Exploring the Third Season of Life

Notes from Vanaprastha

Reflections on Faith, Nature, and Writing

Recent Posts

Waiting

Waiting

Yesterday, I rolled up the 100-light illuminated garland looped over the loft railing and put away the rest of the Christmas decorations. Hand towels printed with scenes of snowmen, jingle bells, and reindeer will get laundered today then stored. Only the...

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| Jan 23, 2017 | 8

Re-Vision

Re-Vision

I met my writing teacher Sharon Harrigan at Cville Coffee last Wednesday morning. The temperature had crept above freezing, but there was still plenty of snow piled up and ice patches. We carried our cups of coffee to a corner table. Then Sharon walked me through...

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| Jan 16, 2017 | 0

Dune on a Snowy Weekend

Dune on a Snowy Weekend

Snow flurried around the gas station near Afton Mountain while I filled the truck on my way home from a meeting of our writing group in Charlottesville last Thursday. The color radar indicated a large swath of snow but most was evaporating before hitting the...

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| Jan 9, 2017 | 0

One Resolution

One Resolution

Yesterday after church, Keith and I sat down to a meal of brats, black-eyed peas (actually a high fiber bean), greens, and cornbread. Though a born-and-raised New Englander, I began to follow this cultural tradition after moving to the South several years ago....

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| Jan 2, 2017 | 2

Christmas

Christmas

On Christmas Eve Day, I felt a little blue. Maybe it was the rain and fog. Maybe I longed for Christmases past with my children, now adults with lives of their own. Maybe I was just feeling sorry for myself. Betsy Lerner's snarky humor spoke to me. “The holidays...

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| Dec 26, 2016 | 0

Approval

Approval

Our dogs look to Keith and me for approval. “Good girl, Freya,” we say, “good boy, Heathcliff,” when they’ve obeyed a command. We often stroke them, too, even when they haven’t done anything, just because we love them. Heathcliff likes approval but loves routine....

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| Dec 20, 2016 | 2

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