Just Because
On the Occasion of What Would Have Been Her Seventy-Ninth Birthday
Dear Mom, Today you would have turned seventy-nine! In an ideal world, you’d still be alive and mostly healthy (or as healthy as a person of that age can be, which is pretty healthy). I’d call you up, ask chat with you for a while, wish you Happy Birthday, and maybe send some flowers. Dad…
Read MoreNo Words for the New Year 2
For several years in a row, I put together a “Words for the New Year” post, one that helped guide me through the year. I wasn’t unique in this practice. A lot of people choose one word to hold onto as their north star for the year. I tended to choose a quote. But last…
Read MoreThe Great Barometer
Mom didn’t like talking about menstruation, but she did tell me at least one thing: If you’re lucky enough to have a regular cycle, chart it so you won’t be taken unawares. I’m sure she didn’t specifically use those words (Mom would never say “taken unawares,” but that’s what came to mind when I sat…
Read MoreSorry, We’re Closed
If there’s one thing I’m really good at, it’s turning inward and shutting people out. The behavior isn’t to punish the other person because I’m holding a grudge—it’s to allow me time to make sense of my surroundings and the information that’s overwhelming me. It’s my thinking time, my time to plan an attack, my…
Read MoreCleaning Day
The above picture popped up when I searched for “clean” on Pixabay. My intent with the search? To find a picture to represent what I felt like doing today: cleaning. The picture isn’t quite what I was going for, but honestly, it made me laugh, and really, who reads this blog anyway? Especially one where…
Read MoreSummer Goals
Years ago, I used to blog every day, or nearly every day. Now, I’m lucky to write a blog post once a month, and when I do, it’s not for writing practice or to share what happened during my day or to teach a life lesson or to amuse my kids. It’s to promote an…
Read MoreWish Me Luck
January represents many things to me, only one of which is a restart button of sorts. But during the cold winter months, I have real trouble restarting. So why choose January as a time to restart anything? I’m asking myself that these days as I surface from a cold. The virus didn’t effect me too…
Read MoreNo Words for the New Year
This post was supposed to be my “New Words for the New Year 8” post, but a cold has me on my bum, and I’m not feeling up to writing anything regarding what my outlook for 2023 will be. That might change in a few days, so if you’re interested in what I might be…
Read MoreEducation These Days
It’s been a week, friends. A week and then some. And none of the things that have made it “a week” are bad or big or obnoxious, in and of themselves. But all put together? Those little things—computer not working properly (touchpad, touchscreen, keyboard, you know, all the things I use on a daily basis),…
Read MoreFrom a Little Spark . . .
I usually don’t go this long without posting, but lately, life has been a bit full, shall we say. Full of parental concerns, full of pet concerns, full of writing and editing projects not directly associated with this blog. With minimal hair and teeth pulling, I finished my synopsis and query letter and sent the…
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