When we were young children, at least back in my childhood days, we used to love reading and hearing those “Once Upon a Time” bedtime stories, many of them adaptations of Aesop’s Fables, or taken from the Tales of Mother Goose, or taken from the pen of The Brothers Grimm. On the ...

This year we are observing the wildlife at Hickory Heights differently. We have always put out bird feeders that attracted a multitude of kinds of birds. The Pennsylvania Wildlife Commission has requested that all bird feeders be taken down. We complied. Now we are missing our birds. While ...

I recently stayed at a friend’s cabin perched just above a small lake in an area that defines “the middle of nowhere”. Much of the weekend centered around water activities - swimming, kayaking, fishing, and more. And much of the weekend conversation centered around the plants in the ...

Writing these Musings in advance for eleven years has shown me the wisdom of penning my words early to avoid any of the last minute deadline panic I still remember from college years. By the time you are reading this, Hero should be happily settled in here with me. I had not seen Anne in a ...

Not far from the cottage where I spent summers stood Sheldon Hall, the beloved and well-known mansion built by Ralph Sheldon in 1920. It was, at the time of my childhood, not lived in, but was well cared for, the lawn a carpet of green that spread out forever beside the lake, the old manse ...

When I was ready to double-check my writing with the internet, I discovered there was no National Picnic Day anywhere near this time. It’s observed on April 23rd (which is usually far too chilly) with the international day set for June 18th. What was I thinking? The reply to this (assuring ...