Entries by Susan Smith Daniels

Is it Spring Yet?

April 16, 2019 /0 Comments/in , /by

It’s been a long winter in Iowa. Spring arrived for a couple of days and then disappeared, leaving us cold and peevish, reaching for  hats and scarves and puffy coats grossly overdue for cleaning. Things in my garden poked up and stalled, like the peonies behind the grumpy angel. There have been many inaccurate predictions, […]

Book Clubs: Reading with Friends

January 31, 2019 /0 Comments/in , , /by

That perfect tranquillity of life, which is nowhere to be found but in retreat, a faithful friend and a good library. -Aphra Behn, 17th Century poet, playwright and novelist. This is a picture  from December with my book club of thirty some years (with the addition of a visiting club). It was also my first […]

The Stone Wall

December 31, 2018 /0 Comments/in , /by

“After we had the pond filled in, I built this wall to separate that spot from the garden.. I found the cherub at a yard sale. It reminded me of him.” As the year  works its way to a close, our house is littered with the trappings of Christmas just past:  empty boxes, bits of […]

Cold Weather, Warm People

November 24, 2018 /2 Comments/in /by

Winter whipped itself into the state last week,  from 44 to 18 overnight with wind to drag the feel of it to nearly zero. Despite thirty-seven years of Iowa living, it never fails to surprise me. I can prepare, I can wear the appropriate clothing, but I can’t anticipate the shock of the first cold […]