by Carole Duff | Jul 11, 2016 | Dogs & Other Creatures, Faith, Writing and Reading |
A wealthy landlord, Ximen Nao, is shot and killed by one of his fellow villagers as part of land reform after the Communist takeover in China. Ximen Nao sees himself as an honest, hard-working man, a good son, devoted father, a loving spouse to his wife and two...
by Carole Duff | May 30, 2016 | Dogs & Other Creatures, Faith, Family, Nature, Writing and Reading |
I was born in the 50s, but my possibility of life had been jeopardized at least three times in the previous decade. Many of us whose parents served in the armed forces during WWII could say the same thing. Three of my father’s assigned units were wiped out to the man,...
by Carole Duff | May 23, 2016 | Dogs & Other Creatures, Faith, Writing and Reading |
“Good boy, Heathcliff, hold still, this will be over soon,” I say as I grapple with the dog nail clippers. He whines and pants, trying to pull his paw out of my grasp. One of his nails is split and needs trimming so it doesn’t get snagged and torn off during his...
by Carole Duff | Apr 18, 2016 | Faith, Nature, Writing and Reading |
Cornus florida, the flowering dogwood native to eastern North America, is Virginia’s official state floral emblem and state tree. In spring, dogwoods flower in clusters surrounded by large bracts, which unfold in either white or pink. Tight-clustered fruit, oval red...
by Carole Duff | Apr 11, 2016 | Dogs & Other Creatures, Nature, Writing and Reading |
For the past several days, high winds with gusts over 20 mph have been blowing here at Vanaprastha, sending our dog Heathcliff into 110 pounds of panic. He paces, his toenails clicking across the wood floors and dog tags jangling. During the day, he wants me to scoot...
by Carole Duff | Apr 4, 2016 | Family, Writing and Reading |
“How do you fill you time?” Mother asked as we ate lunch at the Bistro in the assisted care facility where she lives. I munched with guilty pleasure on a gooey tuna melt while Mother nibbled her cheese pizza. Perhaps she was concerned about my transition into...