Account for your days
“So teach us to number our days, that we may get us a heart of wisdom” -Psalms 90:12 Flinging oneself into a new year is an easier jump if the past is accounted for, the ledger closed. I’ve written some 175,000 words on 37days this year. That’s a lot of …
With gratitude for the ampersand
"I am a part of all that I have met." – Tennyson The end of a year brings closure of many kinds. Some involve owning what didn’t get done that year; others involve thankfulness, still others center on the celebration of things accomplished, friendships deepened, things and people let go …
Buy art and help
Update: the Kim family art auction is now live on Ebay. Payment for auctions won is by PayPal only. Many of the artists have donated shipping, but check auction specifics to see whether it is included with your winning bid. It looks like my ship and mohair kitty are already …
Happy Birthday, Daddy
"And in the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years." – Abraham Lincoln Daddy was born on Christmas day, so this day holds several meanings for me, one of which is all about him, his grocery lists and luggage tags, all …
Own your past
My mother decided not to put up her big tree this year, so she passed down to us some of the ornaments from my story, my history, my places in time – ornaments from Germany and from Sri Lanka because I lived in those places, for example. And then there …
Know your stage
This picture is from the cover of my very favorite Christmas book as a kid. I always knew Christmas was for sure coming when this book appeared on the coffee table in our living room, that bastion of proper living where no crumb dared to venture. I love everything about …
Be a source of hope – by December 22
A woman named Tana, at one of my favorite blogs, wrote recently to tell me of a unique opportunity being sponsored by a wide network of food blogs: "For the third year in a row, food bloggers all over the world are participating in something called Menu for Hope. Items, …
Go low tech and high touch
Update: many thanks for all the great emails about these calendars – a number of people have indicated that they hate using PayPal. If you’d like a calendar but want to pay by check, email to let me know and I’ll pop one in the mail to you and provide …
Find Miss Florence Painter
“We read to know we are not alone.” – C.S. Lewis The Bermuda Triangle that has sucked up into its awful vortex my favorite fountain pen, my copy of Getting Things Done (ironic, isn’t it?), and my beautiful Canon Elph PowerShot SD600 digital camera has continued to grow in scope …
Know five things
I used to be so tech savvy. I was an early adopter of technology. I had a Psion before anyone knew what they were. I had email long before anyone else, even before my office had computers (my lord, I’m old). I always had the newest, sweetest, hippest technology around. …
