My Grandfather’s Barn

My Grandfather’s Barn My grandfather’s barn leans to the south. The weathered old boards are gray. The tin roof is rusted and dented and busted; The wind blew the doors away. But once that barn, filled with freshly-mown hay Was a dark, sweet-smelling retreat. The straw in the loft was wonderfully soft; A hideaway, cool […]

Magical September Rain

What is it about a gentle rain that is calming, soothing, and better than a lullaby for putting a person to sleep? Rain dripping from leaves and eaves, thunder rumbling softly in the distance; this is September, tucking the world in. Nighttime rain is comforting; daytime rain is exciting. Why? Children know. The ditch alongside […]

Two Prayers for Labor Day

From the Book of Isaiah, Chapter 64, verses 5-6; 8-9: “You meet him who rejoices and does righteousness, who remembers You in Your ways. You are indeed angry, for we have sinned–In these ways we continue; And we need to be saved. But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and […]

The “Ever After”

I read a lot and a lot of what I read are cozy mysteries. I finished one a couple of days ago and enjoyed it thoroughly. The conversation sparkled. The protagonist was likable and the plot was not the usual one but it was intriguing. I liked this book so well that I decided to […]

The New Old Quilt

It’s a bright little quilt top. It doesn’t look as if it’s several decades old, and it has a story–a history. Many years ago, when I was just a young girl, I started this quilt for my sister’s new baby–a little boy. I wanted to hand stitch it so he’d know his Aunt Blanche had […]

A Look Through Their Glasses

My sister-in-law Linda and I found some old glasses in their case when we were cleaning out Mom and Dad’s storage room.  I know two things about them:  they are old and I like them a lot. They did not belong to my parents and I’m guessing some previous owner of the house and storage […]