This photo was taken in February of last year. The rain had stopped, and a shaft of light was illuminating the landscape. It looked like a delicate watercolor painting, and I wanted to capture and preserve that moment. I have no regular camera, but there is a camera function on my Kindle Fire and I … Continue reading The View from my Window
Ordinary Life
Stockton, California (1945) Ever since I was a child, I have wanted to live an ordinary, private life, a life like the one I was living in my family’s house in Stockton, California. I had no desire to be a movie star or be famous. I liked my small world, not just my neighborhood, my … Continue reading Ordinary Life
A Room with a View
It is February. There is snow on the ground here in Bellingham. Good writing weather. So what do I want to write? Not another book, that's for sure. That part of my writing life is over. What I want now is to reflect on my life and on life in general. Short pieces, the kind … Continue reading A Room with a View
August 2024
August will always be Nina Renee's month for me. She was born August 9, 1956, in Tokyo, Japan; she died last August, here in Bellingham, Washington. This is the first anniversary of her death, and I want to mark it with two photos of her that I love and would like to preserve here. The … Continue reading August 2024
Books & Borscht
Last Thursday, July 25, my daughter Beni and I drove up to the Mennonite Heritage Museum in Abbotsford, British Columbia to spend the day with the good people up there. I was invited to be one of the presenters in their Books and Borscht series. It was a wonderful day. It's an easy trip up … Continue reading Books & Borscht
Joy
"If you suddenly and unexpectedly feel joy, don't hesitate. Give into it. .... Joy is not made to be a crumb." Mary Oliver, "Don't Hesitate", The Swan (2010) Nina Renee & Benith Richardson in front of my parents' house in Phoenix, January 1962. I love this photo of Beni and Renee. It captures them as … Continue reading Joy
Agnes Young Willems (1921 – 1986)
The photo below, of my mother and my two daughters, was taken in August 1969. Nina Renee turned thirteen that month; Beni turned eleven the previous March. Mom turned forty-eight in May of that year—yes, she was barely thirty-five when she became a grandmother! Nina Renee Richardson, my mother, Benith Richardson, August 1969 Phoenix, Arizona … Continue reading Agnes Young Willems (1921 – 1986)
Book 3 is now available on Amazon
The third book of my family heritage trilogy, A Sense of Presiding Goodness, is now available on Amazon. There is a link at the bottom of this post that will take you to the Amazon site where you can order the book if you so desire. It also lets you see inside the book and … Continue reading Book 3 is now available on Amazon
Book 3 Available March 31
Above is the cover of the proof-copy of the final book in my family heritage trilogy, which will be available on Amazon, March 31. My editor, Joanna Kenyon, and I are now in the process of proof-reading and making final changes. Joanna not only edits, she also designs the interiors of my books and creates … Continue reading Book 3 Available March 31
New Year’s Day 2024
"Winter Rain" by Paul Buxman. “The fog lifted in the afternoon allowing the misty view across my neighbor’s vineyard. January 1, 11:00 a.m., 41⁰. Fog shrouds the wetlands I see through my front window here in Bellingham. This weather, and this view, remind me of winter in California’s Central Valley where I grew up. Fog … Continue reading New Year’s Day 2024
Heritage 