beauty ... or the beast
At the ripe old age of 87, my Nana (now nearly 93), did something she’d never done before in her adult life. She danced. ***** Recently, I saw the new live-action film version of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast (OK, fine, maybe I’ve seen it twice already). And I’m finding my brain churning on…
the good old days
Ah, the good old days. The simpler ways of bygone eras have become an indelible part of our collective consciousness, stirring a sense of wistfulness at their passing, whether we actually lived through them or not. Neighbors leaned from open windows or across picket fences to chat, and thought…
influence
During my six or so years of blogging, I’ve met some stellar people online. One of those people is Diana Peach, a fellow blogger and prolific novel writer in the fantasy genre. Just last week, Diana released Catling’s Bane: Book I of her four-book series known collectively as The Rose Shield. And…
'tis a gift
A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about the seeming ever-presence of sea glass in my world, along with five ways that it reminds me of what’s important in life. Well, it occurred to me in the last few days that many of my pieces of sea glass were gifts. And that got me noticing anew the many other…
someday soon
Last week, I posted about sea glass and how it can serve as a reminder to slow down. Some of you may not know this about me, but I'm also a singer/songwriter. It's been a while since I've written anything new. However, with my health issues now solved, and having been thinking a lot lately about…
sea glass
Winter is not quite over. But after a couple spectacular blizzards in mid January and February, New England has been enjoying some record-breaking warmth. Last Friday, the temperature reached 75° — beating the historical average for that day by a whopping 35°. I donned shorts and a tank top,…
making the cut (negativity)
I finished recording the tracks for The Best Advice So Far this week, and I've begun the editing process. There's a ton I want to share with you about the process itself — and about the number of times I'd have quit already, if it weren't for advice from my own book and blog kicking my butt.…
the grumbles: part 2
Today’s post is a continuation of last week’s discussion on complaining. If you’re coming in late to the game, I highly recommend reading the previous post first, since it lays some groundwork about what constitutes complaining and what does not. However, I’ll sum up the gist of it. My friend Chad…
the grumbles: part 1
I’m a little embarrassed to admit it, but I found myself growling out loud this afternoon. We got another 14-or-so inches of snow yesterday, which in and of itself was quite spectacular. Not only did the blizzard cause whiteout conditions where I could not even see the trees at the back of my…
drain
Growing up, I went to a dysfunctional parochial school. The school was characterized by excessive, unfounded and often absurd rules — all alleged to have been formulated in the name of God. No dancing at any time. Dancing of any kind at any time — even at a wedding — was grounds for punishment or…