Horse apples. Osage oranges. Monkey Balls. — A fruit of many names If you live in the Midwest, chances are you’ve seen these funky-looking, neon-green, brain-textured balls for sale at flea markets or farm stores when October rolls around. I’ve picked them up in our meadows and along the woodline for years, using them in autumn flower arrangements just for fun. Recently…

You won’t like Hawthorne much — The thrill of the first read I remember struggling through my first reading of Nathaniel Hawthorn’s The Scarlet Letter sometime in the mid-1970s. What I remember most about the classic, often assigned novel was my absolute, utter epiphany when I figured out who the father of Hester Prynne’s baby was. I should have been able to…

Joy in color — Every year, I get excited about decorating my front patio with fall flowers and pumpkins. Mind you, I don’t get excited about Halloween. Monsters, murderers, and lots of black decor just aren’t my thing. Give me colorful mums any day and bright colors any day. Fall flowers, vivid hues, and…

A Charming Story — Suspension of Disbelief “Let it go!” Like Elsa in “Frozen,” let go of your cynicism and disbelief and read Shelby Van Pelt’s 2022 novel, Remarkably Bright Creatures. Your reward? You’ll be surprised by delight with this simple story of a lonely widow who develops a connection with a Giant Pacific Octopus named Marcellus…

The original garbage disposal — How much do you know about your garbage disposal? You may flip it on once or twice a day and not even think about how cool it is to be able to grind up food scraps. You may not know that your garbage disposal is a crucial tool in decreasing the amount of food waste that goes into our…

Words reflecting the cycle of life — Nothing lasts forever Our patio pots were beautiful this year. A dozen containers of all sizes scattered around the perimeter, each one filled with different flowers. Lush green leaves punctuated brilliant colors and assorted shapes. Velvety purple petunias stood next to hot pink geraniums. Magenta-mouthed snapdragons sat sedately beside spiky red ornamental peppers.

A Faustian fantasy sure to make you think — Fantasy called and I answered Last summer, I tried something new and daring. Something I hadn’t done since I was very young. Something totally out of my normal routine. I read V.E. Schwab’s The Invisible Life of Addie Larue, a fantasy. Until The Invisible Life of Addie Larue, the last time I could remember reading…

Movie coming in 2023 — Painful and powerful When I was much younger, I was forever influenced by the book Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee by Dee Brown. The book chronicled the continuous breaking of treaties by the American government with Native Americans. …

Another writer to add to my to-be-read list — You can never read enough or know enough! I have been a voracious reader since the time I could hold a book. Many literature classes in college required me to read one book a week. Reading is my joy and my passion. So I think I know a lot of authors, but in the scheme of things, I…