While I love strolling through a garden center looking for just the right plant for a particular spot in my garden, most of my plants were not purchased, and my garden is not so much planned as it is cobbled together out of what I had to work with. At least half of my garden consists of plants given to me by my mom and neighbors looking for someone willing to take their gardens’ orphans. When hosta, bleeding hearts, coral bells,... Read more
Christians like me, who lean left on political and social issues, are often accused of failing to honor the Bible as an authoritative source. As Derek Penwell noted in a recent Huffington Post piece (“The Problem with Assuming Liberal Christians Hate the Bible“), the opposite is often true. We lefties take the Bible very seriously, basing our views on such things as women’s roles in church and family, societal obligations to the poor, gun laws, and homosexuality on Biblical ideals, including... Read more
Our Western cultural attitudes are not well-equipped for failure. We are a culture of optimists and fixers, holding fiercely to the notion that “pain is gain.” We want to believe that any problem can be overcome, any broken thing fixed, with hard work, a strong will, smart decisions, and hefty doses of modern technology. Christians can add earnest prayer and being “right with God” to the list. Our faith in the potent combination of personal strengths and technological advances to help... Read more
Every summer for the past five years, I have taken my kids to swim lessons at a local outdoor pool. The main parking lot is at the bottom of a steep, long hill, with the pool and locker rooms at the top of the hill. Signs clearly indicate that the only cars allowed up the hill are those needing one of three handicapped parking spots up there. Because I have a handicapped tag (and walking up and down that hill,... Read more
Last Thursday morning, the bells of my Episcopal church pealed to celebrate the Supreme Court’s rejection of the Defense of Marriage Act. In my house in the days since, we have been playing Macklemore and Ryan Lewis’s song Same Love at top volume. The opening strains of the song, which indicts the notion that homosexuality is a choice and a sin, echo Curtis Mayfield’s gospel hit People Get Ready. That seems right in light of last week’s events, doesn’t it? People get... Read more
For the past few springs, my lilies have been infested early in spring by red lily leaf beetles, which, if left alone, will destroy lilies and related plants. I have resorted to hand picking of beetles off my plants combined with a good spray of insecticide just once early in the season, at a time when there are no other beneficial insects (such as bees) in the garden. I am pleased to say that once again, my lilies have survived... Read more
This is the third post in which I discuss my efforts to deal with chronic arthritis pain through naturopathy. Read the first and second posts here and here. So. I went to a naturopath in March hoping—believing—that something would help. Knowing that other people with OI (and many other conditions) swear by acupuncture for relief, I thought it might help me. When my naturopath told me that I tested low for Vitamin B12, which is associated with mood and response... Read more
This post is very slightly edited from its original version published last August. You’ll note that I now have a new, much more attractive and comfortable bench to sit on as I work and keep an eye on the dog and soak up the sun. I spend several hours a day sitting on this bench in our front yard. I do this to keep our dog, Sunday, company as she roams the yard. I want to keep an eye on... Read more
I’m starting a simple Friday tradition of posting a snapshot from the environment in which I write here on Oak Ridge Lane. This idea came because, as I sit outside on my bench writing, I find myself wishing I could share the sunlit beauty of my garden. Of course, what is possible in June will not be possible in January, so I will no doubt post snapshots of things other than pretty garden blooms. Let’s see where this takes us….... Read more
Ellen Painter Dollar
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