I have been to tropical islands. I have seen the rain coming towards me down the beach, and then move past in a moment. I have waited to go outside to swim until the skies cleared, because I knew they would. The constant change in the weather is easily planned around and expected on a … Continue reading Wild Irish Skies
Nature
The Greens have Arrived
In the fall, my kitchen turns into a place of worship because the fall leaves make my windows into stained glass. In the spring, the leaves are equally spectacular, only they tint everything green with new life. Their luminosity lights them from the inside, creating a green curtain around my house. It is like an … Continue reading The Greens have Arrived
Even the Bones…
I went to Boneyard Beach this week. It is a long stretch of sand, covered with downed trees which appear to have toppled when the water eroded the sandy soil beneath them. Each one is its own work of art, like giant pieces of driftwood. The sun has bleached them to almost white. The root … Continue reading Even the Bones…
Plant a Seed
The cloak of darkness, hovers. Whether snow or cold rain, the damp feels like icy fingers reaching inside the bones. The blanket of cold, covers. It is the winter season. A time of isolation. Seclusion. Pulling back. Staying in. For some, a time of reflection. For others, a time of rumination. Either way, it is … Continue reading Plant a Seed
My Love/Hate Relationship
Since I was a young girl, I have always had a love/hate relationship with my body. It has never been what I wanted it to be. I came into my curves early and when all my friends were shopping the junior department for size 3 or 5, I was in the women’s department looking for … Continue reading My Love/Hate Relationship
Sunday Morning in July
It’s a humid July morning. A Sunday. The sun is filtering through the leaves, creating a picturesque effect of green and gold stained glass. The golden rays fall to the forest floor like water over rocks. They highlight some areas and avoid others. The speckles of light seem to move slowly across the underbrush, making … Continue reading Sunday Morning in July
Eulogy of a Trail
The nice thing about having my own blog is that there are no word limits. This piece about the Tesnatee Gap Valley Nature Trail is dear to my heart. So much so that my original draft was over 2,000 words! Yikes! That is long, even for me! I cut it down to 1,500 and submitted … Continue reading Eulogy of a Trail
The Garden
There is a patch of earth that lies fallow all winter. I pass the plain brown dirt on my daily path. Every year I await signs of spring, one of which is the tilling of The Garden. The covering of dull dirt is a disguise for the rich soil beneath. When painstakingly turned, the deeper … Continue reading The Garden
My Next Door Neighbor
My next-door neighbor, the Mountain, has been wrestling with the weather the past few weeks. He revels in the season of hibernation just like a sleeping bear who hates being roused from his sleep. I have watched as he has slowly pulled a quilt of green from his foot to his head, like a blanket … Continue reading My Next Door Neighbor
Surprise!
Recently, my nephew David called my sister and me. He asked us if we could get Dad to the Gainesville Botanical Gardens at 11:00 on Saturday. His story was that he was flying in from Orlando and wanted to surprise Dad for his 85th birthday. What he didn’t tell us was that he wasn’t the … Continue reading Surprise!
Michelle's Mosaic 