Category Archives: seasons

Worst gifts ever?

Posted on December 23, 2011 by stillalife

An article I read on gift-giving and gratitude reminded me of a funny story I heard this year. I’ll keep it short, since I suspect few people who celebrate Christmas have time to read emails and blog posts on December … Continue reading →

Posted in friends and family, humor, seasons | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Letting go of “shoulds”

Posted on December 14, 2011 by stillalife

A Sunday sermon triggered my original blog on “Letting go of expectations during the holidays,” which brought emails from friends with their own stories and inspired me to continue writing on the topic. Below are two examples of responses. I … Continue reading →

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Getting lost as a tour guide, while seeing your hometown through others’ eyes

Posted on December 12, 2011 by stillalife

Familiar sights often look better to us when we take out-of-town guests to see them.  The enthusiasm of others makes us appreciate our hometowns more.  This happened to me today, when my co-teacher and I invited our adult Talk Time … Continue reading →

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Seasonal affective disorders

Posted on December 5, 2011 by stillalife

My walking partner suggested I blog about the weather. No, not a rant about the rain or an excerpt from the National Weather Service’s seven-day forecast. She came up with this idea after recalling a conversation she had with a … Continue reading →

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Mrs. Scrooge goes shopping

Posted on November 26, 2011 by stillalife

Yesterday marked the beginning of the official holiday shopping season. Selecting gifts for others is high on my list of activities that stress the body and challenge the intellect. How do I know what anyone else wants and needs unless … Continue reading →

Posted in current events/themes, friends and family, personal reflections, seasons | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

Make like a tree and slow down

Posted on November 13, 2011 by stillalife

Should we humans imitate trees and enter a dormant state during late fall or early winter? My walking partner told me about hearing from someone living in upstate New York who said the downed trees there — the result of … Continue reading →

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What does summer mean to you?

Posted on September 11, 2011 by stillalife

“How was your summer? Great, how was yours? What did you do?” This is a conversation I find myself in now that kids are back in school, backyard bats start hunting by 8 o’clock, and I need to wear a … Continue reading →

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“Gardens of earthly delights”

Posted on February 25, 2011 by stillalife

Imagine waking up to snow high enough to cover your day lilies (which decided to start sprouting leaves in late January), and a few hours later walking past flower beds filled with fragrant hyacinth, honeysuckle and daphne odora.  The contrast between indoors and … Continue reading →

Posted in luxury of time, seasons, the unscheduled life, touring town | Tagged | 1 Comment

Rainy day distractions

Posted on January 14, 2011 by stillalife
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Impress-ive work

Posted on December 14, 2010 by stillalife

“This is good.  I very happy,” announced Quixian, as she held up her first creation and smiled.  It wasn’t our typical ESL class.   It was the last week of school before the holiday break, some students already had left town, … Continue reading →

Posted in seasons, volunteering | Tagged , | 2 Comments