Our third baby, Jeffrey, arrived May 18, 1997, three days after my 43rd birthday. He joined his siblings, Matthew, then 10, and Katie, then 7. Although the pregnancy was unplanned, my husband, Randy, and I…
A generous neighbor recently urged me to pick tomatoes from his garden during his extended absence. Last Thursday, I obliged. Helen Baldwin plays “sorta farmer” after picking tomatoes at a neighbor’s farm. (Photo by Helen Baldwin)…
Last Wednesday evening, a double rainbow popped up across the road. We’d had rain to some extent every afternoon and night. The rainbow provided a beautiful bit of calm and was, we hoped,…
Ready or not, we’re about to say “Adios!” to another month. Our daughter, Katie, and son-in-law, Paul, arrive today for a whirlwind visit, sending July packing with a bang. A few hours after Katie and Paul…
My husband, Randy, and I moved to the North Carolina mountains in the closing hours of 1995. Although our children, Matthew and Katie, who at the time were 10 and 7, respectively, were initially unenthusiastic about…
My mother told me I had fallen while climbing out of my baby bed as a toddler, ending up with a scar that resembled a tiny wad of chewing gum on my elbow. I don’t remember which…
It’s been almost four months since my husband, Randy, and I made a hasty run to Charleston, South Carolina. Our mission was to adopt a dog our daughter, Katie, had found at a nearby rescue.
I sometimes experience an unexpected blast into the past. For example, if the weather has just the right balance of sunshine and crispness, I’m back in elementary school, around Thanksgiving, playing chase with…
Three months ago, my husband, Randy, and I adopted Ellie, a mama dog who had been at the rescue for four months. She arrived with six puppies, tending to another litter after hers were adopted. “Tending” might…
On a recent Saturday morning, the dryer wouldn’t turn on. The washer held a big load of washed towels. As our recently adopted dog, Ellie, was still in unexpected heat, laundry duty was…
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