march 2025

The view from the office window sometimes reminds me that I shouldn’t take things for granted. It reminds me to see the beauty in simple things, small things, moments.

I caught myself staring out the window when I arrived to work this morning. And, it made me pause. It encouraged me to appreciate some of people in my life, and some recent events. 

I don’t want to go into detail about those people and recent events that fluttered through my mind this morning. But, maybe this quote sums it up:  

Life is inevitable. Suffering is optional.

the kindest people

The kindest people are not born that way, they are made. They are the souls that have experienced so much at the hands of life, they are the ones who have dug themselves out of the dark, who have fought to turn every loss into a lesson. The kindest people do not just exist – they choose to soften where circumstance has tried to harden them, they choose to believe in goodness, because they have seen firsthand why compassion is so necessary. They have seen firsthand why tenderness is so important in this world.

–Bianca Sparacino


sierra foothills

“Love where you live”

Amador County wine country appreciation post. 

mood

In his farewell address to the nation the other night, Joe Biden said, “I want to warn the country of some things that give me great concern. And this is a dangerous — and that’s the dangerous concentration of power in the hands of a very few ultrawealthy people, and the dangerous consequences if their abuse of power is left unchecked. Today, an oligarchy is taking shape in America of extreme wealth, power and influence that literally threatens our entire democracy, our basic rights and freedoms and a fair shot for everyone to get ahead.”

currently reading

As a kid, I always got a Farmer’s Almanac in my stocking. I looked forward to reading the weather and crop predictions, along with the quirky stories and jokes. I’m not sure if it’s nostalgia that drives me to purchase the current edition every year, or if it’s my inner nerd wanting to know what might happen in the coming year. 

*also pictured: my favorite Sharpie® “Everybody swears”