Spoons click against bowls that hold hearty homemade soup. Steaming broth surrounds chunks of vegetables in every shape and color. A delightful aroma fills the air. Sun sparkles on fresh snow outside our window. Blue jays, cardinals and sparrows flit from feeder to branch. Don and I silently eat and watch nature’s show. I ask

Don places a small table in front of the family room fireplace. I pull out a beautiful tablecloth, champagne goblets, good china and silverware. He brings his harmonicas to have handy. Sometimes he accompanies our celebration by playing along with favorite tunes. This is our New Year’s ritual. We love celebrating in the quiet of

Our four granddaughters ages eighteen to twenty-six, receive personal letters from us each Christmas. Don and I first chat about their challenges and growth over the previous year. Then I fashion our observations into a letter. He looks it over and offers feedback. We do this out of our love for each of them. This

“Oh, your garden is so beautiful!” My friend exclaims as she focuses on fluffy headed hydrangea. Then elephant ear hostas catch her attention. Slowly she takes in different plantings. My view is of dandelions that push up between the seams in the driveway. I am aware that spiderwort plants need to be cut back. Creeping