Hiding

“All the secrets of the world worth knowing are hiding in plain sight.” — Robin Sloan “Anyone can hide. Facing up to things, working through them, that’s what makes you strong.” — Sarah Dessen *   *   * A favorite sight in North American wetlands, the Great White Egret hunts in classic heron fashion, standing immobile … More Hiding

Conversations

“Love without conversation is impossible.” — Mortimer Adler “I have the deepest affection for intellectual conversations. The ability to just sit and talk. About love, about life, about anything, about everything.” — Anonymous *   *   * Rescued from a horse barn in Pennsylvania, Squeaky overcame her shyness to become one of the most vocal members … More Conversations

Patterns

“The beauty of life is in small details, not in big events.” — Jim Jamusch “The most basic way to get someone’s attention is this: Break a pattern.” — Chip Heath and Dan Heath *   *   * Natural Beauty ~ Female mallard duck’s distinction is found in the details. • Photo by Jan Logozzo © … More Patterns

Be Happy

“The dog lives for the day, the hour, even the moment.” — Robert Falcon Scott “Dance. Smile. Giggle. Marvel. Trust. Hope. Love. Wish. Believe. Most of all, enjoy every moment of the journey, and appreciate where you are at this moment instead of always focusing on how far you have to go.” ― Mandy Hale … More Be Happy

Ice Conditions

“Among famous traitors of history, one might mention the weather.” — Ilka Chase “Nature has no mercy at all. Nature says, ‘I’m going to snow. If you have on a bikini and no snowshoes, that’s tough. I am going to snow anyway.’” — Maya Angelou *   *   * Let it snow — Roads still clear, … More Ice Conditions

Store-bought

“Generosity is never out of season.” — Janet Morris “The best gifts come from the heart, not the store.” — Sarah Dessen *   *   * Store-bought Beauties ~ Cellophane-wrapped tulip bouquets translate into packages of joy. • Photograph by Mary O’Connor © 2019

Welcoming

“Holidays – any holiday – are such a great opportunity to focus on bringing the family together.” — Lidia Bastianich “There is no greater happiness for a man than approaching a door at the end of a day knowing someone on the other side of that door is waiting for the sound of his footsteps.” … More Welcoming

ELF Air Winner

“Elves seldom give unguarded advice, for advice is a dangerous gift…” — J. R. R. Tolkien “It’s not real belief if you don’t feel it in your heart. You can’t see Christmas magic, you have to feel it.” — Snowflake, elfontheshelf.com *   *   * Chippy takes to the skies in his ELF Air plane in … More ELF Air Winner

Storytime Enchantment

“Stories are light. Light is precious in a world so dark. Begin at the beginning. Tell Gregory a story. Make some light.” — Kate DiCamillo “When we recall Christmas past, we usually find that the simplest things – not the great occasions – give off the greatest glow of happiness.” – Bob Hope  *   *   … More Storytime Enchantment

Rescue Dog

“A mutt is couture— it’s the only one like it in the world, made especially for you.” — Isaac Mizrahi “It’s an interesting inversion of status, the reigning breed in the dog park these days is the really-oddball-unidentifiable-mixed-breed-mutt-found-wandering-the-street or its equivalent. The stranger the mutt the better; the more peculiar the circumstance of it coming … More Rescue Dog