Coming Home to Myself

On taking a break

I’ve been on break for the last two weeks. A staycation. Actually, I broke from one thing only: my struggle with a plot that wouldn’t cooperate. Since I stopped fighting it, I had nothing to run from. That freed my mind and my eyes. I could see what was around me. Piles of paper toContinue reading “On taking a break”

Take a break—

This past Monday morning, while hanging out the wash (and waiting for the dryer repair-man), I had an epiphany. It’s time I took a vacation. We’ve just dropped into the 90s after many days of 100 degree heat. June always used to be the month when we hit 100. July was cooler but more humid.Continue reading “Take a break—”

Lost—

Sophie likes to lie on the patio and let her aging bones soak up heat. A couple evenings ago, we were eating in the kitchen. Sophie was outside. She barked—a polite “I’m ready to come in” bark. Wayne went to check on her. At some point after our meal, he said, “I can’t find SophieContinue reading “Lost—”

Writing paradoxes

Time keeps flying past. The days dissolve into weeks, into months, and my deadline gets closer and closer. The more I worry about not producing prose, the less I produce. This past weekend, I got little done on Saturday and none on Sunday. I went to bed very discouraged. Looking back at my Sunday, IContinue reading “Writing paradoxes”

Playing catch-up

Sophie is well. She did stop eating grass and—aside from being unwilling to take evening walks in this heat—is doing okay. She’s none the worse for the spider (or whatever) bite she suffered, and eager for her morning walks in the coolest part of the day. The ground squirrel strikes again. My hopeful Armenian cucumberContinue reading “Playing catch-up”

The Unexpected

Sophie and Wayne took their usual evening walk on Monday. She walked normally until she reached our doorstep, but came into the house with her right rear leg held high, panting, and madly licking at her paw. I felt her paw, thinking she’d stepped on a goathead—our most wicked, thorny seed that comes with threeContinue reading “The Unexpected”

Year half over

How can another month end so soon after it just began? With the heat of summer finally at hand, I’ve been belatedly spreading pecan shell mulch around our shrubs to hold in moisture. Already the scattered tomato plants look a little happier; and working in early morning coolness has been pleasant exercise. A friend warnedContinue reading “Year half over”

Reinventing the Wheel

Every book is different. Every book presents new challenges. At least, that’s been true for me, and other writers have said so as well. Unfortunately, I haven’t had the opportunity of discussing the difficulties of pulling all the threads together to complete a trilogy. No doubt many series writers could offer advice. I thought IContinue reading “Reinventing the Wheel”

Obsessions

This light pole—covered with a now-dead vine—makes me think of our lives, how we wrap ourselves around our dreams and goals. (Or do we wrap them around ourselves?) I don’t know if the word obsession fits that vision but that’s the word that came to me. I first learned the word—countless years ago—when I readContinue reading “Obsessions”

Occupations

My blog deadline last week coincided with my sister’s visit—a very brief, fun visit. Even before that, one of my projects had grabbed me, shoved me in my chair, and said Pay attention! So I did. I continued to pay attention during my sister’s visit. And since. And now. Just before the visit, I caughtContinue reading “Occupations”