The older two didn’t want to go. And there were a few meltdowns along the way. But it’s hard to ignore the magic of pines and a pristine lake beneath a mountain that almost doesn’t look real; family games by lantern-light with oldies on the radio; hot dinners from a dutch oven set in the [...]

There has been a lot of new folks poking around this blog lately; I hope this post doesn’t make you run for the hills! It’s part of a little project I’ve undertaken, a year-long attempt to read twelve essayists in depth, and to study their styles. You can read more about the project here. I’m [...]

I’ve met not one, but two blogging friends in person in the past week. When I tell this to my other, non-blogging friends, they nod their heads politely but with a definite air of disbelief. Meeting people I’ve encountered on the internet? How desperate can I be? But meeting like-minded folks in person isn’t always [...]

I’ve spent every spare moment lately getting ready for the workshop I’m presenting at the HSC homeschool conference this Friday. The workshop is called Nurturing Young Writers. I’ll be speaking for an hour-and-a half. Yikes. I’m sure my family can sympathize with anyone who has to listen to me ramble on for an hour-and-a-half. Well. [...]

I haven’t written one of these atwitter posts in a while. Not that I haven’t been all atwitter–ask my husband about my tendency to yammer on about things. I just haven’t written about it. So, making up for lost posts… our lavender is blooming. 60 plants worth, on our front hillside, right beside our beehive. [...]

Dearest, We’ve been through so much, you and I. Do you remember when I first laid eyes on you, three years ago? In that Rebecca magazine at the yarn shop? I swooned over the fuzzy mohair-ness of you, and that modernish lace pattern of yours, and your lightness, your length. I fell so hard that [...]