March 15, 2026
A street in Mexico, with silhouettes of a man and daughter walking down the street, looking for a Coke in Mexico. TEXT: Montezuma's revenge - Abbie Johnson Taylor - Nonfiction
Published by Abbie Johnson Taylor at March 15, 2026
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Montezuma’s Revenge

In June of 1973 after almost a year of studying Spanish, Dad and I had finally realized our dream of traveling to Mexico. After riding most of the day by bus from Tucson to Nogales, Arizona, then from Nogales to Hermosio by train, I was just glad to be here.
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December 25, 2025
Red and green gradient background. Large, beautiful Christmas tree in foreground, with candles lit up TEXT: My Christmas Tree Obsession - Feroza Jussawalla - Holiday Nonfiction
Published by Feroza Jussawalla at December 25, 2025
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My Christmas Tree Obsession

As I clung to my trees and ornaments, the family began to fall apart. Many loved ones began to distance themselves from my particular form of Christmas joy. Maybe my trees and the joy they brought me in the deep dark winters scared them away?
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December 11, 2025
A warm, nostalgic, and festive image, suggesting a holiday or Christmastime theme. The main subject is a thick slice of a classic fruitcake, or perhaps a Stollen, resting on a light wooden cutting board. The cake is dusted heavily with powdered sugar, and its cross-section reveals dried fruits, nuts, and a light-colored dough. The background is softly blurred with warm, glowing lights and a dark red, star-shaped ornament, emphasizing the holiday setting. To the right, there is a circular, black-and-white portrait of an older woman, presumably Sara Etgen-Baker, smiling in a kitchen setting. The MockingOwl Roost logo is also present next to the portrait. The text is white and dark brown. fruitcake -Text: It's Fruitcake Weather / Sara Etgen-Baker
Published by Sara Etgen-Baker at December 11, 2025
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It’s Fruitcake Weather

Holiday traditions create feelings of nostalgia in all of us, young and old. Twinkling lights on a Christmas tree, the smell of baked goods floating through the air, and freshly-fallen powdery snow — all evoke the warm feeling of tradition, family, and love during the holiday season.
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May 2, 2025
sailboat view of water and waterfall
Published by Meredith Anne Stephens at May 2, 2025
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Positivity Corner: Waterfall Bathing in Prony Bay, New Caledonia

I could hear water pounding the surface of the sea and glimpsed out of the hatch to see a waterfall on the shore. The next minute the skipper, Alex, was calling to me. “Do you want to come and wash your hair in the waterfall?”
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April 14, 2025
various yellow Labrador dogs
Published by Donna Kathryn Kelly at April 14, 2025
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The Yellow Labrador Retriever

Despite being an old dog, he never seemed to tire of the winter. The more snow, the better. Bobalou’s celebration of each inaugural snowfall taught me to welcome the winter, to appreciate it as a season of renewal, to breathe in that cold, familiar midwestern chill as if it were a regenerative elixir.
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