by Byron Ballard | Nov 25, 2016
It may be that celebrating the harvest was always a complicated matter. After spending months in the anxiety and hard work of planting, tending, harvesting and preserving the crops, we were exhausted, worn out. We faced a winter that was uncertain as to its duration...
by Byron Ballard | Nov 21, 2016
Spent all day today in meetings, one right after the other. Good meetings, strong meetings, merry meetings. Yesterday, however, was a day of traveling and thinking and scheming. It began in Cleveland, in the rain. I woke in a shabby but comfortable motel room to a...
by Byron Ballard | Oct 4, 2016
Mercy, mercy. I have been on the road for most of this year, it seems. This morning in the wee-est of hours, I ate the remnants of a very good cobb salad, packed my duffle-bag and took the shuttle to the Pittsburgh airport. Eight hours later, I unlocked my much-loved...
by My Village Witch | May 4, 2016
First, there was the blind man, the one Star met while outside smoking. Everyone in the pub knew him by name and we had a fine time with him discussing politics and writing and all sorts of things. He introduced us to Gordon Douglas, who had written a second book...
by My Village Witch | May 2, 2016
Oor Wullie, Dundee Our guest house in Dundee was a stunner with a gorgeous old garden. The weather continued its crap trend and we had trouble connecting with our friends there. We never did see Mark, and Terry had some issues getting to Dundee from Kirkcaldy. He...
by My Village Witch | Apr 30, 2016
I am home from a month in Britain. It was a working trip, field research for a book, a homecoming of the heart. I kept a travel journal and have lumped together some essays to share with you here. Essay One On the Land: all the elements Choosing to spend a...
