This weekend, for the first time in my life, I harvested artichokes from my garden. Cooking them took significantly less time than it usually does with store-bought artichokes… and when we got past the tougher outer leaves, there were no bristly choke leaves. It was all buttery, juicy, flavorful heart of fresh artichoke–but this time … Season of Growth
Just before my planned end-of-year week off, I got the interesting news that my work life would be changing significantly. It’s meant I’ve had time I haven’t had in years to take courses and catch up with certification continuing education requirements… and take baths… and sleep. And Friday afternoon I stumbled across an emotional resilience … Resilience
I thought this was the year I would return to successfully complete NaNoWriMo. Then, November 1, Santino died. Only three months after Natasha, and with next to no warning. We’d been walking with him right up until the day he died. Monday night, he’d unexpectedly sat down in the middle of the road; then he … The Whiplash of Changes
It’s coming up hard on that time of year when NaNoWriMo sends would-be authors scurrying to their desks, anxious to pound out 50,000 words in a single month. As you can see from my projects, the first two years I tried, I succeeded, and thus kicked off what is now a 13-year career … writing. … Facing Choices
There’s an interesting dynamic these days whereby some are convinced we’re fully post-pandemic, and others are worried about the resurgence of people becoming ill. There are more calls for more time to be spent in the office, and people are still having a hard time not making Events out of every gathering. And there are … Picking Up The Pieces
Just like that, another half year has passed. And so has our beloved “Queen Mum,” Natasha. We had two close calls with her in May that inspired us to dedicate ourselves to in-home hospice care as she first lost her ability to stand up on her own, and eventually also became incontinent. It was a … Until We Meet Again
It’s that time of year again when my obligatory rant about the futility of “saving daylight” comes around, and I grouse about another week lost to the adjustment required for a purely ridiculous political construct. It doesn’t help that this time of year is also when my allergies are at their worst – the two … Lost Hours
This month, hubs and I celebrated our silver anniversary. It’s certainly an inflection point, but in the end, mostly just about helping each other make our dreams into reality. We were able to achieve a milestone this past year that we hadn’t anticipated for a few years yet when we bought our house. We’ve settled … A Quarter Century of Doing
So 2023 begins. Actually productively. I finished a big editing job this weekend for a nonfiction book that has my cogs turning about the power of the spoken word. Interestingly enough, this particular job is in trade for finally getting one of my novels read into audiobook format. I’ll keep you posted on when the … Another Year Gone
Our new place lends itself to bird watching, though we still do it more from the wonder at the range of species with whom we live in close proximity than anything as formal as a birding log or even falling back on the old birding guides I know my grandparents made regular use of. Every … Quiet Souls
