Category Archives: Rural Living
The Big Dig
BufferMy mouth is a silver mine, once you get past the front teeth. Still, years have passed, decades even, since a dentist has uttered the words, “You need a filling.” My new dentist happens to be the choice of a … Continue reading
Coyotes Come to Call
The first time I heard them, they sounded like a pack of hungry puppies. They yipped, wailed, barked and howled into the night: a convocation of coyotes. I obeyed a sudden, irresistible urge to howl along with them. Here in … Continue reading
Mystery Malady
“There’s something wrong with me,” I said to Jack in the middle of one night last week. “What is it?” he asked, snapping awake. “My lips are tingling, and so are my hands,” I said. I hadn’t wanted to wake … Continue reading
The Hug: A Handshake From the Heart
When I meet new people, I like to shake hands. I expect a firm handshake, accompanied by eye contact. If I find myself on the receiving end of a limp handshake, I struggle to resist the urge to wipe my … Continue reading
Fiery Fiends Find my Foot
I’ve always admired ants: they’re industrious, organized, and cooperative. Unlike humans, they’re unselfish. Unlike Congress, they get things done. Ants don’t have to receive orders: each one knows what to do, and does it. Among the most interesting and ubiquitous … Continue reading
Reconnecting in paradise
Three years ago, my cousin was diagnosed with breast cancer. The thought of losing her galvanized me. We began talking again, visiting each other, sharing secrets the way we did in childhood. But I had one foot in Philly and the other in Costa Rica by then. We decided she had to come for a visit- the sooner the better. “I won’t go through chemotherapy again,” she said, in the understated way she has. Continue reading
Authentic Happiness
Years ago, I discovered the Positive Psychology movement. Doctor Martin Seligman, of the University of Pennsylvania, a cognitive therapy guru, thought he knew how people could be happier. The big idea behind cognitive therapy is that we can change our … Continue reading
Rooster today, feather duster tomorrow
0savesSave BufferBack in August, I wrote about a chicken who adopted us. She laid us a few eggs, and though they were tiny, we had dreams of an endless free supply. We bought some chicken feed, named our girl Henny … Continue reading
