Just when I was celebrating the end of The Year from Hell (aka 2020), it became apparent that the madness had not ended. I could say that I had decided to do a 365 day photography challenge in 2021 because the madness had not ended. But no. That’s not really true. Actually, I was hiking […]

 “Do not go gentle into that good night, Old age should burn and rave; Rage, rage against the dying of the light.” ~Dylan Thomas Two days ago, my mother, Roslyn Gerard, passed away quietly in a nursing home at the age of 99. For the last several years of her life, she suffered from the

  The landscape has become silent. I see birds through my window, but they make not a sound. They sit on top of trees and watch and then, fly away as a group. The seeds of life are now buried beneath the soil, protected by an insulating layer of snow.  The snow also hides the

A few weeks ago, I was at the Small Business Saturday event at the Grand Island Farmers Market when I encountered something that looked incredibly good. It looked like enormous truffles. The chocolate kind, not the fungus among us kind. I needed to check into that, to find out more about those lovely round things.

 Yesterday, I had suggested taking a walk in the woods as a fun and inexpensive type of activity that you could enjoy with friends or family. Before I talk about what you are likely to see in the woods, I need to remind you how to dress for safety. I recommend wearing long sleeves, long

 We’ve all been staying at home whenever possible and social distancing and wearing our masks when we have to go out. But… you’re saying… how about fun? Do I have to give up fun? And I don’t have a lot of money, so can I have fun on a budget? The short answer to both

Today, I’m talking about failed efforts to do something creative. You’ve made a painting and you really don’t like it. It doesn’t make you happy. In fact, it just looks like a chaotic mess. And then, there’s that crocheting or knitting project. You are working quite happily when all of a sudden… you realize that

  Today’s prompt in the Cornerstone Content Challenge is to share a success story. Which makes me wonder. What is success? One definition describes success as “attaining wealth, prosperity, or fame.” Another dictionary definition describes success as the achievement of goals. As an example, if I were to complete my blogging challenge for this month

  In a previous post (click me, I’m the link to the December 7th post), I talked about the idea that anyone can create art. It’s not necessary to have any sort of talent. All that you need is your enthusiasm and that yes-I-can attitude!  Once you’ve decided to explore the world of visual art,

 I love roasted pumpkin seeds. They are both delicious and crunchy. What can be better than that? Crunchy food is happiness. Every year, I eagerly awaited my opportunity to buy sugar pumpkins, also known as a pie pumpkin, which are smaller and sweeter than the pumpkins used as jack o’lanterns.  Once I had my pumpkins,