The Stories of My Life
Over 20 years ago, on a rainy weekend, I sat down and wrote my own religion. The rainy-day boredom had me thumbing through a small, dog-eared dictionary when I came upon this definition: “religion: a specific system of belief built around a philosophy of life”. So I figured by that definition, my own personal beliefs and philosophies were, indeed, my … Read More
I’ve always loved the American Beautyberry plant (Callicarpa americana), not just because it produces beautiful purple berries in the fall, but because every bird and critter that moves through my yard love to munch on those berries. Being a wildlife lover, I appreciate any plant that attracts more wildlife. Wildlife: The fruit is high in moisture content and is an … Read More
“To go fishing is the chance to wash one’s soul with pure air, with the rush of the brook, or with the shimmer of sun on blue water. It brings meekness and inspiration from the decency of nature…all men are equal before fish.”- – Herbert Hoover When I was growing up, I never really understood why people liked fishing. I … Read More
Once a week, no matter how busy I am, I take an afternoon off and just sit and stare at the clouds. It’s not always easy to rearrange my schedule or put my deadlines on hold to carry out this weekly ritual. In fact, there are many times that I almost talk myself out of it. But in the end, … Read More
I had just been through such a rough day at work, that all I really wanted to do was to stop by the beach on my way home and spend a few relaxing minutes trying to unwind. When I got there, it seemed like I had made the perfect choice. The sun and the tide were both low, providing a … Read More
I’ve started hiding money around my house. Not a lot. Just ones and fives. Maybe an occasional ten. Nobody’s going to get rich if they find it, but when I’m doing a really thorough house cleaning (which believe me, isn’t all that often) and I’m climbing on ladders to dust the hidden nooks and crannies, I’ve started putting money up … Read More
My mother is losing her eyesight, so when we get together, I read the clues to her so she can still do crossword puzzles. “It’s a long word,” I say. “It means ‘tardy one’”. “Latecomer?” she responds. Darn, how does she do that? It’s hard enough to do crosswords when you are looking at the squares and the adjoining letters. … Read More
I often step in tortoise poop. At least that’s what I think it is. When we built our home many years ago, we were determined not to disturb the local wildlife that lived on this particular piece of the earth so we squeezed our 3600 square foot home in between the trees and other native plants that were here before … Read More
There is something that sailing, windsurfing and riding a bicycle all have in common. That something is balance. To stay erect and enjoy the ride, you can’t exert too much pressure either one way or the other. You have to learn to just “be”..to almost give up the desire to control the situation, and just relax and work with the … Read More
I feel like such a geek sometimes – a complete nerd – when it comes to nature. I spend my time on my property kneeling down to get eye to eye with tortoises and slugs and caterpillars. When I am wandering around, binoculars in hand, scanning the tree tops in search of some elusive bird that I hear but can’t … Read More