I planned to use my newly discovered camera filters on a not-new camera to create an alternate reality and a community rose garden seemed the ideal setting. A wood split rail fence enclosed a square space with brick walkways. A copper water fountain sculpture was a focal point directly in view of a gazebo on... Continue Reading →
After learning today was National Kitchen Klutzes of America Day, I thought I should share some stories for my fellow klutzes. Too many of us work in silence and embarrassment trying to hide our natural tendencies. Whether due to inattention, physical awkwardness or lack of know-how, I’ve done some damage to food, property and myself.... Continue Reading →
A loud, pained howling sound woke me up. It came from downstairs. 3:00 a.m. I ran and expected to see my cat in a medical crisis. What I found was her head between the vertical blinds, looking out the sliding glass door. She made that horrible sound again. Why was my spayed cat caterwauling? I... Continue Reading →
The first time I crossed the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, I thought I was in a dream, my recurring one. In it, my father drives me alone, age 4, in the backseat, telling me about this amazing place where our car will glide on water. Suddenly, we’re there. A magic road. And water is everywhere I... Continue Reading →
Walking around the local pond, I wasn’t expecting much when I sat on a bench under a tree. Turtles slowly surface to pop up their heads for air, while their bodies stay submerged. Schools of tiny fish play near the surface, occasionally splashing the water with circular ripples left behind. Then, the waterfowl arrive. And things get interesting.
Not every boardwalk in the U.S. is protected by a Roman god. Virginia Beach is different. And people notice. “Most sculptures disappoint people when they’re unveiled,” a Virginia Beach woman told me. “But not this one. We’re really proud of that sculpture.” She was here when the sculpture was unveiled and loves it, she said.... Continue Reading →
Going to the beach on a cold, midweek early morning, before all the schools had gotten out for the year, meant a beach largely to myself. A perfect time to explore the shoreline as no one was brave enough to be swimming or playing near the water. What I found both enchanted and repulsed me.... Continue Reading →
Moving to the South 25 years ago meant an adjustment to the heat, humidity and creatures of my new home. In other words, little reptiles are everywhere.
Have you ever woken up missing someone’s music? That happened to me the other day when I first opened my eyes and needed to hear Chuck Mangione’s smooth melodies. My connection to Chuck Mangione’s music goes back to the late ‘70s and early ‘80s. I fell in love with his sound – a mellow, warmth... Continue Reading →
“I’m spending too much money on rocks,” I said to a friend. She told me that rocks were free, and I could find them outside. “Not these rocks,” I said. “Not where I live.” Pyrite cubes in the matrix. Photo by Karen M. Free I may have had a slight rock addiction for about nine... Continue Reading →
When a childhood friend asked me to walk the pedestrian bridge over the Hudson River during a visit back to New York, I was excited thinking about the beautiful views I would see. I only knew it as the abandoned railroad bridge. After we moved out of Poughkeepsie in 1987 to find a less expensive... Continue Reading →
When a friend gave me three canna lily bulbs, I had no idea what insect-avian-mammal conflicts lay ahead. I planted them next to my patio. They blossomed in a few months, stood 6 feet tall and had large, tubular, red flowers. Photo by Emi More on Pexels.com The bees came first and worked methodically, moving... Continue Reading →
When the world disorients me, I instinctively go back to basics – like a child learning how to name objects. On my evening walk the other day, which is not so much for exercise, but an attempt to clear my head with a walking meditation, I heard myself labeling. I looked down. “This is the... Continue Reading →
One of the last gifts my dog gave me was a lesson in leisurely strolling. No longer energized with a youthful bounce in her steps, she walked in slow, rigid movements. Arthritis and assorted ailments had changed her pace, but not her excitement about life. When she was a puppy, she was a sort of... Continue Reading →
Not every rock album is memorable decades after it is first released. Bat Out of Hell is one album I will never forget. The local rock station played “Paradise by the Dashboard Light” a lot in the early 1980s and my mom always cranked it up when it came on the car radio. I wondered... Continue Reading →