"But the present world is also designed for something which has not yet happened. It is like a violin waiting to be played: beautiful to look at, graceful to hold - and yet if you'd never heard one in the hands of a musician, you wouldn't believe the new dimensions of beauty yet to be […]
I worked in the gardens until sweat poured down my face. It was one of those sultry August weekends in Iowa that makes us all flee inside to avoid wilting. Though tempted to sip iced tea in the air conditioning, my gardens called to me. It is that time of year when my flamboyant, showoff-y […]
Anyone else give up tending to their flower gardens about now? The heat and humidity, the triumphant weeds, the mosquitos out for blood. All my springtime energy has faded and my new mantra is, "I'll work on that next spring ..." I feel kinda' bad about my attitude, though. My flowers are out there doing […]
It's allergy season in Iowa and my husband is suffering. Sneezy, red, watery eyes, head stuffed. It's rough. So rough that we decided -- for everyone's sake -- he should sleep in our guest room for a bit. Usually this means I don't have to use the white noise machine placed perfectly on my bedside […]
Two years ago I walked part of the Camino de Santiago in northern Spain with a group of friends and a group of strangers who quickly became friends. It was not a trip, it was a transformation. The Camino is an ancient pilgrimage with various routes across Europe, all leading to the Church of St. […]
