We rang in the new year quietly with a mildly alcoholic drink and a movie. No late night parties for us or big celebrations in a bar or hotel ballroom. Maybe it’s because we’re not in our twenties anymore or just that we enjoy being at home with our canine friends. Whatever the reason, we were satisfied with our quiet evening at home. We are at the point where we didn’t even have to explain to each other why we spent our evening at home. Our priorities had changed. Continue reading
I hope my readers will forgive me using a certain word in the title. It’s actually taken from a website and a hat initiative called “pussyhat project” which can be found here: pussyhatproject.com. I am a knitter and lately a bit of an activist, so this project appealed to these two interests. I came across the project on Ravelry, a social network for knitters. Last week I ordered 18 skeins of pink yarn when my favorite yarn store offered free shipping. On day four I’ve completed three hats. I keep coming across more and more people who want to attend the Women’s March on Washington — website here — and who need a warm pink hat. Because baby it’s going to be cold outside!
Last Saturday I left the house to go to a hospital in suburban Philadelphia. Our cousin Richard was very ill and I had planned to spend the afternoon visiting with him. I completed my morning routine: fed the dogs, walked Barkley, took them outside again and left them with a peanut butter smeared Kong and some calming music before heading out. The day did not turn out the way I expected. A few miles from the hospital as I was traveling along a side road an SUV coming towards me drifted into my lane. I honked and tried to get out of the way, but there was no shoulder and no where to go. I did visit Richard, but before I got to his room I made amy own trip to the emergency room. Continue reading
America the beautiful
As you know by now I have a vegetable garden. I also have a large backyard, something I have never had in the past. This time of year it’s a lot of physical work. Where to start? What are my priorities? How do I overcome obstacles? To make a long story short, last week I came down with some bad poison ivy. It started on my face with a swollen eye, and slowly broke out all over the rest of my body. Each day was a new surprise: my torso, the back of my legs, my back. The doctor had a miracle cure called Prednisone. I’d like to invoke another analogy in this post about our presidential race. Sometimes when I read the news it feels like a poison is spreading all over our country. We are told to hate, to fear, to fight back, and to mistrust. This too is popping up just when you least expect it. The cure is more complicated than a daily pill. Continue reading
A few days ago this little bird started tapping on the front door. It tap tap taps and then flies up and tries to throw itself at the window. I closed the front door, and still it attempts to get in. I think it sees itself in the reflection. Today I saw him (or her) again, puffing up his chest as if to impress his supposed reflection. Continue reading
 Picture from wikipedia article, in the public domain.
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Yesterday I started the three quotes in three days challenge. Today I’m going back two centuries to post a quote from First Lady Abigail Adams. Continue reading
Eleanor Roosevelt’s home Val-Kill in Hyde Park, New York
A few days ago I was nominated for the Three Quotes/Three Days challenge. I accepted this challenge because I love the idea of taking a step back from blogging and doing something different. I hope you enjoy reading these posts as much as I enjoy writing them. Continue reading
Salfordville Post Office, Old Skippack Pike
In January Marla described her trip to one of the small post offices near our house. A few days ago I took a drive to visit other nearby post offices. On my drive I took photos and talked to the post men and women to learn more about them. I wanted to learn something about these towns and what the post offices meant to them: it was more than just sending packages and selling stamps. For many of these tiny dots on the map, a post office and a zip code is about identity. Continue reading
Bill Murray in Groundhog Day
It’s been a week since my last blog post. I’m not quite sure why I’ve been so silent. Since the snowstorm I have been puttering around, catching up with friends and working on our taxes. And, kaboom, February! Before the ground hog comes out of of his hole tomorrow morning I wanted to get another post out.
Explorations In Place 