Irony. One definition says it is “something humorous based on contradiction,” and I would have to agree about the humorous part. Here’s an example from my life… The other day I purchased a magazine because it promised to give me a bajillion tips on how to organize my exasperatingly unorganized house. I browsed through the suggestions and out of the… Read More

In our backyard a tattered set of Tibetan Prayer Flags flutter like butterflies anxious to be free. Four years old, their colors have faded and the individual flags have become fringed and frail from the seasonal moods of Minnesota. It makes me sad to see their decay, and happy as well. I bought the set when I was in the… Read More

Clutter. Who defines it? As the New Year ushers in, many of this week’s talk shows offered tips on de-cluttering our lives. We’re encouraged to organize everything from our closets to our finances, lose weight, and toss or give-away “stuff” we no longer use or need. It’s a way of starting 2015 fresh. I find this somewhat perplexing. The past… Read More

Christmas music, as most of us know, gets airtime earlier and earlier. I believe I was shopping in Macy’s–before Halloween– and realized I was humming a Christmas tune. Then I realized the same tune was playing over the store’s speakers and had seeped into my mind. That kind of subliminal trickery is exactly what the marketers want. “Christmas is coming!… Read More

You’d think by now crashes, thumps, and other mystery sounds in our home would be a non-issue. But, no. I still jump, shrug, laugh, or sigh with each and every one. A clattering of near symphonic proportions happened again just this morning. A couple of weeks ago I wrote about our cat, Giese, and her uniquely un-feline clumsiness. She’s incredibly… Read More

“Liar!” my inner-critic shouts. “How dare you think you are qualified to be called a writer or artist.” Turning the music up all the way to eleven does little to drown the voice of negativity that keeps me from shining my light. A recent Facebook post stated that I was staring/grinning at a nametag given to me to wear at… Read More

“The worst loneliness is to not be comfortable with yourself.”  ― Mark Twain Yesterday, by simply listening, I made a friend cry. It certainly was not my objective, and yet the tears may start the ripple that washes away her years of self-doubt. I fervently hope that is the case. My friend is a marvelous woman. I never fail to… Read More