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Category: Embers from the Fire

Winter Night

December 25, 2022
  It had been sullen gray every day for more than a week, so yesterday afternoon’s sunshine was welcome relief, even though it was accompanied by some, shall we say, ‘crisp’ temperatures.  We seem to be fully entrenched in the

Wave Snowman, Wave

December 15, 2022
A major cold front came through last night.  The temperature was hovering slightly above freezing for the first eight hours or so of precipitation, before finally turning to snow sometime in the middle of the night.  I woke up to

Angel Food

December 10, 2022
You start with a heavy aluminum pan. . . The conversation among a core of women at a family member’s funeral in October turned to an unrealized promise made almost 11 years ago at another family member’s funeral.  That previous

Memories and Dreams

November 30, 2022
There is something about the traditional holiday season (Thanksgiving to Christmas) that warms the heart.  Perhaps more than any other time of year the holiday season is a rich blend of old and new, of what was and what will

In Clouds

November 25, 2022
My wife and I recently drove out to Colorado to visit my son and his family who live about an hour or so north of Denver.  The trip provided several experiences of being in clouds even though in our car

From the Second Row

November 20, 2022
This past week was a blessing as my wife and I played out one of our most important roles – that being “in-person” grandparents.  What made it special was that we were in Colorado visiting our oldest son, Jacob, his

In the Pause

November 10, 2022
The phase of the season is vividly reflected in the nearby ponds of a nature conservancy area that lie along the path of my morning walk.  Recent rains and the dieback of shoreline weeds give the ponds the appearance of

Beauty, Now

November 6, 2022
  The week and the weather came together to allow a rare opportunity – a November kayak paddle.  At least going back into our pictures in the eight years we’ve owned our kayaks the only other November paddle we had

Three-cornered Flag

October 29, 2022
The local world is transitioning once again.  About three weeks ago Autumn asked Summer for its last dance and the world became a painter’s palette of colors.  Cooling mornings warmed into days that became mellow, pungent and rich.  It always

Pilgrimage

October 21, 2022
At the time this essay is due to be posted I am on a religious pilgrimage that is retracing the footsteps of St Paul through Greece and Turkey.  This is the fourth international pilgrimage that I have participated in.  What