I hope my mother had friends who told her what a good mother she was. She and her sister were terribly close, and so I suspect she was my mother’s best listener. Not only was my mother also an excellent, empathetic listener, she was a prolific sharer. Once, when I flew in for …Read More

It’s late now, and I’ve spent the last few hours writing on my laptop in the dark. If I were alone in the house I’d never do that, but Husband, Son, and all the animals except one cat are sleeping peacefully. It’s lovely to work in my home, surrounded by sleeping objects of my affection. …Read More

  Do you know what these are? They are peonies. (This pic is from a year or two ago–this year’s batch hasn’t even leafed out yet.) Do you know what loves peonies? Ants. Ants adore peonies. If you look closely at peony buds, you’ll notice ants crawling over them like travelers over little white globes. …Read More