Author Archives: Andrea Jones

Riven

Posted on October 21, 2020 by Andrea Jones

The color of the wood caught my eye. Dull gold? Whitened tan? Honeyed beige? Light, in any event, blanched against the worn grasses and graying woodland litter. We were on the way back from a little hike, about a quarter … Continue reading →

Posted in trees and plants, weather | Tagged , , , | 7 Comments

Sweet Moondo

Posted on September 15, 2020 by Andrea Jones

In the background of all the unnerving events of 2020, a more private anguish has been unfolding for us. Back in early March, on one of the days I was rushing off to one appointment or another, I was driving … Continue reading →

Posted in horses, observation | Tagged , , , | 28 Comments

Isn’t This a Long One?

Posted on August 14, 2020 by Andrea Jones

January last seems impossibly distant. Memories from back then are round-edged and worn, like relics of a lost civilization. The pandemic was dawning, of course, although few of us in this country had a clue what was to come. Lockdowns, … Continue reading →

Posted in gardening, humans and wildlife, precipitation, rodents, trees and plants, weather, wildlife encounters | Tagged , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

This Social Distance

Posted on May 27, 2020 by Andrea Jones

I didn’t know there was a name for my quirky lifestyle. Practical logistics dictated by our choice to move to a distinctly rural and reasonably remote area in the spring of 2001 amplified the tendency to social distance, but I’ve … Continue reading →

Posted in home, working from home, writing | Tagged , , | 7 Comments

On Not Riding

Posted on March 10, 2020 by Andrea Jones

At a writing workshop I attended back in 1998, our instructor, Marita Golden, urged vigilance against opening a door in an essay if we didn’t intend to lead readers through it at some point. In other words, don’t distract your … Continue reading →

Posted in animal communication, horses, writing | Tagged , , , , , | 7 Comments

On Not Writing

Posted on February 18, 2020 by Andrea Jones

The classic, and in some ways definitive, advice on writing is this line by Mary Heaton Vorse, as chronicled by Sinclair Lewis: “The art of writing is the art of applying the seat of the pants to the seat of … Continue reading →

Posted in procrastination, scientific literacy, writing | Tagged , , , | 14 Comments

Pets

Posted on November 15, 2019 by Andrea Jones

For a whole bunch of different reasons, we do not have housepets. Actually, in the case of cats, there’s one very good reason, which is that Doug is highly allergic, even though he likes cats and they universally adore him. … Continue reading →

Posted in horses | Tagged , | 6 Comments

This Fall Interval

Posted on October 25, 2019 by Andrea Jones

In this interval, we hauled the hay, stacked the wood, stowed the cushions from the outdoor furniture. We transported the flowerpots that spent the summer adorning the decks around the house down the hill to the greenhouse. If the plants … Continue reading →

Posted in change of seasons, color, fall, gardening, spring, summer, winter | 9 Comments

On Tomatoes

Posted on September 15, 2019 by Andrea Jones

Revolting. If you had asked me when I was a kid what I thought of tomatoes, that’s probably the word I would have offered—or “gross” maybe, or “disgusting” when I was a little older. Actually, you probably wouldn’t have had … Continue reading →

Posted in cooking and recipes, fall, gardening, summer | Tagged , , , , , | 7 Comments

Vacation Reflections

Posted on August 31, 2019 by Andrea Jones

Well, vacations—both the planned of July and the unplanned of August—are over: time to get back to writing work. What better way to get back into the routine than to reflect on the break? About not writing in August, there’s … Continue reading →

Posted in observation, trees and plants, wildflowers, writing | Tagged , , , | 8 Comments