Tag: writing
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when you let down your armor
I didn’t put eyeliner on yesterday. For at least 20 years, it’s been a non-negotiable part of my morning ritual. Every single day, I’d meticulously cover up my ever present dark under eye circles, then line my dichromatic eyes with a deep purple liner to give them definition, a shield that only I knew about,…
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beyond the books – community matters
For at least 6 months, I’ve been trying to find someone to help clean, inspect, and prepare the cabins for guests. I wrote a fantastic job description with the help of AI and I posted it in several locations that seemed like a good fit. But it’s not glamorous work, and finding someone reliable and…
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when guests become family
Today, I let myself be vulnerable about this separation in a way that I knew was coming, but that I was dreading. For the first time, today I told a returning guest that Jeremy and I have separated. She’s stayed with me only once before, but I talk to her on the phone almost monthly…
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living the dream – believing in benezette
I “moved” full time to our camper in Benezette in early January 2021. (A family member was living in our house in Carlisle, so when I say move, understand I packed some clothes and some stuff I loved, but left our home still mostly intact.) The Willow was my focus for the first quarter since…
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it’s not all elk and sunsets
The water softener is out of salt. Again. I can tell because the dish cloths come out of the wash with tell tale rust stains where someone used it to wipe up something greasy – you know, like you do with a dish rag. It’s the last of the typical 5 loads of laundry that…
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when small town life feels too small
I’ve been envious of the town of Ridgway lately. They’ve got some amazing architecture featured in their “Lily of the Valley” Historic district (the Romanesque mansion of Mrs. William H. Hyde is my favorite. Those porches!), there’s cute new shops popping up all over their walk able downtown area, and they’re putting on cool community events…
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the trouble with ice cream
There are 3 places to get ice cream in the small 107 square miles that make up Benezette. You’ve got those cute little premade sundae cups like from school or the public pool (and pints and half gallons, but I don’t need THAT much ice cream) at the Elk Crossing 555 General Store, Perry’s ice…
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the reckoning
Wait. That’s not my phone number. My husband had ‘disappeared’ again. He’s done this off and on for the more than 25 years I’ve known him, but more frequently since his sister died in 2023. I hadn’t been too concerned really. I knew he was dealing with some sad stuff – I let him have…
Building Benezette 