by Carole Duff | Sep 22, 2014 | Faith, Nature, Writing and Reading |
Three years ago, the red oak trees here at Vanaprastha produced a bumper crop of acorns. When the wind blew, acorns peppered the deck and roof like hail stones. Keith and I thought this was a response to the disruption of building the house, as if the Oaks were...
by Carole Duff | Sep 7, 2014 | Local or Human Interest, Nature, Writing and Reading |
“Carole, have you seen the dogwood tree outside the dining room windows?” Keith asked one morning in late August. “You really should get a picture now before it changes.” “It’s drizzling, and the light’s not that good,” I replied. “If you wait until conditions are...
by Carole Duff | Jul 21, 2014 | Faith, Local or Human Interest, Writing and Reading |
Last week, I stopped by the Food Lion on 5th Street SW near Route 64 on my way home from Charlottesville. I thought I’d buy a Ready-to-Cook ham for Keith to roast in the Big Green Egg. It was quiet in the store – only a few customers and employees. As I leaned over...
by Carole Duff | Jul 14, 2014 | Faith, Writing and Reading |
“The only thing I do is live,” said forty-year old Mario Sepulveda. He was one of the 33 men trapped for 69 days in Chile’s San Jose Mine in the Atacama Desert back in 2010. From birth when his mother died, Sepulveda’s life had been marked by violence and struggle; he...
by Carole Duff | Jun 23, 2014 | Local or Human Interest, Writing and Reading |
“This is the prologue to my book-length memoir tentatively titled Gretchen’s Journals: A Memoir about Honesty, Goodness and Lies.” I cleared my throat, tucked a stray hair behind my ear, took a deep breath then plunged. “I am a good girl. Let me explain…” Two weeks...
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...
