Tag: Nonfiction

historic postcard image of the Old Edwards Inn in Highlands, NC
Aging, Chef David, Descriptive Writing, Dogs, Essays, Family, Home, Memoirs, Non-Fiction, North Carolina, Parenting, Reflections, Scout-the-Goldapeake-Retriever, Storytelling, The South, Writing

Reflection: Can We at Least Finish This Thing?

Over the course of the long holiday weekend I have fairly devoured this novel by Catherine Newman, whose main character and plot resonate with me in 10,000 kinds of ways. The setting for her story is a favorite summer vacation rental on Cape Cod where the protagonist-narrator, a menopausal mom, has returned for a week (the standard annual stay) with her husband and now-grown children, … Continue reading Reflection: Can We at Least Finish This Thing?

Unknown's avatarDeb German1 Comment
Aging, Essays, Home, Non-Fiction, North Carolina, Photography

Almanac: An Afternoon With Brownie Harris

If you work full-time remote as I do, maybe you’ve grown accustomed to the irksome Zoom environment so essential to calls and meetings. (I use ‘Zoom’ here generically like ‘Kleenex’ to describe the many platforms—Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, Slack Huddle—our marketing agency relies upon to conduct bidness depending on client preferences and time constraints and who’s got access to the paid versions and such.) Aside … Continue reading Almanac: An Afternoon With Brownie Harris

Unknown's avatarDeb GermanLeave a comment
Books, Essays, Non-Fiction, Storytelling, The South, Travel, Writers, Writing

Reflection: Exploring the Deep South (Slowly) With Paul Theroux

A certain ‘smart speaker’ makes quick book purchases a tad too easy, doesn’t she? Open email, flip through the Times book review, ask her to buy it now, and Bam! an exciting new read (or a pile of ‘em) shows up on your doorstep in a day or two. To make matters worse, I happen to be a hardcover snob and relent to a paperback … Continue reading Reflection: Exploring the Deep South (Slowly) With Paul Theroux

Unknown's avatarDeb German1 Comment
Chef David, Christmas, Cuisine, Essays, Family, Home, Non-Fiction, Reflections, Vermont, Wilmington, North Carolina, Writing

Lies, Damn Lies, and Fake Christmas Trees

We finally did it, gentle reader, bought our first (and last?) artificial Christmas tree. There she stands at an impressive nine-point-five feet, all aglow with baked-in lights, and strewn with garland and all our favorite ornaments. Right off the bat, let me just say we miss that fragrance, you know the one. Thus far we’ve tried burning a scented candle to compensate, but because we … Continue reading Lies, Damn Lies, and Fake Christmas Trees

Unknown's avatarDeb German1 Comment
Descriptive Writing, Essays, Home, Journaling, Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Parenting, Writing

Reflection: Getting Parenting Right, in the Best of Times and the Worst of Times

I pass a road called Rosa Parks Lane each morning on my way to work. It’s unpaved and does not look like much from the major north-south artery in Wilmington that serves it. Driving past it, were you to turn your head and glance, you’d see the characteristically flat, scrubby, sandy landscape that defines coastal North Carolina, offset by clumps of Loblolly pines with their … Continue reading Reflection: Getting Parenting Right, in the Best of Times and the Worst of Times

Unknown's avatarDeb German1 Comment