Category Archives: Beauty

The Secret is to Make Practice Effortless

To increase your skill level with any job or hobby, you need two things: LOTS of book-learning hours LOTS of real-world practice Surgeon or master carpenter or architect or watercolorist. They all require lots of study and practice. The challenge … Continue reading

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An Inch Made All the Difference

So much can happen during an unplanned 10-week break from blogging. My last post was on August 17th, and a week later I got word that I had reached the top of a housing waiting list, so it was time … Continue reading

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The Gentleman Farmer from Newark: Part 1

My parents were city kids, but when Dad turned fifty, he decided it was high time to become a gentleman farmer. He’d never had a speck of dirt under his fingernails, but no worries; he had two young kids who, … Continue reading

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Sumac, Horses, and Crickets

1964: The summer breeze is a blend of fresh hay, saddle soap, and the sweet smell of horse sweat.  At Chestnut Bay Stables, learning to be safe and responsible in the barns and on the trails long precedes any time … Continue reading

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Telling Tales in a New Way

I’ve spent hours this week listening to The Art of Brevity, a brilliant celebration of “less is more.” “Flash fiction is a brook flowing through the woods. It is easy to step over, and it’s not big enough to be … Continue reading

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A Good Book Is Like a Mirror

Much to my surprise, I am experiencing “an embarrassment of riches” with this recent deep dive into reading. The latest FICTION audio/eBook I am enjoying is The Dictionary of Lost Words. ~~~~~ On my eleventh birthday, my dad gave me a … Continue reading

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Give Yourself Permission to have Gentle Habits

Here’s a mostly true story: Aaron (or “Double-A-Ron” as his friends called him) was a gentle soul lovingly referred to as the town drunk. His regular haunt was the Village Tap Tavern. Every day he would wander in about 4pm, … Continue reading

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Planting future seeds of creative momentum

“Not every day is meant for painting.”What?? Blasphemy! The garden metaphor is helpful. If we were watering, fertilizing, weeding, and bothering our plants every day, they would ask us to leave. They might stop thriving, or wilt, or even die … Continue reading

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What could you learn in just two hours a week?

Three questions for this next week of April 2025 Spring Fever: 1- Would you like to have room for even more learning? 2- If so, what subject would you explore? 3- Would two hours a week, for only a month, … Continue reading

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Mentors are the Key to Momentum

“Next, how do you refill your energetic / creative fuel tank? How often are you doing it, and might more time be helpful?” -question from last week’s essay April’s theme is all about harnessing restlessness, claiming your focus, and developing … Continue reading

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