For 2100 years, in the Age of Pisces, we focused on the structures of our beliefs and social systems to build permanence and safety. Now, the Age of Aquarius asks us to shake things up, reimagine those structures and think outside the box. The constraints of the pandemic closed a lot of doors last year…

Did you know that there are seven weather elements? They are: temperature, air pressure, cloud formation, humidity, precipitation, sunshine and wind velocity. My curiosity peaked while walking to the mailbox today. The wind howled fiercely, and the air felt colder because of it. I had to continually hold my hair to the side of my face so I could…

As 2020 closes, I’m aware that since February, my travel has only extended 25 miles from my home, and the local market’s international aisle is the closest I’ve come to tasting foreign cuisine. Today, lost in contemplation over future adventures, I pulled out last year’s travel journal. As I opened it, the above post card…

Thanksgiving 2020: This Thanksgiving offers the space and opportunity to be in appreciation of everyone who has impacted my life, quietly and reflectively. While I miss a bustling house of loved ones, the change allows me to experience the old traditions in new ways. Today’s post was written in 2014.   ~Love, Kate. Seven large Granny Smith…

Sex is in everything. It’s why we are here — it’s what we do. Yet, it’s not a suitable subject in social settings. It is not allowed in school — well, not in the classroom. It is feared by some, angers others, and is desired by most. Frequently, words related to genitalia cause a sharp…

“A fight just broke out in the quad!” blared the voice on my walkie-talkie as I walked the campus corridors at the tail end of lunch. High school administrators supervise the school grounds during every break to prevent just such occurrences. Getting the location, I stepped up my pace and headed to the altercation. Two…

Fire season sparks memories of 1964. My grandparents’ home, Glen Eyrie, became collateral damage to a forest fire in Napa County. My grandfather began building that home on 50 acres off of Highway 128, near the Napa Sonoma County line in 1930. He talked often of his labor of love: clearing the land and using…

Next to my desk is a small basket stuffed with bookmarks, eyeglasses, stamps, a few papers and my business license. While digging for a stamp, my sixth-grade autograph book surfaced. I’d placed it in that basket temporarily one afternoon during one of my regular ‘cleaning out’ rituals to consider its permanent placement. I smiled, took…

Picking up the top of our leaded crystal butter dish while unloading the dishwasher this morning, it slipped out of my hand. I watched helplessly as it fell to the floor in slow motion and shattered. The breaking glass had a tinkling sound, like wind chimes. It startled me. I stood frozen and began to…

A beacon of illumination that guides me in uncharted times. My drawing is partly accurate and partly imagined. Aren’t most things? We are storytellers, creating narratives from our own experience, perception and values. On June 20 and 21, the summer solstice and a partial solar eclipse open us to a shift in perception. We are asked to…