Happy Easter February 17, 2021: Encased in a tomb of snow. April 2, 2021: Alive! Full of Promise. Wishing you a wonderful Easter Day. Karen
Easter Day
Lost Madrone Ranch
Take Comfort into 2021
“how sad and bad and mad it was ― but then, how it was sweet” ― Robert Browning. Yesterday it snowed in Comfort. Of course it did. The last day of 2020 and what else would I expect but the unexpected. How mad. Not a layer accumulated, but how sweet to warm by the fireplace … Continue reading Take Comfort into 2021
Happy Thanksgiving 2020
Happy Thanksgiving. May the textures of the season inspire us to recognize our blessings. I am grateful to my family and loved ones who stand and grow with me. For Jim, Alexandra, and Jimmy — every day. For dear friends who stick near. I cherish the journey with mom down a foggy road that forked … Continue reading Happy Thanksgiving 2020
A Seven Day Bouquet: Day 1
When the late spring green deepens, the landscape turns from thin and twiggy to lush and bold, and the coming summer skies begin to dance. It is a certain refrain of the season during an uncertain time. And while the confident scene of the larger landscape comforts, it blends many of nature’s treasures into a … Continue reading A Seven Day Bouquet: Day 1
A Tree is Nice
My friend’s phone rang. When she answered, another friend asked, “Is Karen just devastated?” The bark looked the same. Skin of decades. Protecting. Rough and furrowed. Covering — like lined up and laid out potato chips, the wavy edges lifted as if exfoliating, peeling open trails that if followed could share stories from every season. … Continue reading A Tree is Nice
Go Shake in the Sun… with Exhilaration
I stood at the edge of the gorge and glimpsed spring. The grass was dead and matted but through the brown blades popped purple and white flowers — anemones. Single flowers atop a slender stem, Anemone, berlandieri, are among the early spring bloomers in the Hill Country. They are lovely, ranging in color from white … Continue reading Go Shake in the Sun… with Exhilaration
Come Walk Through the Grass
It’s winter for a short time more and the ranch is wearing winter colors — cold blues, shades of gray, and gentle browns bitten by freeze. I love a winter day that points to spring while carrying along memories of fall. Today I am in my swing, a favorite spot to write, looking out … Continue reading Come Walk Through the Grass
Home Again
The air was dreary and drizzly, family was visiting from out of town, and we sat inside talking, wishing for the weather to clear. Then, instinctively, because something out of order darted by, Jim jumped from the couch and bolted out the door while blurting he had seen a giant bird. Well, maybe not so … Continue reading Home Again
Happy Thanksgiving 2018!
Happy Thanksgiving! Take a walk. Look closer. (Can you find the Thanksgiving guest in the photo below?) Set aside your troubles. Marvel at the little treasures in nature. Appreciate the days. Don't be afraid. Enjoy the beauty around you. Celebrate the harvest. Gasp at God's glorious creation. Let your light shine. Spend time with friends … Continue reading Happy Thanksgiving 2018!
All in a Day… or Two
“‘But,’ said his father, stopping in front of the drawing-room window, ‘it won’t be fine.’” Virginia Woolf, To the Lighthouse The day to begin the tile repair arrived… and so did the thunder, lightening, a downpour, and three tornado emergency alerts. Since the fateful … Continue reading All in a Day… or Two