These hot mid-July days, I find myself up before dawn, eager to open the screen doors and capture any early morning coolness that I can.

Eudora Welty, Grande Dame of American letters, loved gardens.

As so often happens, my writing journeys begin with a book.

When June and July rolled around this year, it was time to take care of essential appointments that come due periodically regarding the body as well as car care.

Before the invention of paper, the thin inner bark of certain trees was used for writing on;  this was in Latin called liber, which came in time to signify also a “book.” 

I was not going to have another cat.

Last November, I received a gift from Susan Fifer-Canby—a dear friend and fellow book lover.

For almost thirty years, Kit and I have shared many memorable adventures across a wide range of geographies with our grandson Nico. 

When irises were flowering across the Midwest a decade ago, I received a note from my friend, poet Ted Kooser.

On Earth Day (April 22, 2026), American comedian Zach Galifianakis was on a mission to teach children and adults alike something about gardening.

In case you are one of the few people on the planet who has not read Remarkably Bright Creatures, Marcellus is a giant Pacific octopus living at the Sowell Bay Aquarium in Puget Sound.

When I was a child, my father planted a small vegetable garden in our backyard in New Mexico.

Five years ago, Kit and I began a new chapter in our lives. 

As a follow up to last week’s blog “Octopus Tales,” I wanted to share a few responses on the subject from dear friends with whom I correspond.

On this rainy April morning, a giant octopus that is part of my cat Peekay’s collection of stuffed animal pals rests on a bench in my studio, her curious turquoise blue marble eyes alive with tales past and present about the secrets of octopuses great and small. 

In April 2025, National Geographic presented its inaugural collection of 33 visionary changemakers who are striving to make the world a better place.

On this first day of spring, I marvel at how quickly the world outside my window has changed since February finally brought winter to my doorstep.

On this first day of spring, I marvel at how quickly the world outside my window has changed since February finally brought winter to my doorstep.

I have a faint scar on the upper part of my left arm, and as is often the case with scars, it has a complicated backstory.

During the recent February snow event that still has parts of Nevada County without power, I rediscovered a treasure on a bookshelf in my library.