The voice spoke to me from outside my body but I was alone. There was no one with me. “You don’t want to live here. You need to leave and go to Charlottesville. You want to be with your children and grandchildren. Go!” I was alone in my mothers’ bedroom on a day in late February 2020. The room was dark, curtains drawn, and the blue silk wallpaper seemed to fade out to nothing. The cream-colored, French provincial, dresser I…
A ‘ conspiracy theorist ‘ is someone who engages in Critical Thinking. Isn’t that a good thing? When we are young the world is bright with promise and seems to extend out indefinitely. Even if our circumstances are dire, there is hope peaking over the horizon, seen from a distance maybe, but still possible. At the end of life, our gaze turns back to see how far from the starting point we have come. There is less time to begin…
The sun shone behind a wall of clouds so diaphanous that it seemed to be made of sheer Mother of Pearl. Silvery, shimmering as if it would burst forth any second now in glorious glaring sunlight. But that never happened. Instead, the sky became thicker and smoother and the scent of snow was in the air. It felt damp and cold and invigorating at the same time. Snow-covered the turquoise-painted outdoor furniture on the terrace, and it covered the terrace,…
Remember being 10 years old? Such a milestone, 2 digits! I was thrilled when I turned 10 that I could say something happened 10 years ago. A new type of “me” arose by the time my life contained that august number of years. Everyone has an annual birthday whether it is celebrated or not. But some are more important than others. 12 was also a big year for me, as I became a woman on my 12th birthday, much to…
Christmas this year was one of the best ever. Our family is large and several members have birthdays in December. There is even one on the 23rd and one on Christmas Eve. These family members have parties in addition to the Christmas parties already scheduled by friends and families. None of the parties were canceled. And they were all a lot of fun. The weather was mild, and we were often outside for hiking and eating. At one birthday, the…
When the sun sets with a crescendo of color so magnificent it takes the breath away, trying to capture it leads to multiple photos. Or when it rises in splendid spirals of pink, orange, fuchsia, and golden light. Brightening the dark mauve sky at dawn by degrees is God’s way of increasing the light. My first act after a moment or two of awe is to reach for my phone to memorialize the sight. Looking back through my photos for…
Think about the title of this post. What is your threshold? How much will you put up with? What are you willing to do to stop it? Recently an organization to which I belong sent out an email to the membership about their new policy. The new rule which must be complied with is to show a vaccine passport or failing that, a negative Covid test. You must do this in order to attend their dinners and luncheons from now…
Fear! It is the new way to control you! The fear that inculcates almost everyone these days is inconceivable to me. Where did it come from? I think it was organized and planned many years ago. The fear has made people segregate out the unvaccinated as if they were lepers. It’s a way of also separating out the non-compliant. It’s actually a brilliant way of discovering who is likely to go along and who will refuse. Of course, they managed…
Today I lay down on my mothers’ bed. I looked at the ceiling beams, which is what she would have seen at the end. Tears rolled down my cheeks because two years ago, Mother died on this day. November 18th, 2019, at 7:05 am. in this room in this house. It is time for me to go back home to Charlottesville, VA. But…I miss my mother on the anniversary of her death. Two years have slipped by, during which everyone…
Montpelier Races! They are the only races held at the property of a historic home, in this case, the house of James Madison. He was, among other things, the 4th President of the United States and the father of the Constitution. The property is gorgeous. The autumn drive along secondary back roads in Virginia is breathtaking. The leaves still on trees were vibrantly colored. A clear blue sky with scudding puffs of cloud here and there accompanied me along the…
A funeral of a friend was held at the National Cathedral last Tuesday. The entire church was crowded with mourners; friends and family and those whose lives the deceased touched. It was a beautiful service, true to his ideals and his nature. What a celebration! The Cathedral was full from the front rows to the back. Someone mentioned a figure of 700 souls. Few people whom I know are as well known and also well-liked as this man who died…
The whole world seems to have bought into the lie. And it is a lie. The Pandemic is not a real Pandemic. The death rate is nowhere near serious enough to call this a global pandemic. And of those who died in the United States, there is a huge question about how many supposed Covid deaths were in fact due to Covid. How can any of us trust anything that we see in print or hear on the radio or…
Where is your “go-to” place? Do you have a special restaurant that you can go to for entertainment and peace at the same time? DeCarlos Restaurant has served the people of Spring Valley for 40 years. It is a charming dark and cozy place that has a staff of people who understand good service. It is easily accessible for those who have difficulty walking. There are no steps to the door to interfere with entry. There seems to be someone…
The text came in while I was sitting in my old bedroom in my mothers’ house in Washington DC. The phone rested in my hand. The hair stood up on the back of my neck. A snake hiding in my house in Charlottesville! I scrolled down to a photo of the little critter which my housekeeper sent. It really wasn’t very big. There it was stuck solidly to one of those horrible sticky rectangular mouse traps. Its whole body fits…
The world we live in is absolutely turned upside down. I do NOT understand why it is so hard for people to see this. But they have been systematically brainwashed with terror. They fear for their lives, literally. These people often feel that a diagnosis of Covid means a death sentence. I am sorry for them, but at a loss about how to help. Even Bill Mahr https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/bill-maher-democrats-misinformed-coronavirus was shocked at the political divide when it comes to ideas about…
