The Three Graces
Three maple trees graced the front lawn of our childhood home. Like the three sisters who grew up there, each displayed a unique personality. The smallest tree, a sugar maple, was closest to the house and vibrantly colorful. My older sister Jane, a petite redhead,...
Snow for Halloween and Nor’easters
As an adolescent growing up in New England, I remember worrying about the possibility of snow for Halloween. How would we trick-or-treat in our rural neighborhood and hang out with the Snyder boys who just moved into the house on Meadowbrook? How would I earn two...
If a tree falls in a forest
If a tree falls in a forest, and nobody is around to hear it, does it make a sound? Arriving at Vanaprastha in the evening last weekend, we saw a tree lying across the driveway turnaround. In our headlights, the yellow-tinted leaves looked like a maple’s, but in...
When I’m worried
When I’m worried and I can’t sleep, I count my blessings instead of sheep. And I fall asleep counting my blessings. That might have worked for Irving Berlin and Bing Crosby, but I use a different technique. Whenever this New England Eeyore senses...
Stink Bug Rant
I hate stink bugs. Unlike garden spiders and walking sticks, I get no joy watching these brown crawlers swarm up the side of the house facing the sun then hide in the cracks waiting to get inside. As soon as any door opens, in they fly or drop to climb under...