Limiting Myself

When someone tells me that she is overwhelmed, my first (private) thought is one of what did she do to get there? Totally unfair, I admit, which is why the thought stays private. But there it is. And why do I ask this of myself?
It is extremely hard for me to not have a million [...]

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"Long Live the Environment"

A very interesting article in Mother Earth News this month about how environmentalism isn’t dead.
A good point is made: the word “environmentalist” has taken on a life and caricature of its own. Too many people will not be “environmentalists” but still take great interest in the stewardship of the planet.
The article points out that the [...]

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Albert Einstein

“There are two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.”

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Chucking the city and moving to the country

A few weeks ago I read an article in the May-June issue of Utne Reader (http://www.utne.com) subtitled: “A writer gives up the rat race and finds peace in the country.” I was enthralled with the concept. Moving away, finding a simpler life, so appealing!
The article details a writer’s move to a small town in Wisconsin [...]

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Why, Oh Why?

I really don’t understand this. It happens every time I am driving, and I am at a complete loss to explain why.
I drive a smallish car. The majority of people don’t. I guess this is because, after all, you know, 4 wheel drive is absolutely essential when living in a place that gets almost no [...]

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Acceptance vs. Approval

I can’t let the ELCA news pass by without comment. The ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church of America) met today to determine whether to a) allow the ordination of openly gay clerics and b) allow the blessing of same-sex unions. I just saw in the news that they have rejected these proposals.
First of all, let’s wipe [...]

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Good vs. Evil –> Good vs. Doing Nothing

“In my humdrum life, the daily battle hasn’t been good versus evil. It’s hardly so epic. Most days, my real battle is doing good versus doing nothing.”
I was listening to “This I Believe” yesterday (http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4785079) and a quote caught my ear:
“In my humdrum life, the daily battle hasn’t been good versus evil. It’s hardly so [...]

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Empty Nest Syndrome

Given that my family is still in preschool, it would seem odd that I am experiencing empty nest syndrome. But I am…
A quiet mourning dove made herself a cozy nest in the hanging basket that is positioned outside my kitchen window. After she laid two eggs in it, I gave up attempts to rescue my [...]

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Book Review: Locked Rooms

When I first began reading this series, I was highly skeptical of the premise…an American teenage feminist meets up with a middle-aged Sherlock Holmes, who proves to be a real character. In spite of so many of these types of books staying flat, Ms. King has always managed to bring everyone alive.
In this latest book, [...]

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Reflection on Food

Today, I stopped and thought hard about the things I ate. I thought about the wheat that went into the bread, the people that had planted, tended, harvested and ground the grain. I thought about the neighbors that had tended the zucchini, the farmers raising the tomatoes, peppers and onions. There is a great deal [...]

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