Christmas In the Coffee Shops? What About Thanksgiving?

by Barbara Hartsook November 17, 2009

The local Starbucks coffee shop changes with the seasons. New mugs, new coffee packaging, new displays. And of course, decorations… Yesterday Christmas decorations went in as my hubby and I sat reading, over coffee. Snow-frosted pine garlands crossed over the tops of shelves and poked their message of good cheer in and out of everywhere. [...]

Read the rest…

What is a Rascal and is it a Good Thing?

by Barbara Hartsook November 3, 2009

Is being a Rascal a good thing? Do I know any? Am I one? I saw a blog post today that quoted Chris Brady — a businessman, best-selling author, speaker, and a self-proclaimed Rascal — in listing several qualities of a Rascal. According to @RascalTweets: A Rascal is a guy or gal who makes a [...]

Read the rest…

Think and Do in Order to Have Done Something

by Barbara Hartsook October 26, 2009

How important is it to you, at day’s beginning, to know what you will have done by day’s end? I ask myself, Do I know what I want to have done by bedtime tonight? Enough that I … Plan for it? Dress for it? Mark out an hour or several in my planner to tackle [...]

Read the rest…

What Would You Rather Be Doing?

by Barbara Hartsook July 8, 2009

Yesterday I got a survey-type email from a friend that asked what I’d rather be doing, my favorite foods, fragrances, etc. I don’t normally take such surveys. I just read them and then delete. But this one made me think a minute… I was asked what smells really good to me? I like to breathe [...]

Read the rest…

Does Romance Outlast the Rose?

by Barbara Hartsook June 18, 2009

Roses say romance… but does the romance outlast the rose? Once upon a time, eighteen years or so ago, a young man won his love’s heart with a rose every Friday. Oh, it wasn’t always a rose. Sometimes it was a dozen roses, sometimes a teddy bear. But always a gift, and always on Friday. [...]

Read the rest…

Do We Always Do What We’ve Always Done?

by Barbara Hartsook June 11, 2009

Must we always do things we’ve always done just because we’ve always done them? I used to cook. And decorate the food. When Wes and I were first married, I learned to cook on a budget because money was definitely scarce, and much of what little we both made as teachers had to be saved [...]

Read the rest…

When is the Art Done?

by Barbara Hartsook June 4, 2009

I was recently asked, When is the art done? And I gave some silly response that had nothing to do with the question. Maybe if she’d asked, Is the art ever done? I might have answered like this: No. It’s never done. Not really. Not if the artist uses pigments to tell a story and [...]

Read the rest…

Do Impromptu Visits With Friends Uplift You?

by Barbara Hartsook May 29, 2009

My friend Donna rapped on my door one night as I sat down to read the paper before dinner. She stood in the drizzle of rain mixed with twilight, her face barely visible under a hooded sweatshirt. Just for a bit of conversation she said. I was delighted! I crave the kind of friendship that [...]

Read the rest…

What Will You Have Done With Your Day When the Sun Sets?

by Barbara Hartsook May 27, 2009

The day is still fresh though the dew has dried. The cool air brushes by softly, but I’m comfortable in sweats. A few birds still sing. A neighbor starts his lawn mower somewhere in the distance… And I have my day planned. What am I doing with it? Out of the blocks… Jamie VanCauwenbergh By [...]

Read the rest…

Do You Have a Minute, Jack?

by Barbara Hartsook May 23, 2009

I fell in love as soon as I opened the photos for last week’s Weekend Drawing Event at WetCanvas. His name is Jack… He’s so young, but I see a child who appears comfortable with who he is so far. Maybe he is loved enough to be who he is. That’s a comforting thought. He [...]

Read the rest…