Elizabeth Duvivier

Henry and me, 31 July 2013 photo by:  Kaitlyn Bouchard Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts. There is symbolic as well as actual beauty in the migration of the birds, the ebb and flow of the tides, the folded bud ready for the spring. There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature—the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after the winter.    ~ Rachel Carson  On Friday, I … View Post

Truro, 17 August 2013 Nothing like a couple of days out on the far end of Cape Cod to remind me of what I love most about summer: 1.  the light 2.  the beach, the lake, the pond (to recap:  WATER) Brush Hollow Beach, 17 August 2013 3.  outdoor showers (um, does this also need to be filed under love of light & water?) *sigh* It wasn’t easy to come back to the office after a long weekend of such loveliness, but damn if there … View Post

the living room, post-sequester The arts are not a way to make a living. They are a very human way of making life more bearable. Practicing an art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow, for heaven’s sake. Sing in the shower. Dance to the radio. Tell stories. Write a poem to a friend, even a lousy poem. Do it as well as you possibly can. You will get an enormous reward. You will have created something. — … View Post

photo credit:  Bella Cirovic On November 1 2011, I began a project that took me forever to commit to:  writing a novel. Not such a big deal, to be sure– but for me, it was deeply challenging to first make the commitment and then (perhaps even harder?) telling people what I was doing. The goal was to have a first draft completed by November 1, 2012 — estimating a manuscript to come in at about 350 pages. above is the chair where I wrote 3 … View Post

The measure of achievement is not winning awards. It’s doing something that you appreciate, something you believe is worthwhile. I think of my strawberry souffle. I did that at least twenty-eight times before I finally conquered it.   – Julia Child Last day of July?  The hell? Okay, fine.  Seasons have to do their thing.  Whatever.  I don’t have to be happy about it.  I can cling to summer like a kid on her mom’s ankles being dropped at kindergarten for the first time.  I … View Post