~ The following photos were published in The Floyd Press on July 29, 2010 Don Johnson’s dog Blue, a blue heeler, needed two people to give him a bath, one to put the dog at ease (Johnson) and the other, local dog groomer Joan Hamilton, to spray. Humane Society member Sunny Bernardine answered Jeff Shepherd [...]
1. It seems all I have to do to make it rain is to spend a couple of hours watering my garden, and sure enough, there will be a downpour the next morning. 2. Tuesday’s thunder storm knocked the power out but I was able to start the generator on my own for the first [...]
1. In the Global Village at Floydfest I went from a talk on the teachings of Buddha to petting a milking cow named Primrose. I met a young boy who was carving a bowl out of stone in the primitive arts camp, danced in my bare feet on the grass to the music of a [...]
~ Note that real feelings can begin with depression. Reframe “weaker” feelings as a sign of progress. – The Pocket Enneagram My husband and I are shipwrecked in the hammock with no energy to save ourselves. It’s so hot and we’re so tired that we have to drop our extra baggage, drift aimlessly through the [...]
1. Old Crow Medicine Show sang my favorite song about the “Down Home Girl” who came right off Maggie’s Farm … Well I swear your perfume, baby, is made out of turnip greens … Every time I kiss you girl, it tastes like pork and beans … (Video HERE .) 2. The heat didn’t hinder [...]
1. We could have been in Florida. Flamingos fit right in with the hot and hazy temperatures (in the high 90’s) at Floyd fest on Friday. 2. Some tried out the new floor in the dance tent (video HERE). 3. The heat didn’t keep people from attending in droves. 4. The view from one person’s [...]
~ The following is a slightly edited version of a story that appeared in The Floyd Press on July 22, 2010. For 9 years now Floydfest has been growing its reputation of presenting quality music entertainment, arts and crafts, performance arts, healing arts, and family-centered fun. This year’s theme “Breaking Ground” refers to the progress [...]
1. Blogging these days tends to be a thankless job. With so many readers who never make a comment, sometimes I feel like I’m talking to the wall. 2. I’m a bit of a wallflower myself, when it comes to parties (unless there is dancing or Scrabble playing). I don’t so much resemble the inanimateness [...]
More Wordless stories are HERE.
Glow in the dark kick-off Across a field of sky Paused in mid-air Everybody’s watching Won’t touch down till morning
“Letter Rip” was coined by Black Water Loft’s Grace McCutchan in her recent chalk board announcement for our community’s monthly Spoken Word Open Mic, held at Loft. With 14 readers presenting a variety of literary styles, we did just that on Saturday night. It was a busy night in downtown Floyd with Laura Reed and [...]
~ The following essay about last year’s Floydfest was written for and submitted to this year’s festival program. I catch myself smiling a lot at Floydfest, like I do at home in the garden. Every whimsical encounter and seemingly random exchange with others feels like a line-up of destiny and adds to the whole of [...]
1. Some would call my blog a personal one, but I say it’s all about the news: the news of life, both the inner life and the everyday slice of it. 2. Some days come with everything on it. Others are plain. 3. Speaking of pie, my son Josh’s favorite birthday cake is a blueberry [...]
A Blueberry Pie for Joshua Rolling out pie dough into continent shapes first Asia, then Africa I feel my grandmother’s wildness in me navigating rough edges of coastline as I steer the rolling pin like an oar like an antique relic from her “roaring 20s” it rocks back and forth I relive my mother’s frustration [...]
Too many castles in the sand Overdrawn and in the hole Going with the flow Hitting rock bottom
I joked with my good friend Rowan (one of my son Dylan’s best friends growing up) that I was routing for the Netherlands’ team because I had a past life in that country. He, whose brother and his family live in Spain, thought differently on the matter. It was my first time at the new [...]
~ The following photos appeared in The Floyd Press in June, 2010. Floyd’s Blue Mountain School, the independent school that my sons went to when they were young, had an open house at the end of the school year. Visitors were invited to tour the buildings and teachers were on hand to answer questions. [...]
~The following appeared in The Floyd Press on July 8, 2010. A free ride on the Paratrooper was a popular feature at the Floyd Fandango Wine and Beer festival, which took place at the Floydfest site on the Blue Ridge Parkway over the July 4th weekend. Festival goers, many under tents and umbrellas, enjoyed the [...]
