One red leafSettling and shining in the brookCatches and holds the thinning lightOf an October afternoonIts tentative crimson triumphShouting against the coming darkness One tree stretched tallStill holding its colors against blue skyScatters them shimmering into a poolCasts them carefully deepTo catch the eye in wonderAnd turn the gaze upward to the source One watery cascadeNarrowed by … Read more

Oh, yes, it came. They said it would, and it did, but not quite as severe as predicted.The snow started coming down in pinpricks last night, gusting sideways, and when I woke at night, I wondered how the world would change. Daylight revealed a delightful layer of white on the world. Fifteen inches of clean, … Read more

Leaves cling  to their branchesThey flutter  in the strong east windAll of them aimed for DeathDead already, really – not knowing – Still they dance fragile and ignorantThey will all surrender to the unrelenting windTo the fading light Impassive and impenetrableThe sky holds the secretToo blue for words anyway The leaves will layer in icy sheetsOn the impervious … Read more

This gold and green OctoberIs charming usAnd teasing usAnd causing us to say silly things like…“Oh, it’s really not that long until April…” And making us forget the January days to comeWhen the snow refuses to fallTo soften the cold and biting airAnd the world stands still in monotones of icy grayAnd the soaking rains tumble … Read more

There’s just something about berrying. It’s like getting something for nothing. It scratches the hunger-gatherer itch deep inside my soul. I just know that my neighbor Matt’s swampy land near the lake will probably be hiding some blueberries, so with his permission I traipse out into the wilds, hoping that the mosquitoes will leave me … Read more

So here it is, another New Year’s Eve gone by.  I must admit that the Christmas tree is losing its charm as it drops needles at an amazing rate. Those inflatable Santas, so charming a few weeks ago, slump in the snow like dirty laundry. Still, Christmas memories remain with us and will carry us … Read more

Like Christmas, it only comes once a year. So don’t miss it. If you love fresh peaches like I do, “hie thee hither” to your closest orchard to grab a few before it’s too late. My favorite peach place is Hazelton Orchards, on Highway 102 in Chester, NH. The fragrance of ripening peaches greets me … Read more

What’s that change in the air, that subtle tang that wasn’t there last week? Oh, I see, it’s time to flip the calendar. September is upon us. I feel a twinge of regret as I view August’s page for the last time. The summer days have gone by, iridescent pearls slipping off the string of … Read more

The vernal equinox! Just two days from now. Can you feel it in the air? Today I opened a window and didn’t shudder. What a concept – an open window! I’d forgotten what that felt like. It seems like it’s been winter for at least one lifetime. Would I ever again be able to shift … Read more

As a day in June? Many thanks to James Russell Lowell (the poet) and my mother, Violet, who spouted numerous flowery poems whenever she got a captive audience. It seems that in her day, high school kids were made to memorize large chunks of poetry. We teased her unmercifully, poor thing, but as archaic as … Read more