Exploring the Third Season of Life

Notes from Vanaprastha

Reflections on Faith, Nature, and Writing

Recent Posts

Momentary Visitors

Momentary Visitors

It was another coffee-scented morning. I was sitting in my reclining chair and reading when I heard my cell phone vibrating on the writing desk across the room. Walking over to its charging station, I saw ‘Keith’ on the screen and picked up the phone. “Hello,...

Snakes

Snakes

Last week while weeding Japanese stilt grass out of a bank of groundcover, I reached for a clump of grass near the rock flow below the square foot garden. Less than two inches from my hand, a fat snake slithered sluggishly into a hitherto hidden passageway in the...

Baggage Claim

Baggage Claim

Two decades or so ago, my mother told me a story about one particular afternoon meeting of the neighborhood book club, which Mother had founded. During their active child-raising years in the 50s and 60s, the ladies took turns choosing a book and hosting the...

Summarizing

Summarizing

Last Saturday evening, the American Shakespeare Center hosted an event for annual pass holders – those of us who had seen ten or more of the past season’s shows. Co-founder and director Jim Warren spoke and answered questions. “I’ve seen Shakespeare performed many...

Growth Opportunity

Growth Opportunity

I was sitting in my car in the WriterHouse parking lot in Charlottesville, smelling the bagels cooking next door at Bodo’s and talking on my cell phone. An employer had contacted me as a colleague’s job reference. “How would you rate this candidate on a scale of...