I kept up a garden of some sort at each of our several houses while the kids were still around. More than fifteen seasons of abundance. Over time though I grew weary of the constant weeding and the passing off of bountiful harvests of zucchinis, tomatoes and the like to friends, neighbors and colleagues, to the point when gardening became a chore. It was time for the white flag.

Life is rich.  My husband Kurt Peters says that often. He’s a sunny-side-of-the-street kind of guy, the Tigger to my Piglet. But I can’t think of an expression that for me sums up 2018 any better.

Over the years the dogs had taught me so much. How a walk can show us the world. How sometimes just showing up is all that matters, and sitting quietly by can give the best comfort. How a simple smile could change a day, and a life. And how messy a life could really be. Now Wojo was giving me one last lesson: how to let go.

Let’s face it. Summer break is no picnic for families, especially when both parents work.

Gone are the days when that last week of school ushers in some water-colored daydream, replaced instead with dread as wide-open days filled with idle children beckon.

Now parents need a spreadsheet to plot out activities and a line of credit to ensure that the kids don’t slide down a slippery slothful slope towards delinquency.

Some pieces are so beautiful they need few words. That's true of this new animated video by John Scher, out today on The Atlantic, accompanying Joan Baez's version of the "The President Sang Amazing Grace," a song included on her final album, Whistle Down The Wind. 

On seeing cardinals as visits from loved ones who've passed (with art from my favorite watercolorist, and sister, Christine McCloskey Chittenden).

Early estimates for the New Jersey march, held in Morristown, capped expected participation at 10,000. By some reports, that number actually exceeded 15,000.

Not many folks enter courthouses happily – except perhaps for a marriage or an adoption. But today my family gets to do just that as we gather to witness and celebrate the public swearing-in of my brother, Tom McCloskey, as a judge of the Superior Court of New Jersey.

New Jerseyans have sent just six women to the House of Representatives -- ever.  That could change come November.

I was just pages into Jesmyn Ward’s National Book Award-winning novel “Sing, Unburied, Sing” when I stopped, took a breath and realized that I was already blown away by the beauty and brilliance of her writing.

“You’ll never be this,” I whispered to myself.

A few below-freezing mornings here in New Jersey, and just like that, the fall colors are gone.

It's Election Day New Jersey! Vote YES on Public Question One to strengthen our local public libraries, sacred spaces worthy of the respect and preservation that come with that designation.

To call the devastation and destruction wrought by the hurricanes, earthquakes, mass shootings and raging fires this past month epic might just be an understatement. If you're like me, you found yourself waking up uneasy, wondering what possibly could come next.

The United States Supreme Court opens its new term on Monday, already loaded with blockbuster cases headed for argument in the first several weeks. Some familiar issues -- voting rights, same-sex marriage, cell phone privacy, employee arbitration – will all make an appearance early in the term. Here's a quick look at what's on tap.

The silver lining, if any, to a disaster like Hurricane Harvey is that it brings out the best in so many of us, eager to rush in and help out in anyway possible. And certainly we’ve seen plenty of acts of heroism and generosity over the past few days in the Houston area.

Over that same period of time I’ve seen just as many posts on social media by friends and colleagues who can’t be on the ground there asking how else they can help and where best to make a donation.

Late August always brings back memories of growing up two blocks from the beach in a four-by-four block town on the Jersey shore.

Beyond the housing of books, libraries have now grown into vital community centers, places where people actually engage with each other on a personal level and share experiences, interests, problems and civic concerns. Dialogue is ever present.

All the world's an Order Muppet or a Chaos Muppet, and that explains everything, according to Slate's Dahlia Lithwick in this fun Sunday read. 

Covering the U.S. Supreme Court can be a nail-biting, knee-shaking beat. It's also a beat I miss. 

Art collectors set their sights on criminal justice reform.