>After nearly 35 years of cooking for my husband and family, I improvise a lot. I don’t take time to look up every recipe or carefully measure every ingredient. Since I’ve prepared many family favorites so often, I simply pour in a little of this and add about so much of that. And I sometimes … Continue reading >Improvisation

>I used to think that addicts were drunken bums lying in the gutters of Skid Row. Now I realize that I am one.There are at least two things I’m addicted to: email and spider solitaire. I'm not addicted to surfing the net or dialoguing in chat rooms, just to e-mail. And I'm not addicted to … Continue reading >Addictions

>It was 17 degrees when Dave got up, 16 when I asked the temperature, and 15 by the time I sat down to eat breakfast.The birds feeding on our deck this morning look much fatter than usual as they hunker down with fluffed feathers covering their feet. Outside my office window, there's a thin sheen … Continue reading >Cold snap

>The moon was a silver crescent, lying just above the treetops, this morning when I woke.It wasn’t that long ago that it was a full orange globe, rising from the horizon, like a pale pumpkin ready to burst.I am always amazed at how quickly the moon changes phases. I’m beginning to think that’s part of … Continue reading >The Moon Waxes and Wanes

>My favorite piece of classical music is Canon in D by Pachelbel. I have several different recordings of it, including one of it being played by the Canadian Brass, but my favorite arrangements are those for violin.My talented nephew, Jonathan, played it for me during my last visit. It literally brought tears to my eyes. … Continue reading >Pachebel’s Canon

>Recently I was asked to write an article for a publication and, when I inquired about word count, I was told that any length would be fine. I submitted an article of 1,200 words.Having a lot of experience editing newsletters, I suspected that the editor would change her mind about word count when she tried … Continue reading >Word Surgery

>When I began this blog, I promised myself that I would never begin an entry by apologizing for the length of time since the last one. And that I would never claim that overused excuse of being busy.It's been over a month since my last entry, however, and all I can say is that I've … Continue reading >Excuses, Excuses

>If I were asked to describe my general experience of elementary school, I would be hard pressed to relate anything I learned. What I recall is sitting at my desk, staring at snow swirling outside the window, while bits of description and pieces of dialogue skipped through my mind.I was generally bored with the instruction … Continue reading >Leprechauns

>Although I've read every verse of the Bible several times, it often happens that circumstances and the Lord's leading will make even a familiar verse take on new meaning and strike me as if I'm reading it for the very first time.That happened during my devotions yesterday morning when I read Ligonier’s Tabletalk devotional focused … Continue reading >Hope as the Soul’s Anchor

>John Barach tagged me for a book questionnaire that’s going around. Qualifier: “the Bible” would be my first answer for at least questions 1, 2, 3, and 8.1. One book that changed your life: A Whole New Life by Reynolds Price2. One book that you’ve read more than once: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen3. … Continue reading >Books