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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…
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Sunday Snippet: The What the Heck Happened to Summer? Edition
Seriously… how is it already August 6? I mean, wasn’t it just May and Husband and I were looking forward to our 50th anniversary trip to Oregon and I was busy making plans with my writer pal Carol Light for our trip to San Juan Capistrano and the Tule Author Retreat and checking with my sibs for a visit to my brother’s in Woodland Hills? I’m sure that was just a week ago… Yikes! Oregon is a fond, wistful memory now. The Tule Author Retreat remains ingrained in my heart and mind as a wondrous time with fellow authors and editors and the Tule team, as well as a fun…
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Sunday Snippet: The I’m Really Tired and I Got Nothin’ Edition
I’m not going to whine, even though I feel like I could. Isn’t it funny, though, how you can’t seem to catch up on sleep? Why, do you suppose? I mean, it makes sense to me that if you miss some sleeping time, then sleeping more later should fix it. But things don’t seem to work out like that. Right now, I feel like I could sleep for a week, but I can’t do that, so here I am. On the upside, I’m at the lake, I’ve gotten to swim several times this week with friend Moe and Grandboy and Son, and we had time with our kids up here.…
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Sunday Snippet: The Sure, Why Not a Real Snippet Edition
It’s been a week, mes amies. One full of writing and family time and lake time and Liz time… a week where I wrote THE END on Jack and Maddie’s story and sent it off to my editor with my heart alternately in my throat and my socks, wondering what she will think of their story. Funnily enough, I wrote nearly the last four chapters at her house with her sitting across from me, writing herself. Don’t think that wasn’t a cool, but weird experience. Crit partners and betas have said good things about it… get ready for the title because I don’t think I’ve mentioned it here yet… Make…