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Sunday Snippet: The Lake Life Reality Edition
We are in our 14th year here at the lake. It’s hard to believe we’ve had our cottage for so long, particularly given that we waited for so long to buy one. It seemed like whenever we were ready to buy, cottages were just out of our reach and when they were in our reach, we weren’t in a position to consider buying one. Fourteen years ago, when this marriage-long dream came true, we were overjoyed. We still are, although the realities of lake life are a little different from the fantasies. This is a rehash of the harsh realities of lake life, but I’m doing it again anyway because…
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Sunday Snippet: The Remembering to Be Truly Grateful Edition
I know that I post a paragraph of weekly gratitude each Sunday, but sometimes it’s hard to find reasons to be grateful. I write every morning in my gratitude journal–five things from the day before that I’m thankful for, but I find myself repeating–home, Husband, family, friends–all things I am truly grateful for. But these days are harder than most and only appear to be getting harder. Gratitude is a struggle when the news of the nation and the world is bad. So today, I’m going to focus on all the good in my life and how very blessed I am. (I promise not to be sappy–I’m probably lying about…
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Sunday Snippet: The Opening Weekend Edition with Chicks and Ducklings and Turkeys…Oh My!
There’s a particular scent that always pervades the first weekend of being at the lake–it’s a mixture of citronella and watermelon candles, mothballs (to keep the critters away) and pink antifreeze, bleach, and a slight mustiness that means you’re at the lake. This year, it hit us as soon as we opened the front door. We both inhaled deeply and grinned at each other and said, in unison, “We’re at the lake!” Pic is Husband in his happy place–the lake! We’ve been working most of the past two days getting the cottage ready for another summer. Husband turned on the water (which involves more than turning a knob–he has to…
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Sunday Snippet: The Things I Should Have Mentioned in 2024 Edition
It’s January 5 and maybe a few days late for rehashing 2024, but I have few memos for the past year that I need to get off my mind before I plunge into 2025. Dear Summer 2024, Where did you go? I mean seriously? I know the summer lasted the usual 3-4 months, but it sure didn’t feel like it was that long. We didn’t get enough lake time or enough time to go out exploring state parks and places of interest as we’d planned to do. Stick around and be more organized in 2025, okay? Longingly, Nan ~*~*~*~ Dear Election, Sigh. What can I say? Things did not end…
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Sunday Snippet: The Focusing Elsewhere for a Minute Edition
This week, writing, finding my creative escape has been really hard as current events have overwhelmed me. But if I am the writer that I claim to be, that I want to be, shouldn’t I be able to write, no matter what? I always maintain that writing is essential to who I am and it is, but there are days, now and again, where I want the people in my head to just sit quietly for just a little bit, while I take a deep breath and recenter. So, I’ve been focused elsewhere the past couple of days–getting ready to close up the lake cottage. It’s November 10 and it’s…
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Sunday Snippet: The It’s Officially Autumn Edition
I read an article a few years ago that talked about Autumn resolutions–how they’re much easier than New Year’s resolutions because they’re inner resolutions. A fall renewing of your spirit and determination. I like that idea—just a quiet resolve to do better. The worrying thing will need work this fall–the knot in my stomach is back, I think mostly because of politics. That whole situation terrifies the tar outta me, but outside of voting, what can I do? I need to do something, so I’ve volunteered to work the polls for the first time in at least 20 years. Otherwise, I’ll just live my life, love my family and friends,…
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Sunday Snippet: The Anniversary Edition
It’s our wedding anniversary. Husband and I have been married 51 years today. Last year for our 50th, we took a trip to Oregon and celebrated our day with wine and supper on a beautiful deck overlooking a gorgeous vineyard. It was heaven. Today, we’ll have another kind of heaven, celebrating with homemade flatbread pizzas and a good chianti. Maybe a walk down to the lake in the moonlight. 51 years. Wow…that sounds like a long time. Probably because it is a long damn time. Marriages in this country don’t usually last for over 50 years. We are a nation of disposable everything, including marriages. Folks seem to me to…
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Sunday Snippet: Another Deep Breath Edition
How did it get to be April 14 already? I mean, seriously, wasn’t it just Valentine’s Day and the ground was covered with a light blanket of snow and my gardens were still sleeping? Now everything is popping up, flowers are blooming, bushes and trees are leafing out. These are my gorgeous tulips that my sweet neighbor, Mary, gave me for my birthday in September. As you can see, my office garden is starting to wake up. Husband has already mowed twice, and y’all know he’s happiest on his mower. We’ve had torrential rain this week, so the lawn is lush and green and as soon as it dries out…
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Sunday Snippet: The I Love Autumn Edition
Autumn is my favorite time of the year, even though I’m often restless and sad in the fall. It’s an ending in so many ways, and yet there is that feeling of joyful beginning that comes with Thanksgiving and the start of the holiday season. We’re closing up the cottage this weekend, packing perishable items that can’t stay over the winter, storing linens, and winterizing. The saddest thing is leaving our lake friends. It’s odd, but in the summer, the lake often feels like our real life, and when we come home, it seems as if we are just marking time until we can go back there. I’m not sure…
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Sunday Snippet: The Moments of Blessing Edition
Thanksgiving week is a time for gratitude. To look back on the year and count my blessings because oh, how I am blessed. This past year has been such a busy one. Between writing and book releases and editing gigs and promotion, I’ve barely had time to simply breathe. But even amidst all that scurrying and time spent at my computer, writing and working, I’ve had moments. Too many to list them all here and too many people in my life to mention them all here, although they are always in my heart, but here a few moments from this year. Moments with Husband: Dancing in a vineyard in Oregon…