Radio Essay – Chickens
"You killed that chicken? How could you kill that poor chicken?" I overheard a lady at the Nellysford, Virginia Farmers' Market one Saturday morning. I listened while the young farmer made his pitch. "I don't use any hormones. All of my chickens are free range,...
Enthusiasms
Today’s morning walk featured gentle rain, intermittent breezes and downed leaves on the mountain road. We got home before the deluge. As usual, Heathcliff loved the smells, exercise and treats, but only tolerated the wet. For a black lab mix, he’s...
Woolly Bears
If you live in temperate or cold regions of the Northern Hemisphere, perhaps you’ve seen woolly bear caterpillars crossing the road lately. Heathcliff and Freya nose a few during our morning walks, causing the 1.5-inch, 13-segment black and red-brown-orange banded...
Dog Greetings
“Welcome, I’m so happy to see you! Please come in,” I said to our dinner guests as I opened the door. Heathcliff and Freya barked furiously, hackles up, and rushed in front of me. “Hi there, puppies,” John and Fran addressed the dogs with enthusiasm while trying to...
Cold Fronts
Last week, a cold front came across the eastern part of the county, moving in the typical pattern from northwest to southeast. On the weather map, a blue line with triangles swept away temperatures in red. Cool, dry air replaced the warm humidity of the...
The line in the sand
People want their lives and history to be predictable and controllable, and the best way to do that is to try to control and even manipulate the gods. – Richard Rohr, Things Hidden: Scripture As Spirituality A week ago Sunday, I suffered an anxiety attack. Not the...