Coming Home to Myself

A Bumpy Ride through the holidays

For weeks, dreading this holiday season, I’ve watched myself escape into anything other than the present. Consequently, with these special days looming, I worried about my ability to take care of what needed to be done. In the immediate past (like two weeks), I’ve started most days with five minutes of meditation. The idea isContinue reading “A Bumpy Ride through the holidays”

Second Year Blues

I’ve always been rather low-key when dealing with holidays. For instance, in the winter, I prefer the soft warm glow of a Christmas Eve luminaria display over a month of electric glare. But I didn’t expect the whammy that this year brought—even before Thanksgiving. Last year, my loss was fresh, still front-and-center in my attention.Continue reading “Second Year Blues”

After a Long Silence

It has been a beautiful fall, with trees holding their leaves. We had several near or at freezing nights and finally, yesterday morning, a harder freeze. True to their nature, the mulberry trees began their drip drip drip of big leaves piling up beneath trees and on nearby sidewalks. Walking Sophie, I had to leadContinue reading “After a Long Silence”

DIY Deadlines

I envy people with editors and publishers and deadlines. This DIY business of writing lacks a certain kick-in-the-pants to facilitate inspiration. A writer can get too close to her writings. Somehow this week I’ve achieved a more distant view. So what went before to bring that about? First: A response from my copy-editor who returnedContinue reading “DIY Deadlines”

Remnants of a cruise—Exercise

I used to swim once a week. That was back before COVID. At some point, I always felt cold. For a time, I toyed with the idea of swimming in a nice warm therapy pool, but never acted on it. Anyway, I haven’t swum in years. The thought of it turned me cold. But exerciseContinue reading “Remnants of a cruise—Exercise”

Remnants of a Cruise—Books

I like meditative walks, walks that allow thoughts to surface. Walking with Sophie—when she plods slowly along without too many stops—can be very satisfying. Now that we’ve entered the cooling season, she’s more willing to take an evening walk around the block, and thoughts of my blog crept in. The hodge-podge of ideas left meContinue reading “Remnants of a Cruise—Books”

Notes from a harried writer

Ah, the hats we wear! I came back from our trip all fired up to begin the final revisions before a (as yet undetermined but imminent) deadline with a copyeditor. Before leaving home, I had sent out the remaining 80 pages (minus the epilogue) to my critique group. On my return, the first person toContinue reading “Notes from a harried writer”

Vacation Snippets

In Amsterdam, we took a canal tour. It was fun, scenic* and informational. We learned that the number of bikes in the city exceeds that of its population—single speed bikes that whiz along the flat land. We saw far more parked bikes than cars. In the U.S. we have more guns than people. Which doContinue reading “Vacation Snippets”

Deadlines and Emotional Support

One of the hardest things about taking a trip is leaving Sophie behind. I think of her as my Security Animal, but what does that mean? It’s not that she makes me feel secure—in the danger sense. She’s deaf to all but the loudest noises (so thunder is no problem any more). She doesn’t seeContinue reading “Deadlines and Emotional Support”

Shaking Loose—

Last night I noted in my journal that I was going to miss another blog deadline. I had been doing so well at making weekly entries and then . . . And then—besides paying a visit to my daughter—my head got tied up with the current opus revisions. Any spare blog thoughts kept flying awayContinue reading “Shaking Loose—”