Notes from Vanaprastha:
Reflections on Faith, Nature, and Writing
Anger and a Gentle Answer
It snowed late Friday afternoon and through the night. I took this photograph while Keith let the dogs out for their “hurry up’s” before bedtime. God willing, last Friday’s storm will be the end of this year’s winter weather here at Vanaprastha. The...
Losing on time
I push-broomed long swaths of melting ice and snow off the deck last Tuesday morning and cleared the driveway. By noon, bright sunshine, warmer temperatures, and steady winds finished the job, and Keith and I were able to run errands before the next incoming storm....
To My Valentine
A wintry mix began mid-afternoon on Thursday: rain followed by sleet then snow within minutes. On Friday, I swept several inches off the north side deck and shoveled the upper half of the driveway before deciding against a walk to the mailbox. Too cold for Cato,...
Critical Thinking
Keith and I cuddled together under throw blankets on the downstairs sofa and watched a recording of the 2020 bio-drama “Critical Thinking.” It was a chilly night, but we were warm and toasty thanks to the fire Keith had burning in the wood stove. The movie was...
A Different Top-Down
Followers of Taoism emphasize a healthy balance between opposites, the yin and the yang, darkness and light. With that in mind, today here at Vanaprastha in the aftermath of mid-winter storm Orlena, I offer two stories from mid-summer “storms” from the past. The...
Re-reading my father’s book
August B. Hollingshead, center; Raymond S. Duff, right My birth family gathered at the dinner table every night, Daddy at the head across from Mother and we three girls between. Sometimes our father spoke about his work—without divulging confidential information,...
Meet Carole
