It is one of the loneliest silences I know. As I sit on my back porch, staring at the hummingbird feeder that now needs to be removed, I miss the energetic chatter and the aerial shows of flight supremacy that entertained me for endless hours when the hummingbirds were here. Like many species, they migrate. They move from one climate...
Just beyond two large glass panes forming heavy sliding doors, a secret garden lay. Although it had not had the attention it was accustomed to, the circumstances of life’s curve balls, its beauty was nevertheless evident. Fragrant lemon trees bore proudly fruit in varied arrays of greens and yellows; geraniums were making a flashy comeback sporting dense pink petals; and...
The weathered boards of the walkway registered the burden of our weight with soft groans, protecting the underlying delicate grasses and wetlands that lay beneath. Dutifully our group fell in line behind our guide who was keen to point out the many treasures to be seen on this beautiful late afternoon in Yosemite Park. We paused as she pointed out...
It was a rare weather day for November; the air was crisp but without the foggy marine layer so characteristic of Northern California. It was the golden hour: that beautiful time of the evening when the sun melts deliciously into the earth or water, depending on your vantage point, and the atmosphere drips with the warmth and energy of a...
The atmosphere had shifted. The thick, honey sunshine no longer coated everything in its path. Hide and seek patches appeared and disappeared as clouds made their presence known in the sky. The air had stilled and quieted, thinking about how it would collect itself into a force that would soon swirl and blow, rather than gently cool the skin of...
The wind slaps wickedly at my face, laughing as it sends whisps of hair every which way, assuring me I have no control. Defiantly, I insist I will prevail. I hold myself steady against it to snap a photo of a seagull soaring over a roiling ocean just in front of the dark storm cloud sheading its water burden on...
My feet struck the pavement with conviction, moving me both up and down the hills of my neighborhood with a pace just slightly below what I would consider standard. The new surgical incisions on my abdomen were well healed but still young enough to register small objections; my relentless nature put a silence to their complaints. This was not optional...
Small whisps of golden blond hair quietly escaped confinement, and edged down to rest against her cheek, peeking as she bent in great concentration over the task at hand. Brown and clear fragrance bottles, scattered over the hard, gray granite countertop, were interspersed with delicate dried chrysanthemum and jasmine, rose blossoms and forget me nots. Our great 6 burner gas...
The clang of the metal door reverberates for just a moment, as I make my way out the back after a day at the office seeing patients. There is rarely a dull moment in our office, which I still proclaim is one of the few sacred places in my life. As a “sole practitioner” aka “dinosaur”, I am one of...
I stared down at my splayed fingers, firmly positioned on a blue green yoga matt swirling with inspirational print motifs. My toes gripping, and my abdomen and chest firmly planked, I slowly lowered myself down and back up, feeling the burn begin in my shoulders, arms, and wrists. These are your standard variety push-ups, not “girl” push-ups as my husband...
