Sunday Quote

If I were asked to give what I consider the most useful bit of advice for all humanity, it would be this:  Expect trouble as an inevitable part of life, and when it comes, hold your head high.  Look it squarely in the eye, and say, "I will be bigger than you.  You cannot defeat me."  Then, repeat to yourself the most comforting words of all, "this too will pass".

- Ann Landers

Close of winter walk

Look closely.  Do you see the prints on the ice?  Geese, I imagine, plodding over the frozen lake daydreaming of warm skies and fat little bugs and green weeds.

Citizens of the small lakes (as we call them, truly they are large ponds I think).  Tired of winter as we are.

Doesn't this blue sky hint of warmer days?  Yet the end of winter has its own beauty, the way the earth always insistantly reminds us that despite our digging in, everything changes constantly around us.

the little birds in the reeds and bushes were making quite a racket.  Nearby at the high school despite the cold, the kids were out with coaches practicing sports, running with an ease and grace as I stumbled around hard earth that shifted to mud slops that hid mangled tree limbs...this would make a fine obstacle course, coaches!

Across the way the little library looking very remote in the wilderness except for the busy road that fronts it.  The park still bears the ravages of the previous year when I did my first Spring walk and was so sad to see the big willow gone, so many other trees gone, but just two days ago we saw a swan and are hoping to see it return.  Come Spring perhaps.

 

 

A new poem out and about

A new poem, First Light, is in The Manhattanville Review at this link: http://mvillemfa.com/journal/

Happy to share the online pages with so many great writers.  Off to work so the rest of you get out there and enjoy the day which will be gorgeously warm from what I'm hearing.

Lowestoft Chronicle's Anthology

Ever so pleased to have my story, The Exit, included in this great collection of writing about travel and wanderings with a good dash of wit and whimsy.   If desired, you can purchase it here. 

They have a new issue out online as well of their terrific journal - you can access it by clicking here. 

Sunday Quote

 

It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade.

 

- Charles Dickens

Sunday Quote

Life is a shipwreck but we must not forget to sing in the lifeboats.

-Voltaire

First night in Charleston

Only we would head to Charleston, South Carolina for a mini-vacation and have them declare a state of emergency the day we were supposed to leave.  We debated, we went anyway.  It was cold, true, but not as cold as we are in New York.  Around the corner from our hotel we found this gem, a French restaurant called 39 Rue De Jean.  Absolutely charming.  The waitstaff are all dressed very French and they are very attentive, the decor is lovely and the food was quite good.  We adored the onion soup.  It reminded us a good deal of a place we used to frequent years ago in Brooklyn called McFeeleys only with a French twist. 
Afterwards we walked around the blocks near the hotel, a bit rainy, a bit windy, rather chilly, but in a wonderful mood from our dinner and just from being out and about.