The song, “Carolina Moon”, written in 1924 by Joe Burke and Benny Davis, often floats through my thoughts when I gaze up at a North Carolina moon. I also warmly equate it with my dear mother, born in Swansboro, NC just one year before the song was composed. Legend has it, that it was written […]
Carolina Moon…keeping shining Read More »
With these months of May and Mother’s Day, and June and Father’s day, I have turned my thoughts to child-rearing. (Sort of…) Kids! Whether they are nine or ninety—what are we going to do with them? They sulk in silence. They sneak off to who-knows-where. They speak some kind of kid-gibberish that we struggle to
Parenting…our protagonists Read More »
Along with spring showers, April brought National Library week, and it put me in mind to ponder libraries and their intrinsic worth. It’s hard to imagine living in a world without public libraries, but truly free (non-fee, non-subscription based, government funded) ones did not exist for American citizens until the first was established in Peterborough,
A Love Note…to libraries Read More »
To celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, my husband—with his deep Irish heritage—gave me a lovely shamrock plant that sits on the windowsill above my kitchen sink. I’ve been reminded of something important by that emerald-green plant. More on that later in the post… On March 24 and 25, I volunteered, as I have from its inception,
Open and Shut…the shamrock’s lesson Read More »
As Alexander Pope mused back in 1733, “Hope springs eternal…” For me, Spring hopes eternal, and Spring officially arrives in the month of March. Unless you live in the southern hemisphere in which Spring begins in September!) March is the baby of the seasonal year—All pastel pinks, and blues, and lavenders, and yellows, and the
“Hope springs eternal”…and vice versa Read More »
Over the past few months, several within my part of the world have died or had their death anniversaries. These passings have turned my thoughts to the subject of grief and mourning. (Bear with me, now, I promise this post will not be a downer!) With the advent of social media, I have become aware
Moving Forward…not moving on Read More »
I’m sure that many of you may rely on digital calendars, but I love the physical ones with intriguing imagery and the ability to easily glance ahead at what is in store. It is my New Year’s Day tradition to remove the previous year’s calendar from the wall and sit down with it beside my
January…the two-faced month Read More »
Tis the season for hearing Christmas songs played everywhere you go. An annual favorite was recorded by Andy Williams in 1963 and has a line that may spark your curiosity: “It’s the most wonderful time of the year…There’ll be scary ghost stories and tales of the glories of Christmases long, long ago…” Wait…Ghost stories? At
Ghosts of Christmas Past…seasonal mysteries Read More »
Although Americans may differ as to where and when the first Thanksgiving was celebrated (Plymouth, Massachusetts, 1620—or near Jamestown, Virginia at Berkeley, 1619,) whether that savory bread crumb mixture is cooked inside the turkey (stuffing,) or outside the bird (dressing,) and whether we conclude our feast with pumpkin pie or sweet potato pie, we are
Giving Thanks…with a foreign accent Read More »
Country fairs have long been a staple of American life, with many books and movies centered around them. Especially those with the added attraction of carnival rides and games, they are often portrayed in equal measure entertaining, delightful, exciting…and creepy. Places where young people try out their flirting and flaunting skills and one’s nerve is
At the Fair…fun, fear, and fantasy Read More »