place where you can find solace? A spot where you stop to think? Somewhere you ponder? My happy place is my patio, working among my flowers. My husband has expanded […]
Happy Mother’s Day
With thoughts of mothers and a special day to celebrate them this week, today I re-post an adaptation I created in 2015 from a song dedicated to the real reason women are mothers—their children. Using the acronym we are all familiar with—M-O-T-H-E-R—with a nod to the original writer who gave us the song based on […]
Birthday Bash
This week I entered a new decade of life. To celebrate I invited several close friends to join me for a Mad Hatter High Tea at the castle on the hill in Eugene, Oregon, otherwise known as the Shelton-McMurphy-Johnson house. My guests came dressed for a party. Many of us wore our favorite hats. […]
Ants Do March!
We’ve never had ants inside our home. We’ve seen them outside and had them exterminated by a professional, but never experienced any trouble with them inside. Until earlier this month. My husband, in anticipation of the coming spring weather, power washed our patio and removed the winter growth of moss and other unsightly debris. A […]
Honoring Easter
Jerusalem would become his last crusade. Jesus knew he wouldn’t leave alive before he entered the city. But He went anyway. After his triumphal procession the previous Sunday, Jesus spent the next three days teaching in the temple, giving final words of wisdom about God’ s kingdom to those who swarmed around him. The Pharisees […]