Small Tokens
Two weekends ago my husband and I went on a short, local backpacking trip along the Appalachian Trail in Maryland. The first day we had...
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ANNA'S CURIO CABINET
A growing collection of writing, nature, animals, science, art, geography, and other fun curiosities.
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aobriendvm
Mar 27, 20222 min
Land Blinks and Water Skies
Last week I finished reading Madhouse at the End of the Earth: The Belgica's Journey into the Dark Antarctic Night by Julian Sancton....
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aobriendvm
Mar 14, 20222 min
The Emergence
I have a love/hate relationship with March. All its ups and downs with temperature give me trust issues with Mother Nature and this past...
35 views0 comments
aobriendvm
Feb 28, 20221 min
Bird by Bird by Bird or The Tradition of Artists
I finished Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott the other week. I enjoyed it. She's funny and down-to-earth and has some great perspectives on...
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aobriendvm
Feb 19, 20222 min
Ziney Weeney
I did it! The other week I finished my first zine in over a year! "Historic Houses" is a collage of an old map of National Trust...
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aobriendvm
Jan 29, 20223 min
A Dash of Color
I paint my bee hives in the winter. It gives me something to do in nasty weather and I feel I'm in the most need for color on these...
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aobriendvm
Jan 9, 20222 min
Probing the Peripheral
There's something to be said about the mundane. I tend to measure the worth of a writer by how well she can make the mundane seem...
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aobriendvm
Dec 29, 20211 min
Lots of Lift
Right after Thanksgiving there were a few days that started off very cold around here. During one such morning, I saw, to my surprise, a...
9 views0 comments
aobriendvm
Dec 16, 20212 min
Festive Serpents
My family and I share books. We trade, recommend, gush, argue, critique. There are a handful of books that my mom, dad, and I have read...
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aobriendvm
Nov 19, 20211 min
Apricity
My husband gifted me a new word a few weeks ago, one I'd never heard of or recall seeing in print and now my laptop is reacting as...
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aobriendvm
Oct 31, 20212 min
Autumnal Vibes
I used to dislike fall because it meant I was back in school, the greenery was dying, and soon the dark slog through winter would begin....
15 views0 comments
aobriendvm
May 14, 20211 min
Those Who Dwell
Those who dwell, as scientists or laymen, among the beauties and mysteries of the earth are never alone or weary of life. - Rachel...
19 views0 comments
aobriendvm
Apr 30, 20211 min
Go with what you've got
Spring has sprung! The days are getting longer, the weather is getting warmer, and Anna is outside playing and definitely not inside...
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aobriendvm
Mar 31, 20212 min
Happy (?) Coronaversary
This time last year, things were scary: shut downs and quarantines, the uncertainty of what we were dealing with, what it all meant, and...
9 views0 comments
aobriendvm
Feb 15, 20212 min
Stories in the Major Key
I saw a tweet from author Lauren Groff earlier this week that really stuck with me: Maybe it's the dull winter or the isolation from...
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aobriendvm
Jan 31, 20213 min
The Ox or the Lion?
We are in the midst of packing for a move. It's exciting and stressful. Of course, a priority when packing is to make sure you don't pack...
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aobriendvm
Dec 31, 20202 min
A New Chapter
Since there's a whole spectrum of thoughtful to asinine pieces clogging the internet currently about "The Best of 2020" or "The Year in...
13 views0 comments
aobriendvm
Nov 29, 20202 min
Beautiful Words
I read The Book of Eels by Patrik Svensson this past weekend and enjoyed every page. It has the perfect mix of quirky natural history and...
20 views0 comments
aobriendvm
Nov 23, 20201 min
Third Time's a Charm
It's cliche, but maybe therein lies a grain of truth. Welcome to my third personal blog. The first was created several years ago and...
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