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“There is always a large horizon...there is much to be done...it is up to you to contribute some small part to a program of human betterment for all time."

— Francis Perkins

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Online, Offline and Gratitude

I’ve been wondering what it would be like to go offline. No more rollercoaster news. No more tech bro manipulations. No more curiosity about solar flares and their effects. I’ve asked myself these questions when thinking about 2026.

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Nova

Carl and I were asked and agreed to be the godparents of a dog named Nova. Nearly three years later, Nova has gone missing. She was on her usual walk with her human pet, and a very loud gun shot, and Nova hasn’t been seen since. I am in the midst of obsession, trying to will her home, even as Arctic cold and snow barrel toward us.

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Tubby’s Exercise Regime

The “new exercise program” that Tubby refers to below is Carl playing with Tubby and Talulah. They wait for him every morning, noon, and night. If it isn’t time to eat, it is time to play.

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Murder of Crows

Apparently videos, like photos, sometimes don’t capture the miracle and magic of nature. As with this meeting of crows at Darwin’s View or the aurora borealis.

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Deconstruction!

Carl had a eureka moment this fall when he found Deconstruction Works, whose business model is aligned with our imagining and implementing process.

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A Play Reading

I had a reading for my 10-minute play “Embodiment” at Firelight Theater Workship this past week. I was nervous, such that I neglected to take photos. But really, it did happen!

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Of Bobcats and Chickens

While eating dinner, unusual clucks and shrieks came from the hens. We jumped up and out to see what was amiss. “Bobcat in the chicken yard!” Carl shouted. I ran to the coop.

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Allegro Confusione

Allegro Confusione. That’s what Carl’s mother dubbed their home when she was raising him and his three siblings. I find it is an apt name? As we prepare to jump into the revisioning and rebuilding of Allegro Confusione, I get that too familiar feeling in my chest because major renovations are out of sync with my values. True or false?

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Never Give Up

I gave a false impression in my Spring Equinox newsletter that I’d like to rectify. The post began with, “I gave up on my play.” I neglected to mention that by the time I’d published that missive, I was already back to work on Triage. Because I will never give up on it. Never say never?

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Snowball’s Chance in Hell

Just as we celebrated the pullets’ birthday and their safe return to their home in Dublin, Snowball began to practice a new dance move. With her neck. It was reminiscent of a snake dance, her head swiveling while her neck curved and twisted.

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Goodbye, Tesla

Our 2018 Model 3 Tesla, that was to be the last car we bought, is off to the auction block. Quite bittersweet. It was a great car. Until it took on an unbearable Musk.

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Chicken Spa Day in February

The situation had become untenable. I’d delayed because it had been crazy cold and windy. But three of the chickens—one pullet and two French Morans—had situations and expected me to tidy their bottoms. And so it finally happened. Spa day in February.

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Recognizing the Critic Within

Yesterday, when I had decided to give up the play—let it go, it’s hopeless—I took a breath and opened up to what might come instead. It seemed appropriate because it was early morning and still dark out, and I was supposed to be meditating.

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The Winter Solstice & Heart-Mind Connection

Apparently, the heart has a large electric-magnetic field that radiates out beyond our physical bodies by several feet, and sends a lot more information to the brain than the brain does to the heart. What’s that mean? Why does it matter?

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S.W.I.A.T.H.!!!!!

I began this post prior to the elections. When it seemed as if something wonderful is about to happen might come true. And it did. Just not for me.

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New Chickens

In late October 2024, our 13 hens were in full molt, a.k.a. naked of feathers, and no more eggs on the horizon until the skies begin to brighten in the spring. Which I had in mind when I considered the following…

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