Solace in a Book

Reading T. C. Boyle, Ellen Bass, Donna Hilbert, Kathleen Kirk . . .

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Good morning and happy July -- rabbit, rabbit, rabbit.  I've been working on something, but it isn't finished yet. So I'll tell you what I've been reading. "The Fugitive," which is T. C. Boyle's story in the latest issue (July 4) issue of The New Yorker, and there's also a discussion with him on the ethics of disease in the Page-Turner column on the web. Ellen Bass has a poem ("The World Has Need of You")  on June 25 The Writer's Almanac. Donna Hilbert has a poem … [Read more...]

Glimpse of solace: Kathleen Buckland captures Oregon coast

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Thank goodness for Kathy Buckland! On a day when many are concerned about the Brexit vote, it is great to have the diversion of the beautiful natural world. Kathy recently traveled to the Oregon coast. Here are some of her photographs from that trip. Kathy is a frequent contributor to this site (thank-you, Kathy); you can see more of her work here and here  and here and here and here.  Originally from Long Island, NY, Kathy Buckland spends as much time as she can being … [Read more...]

The Almighty Dollar

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I was raised a Catholic. I went to Catholic grade school and high school. But I am not really a Catholic now. I have trouble with organized religions, believing faith can be corrupted once it is institutionalized. I have some atheists in my family and I tend toward the rational myself. I look at my faith as a personal thing that I don’t care to discuss. But I do not put down believers or their churches. I accept that everyone is free to make that choice and believe what he or … [Read more...]

Everyday is a gift

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Everyday is a gift so says the plaque on the bathroom wall. Of course there should be a space between every and day. It is each and every day that is the present. But the everyday is a gift too, wrapped in plain paper addressed in Papermate blue, left at the doorstep, bound in time and string near the mat, common as dirt and dust, ordinary as tap water, easy to miss. When you return to the table it may have taken your place —look before you sit. It … [Read more...]