Behind the Puddle
The stories behind the stories, reflections on the patio, the puddle, accessibility, home, writing, and the unexpected ways a small place can change how we experience our lives and the world around us.
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The High-Top Table (Follow-Up)
The negotiations between us and the geese continue. We have provided cracked corn in tins. We have accepted that whatever the birds knock from the feeders will inevitably become part of the goose buffet. There seems to be a fairly well-established understanding around here that everyone is welcome to find something to eat. Apparently, however,… Continue reading
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The High-Top Table
The negotiations between us and the geese continue. We have provided cracked corn in tins. We have accepted that whatever the birds knock from the feeders will inevitably become part of the goose buffet. There seems to be a fairly well-established understanding around here that everyone is welcome to find something to eat. Apparently, however,… Continue reading
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Behind the Puddle | Curiosity
I have a ridiculous number of questions about things that happen behind the puddle. Where does Shelly go when I can’t see her? Where do Stella and Stanley spend the night? Does Pinecone actually live in the white pine, or have I simply decided that is Pinecone’s official residence? Where do all the geese go… Continue reading
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The Photograph I Didn’t Take
This morning, while I was filling my cup and looking out the window, I spotted our little hummingbird visitor dancing around and enjoying the sad little salvia plants. I am still heartbroken about this year’s salvia options. They aren’t what I imagined when I planted them, and they certainly aren’t what I hoped I would… Continue reading
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Behind the Puddle | Harmony
If you spend enough time watching nature, you quickly discover that nature is not particularly peaceful. At least not in the way we usually imagine peace. The geese hiss at one another. Different families establish invisible boundaries in the yard that apparently everyone but me understands. Birds chase each other away from the feeders. Pinecone… Continue reading
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Sunday Night
Nothing extraordinary needed to happen next. The feeders grew quiet, the visitors went home, and the light slowly disappeared behind the trees. We sat beside the fire together beneath a sliver of moon, letting a beautiful weekend say goodnight. Sometimes a reset isn’t beginning again. Sometimes it is simply ending the day knowing that, for… Continue reading
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Puddle Stories | The Great Birdseed Experiment
There are some mysteries Behind the Puddle that require patience, careful observation, and occasionally Brian standing underneath a maple tree rearranging bird feeders. Today, we apparently became backyard scientists. Our research question was simple: Why won’t these birds eat the expensive birdseed? We have two identical feeders hanging from different sides of the tree. One… Continue reading
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Behind the Puddle | Stewardship
There are a surprising number of chores involved in sitting around watching a puddle. The bird feeders need filling. The suet feeders need replacing. The fountain occasionally needs attention, especially when a frog decides the pump looks like a perfectly reasonable place to visit. There is cracked corn to put out, plants to water, things… Continue reading
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Behind the Puddle | Joy
I used to think joy was supposed to be exciting. The kind of feeling that makes you laugh out loud, take a picture, call someone over to see, or say, “Look! Look at that!” There has certainly been plenty of that behind the puddle. The first time I noticed Stella or Stanley standing along the… Continue reading
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Behind the Puddle | To Everyone Who Came to See What Was Behind the Puddle
When I began writing Puddle Stories, I wasn’t trying to create anything. I was actually feeling rather lost and isolated, and this little puddle outside my door had quietly become a place where I could sit, notice, and find pieces of myself again. Eventually, I began sharing some of what I was seeing and thinking,… Continue reading
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