by Mary McKSchmidt | Apr 20, 2026 | 2026, Poetry
How thrilled I was watching the dark pawsof the red fox prancingacross the farmyardat dawn. How badly I felt for the slaughtered chickens and for the farmerwho gifted us eggswhen we first arrived and how hard it was to discover the chickensand tell the farmerand...
by Mary McKSchmidt | Apr 13, 2026 | 2026, Blog Post
Usually, I walk alone. Clipped to my jacket is a satellite tracker with an SOS button. I have found a cellphone, while valuable as a camera, is worthless for communicating on remote paths. In my hand is a walking stick to keep me from sinking into the...
by Mary McKSchmidt | Apr 6, 2026 | 2026, Blog Post
Droopy-looking three-leaved plants were heaped carefully in a basket at the foot of the altar. It was St. Patrick’s Day, an Irish holiday featuring parades, fireworks and the annual blessing of the shamrocks. The plant is said to have been used as a metaphor for the...
by Mary McKSchmidt | Mar 30, 2026 | 2026, Blog Post
Walking a never-ending ascent to a bluff overlooking the Bandon River outside Kinsale, Ireland, I see a gate painted fire-engine red, adorned with daffodils. On the gate is a plaque framed in gold with bold letters, We Will Never Forget. Stunned, I...
by Mary McKSchmidt | Mar 23, 2026 | 2026, Poetry
A third of the way across the Bandon River bridge,gale winds threaten to hurl me off the sidewalk and onto the path of the oncoming cars. I am loatheto admit defeat, turn back, retrace hard-won steps enroute to the fort, the first one built to defend the harbor. And...
