On a recent spring day, I walked to the woods behind my house. The sun shown brilliantly, and a robust wind blew the mostly-barren limbs…
joyclevelandMay 2, 2023
The time had come—the dreaded pants shopping. I took a deep breath, pulled the door open and braced myself. How many pairs of women’s pants…
joyclevelandAugust 29, 2022
Today, the sun is shining, birds are cavorting, and only a few stubborn piles of snow are sticking around. Yay! It’s officially 20 days until…
joyclevelandMarch 1, 2022
To my mind’s eye, he is quite old and old-fashioned. He wears gloves, a dark suit, a stiff top hat, and black, polished shoes. He…
joyclevelandJanuary 11, 2022
My name is not Sharon, but Sharon is a fine and lovely name. However, there is a woman who thinks my name is Sharon. I’ll…
joyclevelandOctober 4, 2021
I called him Bronzy… And the minute I saw him in the furniture store, I knew we were made for each other. He was a…
joyclevelandJune 23, 2021
Howard Beetle passed away on June 17, 2020 on top of a bathroom sink. He was a longhorn beetle and an Iowa forest native. As…
joyclevelandMarch 17, 2021
Today is the last day of 2020. As I write this blog, I’m debating with myself. Should I wish everyone a Happy New Year? Didn’t…
joyclevelandDecember 31, 2020
We humans like ‘perfect’—perfect hair, perfect weather, perfect kids, perfect WiFi, perfect cheese plates… According to one website, the perfect cheese plate must have the following: Homemade wheat…
joyclevelandDecember 20, 2020