This is my friend, Mr. Pip. He’s a male cardinal … one of the wild things that bring so much joy to so many. I’m convinced that this particular guy has been my backyard pal for a long time. I…

So you and your better half have been out for a drive on a glorious October afternoon. There’s really nothing better than the light in autumn in the Mid-Atlantic area. The activity so many of us enjoy at this time…

Ug. You’ve had one of those days … seems like everything you touched went wrong … everybody you spoke with was confrontational … you almost feel like you need a reset button on life. We’ve all had those kinds of…

When our son left for a semester abroad a few years back,  both my husband and I tried hard not to show how much we envied him his upcoming adventure.  One of the things that made it fun for us,…

As you walk down Harper’s Ferry, West Virginia’s, Shenandoah Street on a golden autumn afternoon, your eyes fall on the John Brown Museum way down at the end of the road. Suddenly even though you’re bathed in rich, warm sunlight,…

Standing by the side of the road, you gaze across the barren field … your eyes filled with the reflected glow of the setting sun and the threatening storm clouds fast approaching. Looks like trouble is on its way for…

I’ve been in an uncharacteristically thoughtful mood lately … typically I get this way in autumn when the year is drawing to a close and Mother Nature is putting on her last burst of glory before we all head indoors to…

When we first bought our house a number of years ago, we had a lot of fun designing and planting the landscaping. One of the things we tried to do was use trees and annuals that would bloom at different…

Depending on the time of year, a walk around the pond near my house can reveal a few surprises. In addition to the usual snakes and mosquitoes, you might find a huge snapping turtle, a calling red-winged blackbird, a shy…

A quiet place to think … to commune with Mother Nature … to visit with God or the Universe … or even to find again what it was like to be the you you used to be. Everyone needs a…