Sunshine

I was recently nominated for a Sunshine Blogger award by Nick at Fifty Words Daily. It’s been a long time since I’ve been nominated for a blogging award. I’m really quite tickled because, for me, getting one of these tells me that at least one person likes to visit here. I’ve been blogging since 2005 but I really haven’t gotten into the WordPress community like a lot of bloggers do. Honestly, I don’t blog for “hits” or to try to increase my readership. I rarely look at my stats. I blog because I like to take pictures and I like … Continue reading Sunshine

Amalgamation: June 4,2016

Amalgamate: to unite (two or more things, such as two businesses) into one thing After a little thought I’ve decided to rename my occasional “Hot Reads” post to “Amalgamation”. It’s a word that  I like pronouncing it.  It rolls off the tongue like those little beads of candy on nonpareils, you know the ones? Plus, the definition is perfect for what Hot Reads has morphed into, which is to say, posts about more than good things to read. It’s also good things to watch, good things to eat, good things to listen to. Not all every time but enough times … Continue reading Amalgamation: June 4,2016

Inspiration Monday: Annie Dillard

  “I am a frayed and nibbled survivor in a fallen world, and I am getting along. I am aging and eaten and have done my share of eating too. I am not washed and beautiful, in control of a shining world in which everything fits, but instead am wondering awed about on a splintered wreck I’ve come to care for, whose gnawed trees breathe a delicate air, whose bloodied and scarred creatures are my dearest companions, and whose beauty bats and shines not in its imperfections but overwhelmingly in spite of them…” ― Annie Dillard, Pilgrim at Tinker Creek Continue reading Inspiration Monday: Annie Dillard

Another Day in the Crescent City

  It’s another balmy day in paradise. I push down the plunger in the French Press, inhaling the earthy aroma of the blackest of coffees called Community. The morning paper lies on the coffee table waiting for its unfolding, opening and adjusting shake. “Sneaking Sally Through The Alley” is dancing out of the Boze, WWOZ accommodating its listeners with the best music in the country, bar none. Noise from the street wafts through the open French doors: the rummmm-rummmm of the city bus, the high-pitched laughter of kids on Christmas break, the artificially cheerful greeting of “order when you’re ready!” … Continue reading Another Day in the Crescent City

In the Garden

  Morning sunshine backlights the ferns giving them a glowing radiance. Mockingbirds swoop and hop over the garden from wire to tree in a spring mating dance, oblivious to the full feeder where other birds feast. A slight breeze rustles the bamboo like slippered feet crossing the floor and the wind-chime offers a solitary ding from time to time. I knew this morning was perfect when the dogs awoke me with kisses and eagerly bound  down the stairs, tails waving like flags. **** NaPoMo prompt courtesy of This is not a Literary Journal:  “Go outside, sit and observe. Make a … Continue reading In the Garden

Morning Meditation: Pink Ladies

The Pink Ladies are blooming. I saw the first ones this April morning in between the sidewalk cracks, so fragile in their beauty. But what resilience and strength it takes to grow in the midst of concrete and exhaust fumes. Little flowers, you remind us to make the most of ourselves in an indifferent world. To embrace our lot in life and grow! Continue reading Morning Meditation: Pink Ladies