by Carole Duff | Feb 15, 2021 | Faith, Family, Nature, Writing and Reading |
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, too...
by Carole Duff | Feb 8, 2021 | Family, Local or Human Interest |
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 based...
by Carole Duff | Feb 1, 2021 | Faith, Local or Human Interest |
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...
by Carole Duff | Jan 25, 2021 | Family, Writing and Reading |
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, of...
by Carole Duff | Jan 18, 2021 | Dogs & Other Creatures, Faith, Family, Writing and Reading |
We woke to a wintery skiff this morning. It was 5:15 when Heathcliff needed to go outside and relieve himself. Better than his 3 am wakeups, but that’s the season he’s in as an old dog with sugared muzzle like the snow-dusted mountains here at Vanaprastha. Heathcliff...
by Carole Duff | Jan 11, 2021 | Faith, Local or Human Interest |
After playing along with the opening hymn, I made my way back to Keith, sitting in the sanctuary at Bethany Lutheran Church. Yesterday’s Gospel reading was Mark 1:1-13. In this scripture passage, three things happened to Jesus: 1. At that time Jesus came from...
