The natural world, life, and dogs.
There are two types of shadows. There are the figurative shadows that are meant to control people by casting fear, disharmony, and darkness: war; disinformation; control; violence. Then there are the literal shadows of nature that mix with sunlight to tickle the eye and elevate one's mood. Nature's shadows remind us that defiance can take… Continue reading Shadows
I'm learning how seasons transition in my new home in Vermont. The past couple of weeks, every time my dogs and I ventured outside, I heard new bird song. Nothing says spring more vociferously than the happy songs of migrating birds! Over the deepest part of winter, I was lucky if I heard a crow's… Continue reading A Whiff of Spring
Let me tell you the story of snow in my piece of Vermont, mostly through photos with brief descriptions. January was frigid. Trust me, it was cold. Temperatures dipping close to -30F a couple of nights, well below zero most nights, and some days not making it above zero. Add wind gusts of 15-30 mph… Continue reading A Snow Story
Finn barks when asking to come inside. Conall carefully clicks a toenail on the glass. That fundamental characteristic of Alaskan Malamutes – their quietness – is why I love them. They are sensitive to noise. They're keen listeners, hearing and interpreting the most subtle sounds. I’ve learned to listen through them, paying attention when they… Continue reading Do Nothing but Listen
I’m reading Once There Were Wolves, by Charlotte McConaghy. I’m terrible at book reviews, so I won’t attempt one here. Besides, I’m only two-thirds through, although I'll finish it this weekend. Let’s just say that as literary fiction – with a murder mystery, family dysfunction and possible romance – it ticks a lot of boxes.… Continue reading Fear
It seems I have landed in a particularly windy place here in Vermont. November and December have, so far, brought some magnificent wind storms. Gusts in the 30-40 mph range. Regularly. Will this continue through the rest of the winter months? Time will tell. I’m new here. One such wind storm came through last night.… Continue reading Wind
Decembers are always challenging in the northern US. Days are short. Darkness descends by 4:00 pm as the winter solstice approaches. And then there's the weather. Nature seems unsure just when to let autumn go and usher winter in. December, so far, has been a series of snow storms followed by melting, then more snow,… Continue reading The Movie Flight
Have you heard or read about Kindle Vella, Amazon’s new publishing platform? Launched in July 2021, it's still in Beta form. But for writers seeking an audience for their work, it’s worth investigating if your story can fit into a serial/episodic format. I published my book, Growing Up Boeing, using Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing, so… Continue reading Law-Law Land
It's Monday so, another Memeday, because I'm busy using my words on other projects this week. Any introverts out there?
I've been writing. A lot. I'm working on The Wolf Book, but also... ...a Kindle Vella project. A series of stories. More on that in a future post. For now, I'll let my local landscape - and my dogs - provide the content for this post, illustrating how quickly the scenery changes in this "shoulder… Continue reading Cold Landscapes
Wild Sensibility 