Whenever I have a Q & A with elementary students, someone inevitably asks me why I write. I always manage some sort of answer which I believe to be true, but I never feel satisfied with that answer. I say something to the effect that I grew up loving to read and wanted to see … Continue reading Why Writers Write—I think!
Category: Nineteenth Century American Literature
O Captain! My Captain!
Today I would like to celebrate Memorial Day by posting a couple of poems by Walt Whitman, long considered one of America’s foremost poets. The following poem," O Captain! My Captain!", was written contemporarily to memorialize the death of Abraham Lincoln in 1865. I think it is a fitting poem for Memorial Day in commemoration … Continue reading O Captain! My Captain!
The Most Wonderful Time of the Year
Many of us of a certain age become nostalgic this time of year. For me, “the most wonderful time of year” is not a cliché we easily attach to the month of December. It is truth. Yes, sometimes memories swirling around in the chill winds at Christmastime can be as difficult as they are sweet, … Continue reading The Most Wonderful Time of the Year
Over the River for Thanksgiving
Being a Texas girl, I remember how surprised I was to learn (at a not so tender age) that the long-time favorite “Over the River and Through the Wood” was a Thanksgiving song and, to make matters worse, that snowy old sleigh in the song was originally going to Grandfather’s house. With lines such as … Continue reading Over the River for Thanksgiving
Natick, MA; Peabody Sisters; and Missing Books
Charles River in Natick A home in Natick. “What dreadful hot weather we have! It keeps me in a continual state of inelegance.” ~Jane Austen Summer has come back with a vengeance here in our part of Texas after a cool, fall respite. Well, it hasn’t spread its 100+ temperatures around again—yet, but that tantalizing … Continue reading Natick, MA; Peabody Sisters; and Missing Books
Autumn, Concord, and Transcendentalism
WALDEN POND Ah. Autumn is in the air, so, of course, I am sipping coffee and eating candy pumpkins. We’ve had rain of late and much cooler weather—no 100-degree temperatures in sight for at least a week now. When I think of autumn, I begin to think of the glories of New England where the … Continue reading Autumn, Concord, and Transcendentalism