Eight of my fave songs from an important year — In 1988, I did something that would change my life forever. A shy person who nonetheless loved acting, I had joined my college’s student-run drama organization the previous year. In 1988, we performed an entire show of improvisational comedy. In those days, few people were aware of improv, and we…

Take a listen to the band Buffalo Rose. — I hadn’t heard of Buffalo Rose the first time I saw them live. They were playing at a concert series I attend regularly that attracts nationally known singer-songwriters and local singers looking for a starting place. They were the latter; I wasn’t sure what to expect from this young group. …

And I’m not even that rugged. — As a former Girl Scout whose “camping” expeditions were in a cabin with a kitchen and an indoor bathroom, I have no illusions of being rugged. Yet I love nature and will gladly step on mossy rocks to cross a stream or bend down to more closely examine and photograph…

Do you agree with these selections? — I recently wrote an article called Four Amazing Rock Songs by Billy Joel That Weren’t Hits. In it, I said I am too big a fan to simply list my favorite songs without further categorizing them. So how about looking at love songs? …

Monthly Challenge — Baby Wild Animals — This baby caught me off guard. I had just finished a tour of an unusual house that is open to the public. My friends and I were exploring the home’s small urban garden when I looked up and saw the speckled baby robin. Unlike other young robins I’ve seen, this…

What was happening? — I almost slept through it. I’d just awakened with a start at 8:30 p.m., having conked out on the couch while watching TV. I glanced out my living room window. The threatening weather had never materialized into the predicted severe storms, and it looked pleasant outside. I checked the radar…

Spring Six Word Photo Story Challenge: “Nature Art” — This fish is beached — it’s O.K. On my beach vacations, I loved to walk along the shoreline in the mornings and evenings when the Florida sun wasn’t sizzling over my head. …

Revisiting high school days from 1970–2020 through music and fashion — I was on YouTube for a work-related reason when I stumbled upon the thumbnail for a video. The title, “(1970–2020) Every Year of High School Medley,” grabbed me and I couldn’t resist clicking on it. In four and a half minutes…