outdoors

  • how to work better.

    My sister once told me to make sure I smile during interviews, even if they’re not on camera. You can hear a smile in a voice, she said, even if you can’t see it.…

    February 22, 2016 27 Comments
  • snow day.

     Just a little snow report for a Monday morning. We had exactly the snowy, time-stopping kind of weekend I’d wished for: Grilled cheese sandwiches and chocolate chip cookies with neighbors; a shoelace rope, a…

    January 25, 2016 18 Comments
  • cedar wreath

    solstice poem.

    iA tree hulks in the living-room, prickly monster, our hostagefrom the wilderness, preludeto light in this dark space of the yearwhich turns again toward the suntoday, or at least we hope so.Outside, a dead…

    December 22, 2015 1 Comments
  • the more they stay the same.

    I’m in the final stages of working with a designer to move my blog to a brighter, shinier, all-around-easier-to-use space next week. The changes won’t be anything too drastic. But I’m looking forward to…

    September 28, 2015 6 Comments
  • sunnyside daffs.

    The sun was too bright for taking photos, really. But the giant daffs are already on their way out and I liked the way the intense morning light illuminated these cheerful fellows. So, sun-drenched…

    April 28, 2015 5 Comments
  • pigeons in flight.

    I get an occasional note from readers who are mystified by my choice to live in New York City. All that subway taking. All those stairs to climb. That small apartment at the end of them.…

    April 21, 2015 20 Comments
  • early spring.

    You have to pay attention to see early spring. In the city especially. If you’re not careful you bemoan the fact that it’s still chilly and gray without noticing the pops of purple poking…

    April 14, 2015 8 Comments
  • chickadee lane.

    I buy into every bit of fresh-start optimism that January has to offer. To kick off the new year on a peaceful note, on New Years day we went to a park nearby to…

    January 5, 2015 17 Comments
  • jump-start on spring.

    Who can resist the pull of the pansy? In just a few weeks there will be so much more that’s interesting at the nurseries and farmers’ markets, but for now there are cheery bobbing pansies…

    March 17, 2014 5 Comments
  • neighborhood musings.

    It was a weekend for long walks around the neighborhood and Sunday afternoon movies and making salsa verde with last week’s tomatillos. Last weekend we searched for bits of autumn, and this weekend it…

    October 7, 2013 7 Comments