Do not remove the clapper from the bell — Your voice is not a sound. Your voice is you. It is not air strumming your vocal cords, slipping through your throat, pummeling your lips. Everything you hear or see or feel, everything you learn and come to know becomes your voice. Packed in many layers, unique and responsive to what…

Having to do with tea and treats — I have never thought of myself as being obsessive, but when it comes to my daily cup of tea, I plead guilty. I like things to be balanced in my life, whenever possible. This leads to a strong desire to have things “come out even”. As far as my cup…

The memory of writing it still makes me smile! — When I was 10 years old, back in 1961, I was like so many girls, crazy about horses. Living in a city with no easy access to flesh-and-blood horses, I read every book about horses I could get from the local public library. My very favorite writer about horses was…

And a moment of connection — Yesterday in the parking lot of my local grocery store, my son and I were amused to see a long horse trailer with a copper-colored horse sticking his head out the window. We walked up to the trailer. The horse gazed at us with the well-mannered interest of a friendly…

The reason is not always evident — When asked this question, most people, including myself, would reply “cats purr because they are happy.” Most of the time this is true. But I was interested to read recently that sometimes cats purr as a way to calm themselves and even to heal themselves. After all, there are few…

Trying to understand my cats — I have lived most of my life with cats. I love them, but after all these years, they still remain a mystery to me. Until today, when I suddenly realized my cats and I share many similar traits. Like me, they want to be treated with respect. They don’t want…

If so, I scarcely see them — Are there shadows in summer? If so, I scarcely see them. Like a child, too often my attention is drawn to what is bright and new. But in winter there is little to snare my curious eyes except the sprawling shadows beneath the naked trees. Shifting and amorphous, engendered by…

Sometimes even more than performances — I am not exactly sure why, but I love watching rehearsals. There are times when I feel I enjoy rehearsals even more than the finished performance. This is true whenever I have the chance to observe musicians, dancers, actors . . any person or group of people who are concentrating…

Here’s why — I have been a bird watcher for many years. As with most animals, female birds have lots of work to do. Building a nest. Birthing babies. Feeding the young ones. So why do I say female birds have it made? Female birds have one advantage over female humans. For the…