We’re not in the market for a new home, but my husband and I enjoy visiting open houses for sale in our neighborhood. This morning we toured a tiny but charming bungalow a few blocks away. Beautifully presented, it had been updated in a way that respected the vintage of the house. It was inspiring—exactly the kind of home tour I normally adore. But I couldn’t wait to leave … [Read more...]

Over coffee, I asked Jonny his plans for the day. He detailed a quest for some particular hot peppers he needed for a new chili powder recipe, followed by warfare with the gophers that have taken over our back yard. Hot peppers and war? I’m just writing about Aries today; he’s living it. I have to marvel at these gophers. The soil in our area is expansive clay, and it’s … [Read more...]

A classic Twilight Zone episode tells the story of seemingly benign aliens who have come to earth and pledged their help to mankind. Indeed, one of their seminal texts is entitled "To Serve Man." Imagine the dismayed surprise of the humanoids who, having clasped these aliens to their bosoms, belatedly discover that the book is not a paean to intergalactic relations, as they'd … [Read more...]

A few years ago, just before a Sagittarius New Moon, our indoor cat Spike escaped the secure confines of our home and went walkabout. I soothed my anxiety by imagining him on a kind of exciting Spirit Quest, possibly involving medicinal-grade catnip. When he returned 36 hours later, Spike seemed calm and fairly mellow, if ravenously hungry; but he paid the price for his … [Read more...]