[I]’ve long been intrigued by Dia de Los Muertos (Day of the Dead). Halloween is my favorite holiday and in its truest respect, it honors the night that is not only the fine dividing line between seasons, but the barrier — at its thinnest — between the living and the […]
[I] don’t like competition, but like many other beings at times compromised by human nature, I often fall under the spell to compete and compare with others. It’s a losing battle, really. As a very wise friend once told me, comparing yourself to others is “dangerous.†No matter what, if […]
I cannot begin to write about my mother’s bread making without mentioning her kneading. And I would have to begin any discussion of her kneading by describing her hands. My mother is not, nor has she ever been, a delicate doily of a damsel, and neither are her hands. Big, […]
I learned a number of things on a recent trip to Nashville (my first visit to what I consider the real South). Among them: Mentioning a fried baloney sandwich gets people moving nearly as well and as swiftly as yelling “Fire!†The difference being people move away from a fire; […]
There are places we dream about before we’ve ever seen them. Such was the case for Ireland and me. For years, I’d have dreams about a land that was green and rocky, with rolling hills and coastal edges, cool and deeply mystical. When I finally saw these images in magazines […]
I recently had what was – without a doubt – the strongest coffee I have ever had. This is not a mild statement, as I have come to be known as one who likes her coffee notoriously brutish (like her men – just kidding). I have a reputation for making […]
I am not a Druid, but do feel a special connection with and reverence for trees. I often place my hand on a tree trunk in greeting and wait to feel the vibration or movement it makes in its natural rhythm with the wind. To me, they feel as alive […]