Articles by Shannon Bardwell
Possumhaw: Down in the hidey hole
Over and around me were sounds of the bubble bee but I was unable to find the little fellow.
Possumhaw: Night of the pink moon
“Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss it, you’ll land among the stars.” — Les Brown, American motivational speaker and former T.V. host The
Possumhaw: A climate of calm
A friend on social media occasionally post one question asking for one answer. The last question was “What is the one thing you find calming?” They’re a lot of things I find calming but without giving it much thought I posted “my kittens.”
Possumhaw: Packing the Mayflower
We sort of made a deal on the clover patch and areas for dandelions. Sam mowed most of our ever-growing yard while I negotiated clover and dandelion plots. When Sam got the Hustler, he told the seller it took him longer and longer to mow the lawn.
Possumhaw: Of fowl and flower
Spring is truly in the air, even with a few nights of cool temperatures, it’s nice to wake to birds singing, bees buzzing on cherry tree blooms, butterflies flitting across dandelions. Oh, it is all so glorious after a very, very, long year. Spirits are lifted. Wilhelmina, the cat, pirouettes across the new green grass leaping for butterflies she’ll never capture. Harry, the other cat, crouches in the clover eyeing bluebirds as they check out bluebird boxes.
Possumhaw: Dark was the night
“By the time anyone figured out the storm was coming it was too late to do anything but batten down the hatches and exercise damage
Possumhaw: Ode to the redbud
A few years back Sam decided to clear out an area near the pond of overgrown and broken cedars, bodock, brambles, brush and briars. It was my job to mark the redbud trees with a spot of spray paint so as not to accidentally remove any redbuds. Removing the unwanted trees, particularly the evergreen cedars, allowed more sunlight
Possumhaw: Beauty or beast
“The extensive planting of just one exotic species removes thousands of native species.” — “The Trees in My Forest” by Bernd Heinrich-Biologist and Author
Possumhaw: Stop and smell the coffee
Every morning a cup of coffee is delivered to my bedside table.
Possumhaw: One transition to the next
As fast as the winter ice storm arrived it left. On a hilly gravel road out here in the Prairie there had been little or no traffic for a week.
Possumhaw: Something to sing about
As I glanced out the window birds were gathering around the cracked corn, I had tossed out earlier in the day. Amid the freezing ice and snow and scarcity of food I heard a bird singing.
Possumhaw: When arctic winds blow
Silence can always be broken by sound of footsteps walking over frozen ground.
Possumhaw: There’s always something to celebrate…
Well, if you enjoy winter it’s expected to continue six more weeks according to Punxsutawney Phil.
Possumhaw: The power of plants
Bundled up and facing a gusty wind while taking a slow walk down the gravel road to the newspaper box and back, I climbed through the fence railing and walked up the lake’s dam.
Possumhaw: Pure domestic bliss
Last week and the week before I stayed in most of the week and the weekend. There was the snow and the cold breezy winds the week before and the holiday the week after.
Possumhaw: What comes in January
A week ago, we all awakened to a beautiful blanket of white. I found myself giddy and mesmerized by the “new fallen snow.”
Possumhaw: Making the most of winter
We are now officially in our third week of winter when north winds blow and temperatures plummet. Weather reports suggest there may be a freeze, possibly even a snowflake or two.
Possumhaw: A world of reading
Before Christmas Sam and I were gifted a book “The Christmas Candle,” along with a suggestion to read the book together during the holidays. While both of us are readers the idea of reading a book together was a novel idea.
Possumhaw: Hindsight is 20/20
Perhaps we can take a moment to “look into the rearview mirror” as they say. It’s certainly been a strange year.
Possumhaw: Dooley joins a gang
“To cherish peace and goodwill, to be plenteous in mercy, is to have the real spirit of Christmas.” — Calvin Coolidge, 30th President of the
