The Official Diane Klutz Blog

Why “Shady Pines”?

You may be wondering why I chose Shady Pines as my blog site title. Remember “The Golden Girls?” Well, as you probably recall, Sophia, Dorothy’s mom, was a cantankerous, smart-mouthed little old lady whose goal in life was to make Dorothy miserable. Mostly Dorothy ignored her, but occasionally Sophia’s wise cracks would hit a nerve to which Dorothy’s response was, “Shady Pines, Ma. Remember Shady Pines.”

Of course, Dorothy was referring to a retirement home where she threatened to take Sophia if she acted up. My daughter, Shannon, threatens me with this, also. She even bought me a t-shirt!

As an aside, this reminds me of our parents’ threats of sending us to “The Reformatory” if we mis-behaved. And just to prove to me and my siblings that such places were real, one day my dad drove us by the Thorn Hill School for Boys near Pittsburgh, PA. Even though this one was male only, my dad assured me there was an equally scary one for girls. Sure, made a believer out of me.

But my Shady Pines is different. It’s not a place where I am forced to go; it’s a place I want to go. It is a peaceful spot, nestled in the pines. The dwelling is small and painted pale blue with white shutters and trim. There is a wrap-around porch with a big white swing that overlooks a pond. And there are trails in the woods for strolling and contemplative thinking. I could go on and on, but you get the picture.

This Shady Pines is a retreat, a spot in my mind where I can spend time; where I am free to think, write, to explore and even ramble a bit.

I invite you to join me at Shady Pines where your thoughts are always welcome. Aside from writing about the strange and not so strange things that we encounter in daily life, I will be posting tidbits of my future books.

Diane.