Well friends, we’ve made it to the last day of July, and I have to admit I’m not entirely sure how that happened. It seems like just yesterday we were talking about Memorial Day, trying to decide whether it was finally warm enough to call it summer. Now here we are staring down August, wondering…
Life at Shady Pines
Pull Up a Chair: July 24, 2026
Well friends, here we are in the last full week of July, and I have reached that point in summer where I am both amazed by how quickly it is passing and convinced that this heat has been with us for approximately fourteen years. I don’t know how both things can be true at the…
Pull Up a Chair: July 17, 2026
Well friends, we’ve reached the middle of July, and I think it’s safe to say that summer has officially unpacked its bags and made itself comfortable. The heat isn’t visiting anymore. It’s moved in permanently, claimed a seat on the couch, and refuses to leave until sometime around October. Every year I forget this part…
What It Means to Be A Caregiver to Your Parent
Recently I came across an Instagram account that I began to follow. She is a caregiver and shares her journey. She posted this post that inspired me to write this blog post on just what it means to be a caregiver. I write a lot about Ma and Uncle R on here but I don’t…
Pull Up a Chair: July 10, 2026
Well friends, another Friday has rolled around, and I have reached that point in summer where I am no longer asking how hot it is outside. Instead, I simply assume the answer is “too hot” and plan my day accordingly. July has settled in fully now. The Fourth of July decorations have been packed away,…
Pull Up a Chair: July 3, 2026
Well friends, we have officially arrived at the Fourth of July weekend, which means summer is now in full swing whether we’re ready for it or not. The fireworks stands have appeared on every corner, grocery stores are packed with people buying enough food to feed a small army, and somewhere in every neighborhood there…
Pull Up a Chair: June 26, 2026
Well friends, we have officially reached that part of summer where stepping outside feels like walking directly into someone else’s bad attitude. The heat has settled in fully now, the humidity has stopped pretending to be temporary, and every person in Georgia seems united by one shared activity: complaining about the weather while refusing to…
Pull Up a Chair: June 19, 2026
Well friends, we are somehow already staring down the second half of June, and I honestly would like to know who keeps speeding the calendar up when nobody is paying attention. Summer always begins with everybody talking about all the things they plan to do, and then suddenly it is late June and half of…
Pull Up a Chair: June 12, 2026
Well friends, we are officially deep into June now, which means two things around here: the humidity has become personally offensive, and nobody can agree on the thermostat setting anymore. Summer in the South really is a special kind of experience. You walk outside at eight o’clock in the morning and immediately feel like you…
Pull Up a Chair: June 5, 2026
Well friends, we made it to June, and I do not know about y’all, but it already feels like summer showed up with absolutely no intention of easing into things gently. The heat arrived, the humidity moved in permanently, and somewhere along the way my motivation packed a small bag and disappeared until at least…









