Of Spring Birds, Blooms, and Feelings

I don’t know about you, but this winter seems to have kept its grip on us longer than usual. I realize this feeling is subjective, but my hunch is shared by several friends. Cold, dry, and windy conditions in March and parts of April kept the vegetation mostly brown, and the arrival of migratory birds … Continue reading Of Spring Birds, Blooms, and Feelings

Happy Winter Memories

Our home planet continues on its annual trek around our solar center and the northern hemisphere is tilting closer to the sun, yet coldness and harshness linger. While earth’s climate is warming, humanity’s collective heart is growing colder and runs the risk of freezing permanently. I hate to be bleak, and I’m in no way, … Continue reading Happy Winter Memories

To My Fellow Ailurophiles

It is only thanks to Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day, which awaits me each morning in my e-mail inbox, that I know that I am an ailurophile (from the Greek ailuros for cat, and -phile for lover). To read the entire online dictionary entry, or to sign up to receive a free daily word in … Continue reading To My Fellow Ailurophiles

Hoping for Spring, Hoping for Earth

April’s reputation as a changeable, capricious month is well established, but it seems to have been particularly fickle this year. Each suggestion of spring was followed by a wintry interlude. Our early garden bloomers—hyacinths and daffodils—spent more time weighed down by snow or encrusted by frost than with their cheerful heads held high. After admiring … Continue reading Hoping for Spring, Hoping for Earth