August 2026
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Behind the Puddle | Thank You, August
Thank you, August. You weren’t the beginning. By the time you arrived, the patio already felt like mine. The birds knew where the feeders were. Pinecone had already introduced themselves and apparently added our yard to the regular dining rotation. Stella and Stanley had become familiar shapes along the puddle. Shelly had already taught us… Continue reading
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They Came Back Again
Yesterday, the feeders were unusually quiet. There were still a few visitors here and there, but nothing like the steady movement I had grown used to seeing throughout the summer. I found myself watching the empty perches and wondering if maybe we had reached the beginning of that seasonal change when the birds start coming… Continue reading
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Twelve More Candles
My birthday is coming up, and because I have Hadley on Monday mornings before school, her mom apparently gave her a little assignment. She told her that if she did not want to buy me twelve more candles, she should probably ask Grandma for some birthday ideas. That made me laugh before Hadley even got… Continue reading
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Behind the Puddle | Appreciation
The puddle has not changed because I watched it. I have changed because I stayed with it. I keep coming back to that. The puddle doesn’t know I am here. It doesn’t know I named the herons Stella and Stanley or that Hadley named a turtle Shelly. Pinecone certainly doesn’t know there are people who… Continue reading
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A Place Worth Returning To
There is something about finding this little toad tucked among the rocks beside the fountain that makes me ridiculously happy. He is not doing anything remarkable. He is simply sitting there, perfectly still, as if this is exactly where he belongs. Maybe that is what I love about him. We created this little corner for… Continue reading
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The Feeders Have Spoken
There are some experiments that require charts, careful measurements, and complicated conclusions. Then there are the experiments where you fill every bird feeder with the same familiar Walmart birdseed, sit back, and allow the flyer friends to make their position perfectly clear. This morning, every feeder looks remarkably similar, with about the same amount of… Continue reading
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Decluttering Decades | Before We Begin, Start Where You Are
If you have lived in your home for decades, there is a good chance you can look around and see more than belongings. You see things you use, things you meant to deal with, things someone gave you, things someone left behind, things you might need someday, things you forgot you owned, and things carrying… Continue reading
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Behind the Puddle | Treasure
If someone looked through the pictures on my phone without knowing me, I imagine they would have questions. There are a lot of birds. An unreasonable number of pictures of squirrels. Several photographs where the important subject is so far away that I have to explain what you’re supposed to be looking at. There are… Continue reading
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If It’s Good Enough for the Birds
Piper has fresh water just inside the door, maybe six feet from where she was standing. Clean water. Easy water. Water placed there specifically for her and Harper. Apparently, none of that matters when there is a fountain available. I caught her quietly helping herself today, standing beside the rocks and drinking straight from the… Continue reading
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