Gathering Around the Table

embracing life in northern Idaho
finding joy in gardening
capturing photos of the beauty around me
making memories with family and friends

Small Celebrations of Gardening, Revisiting a Post from 2007

In 2007, this was how I started a blog post in April about gardening. "I return to gardening year after year because of the small celebrations e…

Near the Window

When I was young I always enjoyed it when my mother read poetry to me before I went to sleep. I also enjoyed it when teachers read poems aloud in cla…

Saving The Only Life I Could Save

I love that there is a national focus on poetry each year in April. I love teaching students to read, apppreciate, and write poetry, I love immersin…

Remembering Mom: The Land of Counterpane

I first wrote this piece to honor my mom in 2007. I shared it again at Mom's Celebration of Life in the fall of 2017. My mom died five years ago …

A Sign of Hope

When I retired I moved back to my hometown and moved in the house next door to my mother. As I began building and designing gardens, she continued t…

The House of Belonging

Every Sunday I look forward to reading Maria Shriver's Sunday Paper. The purpose of this online newsletter is to " inspire hearts and minds…