Before Winter Became Heavy
Before winter became heavy, it came softly. Before we had 3+ feet of snow on the ground, there were just tracks of snow swinging through the woods. I really miss being out on our country property in Indiana, but the massive amount of snow and the continuing cold (a high of 3F today!) simply prohibit hanging out there (I'm [...]
Reflections on Three Years of Blogging
Library at Alcatraz I started this blog more than three years ago, and since I reflected on two years of blogging last year, it's high time to share my insights from three years of blogging: I receive comments, therefore I am. Comments are the most important thing for a blogger, at least for me. Without comments, a blog post feels worthless, even [...]
Word of the Year
I'm rather late sharing my word for the year 2014. Why so late? Back in November I already knew that "joy" would be the word for the coming year, and yet I've been reluctant to share it because I didn't want to relinquish "create," my word for 2013. Choosing a word of the year is an idea I picked [...]
Dump those Qualifiers and Modifiers
One insight from Natalie Goldberg's Writing Down the Bones has already affected how I write. Here it is: "In the early seventies there was a study done on women and language that affected me deeply and also affected my writing. One of the things the study said was that women add on qualifiers to their statements. For instance, [...] 'I like [...]
Leaving Russia
With the Winter Olympics currently happening in Sochi, Russia, it fits that my review of Maxim Shrayer's memoir Leaving Russia just appeared in the Jewish Book World. Thanks to this book, I feel I've been to Sochi because Shrayer does such an excellent job of describing his expedition to that region as a soil science student back in the 1980s. The only thing [...]
Winter White Lake
On Monday I treated myself to a walk on the lakefront. "Treated," because going for a walk is a major operation these days, involving long underwear, serious snow boots (thank you, L.L.Bean!), a balaclava-type hat (otherwise your face freezes), and fingerless gloves for taking photos. I was amply rewarded: fresh air, no one around except me, and wide open [...]