Cancer, the Lesser of Two Evils

I have a friend—a fellow writer—who sold it all, packed up, and moved to a foreign country this year with her nearly blind 90-year-old mother and a little French poodle named Prose. Impressive, right? Alison took it all step-by-step, sharing the ups and downs along the way with her Facebook followers and newsletter subscribers.  Mostly “ups” […]

Earth Day 2018

Earth Day 2018 Coffee. Walnuts, banana, cheddar cheese. Journal. Coffee. Email. Coffee. Coffee. Feed pets. Gardening trousers, wooly socks, Black Dog t-shirt, 20+year-old Coolibar hat, ancient Merrills. leather gloves. Basket, trowel, hand fork, weeder, wheel barrow, kneeler. Kneel, dig, pull, gather, worm, smile, sun. Move, dig, pull, gather, smile. Greenhouse, bonemeal, potash, pour. Garden, bonemeal, […]

Seasonal Blues: Eventually It All Comes Together

Except when it doesn’t. But hang in there—this isn’t a blog about pain and misery. It’s about life’s surprises. When I was diagnosed with breast cancer in December 2017, I actually wasn’t too freaked out. My first response to my primary care physician, who was delivering the news from the other side of the country, […]

Make Beautiful Music

Last night I dreamed that I was getting married. My female relatives, young and old, were gathered all around me. It was a consummate summer scene in a fragrant apple orchard with vivid green grass and brilliant blue sky. Instead of a frothy veil, I wore a simple crown of daisies in my hair. This […]

Write from Passion. Write from Pain.

When I began writing my memoir, it was a bonfire burning brightly, my fingertips hot on a keyboard that had never revealed my thoughts or memories. To anyone. I looked down upon my small-child-self from a bird’s eye view, flying low, watching the small child whose introversion was created by responsibilities and fear. The small […]