Diane's Song

  Ah, the wonder and joy of it! To be off on the water, quietly stroking my paddle blade through the calm water. Fish nibble by the shoreline. Gentle waves brought by the soft summer wind barely rock my canoe. There, a heron stands amidst the broken branches. Here, a turtle basks on a floating Read More …

Photo by Marcelo Leal on Unsplash   It is the end of an era. I’ve gone to the same dentist practice for over 20 years. When the dentist I regularly saw retired, I already had a relationship with the other dentists in the practice, besides, I mostly saw the hygienist who didn’t change. I went Read More …

  Every spring, it raises its yellow head towards the sky, closing at night and then opening wide again each morning with the arrival of the sun. Dandelions are one of the most vital spring pollinators, yet most frowned upon when seen on lawns. Their tall stacks easily bend as the mower passes over, rising Read More …

  When taking a nice hike through the dunes at Crane’s Beach, I was surprised to find poison ivy everywhere! It was flourishing among the evergreens and sand, sometimes growing by itself in the middle of the sandy path. Wow – this is a resilient plant! Here it grew not as the vine most hear Read More …

Photo by Eddie Kopp on Unsplash   We hear about this constantly. It’s been documented that the dirtiest places are the outside of women’s handbags, doorknobs, and traditional neckties. But what about that cellphone you carry? I have seen some of them get very disgusting. Mine does too. The best part of having a Lifeproof Read More …

Photo by Chris Benson on Unsplash   Walk yourself out of your bad mood. Studies show that even a 10-minute walk immediately boosts brain chemistry to increase happiness.   I cannot find the study sources, but I do know that:   Newton’s First Law of Motion states: In an inertial frame of reference, an object Read More …

Photo by Xavier Sotomayor on Unsplash   In a recent interview, a retired minister told me that you should always look at the history of a place before you go there for a job. Find out who has been there before, how long they stayed, why they left and how it was for them while Read More …

Photo by 张 学欢 on Unsplash   These things don’t usually happen to me. I mean, seriously, they don’t. When I get called by the credit card company checking on a charge, it’s usually my groceries or new dishwasher or something like that. Not this time. This time, I opened up my online checking account Read More …

Photo by Jerry Charlton on Unsplash A head comes by so closely! I see the bobbing antlers, the beauty of the buck as he checks me out through the kitchen window. Who am I sitting there? Is it safe? He nods and joins the does who are already investigating the yard. Any new foliage? Any Read More …

Photo by bobby hendry on Unsplash   The snow piles up, the wind whirls and we huddle inside together. The warmth of fire, and the glow of its light welcomes us, warming not just our bodies but also our hearts. Such a good time to pick up a book, hug a family member, cuddle with Read More …

Photo by Daria Shevtsova on Unsplash   What shall it unwrap for us? What gifts are coming forward? What shall we embrace as this New Year unfolds? I move forward with some sorrows, some joys, few regrets and lots of projects that I’m working on. I never have enough time with those I cherish most. Read More …

    I wish I could show you when you are lonely or in darkness, the astonishing light of your own being.   Hafiz

I saw a placard with this saying on it one day when I was out shopping. I’d been away from home for a few days, a rare occurrence at the time, as I had two young children and was more or less the sole educator and provider for them. Well, my husband was the provider, Read More …

No one goes to a nursing home to make friends. The truth of this is pretty amazing. Many of our elders are now living the last years of their lives there, away from friends, and it is hard for those friends to visit them as they are old themselves and not necessarily able to easily Read More …

My parents took me to cemeteries to clean off the gravestones and leave flowers. We’d walk around and look for the different gravesites. “Here’s Nonna’s family.” “This is where her siblings are buried.” “This is where I’ll be buried.” “That’s a mass grave where all those from the flu were buried.” We walked around the Read More …

Thank you, one and all, for the good life I have. I am rich. I have a good home, good health, good food, good family and good friends, good work and good colleagues. My larder is filled with kindness, discernment, truth, certainty, steadfastness, knowing, thinking, willing, clarity, creativity, perseverance and restfulness, peace and tranquility. Contentment, Read More …