Welcome, Friends!
Gardening & Housekeeping
I love gardening – especially in an autumn garden – my enthusiasm is not matched by ability. Both are excellent tutors . . . and here are the lessons I am learning.
painting & writing
I may not yet be a Grandma Moses, or a Eudora Welty, but while there’s life, there’s HOPE. And every day I can paint or write is a good day!
understanding the times
The men of Issachar understood the times — understanding ours is no less crucial. (1 Chronicles 12:32)

Paintings From the Porch
In March of 2020, our sun porch became my favorite room in our home as Doug and I began a new season in our marriage — the COVID pandemic season. The season continues and so do the challenges. And, the porch is a place where we both “do” art.
Painting on the porch is my sanity saver! There, painting helps me find designs and colors that say how I feel: hopeful and nervous, and old. (Cute, though) I have a spirit that says, YES! Alas, the old body says . . . maybe not.
In the words of Vincent van Gogh: “In painting I want to say something comforting in the way that music is comforting.”
Communication matters in these uncertain times. And I hope the messages I have painted brighten your day!
Often in styles inspired by other artists, here are some of my creations I am offering. In order to keep painting, I need to clear some room and keep my supplies full. So I’m offering some paintings for sale.
From the Blog
Why Are You So Horrified?
Why are we so horrified our duly elected President undoes what his predecessor did? That’s the platform on which he –...
Fairy Tales And Their Scary Inconvenient Truths
Fairy tales are full of inconvenient truths, like pride and arrogance bring unexpected consequences. It’s time to...
Access to The Vaccine
Waiting for Access As access to the COVID vaccine becomes a possibility, and more and more friends report that they...
Coming up with Better Questions
Given the uncertainties of these times, we need to come up with better questions to ask each other. How are you...
Like 9/11 January 6th Was
Like 9/11, January 6, 2021 was a day I never imagined seeing. To see American insurrectionists storm the United States...
The First Painting of 2021
Here’s the first painting of 2021: I call it, Appraising the Times Ahead. The cat is 2021; confined to my fishbowl, I...
Virtual Learning for This Seasoned Citizen
Virtual Learning and the Lessons I learned in 2020: Two recurring lessons from 2020 will carry over into 2021: Learn...
Countdown to Christmas Day
Countdown Christmas, as we have known its celebration, is on hold. None of the usual holiday hoopla is diminishing my...
Greased Poles
This year we gave each other bird feeders, complementing the one our daughter gave Doug last year; last year: remember...
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Who am I? I am a wife, mother, mother-in-law, and grandmother, aunt, sister and cousin, and friend. And I am a recovering English major. I enjoy writing, painting, and reading – which when combined with all the wonderful people God has permitted in my life, I have much for which I am thankful. And I am grateful for the freedom to express my thanks.