I’m where I grew up, and the trauma triggers are everywhere. Yes, I know, we all have them in some way, shape or form — childhood traumas, generational traumas, and/or our current shared global traumas. That commonality doesn’t lessen their impact to each of us individually. Saying “just get over it” belittles our lived realities…
Sober bar
I chose The Healer. My younger daughter chose the Jalapeño Margarita. We were at a lovely alcohol-free bar in the East Village section of New York City because I gave up alcohol last May in preparation for Round America with a Duck, and because my daughter was thoughtful enough to suggest it. We moved to…
Philadelphia freedom
I ran up the Rocky steps, first in my Philadelphia hostel and then at the Philadelphia Museum of Art (where the famous scene from the movie, Rocky, took place). I felt a familiar freedom race through my body — the freedom to be a 59-year-old woman showing up in spaces (hostels) traditionally thought of for…
Hay
Hey. Or should I say, hay. It’s Bermuda or fescue now, or alfalfa for the nursing mommas, in addition to the unlimited amount of fresh forage grazing they do plus some occasional supplemental feed. I learned how to move hay off the truck the very first time I drove a tractor yesterday (thanks to Wayne,…
“Loved Ones Visit”
So you know on the reality TV show Survivor when they have the Loved Ones Visit? The producers fly in people close to the contestants to help connect them back with who they are outside their current experience in order to remind them why they are doing what they are doing to fortify them for…
Have a ducky day! (April newsletter)
Your view changes depending on where you perch The chickens have been perching in a tree each night, along with the guinea hens (the ladder is so we can bring them down and re-train them about their coop because the eggs are everywhere). I’m not sure they are seeing their world differently, but I know…
Magic water
So baseball season opened yesterday, that Great American Pasttime at so much risk of fading that the rules have changed to speed up the game and add more excitement. The actor currently playing the role of Hamilton on Broadway sang God Bless America at the Yankees’ first game. I am happy for folks who could…
Hugs and quiches
Golden-crusted and filled with eggs I had gathered that morning and cheese Lish made from sour milk that afternoon, the quiches sat like still-lifes on the stovetop. Lish, Wayne and the kids were elsewhere and I texted to ask if I could slice one. The last light of day fell beyond the dogwood tree outside…
Active hope
So the 130th (or so) school shooting in the United States this year happened yesterday in Nashville. The water is Philly (where I’m going two weeks from today) got tainted by a chemical spill. Protests in Israel shut down planes, trains, buses, universities and more in a desperate attempt to keep democracy alive, while the…
Round America with a Duck 