"Spring grew into summer, and the rhythm of my life now...

"Spring grew into summer, and the rhythm of my life now included Nell. I learned that her secret thyme and mint beds were deep in the woods, out by the chuckling stream that disappeared underground.

She gathered plants she needed every day, and she was as a child who gathers flowers in May, setting them in bundles, choosing with caprice, singing to them, naming each plant and leaf with fond- ness. She danced in the sunlight and the shade. Even watching her a moment, my spirits lifted.” 

— from the novel SINFUL FOLK