Today, Ray and I filled our trailer with metal to take to the recycling place and also met our local junk store friends, who graciously accepted the gift of a couple of SUV loads of our don’t-need-to-store-these-anymore antiques and collectibles. We are very pleased to have relieved ourselves of all of these “extras” that have…
Some Excellent Writing Advise
Below is a short article that contains wonderful writing advice the author received from Knopf’s Charles Elliott. A variation on this advice came from a teacher I’ve worked with but I cannot recall which teacher. His/her advice was, “Pretend you have a camera on your shoulder and let the reader see exactly what the camera…
A Ramble About My Day
I am tired. Today was busy. Lots of visiting, which was all pleasant and with people I am very fond of, so that wasn’t the problem. The problem is that I went from one activity to the next with no downtime in between. We went to breakfast with one of our antique dealer friends to…
The Success of SCN’s “20-Minutes-a-Day” Writing Challenge
I just concluded hosting Story Circle Network’s “20 Minutes a Day” January writing challenge. We had 44 participants who committed to writing for 20 minutes a day from January 2 until today, January 30th. Here’s to your success, writing participants! Daughter Liz Beaty, SCN’s program director, and I created this program a few years ago. This…
“Blue Zone” Spiced Lentil Recipe
This recipe comes from the website of Dan Buettner, who researched and wrote several books on the Blue Zones, which are areas where the longest-living people call home. These areas are as diverse as Greece; Sardinia; Okinawa, Japan; Costa Rica, and Loma Linda, California. I have been trying different Blue Zone recipes. This can be…
Our First Day in Texas
This morning, Ray and I got up early (at 8, which is 6 in California) and got ready for church at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Sherman. A friend of ours picked us up at 9:15 and we were there by 9:20. Nothing is too far away in Sherman, but, in this case, the church…
Almost There!
Ray and I are driving through Childress, Texas right now. I’m typing on my computer in the car because I know I’ll be too tired to write once we arrive in Sherman this evening. We started at 6 am from Grants, New Mexico where it was 23 degrees this morning. We have made good time…
Finally Driving to Texas
Ray and I are on our first driving trip to Texas since September 2019. Covid-19 was the culprit, and then when we were finally able to return, we flew rather than drove since the flights were faster. Until today. Here it is January 2024 and we are finally getting to make the drive on Interstate 40…
Looking for a Flavor-filled Winter Soup? Here’s a Great Instant Pot Recipe
As many of you know, I am an undying supporter of the Instant Pot. Ever since my niece Nicki introduced me to this quick and easy pressure cooker, I have never looked back. I cook probably 80% of my meals in an Instant Pot and have found it produces moist meat and vegetables, perfect rice…
A Silly Poem: Tomorrow’s Unfolding
Let’s see how tomorrow unfoldsLike a flowerOr a chairOr maybe a spring-loaded tentLet’s see how that unfolding happensGentlyWith a little helpOr all on its ownMaybe tomorrow will be resistantAnd stay comfortably foldedHappy to maintain its more protected stateUntil further noticeTomorrow’s unfolding remains a mysteryUntil tomorrowWhen we will seeExactly what does or does not unfold
20 Minutes a Day 