Homemade costumes, a friendly neighborhood to trick-or-treat, and grainy, black and white photographs—that was my Halloween childhood. I’m not pining for the “good old days.” Growing up in the 1960s had its own challenges. But I will say this: life felt simpler. Like Boomers say, we only had three television stations, and our telephones were attached to the wall. We went to school and then home—not so many after-school activities. On Halloween night, I’d walk around the block

I found myself sitting in a waiting room while my young granddaughter worked with a reading tutor. Through the wall, I could hear her carefully practicing vowel sounds. In the next room, a high school student wrestled with trigonometry. I sat in one of the old wooden chairs, next to a bookshelf full of classical literature. Looking around, I noticed an antique typewriter and 1900s telephone. It struck me that anyone waiting in this room was surrounded by the past, while liste

While exploring our woodland acreage, our granddaughter staked out a trail that led to a place where she could be by herself in nature. She turned to Papa and said, “Can you make me a little bench?” Together they chose some beautiful pieces of maple wood. But she had one very specific request about where it should go — “I want to sit where I can’t see any buildings.” She had to return home before the bench was finished, but Papa brought it to her house so she could try it out

Wednesday evening, we were FaceTiming our son when he surprised his father with a gift. That’s getting ahead of my story—but it’s a gift...

Sometimes when the world’s noise gets too loud,  I grow quiet, and play my piano more. I just feel more reflective this week, so I’ll...

Every spring, I drive up this gravel road—slowly, so the neighbors don’t see a dust cloud. But there’s another reason I don’t hurry. This...

Getting to this trailhead had taken us over a gravel road that my son Tommy declared was like the surface of the moon—complete with deep...

My granddaughter had packed her suitcase all by her seven-year-old self. I was impressed that she’d thought of everything she needed for...

I heard a foreboding sound behind the bathroom wall—the sound of water running, which isn’t good news if you’re not using water at the...

We had offered to run this errand since it was just a side trip on our way home. We set the GPS to find a rural farm. I’ve lived on the...

I’d seen the invasion, but decided it didn’t matter. My forest manager set me straight. If left unchecked, the invading plant would...

Many know what it’s like to lose a mother. When she’s gone, it feels as if a piece of us is missing—the piece that brought us into the...

As you can see, I was horrible at telling time. My elementary school peers figured out those clock hands, but it took me longer. Much...

Typically, the church choir would file in from the entrance behind the pipe organ, along the side of the sanctuary. But today, they were...

You know how it goes… You’re thumbing through an old photo album, searching for a certain picture, and then another one stops you. This...

I could have picked a different place to spell out WELCOME . But apparently, I chose a deer path. They can’t read, of course—but they...

It was just another hot summer day as my husband and I entertained our granddaughter. After checking off all the fun activities we had...

Meet Dino—the delightfully smiling creature peering over a residential fence on a busy street. Throughout the year’s holidays, Dino...

My husband Tom suggested an impromptu picnic lunch atop Hurricane Ridge—a fairly quick drive from our home. With lunches stowed in our...

While on school playground duty, I observed a new game: Chaos versus Peace . The first team to capture the top of the play structure...