Welcome to the Lolly Blog

  Each year a pair of red-breasted robins nest in the wisteria-draped arbor adjacent our home. There, under a canopy of leaves and lavender blossoms, they raise one or more broods of chicks. Spring is an exciting time. Once mama robin begins sitting on the nest, I find myself intrigued and wanting to peek into the nest to see if the babes have hatched. After they hatch I want to see how much they've grown, And, finally, if they're ready to fledge. But, being a nature-lover, I know that the best thing I truly can do for their well-being is to leave them alone. It's a...

It’s that time of year when the hustle and bustle begins. Shopping lists are formed, extravagant meals planned, parties scheduled and a shoe horn (remember those?) is needed to squeeze every social engagement into your already busy calendar. There’s something exhilarating about the excitement, the company, the celebration and a certain sense of accomplishment as you work your way through the season — but there’s also the anxiety and deep exhaustion of trying to keep up with it all. In those moments, sit back and shift your focus. Remember that the love, warmth and magic that we all seek this...

  When I was a girl, many summer weekends were spent camping with family. There were no TVs, cellphones, laptops or ipads to occupy the time. So, as a young girl, much of my time was spent wandering the woods and traversing the creek, catching toads, crayfish and any other critters that caught my attention. The challenge when walking the creek is keeping your feet dry. If rainfall had been low, it was simple to hop from stone to stone. In other areas, pools of water ran deep. The stones above water were few and far between, which meant carefully plotting...