ANNA'S CURIO CABINET

I grew up in the Midwest so I'm an old hat at tornado warnings and hail and thirty degree swings in temperature in a single day; you know, the general chaos that can come with early spring in the northern hemisphere. This year, March did not disappoint. We saw a few 80 degree days (hello, earliest kayaking of year) followed by snow flurries and storms. I've decided to embrace the weather chaos this year because what else are you going to do? You know what they say: if you don

This is a Penny photo bomb. I WAS TRYING TO SEE MAPLE, PENNY. Penny had other plans. Penny always has other plans. She's a schemer. Credit: A O'Brien Not a moment too soon to fit in this month's listicle! By the skin of my teeth, as they say. Here's a few things that have been bouncing around this winter. Fave quote: "Is she really gonna ride that thing?!" At the start of January, I took Maple (the partially obscured Paint in the photo above) to the C&O canal for a ride and

The lovelies that await for 2026 Here's my 2025 list of books read in chronological order. Asterisks mark my top four. NF denotes non-fiction, F is fiction. Previous years are here: 2024 , 2023 , 2022 , 2020 . 33 1/3: Paul's Boutique , Dan LeRoy (NF) Alfie and Me , Carl Safina (NF) Sackett's Land , Louis L'Amour (F) Wolf Hall , Hilary Mantel (F) Tuesdays with Morrie , Mitch Albom (NF) Bring Up the Bodies , Hilary Mantel (F)* Ten Hours Until Dawn , Michael Tougias (NF) The Mak

Sometimes Mars dreams of being Superman. Credit: A O'Brien Fave outdoor activity: it's full on hiking season, people. Dust off those boots and that backpack, be aware of hunting season and wear orange, bring a water bottle and a Snickers bar, and go into the woods for hours. Don't come back until your soul is pure again and your feet hurt. The latter happens before the former. Here in Maryland, we have a handy lil section of the Appalachian Trail not too far from the house. I