ANNA'S CURIO CABINET

Peak summer here in Maryland, folks. Summer Anna is very happy, indeed. Here are a few samplings of why. Fave wildflowers: the colors...

Honeybee on a blackberry bloom Credit: A O'Brien Fave feast: the smells of summer! Late spring and the air in central Maryland is filled...

Ponies, Pine Barrens, and Petunias. Here are 5 things to put in the Curio Cabinet this week. Endurance. In all senses, but in this...

Outdoors, outdoors, outdoors. The neighbor's magnolia all dressed up. Credit A O'Brien Fave time of year: now. Spring in all her finest,...

Time is expanding then contracting and doing all sorts of weird things, so here's a mid-month listicle a bit later than mid-month....

The mighty mares Credit: A. O'Brien Damn you, February, with your number of days divisible by four! But you're over and now there are...

I'm a sucker for latte art. Credit: A. O'Brien Still winter? Peeks outside. Yep. Right. Just checking. Here are five things that kept me...

Penny, queen of winter weather. This girl does not feel the cold. Credit: A O'Brien Here's to the end of a month that's felt like a year....

Trying out a new format in 2025. Opening new drawers in the ol' cabinet, if you will. Some writers I enjoy often employ a solid listicle...

2024 Reads (credit: A O'Brien) 366 days come and gone, 40 books consumed. Here's my 2024 list of books read in chronological order....

Sunset on the winter solstice. This is one of my favorite color palettes. (Credit: Anna O'Brien) My most despised time of day is 2 pm....

What I wouldn't give for Hunter S. Thompson to be alive right now. He's always on my to-read list but recent events have pushed one of...

Although I've mentally been in the #fallvibes since August, the autumnal equinox passed last Sunday without my noticing. I am aware of is...

I've been thinking a lot about wrestling lately. Most of it has to do with watching The Iron Claw . But also: cats are great wrestlers....

I will admit a love/hate relationship with the word "vibes." It feels overused and therefore trite and there's probably more than a bit...

After quite a drought, I am very pleased to announce the publication of one of my sci-fi short stories! "Hatch, Beast, Flew Away" has...

In school occasionally we had to memorize stuff and it was dumb. Equations for math, monologues for English -- I'm talking rote...

On April 8, 2024, parts of North America were in the path of totality of a solar eclipse. Frederick, Maryland, was not included in the...

The chaos of March: 70 degree days and blooms then snow flurries, frost, and fierce winds, then rinse and repeat. It's good to see green...

Not infrequently the most interesting part of the local paper is the classified section. Aside from the used cars and puppies, just this...