The Art of Civility
Painting a Beautiful Picture for our World A beautiful painting arrests our attention, draws us in, causes us to stop and consider it. Beautiful art of any kind engages, challenges, and moves us. In the same way, the sight of courteous
The Mathematics of Civility
Not long ago I was tossing and turning on a very hard bed in the middle of the night, trying to make myself comfortable on a wafer-thin pillow, struggling to get some sleep before a a big day. Growls and
Bicycle Etiquette
May is National Bicycle Month. And here is our gentle reminder for both bicyclists and motorists alike to practice Bicycle Etiquette. (And isn’t our little Victorian bicyclist a most proper and memorable representation of the concept?!) My husband James has commuted
How Jane Austen REALLY wrote letters…
In Jane Austen's day, there was no email, and no texting, of course. People communicated in a slower, but much more genteel fashion - the letter. I believe that we are missing that gentility in our own day.
Rise of the Roamin’ Empire (3)
WHO ME??? I must keep telling myself: “It is the RISE of the Roamin’ empire!” An empire is not conquered and contained in a day - or a month. Time is necessary! Patience is needed! Constancy, consistency, discipline, and love! The Lone
Victory Gardens – After the Fact: Using Used Tea Leaves
Victory Gardens After the Fact: Using Used Tea Leaves Tea is good for your health! But you knew that
Appearance and Civility
We speak. We speak always and in many ways. Words are only one of the many methods we use to communicate. Mary Eliza Haweis, who wrote The Art of Beauty in 1878, concluded that “Dress bears the same relation to
Cell Phone Etiquette: “You Are Not the Only One”
Let me tell you a true story. It was reported on Good Morning, America. It seems a young woman had been invited to have tea with Queen Elizabeth II in the Buckingham Palace gardens. She was actually sitting with the Queen
The Evolution of Etiquette; In Celebration of National Courtesy Month
I feel just the slightest bit of cool as I sit in my swing, enjoying the early mornings in my little courtyard. Soon the temperature will drop to our friendly and pleasant New Mexico autumn weather, and we will hear
Civility can be (Nicely) Selfish.
Civility is getting a lot of press these days, but sometimes it seems not a lot of practice. I am one of the lucky ones, as I live and work among those who practice it. Life is so much