The Whimsical Pen

Musings, Ramblings and Minor Mischief

Welcome! I'm so glad you stopped by!
I write essays, poetry, short stories and various other scribblings, and it's a pleasure to share them with you. If you’d like to leave comments or be

notified when I post new work, please subscribe at the bottom.

Thanks for reading!

Heather Jerrie

Dec 16, 20223 min read

Listening in the Snow

We knew this one was on the way. We could see it coming, lumbering toward us like a huge polar bear, and by late yesterday closing...

Heather Jerrie

Nov 23, 20222 min read

Happy Birthday!

Well, it's here again. This one day, in the long circle around the sun, that marks the day you came into the world. Like anything that...

Heather Jerrie

Oct 14, 20223 min read

Lessons in the Falling Leaves

I went for a walk in the woods today. It's sunny and warm, and the sky's the bright, clear blue you only see this time of year. The...

Heather Jerrie

Aug 19, 20224 min read

Change: Detour Ahead

Good morning! How's your life journey going? I'm guessing you got up this morning with a pretty good idea what your day would look like....

Heather Jerrie

Aug 2, 20223 min read

Healing the World, One Name at a Time

Has this ever happened to you? You're in a crowded room, with lots of people talking. It's noisy, all a jumble of sound. You can...

Heather Jerrie

Jul 22, 20224 min read

A Leap Onward, and Hope for Us at Home

Some days I honestly wonder if we humans ever do anything right. Every day, it seems, we get hit with another reminder of how good we...

Heather Jerrie

May 16, 20222 min read

A Chorus of Tiny Singers

Finally! This week's rain and storms have finally driven off the last cold grumbles of winter. The world is suddenly lush and green...

Heather Jerrie

Apr 21, 20225 min read

Spring: Lovely, Luscious and Late

It's so frustrating when spring is late, isn't it? Winter just drags on and on until it seems like it's never going to end. We're all...

Heather Jerrie

Apr 17, 20223 min read

Tackling the Mountain

I think most of us have some corner in our life where the mess piles up. Maybe it's that dark space under the kitchen sink, or the...

Heather Jerrie

Mar 31, 20226 min read

The Ones Who Teach the Knee-Huggers

I've ventured into the world of the knee huggers - the rooms full of squirmy four-year-olds sitting at little tables. Let me tell you,...

Heather Jerrie

Mar 10, 20223 min read

How Far?

The snow started just as we set out. Night was approaching, but we'd be fine, we said. We didn't have that far to go. We'd be home...

Heather Jerrie

Feb 14, 20222 min read

One Good Friend

I've been chatting with an old friend this morning. We've known each other for years: we met when we were just getting started in our...

Heather Jerrie

Jan 25, 20223 min read

Long Gone, But Still Speaking

I apologize for my silence these past few weeks. I've been sitting at a long, long table, listening to my ancestors. For years I've...

Heather Jerrie

Dec 31, 20213 min read

Let's Make a Fresh Start!

Are you ready to say goodbye to 2021? I sure am! It seems to have blended into 2020 somehow, into one long blur of worry and change and...

Heather Jerrie

Dec 24, 20212 min read

Bravery, with Lights On

I've been trying for days to write our annual Christmas letter. You know, the peppy list of everything you did over the year, complete...

Heather Jerrie

Nov 25, 20212 min read

Still Loved, Just As We Are

There's an old shirt hanging in my bedroom closet. It's faded and worn and not much to look at, I guess. But it's my favorite shirt,...

Heather Jerrie

Nov 13, 20214 min read

The Hourglass

"Lydia! Come see what I've got!" Lydia ran to the front door where her father was taking off his coat. There was a package on the table...

Heather Jerrie

Oct 27, 20213 min read

The Between Days

There's an old farm bell on a pole by our back door, perfect for ringing to call the family in for supper. Every spring I tie twine up...

Heather Jerrie

Oct 10, 20216 min read

Three Acres of Wonder

If you were to knock on our door these days, you probably wouldn't find me at home. Like as not I'm in our little patch of woods out...

Heather Jerrie

Sep 23, 20213 min read

Homegrown: Warmth in a Chilly World

There's something about homegrown things - homegrown music, homegrown writing, homemade bread - that always makes me smile. It's personal...

Contact

hjerrie34@gmail.com