This Life...
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Sunday Snippet: The In Between Edition
Good Sunday morning, mes amis. It’s a gorgeous day here at the lake. Grandboy is sleeping in my guest room, Husband is out on the deck basking in the morning sun with a cup of coffee, and I’m here in my lake “office.” (Read bedroom with a card table and wooden chair.) We had a lovely evening with Grandboy while his parents went out to celebrate their 24th (!!) anniversary. He regaled us with tales of Scout camp shenanigans and told us about the badges he earned. The kid is interested in everything and just a fun storyteller. We love every moment with him. He’s already claimed his spot on…
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Sunday Snippet: The Reasons to Be Glad this Fourth Edition
This one will be short because honestly, if I don’t keep it short and sweet this weekend, I could easily get off on a rant that would serve no one but me. However, I will say that it’s been hard to feel celebratory this Fourth of July. Some things helped, though … PBS’s annual “A Capitol Fourth.” Watch it even if it is July 5. It will make you feel good about the United States again and give you hope. Click and watch. You’ll be glad you did. Brandi Carlile’s version of “America the Beautiful” sung in front of the Statue of Liberty will touch your patriotic soul and again,…
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Sunday Snippet: The June Memos Edition
It’s time for more memos, don’t you think? It’s been awhile, June is nearly over, summer has truly started … it’s time. So, without further ado… Dear Summer, Welcome back. The first part of June was as wet and chilly as March and I began to wonder if you were ever going to show up. But you are here … temps in the 90s next week, hot sunshine, and real Midwest summer weather. Already sweltering, Nan ~*~*~*~ Dear People in My Head, I know you are all waiting anxiously for your storis to be told–and they will be told. But I just wrote THE END on Levi and Zoey’s story,…
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Sunday Snippet: The Father’s Day Musing Redux Edition
Y’all, it’s Father’s Day, so I’m posting a Father’s Day message I’ve posted before because honestly, it’s the one that tells it all for me. So… here you go… updated slightly, and with random pics of my two favorite dads stuck in here and there… ~*~*~*~ For many years, Father’s day was an…uncomfortable holiday for me. My dad left our family when I was 6 years old, and was never really in my childhood, except for the occasional times of us going to where he worked to pick up the few dollars he was willing to give us. He rarely paid support and my mom worked her tail off going to…
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Sunday Snippet: The I’m Not Really Here Edition
Okay, so that’s not exactly true. I’m here, but I’m crazy busy getting ready to not be here. On Tuesday, I’m headed to RAGT26–the annual Reader Author Get Together in Cincinnati. Pal, fellow Tule author, and fab travel buddy, Carol Light and I are both participating in this event, which is a huge author/reader … well, get-together. About 50 authors and around 350 readers connect for a three-day book lovefest. There are events scheduled for darn near every moment, including a luncheon that Carol and I are hosting (pal and fellow Tule author J.C. Kenney is also sponsoring, but is unable to attend). We are also going to be hosting…
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Sunday Snippet: The Memorial Day Memories Edition
The older I get, the more I crave community—like-minded people who enjoy the same things I do, who believe in the same things I believe in, who want the same things I want. Not just in the social sense, but in all areas of my life. It’s why I joined the newest chapter of Romance Writers of America last year, and why I belong to the Editorial Freelancers Association, why I meet up with my Lovelies for lunch, why I go on retreats with Lizzie twice a year, and why I read the blogs I read and participate with comments. It’s why I stay on Facebook and Instagram and Bluesky,…
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Sunday Snippet: The Pink Primroses, Daisies, and a Real Snippet Edition
When Husband and I got home from a week at the lake yesterday, we both sucked in a breath of awe–our primroses and daisies are blooming! The front gardens look glorious and lush with flowers and ferns and hostas–we are a festival of color and greenery! Take a look! I am not, as I have told you on more than one occasion, a gardener. I don’t like yardwork, I find weeding tedious and annoying, and watering and trimming a wicked necessity. But wow, doing the work is so worth the effort! My gardens are nothing compared to my lovely neighbors who work in theirs every day and their work…
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Sunday Snippet: The I Miss My Mom Edition
I was just in the kitchen putting baked beans together and it occurred to me how much of my Mom’s way of doing things I’ve brought to my own adulthood. Like, for instance, baked beans. Mother was always horrified at the idea of dumping a can of baked beans into a pot and warming it up right from the can. Instead, she drained the beans, put them in a casserole dish, added barbecue sauce, mustard, a chopped onion, and brown sugar. Then she placed two strips of bacon across the top in an X and put them in the oven. She baked them until they were dry enough that when…
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Sunday Snippet: The Who Is My Best Self Edition
This morning during my daily meditation, the guide asked us to consider that question: “Who am I when I’m at my best?” Who am I when I’m at my best? Wow, what a question. I think we, okay I, don’t stop my life to consider who I am, who I want to be, who I should be. I just push through…working, writing, doing laundry, making meals, being horrified by the state of our government, yet loving my family and friends and just trying to get through each day. Always behind everything I do or think or say is the knowledge that my heart isn’t working as well as other hearts…
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Sunday Snippet: The All Things Spring Edition
Okay, so maybe not ALL things, but I’ve got little to say today, I’m going to share some beauties from my yard (and my neighbor’s yard) with you. It’s been a long week. We spent most of it up at the lake getting ready for the contractor to come and tear out our old deck and start building the new one. That involved a lot of raking of old wet leaves and picking up sticks and brooming off the old deck of maple twirly things. I know we’ll be doing the twirly thing again next time we go up, but it was a noble effort on our part. I weeded,…