Life in Defiance by Mary DeMuth




Sixteen years ago, Tina Hendricks welcomed a daughter. At first she was busy with diapers, feedings and picking out pink frilly dresses. By six months, however, she knew something about Mary was not right. “I remember taking her to a friend’s house. She had five children and I expressed some of my concerns despite the…

While the official first day of summer isn’t until June 21, I think it is safe to get out the flip-flops, grab a beach towel and jump into my favorite season of the year. I have always been a sunshine girl who loves the long summer days, the taste of fresh fruit, family reunions, being…

I love a great bargain, especially when fresh produce is involved. So when I could pick up fresh pears for 50 cents a pound, I did what any halfway normal person who loves cooking, canning, and baking does – OR not- I bought a whole box. Yep. Thirty-five pounds of pears, just waiting to be…

There is something magical that happens after snow gently falls to the earth. It is a total silence, pristine, and pure. When we lived in the Sierra’s I remember the sound of frozen crystals crunching under my boots and the way the cold frosty air felt in my lungs. When snow blankets the trees and…

I don’t know if they wear capes or have embossed letters across their chests, but I DO know this – real heros can fly. Cal Fire pilots are like rodeo clowns in the sky; skirting flames, skimming over tree lined terrian, and dodging smoke so thick it blankets the sky with an opaque quilt of…

“Creativity is just connecting things. When you ask creative people how they did something, they feel a little guilty because they didn’t really do it, they just saw something. It seemed obvious to them after a while. That’s because they were able to connect experiences they’ve had and synthesize new things.” Steve Jobs There…