LADING

nostalgia

Sweet Summertime

What is it t about the summer season that sparks a bit of excitement? Perhaps it’s the childhood memories it uncovers; popsicles on a hot day, drive in movies, running barefoot on the grass… As adults the simple things are often overseen. We focus on vacation ideas or house chores long needing attention. Maybe for […]

Let it Snow!

Snowflakes. They fall as if the heavenly stars let go… let go of everything. They float and drift, as if they’re looking for a place to land, but feel at home wherever it may be. Snow is the great equalizer- it covers boundaries. Yards, roads- they are the same; covered in white. In Florida, snow […]

The Gold in the Middle

I love this picture, but not only for the reasons you may think. Who doesn’t love a rainbow with all its spectrum of hues, not to be outdone by the good karma and charming lore? How fortunate to capture this view of a complete rainbow, including its beginning and end. There’s even a hint through […]

October Smiles

  October- my favorite month of the year! Cool weather tiptoes in as a welcome smile. Like a comforting shawl, the shorter days hold us closer. This is the time of year where we enjoy seasonal foods of butternut squash and apple butter. Summer salads are replaced by soothing warm soups. One of favorite memories […]

Not So Empty Nest

Okay, I confess.  I embraced the Empty Nest concept a little more readily than my husband. A little more joyfully than anyone I know for that matter.  Empty Nesta Fiesta was my mantra!  Taking back over the house, owning all my free time, and living without a need for a schedule around meals (cereal or […]

Some Enchanted Evening

Ok, so I never go to the mall. I either shop at Target or shop online. Today I decided to stop at the mall on my way home from work to purchase some much needed, favorite facial cleanser  Shiseido, from Sephora, and some bug repellent perfume, Aromaflage, from Dillards- Zika in Florida, yikes! As I […]

Fall with the Moon, Rise with the Sun

Living by the rise of the sun and  sleeping by the glow of the moon. That is a peace like no other. The place- Pineda de Mar, Spain     The time- July, 1979 As I glanced out the window at the rocky barren mountains yielding themselves to the lapping waves of the sea, my […]

Because He Said So

Although the calendar still declares another week of winter, our weather has long since transitioned into something more resembling late spring.  I removed the decorative sled from the front porch weeks ago. As winter fades, I take out and revisit one of my favorite, least faded, memories of my father.  In my parents’ home, “Because […]

Part of So Much More

On a cool winter morning last week, as I was getting dressed for work, my grandmother’s locket presented itself from the dresser drawer where I keep it nestled in a small cardboard box. It’s a round silver locket, about the size of a quarter. My grandmother, Amy Dean Davis, had her initials elegantly engraved on […]

Gaining a New VAN-tage point

At long last, the grieving period for my 15-year-old, 235,000-mile-strong red van is over. This August she died while attempting to haul our youngest son and the contents of his college house back to campus. That van’s final act of kindness may have been that I was not the driver on her last voyage. To […]