Virginia Buckingham

I’ve only seen one of the seven wonders of the world in person. But the eighth has to be a backyard in New England in August. Lucky us. I’ve written before about the soothing power of the color green. The physical explanation that your eye doesn’t have to make any effort because the it focuses green right on the center of your retina makes sense. As does the evolutionary explanation that green sends a signal of safety and plentitude. Yet what is the science behind…

Last year, I wrote a column entitled “Pruning and possibility” about the physical act of pruning the trees in my yard as well as things I spend energy on in my life. The goal was to let the light in literally and figuratively. Now in this new light-filled season, I find myself doing the opposite – planting for possibility. The crowds at area garden centers indicate I’m not alone in the literal endeavor of planting. My patio containers are all filled — abundant with purple,…

Like Virginia O’Hanlon’s (of “Yes, Virginia” fame) father once said of the New York Sun, if Merriam-Webster or Oxford says something is true then it is. And the estimable online dictionaries state unequivocally that the word “hope” is not just a noun (n- desire accompanied by expectation of obtaining what is desired or belief that it is obtainable) but indeed a verb, albeit a transitive one (v- to express desire for a specific outcome). Yes, I cherry-picked the definitions that most aligned with the purpose…