Christmas. . . and beagles
Nemo came to live with us two summers ago. We had always had dogs, but after finally losing two old friends, we decided to take a break. As much as we missed Kiwi and Dingo, there was something nice about just locking the door and walking away when we wanted to visit children or travel. …
Read MoreContests and Websites, the joys and the sorrows
Okay. I’ll start with a confession. Contests are a source of endless frustration for many authors. I hear the complaints, and I understand. One of my own just ended. My readers and website visitors had the opportunity to win a Sister’s Choice quilt that I purchased from Quilt Pink, a collaborative effort by American Patchwork and Quilting magazine and…
Read MoreHappiness, Holidays, Hassles!
It’s the beginning of December, and right along with Bing Crosby’s rendition of White Christmas, the hassles have begun. Yesterday, I spent four full hours on the computer and telephone trying to make two simple airline reservations. First there were full flights and the necessity of booking my return with a layover of two…
Read MoreThe Lull
We all feel it, that all too brief lull between holidays. Our Thanksgiving turkey is now a challenge we serve as hash, or homemade pot pies, or even altered beyond recognition into mouth-watering gumbo. The family who traveled for hours to visit has gone home, and our houses are dusty around the edges, with new scratches…
Read MoreWe Gather Together
I hope wherever you are for the Thanksgiving holiday, whatever you eat, whatever your personal celebrations, that you spend it with people you love, and you find a way to tell them so.
Read MoreShall We Gather by the River?
I’m completely amazed at how many river songs there are. Obviously I’m obsessed. One of my all-time favorites is When I Went Down to the River to Pray, sung by Alison Krauss in the film O Brother, Where Art Thou? (One of my favorite movies.) The sweet purity of her voice, and the images of people…
Read MoreRiver Take Me Away
After writing about flowing rivers in my last post, I woke up this morning singing River, by Bill Staines. When my children were young we spent weeks at a family camp in Highlands, North Carolina. And every summer, we sang: River, take me along in your sunshine, sing me a song Ever moving and winding and…
Read MoreWhat’cha gonna do when the river runs dry, oh babe?
Years ago, in another life, I played the piano for a fellow music student who performed a catchy art song that began with the question in my title. The answer, by the way, was: “I’m gonna stand on the banks and watch the crawfish die, oh babe,” an image I didn’t fully understand until I moved to Louisiana years…
Read MorePlanting A Seed
I’ll confess I had no intention of having a blog on this website. From the beginning of blogging fever I was convinced it was a bad idea for someone who already makes a living with words. Why put more of mine out there? After all, most of you reading this also read my novels. And…
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