Nature's Inspiration

When someone falls overboard, throwing them a lifesaver might be a handy idea. You’ll find these handy floatation devices hung on the deck rail for immediate rescue and emergency use. But what if you’re not on a ship? What if you find yourself up the creek without a lifesaver or a paddle? What then? Handy Stuff includes but not limited to people, places, things, and ideas that are convenient, accessible, useful, positive, valuable, worthwhile, effective, helpful, informative,

In the "garden of us" - that is our garden of relationships - we are blessed with friends that pop up occasionally to friends that bloom and grow forever. The real magic is in the mix. Have you thought about the mix in your garden? Here are some possibilities: You’ve got your Sunflowers, who turn toward the light no matter what. These are your cheerleaders, your “we’ve got this” people. Call them on a cloudy day, and somehow the forecast changes. Then there are the Roses. Dee

We moved some roses from the garden to the window ledge inside our home… where, as it turns out, you could see roses blooming inside and outside. Same flowers, just blooming on both sides of the glass. So where are we headed, you ask? To the realization that the roses didn’t stop being roses because their surroundings changed. Garden. Vase. Sunshine. Window table. Same bloom. Different setting. We humans tend to believe we can only thrive under exactly the right conditions. T

Most of us have heard the old expression Carrots and Sticks. Some people respond better to carrots - that incentive or promise of something good just ahead that makes us want to take the next step. The stick, on the other hand, is the push, the reminder that if we don’t act, there may be consequences waiting behind us. One pulls us forward and the other “nudges” us from behind. And truth be told, life seems adept at using both. Sheri: Sometimes it’s useful to set up our own c

Early one spring morning we noticed a tiny yellow flower poking up through a narrow crack in our cobblestone patio. No garden bed. No special soil. Just a sliver of daylight between two stones. Pretty sure nothing was supposed to grow there. That cheerful little flower reminded us of one of life’s most reliable truths: where there’s a will, there’s a way, or at least the beginning of one. Sheri: Willpower sometimes looks just like this small flower pushing through a tiny cr

The mountains rose majestically, white and gray against the wide western sky. Below, a seemingly endless valley of green trees. The landscape was expansive and generous with perspective…you know, the big scheme of things. Sometimes freedom looks like this kind of stillness. Where there is space around your thoughts. Space around your fears. Space inside your choices. Bigger than the deadlines and the constant hum of what comes next. Room to breathe again. Sheri: Standing the

Stepping Through The Rain....Sheri & Bill The rain just shows up—steady, unapologetic, doing what rain always does - washes out spiders. Not dramatic enough to stop everything, but something you can’t ignore. Plans still stand and the path still matters. It’s just wet and inconvenient. And there we were anyway. Walking. Smiling. Umbrellas open, choosing to stay connected while the weather did its thing. Sheri: It was certainly better when shared with friends! Rain has a wa

There are times when nothing obvious is happening. No color. No applause. No proof you can point to and say, See? That’s awesome! Just still water and wide leaves doing their quiet work. If you didn’t know better, you might think the pond was asleep. But surprise, folks, these lilies are fixin’ to bloom. Beneath the surface, everything necessary is already in motion. This is the gift of knowing and trusting. Not the kind that paces the floor or checks the clock every five min

All living things move and grow - animal, vegetable, and yes, even mineral if you give it enough time and patience. Winter is officially behind us, and “snow” is once again just a distant four-letter word we don’t need to use in polite conversation. Springtime has sprung, stretched, and yawned its way onto the calendar, inviting us all to do what nature does best: renew, repurpose, and refresh. Spring is generous with encouragement, especially if you like words that start wit

Our patio table was blanketed by fresh morning snow. The colorful umbrella, bungeed tightly closed, crowned a three-inch overnight gift. Four chairs leaned forward, tipped carefully against the table, as if huddled together for warmth. At first glance, it looks like an ending: summer dinners on pause, and conversations packed away. But look a little longer, and it becomes something else entirely. This is what winter positivity looks like. There’s something comforting about ho

They say, “a gift is not a gift until it’s received.” True enough, but we’d argue it’s not fully a gift until it’s appreciated, used, or at least re-gifted with a wink. A candle left unlit, a book unopened, a compliment shrugged off -each is a small treasure still waiting for its moment to shine.

Hope rarely enters with fanfare. It often arrives quietly, like a small bird settling on a branch or windowsill - eye catching, and always welcome. That’s what Emily Dickinson understood so beautifully. Hope isn’t a thunderclap; it’s a whisper that stays, even when the storm rolls in.

Ever notice the root of the word vacation is vacate? Yep, it literally means, “Get your butt outa’ there!” Pack up, step out, and give your daily grind the slip. Your office chair won’t miss you, and trust me, your brain could use the break.

Around the Bend.... (Original photography by Sheri & Bill) Your GPS is on, and you’re moving forward. The road curves ahead, and you can’t quite see what’s coming next. But it’s nice out, the sunlight filters through trees, and you feel pretty darn good. Still, that bend in the road holds a question mark. Do you recheck your GPS or keep moving, trusting your internal compass? Sheri: Curving roads make me hesitate, since visually you really can’t tell what’s ahead of you. But

Set your course - Full Speed ahead! Sheri & Bill (Original photography by Sheri & Bill) To reach a port, we must sail - sail, not tie at anchor, sail, not drift.” FDR Feel the energy in that moment when a ship leaves port. The land is still in view, but slowly fading. The water opens wide in front of you, the course is charted, and the engines hum with quiet confidence. Yo

Be Still… Be still, and let the weight of the moment fall away, Like leaves that drift to the forest floor. In the silence, the soul finds its compass, Pointing home to the calm you thought you’d lost. Be still, and watch as time softens its grip, Seconds stretching like golden threads in the sun. The rush fades, replaced by a gentle pulse, A reminder that life is more than a race. Be still, and feel the earth beneath your feet, Steady, unchanging, a quiet anchor. In stillnes

"Life is a journey, not a destination." Ralph Waldo Emerson (Original photography by Sheri & Bill) “Life is a journey, not a destination.” Ralph Waldo Emerson The Ferris wheel was mesmerizing, as it turned gracefully on the pier at the Atlantic City Boardwalk. It carried people upward and downward, round and round, and offered new views with each rotation. But in this particularly quiet moment, the wheel was not turning, the water was still, and the entire scene doubled in

"Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be." (Abe Lincoln) Original photography by Sheri & Bill There’s something about early morning light that feels like a promise. Before the rush of the day begins, when the world is still stretching and yawning, the soft glow of the rising sun reminds us that a fresh start is always possible. In that golden hush, happiness doesn’t feel like a pursuit - well, happi

"If you look the right way, you can see that the whole world is a garden." Frances Hodgson Burnett (Original photography by Sheri Bill) Cameras in hand, we stood surrounded by a garden of rose bushes. It felt like we’d walked into a live painting where the fragrance was real, and the buzzing bees were (thankfully!) ignoring us. Beauty was all round us. Sheri: From my smiling demeanor, you can see that I was much more conscious of the beautiful roses than the prickly t

Live Live to the Fullest (Original photography by Sheri & Bill) Live life to the fullest—don’t just watch the days go by, fill them with purpose, adventure, and fun. Life isn’t about waiting for the “perfect time”—it’s about making now the best it can be. Take that trip, make that call, try something new—truly live each day. That walkway in our photo? It’s not just wood and nails—it’s an invitation, a symbol of direction, of movement, of saying “yes” to what lies ahead. Whet