Searching for a Balance

Advent this year is as short as it can be. And Thanksgiving was as early as it could be, I think, so there's a long space in between whi...

"...depending on the tree species, they contain a selection of defensive compounds produced by the tree. These so-called phytoncides ha...

"Jesus of Nazareth...is so intrinsically king that the title 'King' has actually become his name. By calling ourselves Christia...

The pie was so good, and it tickles me that it's an English recipe; I am posting it here, and hope they (British Country Living) won...

"The Senate and House of Representatives of the United States have by a joint resolution signified their desire that a day may be recom...

No, I haven't been anywhere, except in the state of distraction. It was supposed to rain in the morning and then clear up by afternoon...

Henry can often be found at mealtimes, graciously finishing off the other cats' leavings -

At sunset the other day the tree in back had turned to gold.

We painted the dark paneling in the living room years ago, but never got around to doing the far end of the hallway.  Yesterday I decided to...

Tootsie went home with her people on Tuesday. I miss her a little; it's much easier to see her good points when she's separated from...

The latest rock found at the library. This one is my favorite so far - I realized I am often attracted to winter tree designs.

I was looking for something homemade at a bake sale, and spied a chocolate babka. Well, it was fabulous! And I found out who made i...

I really can't keep houseplants - we have one window where they'd get sufficient light, and the cats like to sit there (front pict...

When the first cold night threatened, my brother picked all the tomatoes, pulled up all the plants and put the garden to bed. The tomatoes...

Today of the feast of All Souls, and this is what Catholics believe. In case you've ever wondered. (All the following taken from Ma...

All holiness flows from God's holiness. Jesus Christ, God's Only Begotten Son, is the wealth of his house; the Spirit pouring out up...

A record: one hundred forty five kids for Halloween, and we didn't run out. Of candy. And Dolly didn't run out either (outside, t...

We've got a cat coming into the library; he lives two houses away. He began by hanging around outside the front (electric) doors, greeti...

As a lifelong chocolate lover, even as a kid, I felt certain they must serve m&m's in Heaven (and hot dogs in Hell, since I have nev...

I was beginning to think the little painted rock thing was past, when after two weeks, a new flurry of them have appeared. Ter...

A lot of wind and rain yesterday, and leaves are starting to come down.

"The various emperors of the world can strip the Church of every resource, discredit it in every way, make it powerless to do the works...

We get our ground beef from someone we know who has a dairy farm, and the meat is rather lean - because they're dairy cows? I don...

If you've been reading here a while, you may remember Tootsie, previously Cindy, who used to live with us. Well, her people are currentl...

Sweetie looks like a Halloween cat in this photo, with the mostly orange swamp maple in the background. I look forward to the spectacle...

Sweetie sleeps with me every night. Way back I learned to keep a small container of her dry food nearby, because she will appear before me, ...

"Christianity is not an intellectual system , a packet of dogmas, a moralism; Christianity is rather an encounter, a love story; it is ...

It's funny that on the same plant, you have green peppers, and then these, so thoroughly orange.  Why? Anyway, they're always...

After watching a film version of Mansfield Park, I decided to read the book again. "A young woman, pretty, lively, with a harp as ele...

It is the Harvest Moon! On gilded vanes and roofs of villages, on woodland crests and their aerial neighborhoods of nests deserted, o...

Many things have been conspiring against my cooking up our apples, so they sit in a bag on the kitchen floor.  But today Sweetie disc...