Author of "Happy Landings: Emilie Loring's Life, Writing, and Wisdom," the uplifting, first biography of this best-selling author, coming March 2023. I enjoy kayaking, traveling, and all things Emilie.
And the fiery whirlwind, fierce and vastHurried away in the mouldering past. “Ashes of Roses,” George M. Baker The Great Boston Fire of 1872 started in a six-story granite building and burned through downtown Boston for two days, destroying 776 buildings over 65 acres. Eleven firemen and fifteen civilians were killed. The monetary loss was … More Ashes of Roses: Hope Amidst Destruction
I had absolutely no idea what marrons were when I first read this line. And for someone who generally looks up words she doesn’t know, I waited an extraordinarily long time to investigate this one. Marrons are sweet chestnuts, Castanea sativa. They can be roasted, or they can be soaked in sugar syrup and vanilla … More Marrons at Last! A Sweet Chestnut Discovery
Kismet Takes a Hand It Always Does Where There’s a Man and a Woman With the sleeves of her blue linen smock rolled above her elbows, Patricia Langdon was intent on soldering a silver box cover. Slender, youthful, she stood with her foot on a treadle and by pressure increased or diminished the heat from … More “Kismet Takes a Hand,” A Short Story by Emilie Loring
If a character in the book you were reading put her laptop and her HydroFlask into the same tote bag, you’d call it foreshadowing. I missed it, though. In a hurry to follow the ambulance taking my mom to the hospital, I was utterly surprised when I looked into the bag and found my laptop … More When Troubles Abound, “Kick, Frog, Kick!”
Emilie Loring’s writings about politics and citizenship one hundred years ago could have been written today, except, perhaps, that they lack the cynicism of current times. Like Emilie herself, they are informed, optimistic and determined. “President! What a great responsibility.”“That word ‘great’ is a masterpiece of understatement, lady. ‘Terrific’ fills the bill. Whoever is elected … More Emilie Loring’s Timeless Insights on Politics and Democracy
B is for Biography I visited my hometown of Tempe, Arizona last weekend and stopped in to visit Happy Landings at the local, public library. Oh, how nice. The book was right where the card catalog said it would be, and it was turned outward to face browsing library patrons. Splendid. But wait! On the … More Library Shelving: The Case of Happy Landings
“Why, dearie, I never worried. I just did first one thing and then the next.” The Mother in the Home I’ve thought about this quote lately. After two wonderful weeks in Blue Hill, I drove to the Adirondacks and cleaned gravestones in an old family cemetery, then drove two more days to return to our Wisconsin … More Exploring Blue Hill: A Journey in Emilie Loring’s Footsteps
The Emilie Loring Collection 