This weekend my daughter and I strolled through Lithia park during a lunch date. It was an especially cold day; as we walked past the lower duck pond, we noticed that it was encased with a thick layer of ice.

Years ago while traveling in Tibet, I was amazed by the dryness of the climate. Though the mountains were covered with snow, and the rivers were raging torrents, the ground was largely a dusty wasteland.

My father lived on a lake.Before he built his house near the lake shore, the wooded lot was a favorite picnic and party spot for trespassing revelers.It had a nice little beach for swimming and its location offered good views of the lake.

My daughter didn’t get her first taste of sweets until she was almost a year old.  My wife and I knew that once she tasted sweet it would change her relationship to food, so we figured that our daughter couldn’t crave what she didn’t know about.  When the day came, we decided that to start her out with a small spoonful of honey. 

The other day while I was driving my car, I began to hear a rattle that I hadn’t heard before.  Since my car is 15 years old, I had gotten used to new rattles showing up.  My usual remedy is to find the rattle and push on it, or give it a knock with my hand.  Sometimes this works, other times I just have to find a way to let it be.