Samhain

Samhain

Daylight hours are becoming shorter. Autumn harvesting is done. It is a time to celebrate the season’s harvest and to transition into those darker days. You are part of the Celtic spiritual tradition of Samhain (a Gaelic word, pronounced SAH-win or SOW-in). It is time...
A Word on World Letter Writing Day

A Word on World Letter Writing Day

September 1st is World Letter Writing Day—established more than a decade after the world switched to using thumbs on tiny touchscreens to correspond in a new language called texting. On the WLWD website, the Day’s founder, Richard Simpkin of Australia, shares his...
The First Day of School

The First Day of School

I grew up in a family of modest means. We were not poor, but my parents had to be very careful with our budget. Prioritized expenditures included a home in good repair, healthy food, and clothing that would last. Among the things that were free, education was the most...
A Walk Along the Levees

A Walk Along the Levees

A few minutes’ drive from my home on a typical January day, northern shovelers, teals, gadwalls, ruddy ducks, and mallards float amidst the ponds and along the Charleston Slough. Male and female pairs paddle toward a shoreline or simply take a meandering path in the...
Bathtub Tales

Bathtub Tales

My father believed that imagination was precious, no matter the time or place. And one of those times was bath time when my sister and I were very young. He talked to us about heads, shoulders, knees, and toes. With our early bathing lessons, we learned that keeping...
Tales of Toys

Tales of Toys

We called my great-grandmother Nanny. Her toy chest was a worn wicker laundry basket filled with wooden spools (all that remained after their sewing thread had stitched and mended clothing or other torn fabric during the Great Depression or World War II), an iron from...