by Carole Duff | Sep 1, 2014 | Family, Nature |
Labor Day during my growing up years in Connecticut meant a neighborhood picnic. Dads carried grills to the lawn beside the swimming pool and served up hot dogs and hamburgers. Moms organized a potluck and corralled their children who raced around in excitement. With...
by Carole Duff | Aug 11, 2014 | Faith, Family, Local or Human Interest |
When I was in kindergarten, my class presented a Christmas Pageant. Mother sewed an angel costume out of a white bed sheet and trimmed it with gold sparkles to match the pipe cleaner halo. I sang “O Little Town of Bethlehem” as a solo but felt I’d been miscast. I was...
by Carole Duff | Aug 4, 2014 | Dogs & Other Creatures, Faith, Family, Local or Human Interest, Nature |
I’ve written about Vanaprastha, the third stage of Hindu life when one retreats to the forest in pursuit of solitude. It is also a time to reap the rewards of one’s labor and reconnect with family and friends. Part of a connected harvest involves correction. Proverbs...
by Carole Duff | Jul 7, 2014 | Faith, Family, Local or Human Interest, Nature |
For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven; a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted – Ecclesiastes 3:1-2 It’s peach season here in Central Virginia. About a week ago, I...
by Carole Duff | Jun 16, 2014 | Dogs & Other Creatures, Family, Writing and Reading |
Dogs have played a variety of roles in their long history of domestication. During wars, dogs served along with many other animals. As cited in Susan Orlean’s book Rin Tin Tin, 16 million animals deployed in World War I: camels, cavalry and draft...
by Carole Duff | May 26, 2014 | Family |
I have a secret. I used to steal cookies. Not the freebies at the grocery store that parents give to children as bribes, I mean, rewards for good behavior – no, I stooped much lower. I stole cookies from my own children. The rule was this: you could have two cookies...