It’s Time

Hello and happy Boxing Day! I hope you all had an enjoyable Christmas and that you are safe in your homes and snug as bugs in rugs. The weather has been frightful almost everywhere and I truly hope you all made it safely to your destinations. But, if not, I hope you made the best of the unexpected situation and that Santa Claus found you anyway. He’s known for that.

Read Full Post »

The Importance of Nesting

For those of you who have not ever seen me, I’m letting you know that I am relatively short. Maybe, at 5’ 5”, I could be considered “average” in height, but most days I feel short. I cannot reach the top shelf in most grocery stores. I cannot reach the top shelf in my own closet without use of a stepstool. I can barely reach the top cupboards in my kitchen even on tiptoe.

Read Full Post »

Tres Kitties

Some of you already know that my family has grown by three. Last week we adopted three new kitties from our local humane society. We would have taken the entire lot home, but alas, three was all we could comfortably be responsible for. It’s so tough when you visit animal shelters because you want to rescue everything there. But the reality is, three cats in one confirmed space is the perfect amount of cats. Plus there is the added costs of properly caring for them, which greatly hinders one’s decision when adopting.

Calypso and Mozart – Photo by P. Rickrode (2022)

Read Full Post »

Good Medicine

“Laughter is the best medicine.” Or so the old adage goes. But is it really true? According to my research, medical experts say “yes,” laughter is indeed great medicine for many things. Laughter is a particularly great form of stress relief, and that’s no joke.

Read Full Post »

Mystic Mountain Adventure Park

Shortly after cruising opened back up for travelers, my husband and I booked a cruise that we’ve always wanted to take. It’s a long one and usually an expensive one. But two things worked in our favor; one, we were still (unfortunately) working with pandemic occupancy at the inn (so essentially no guests), and, two, cruises were being offered for dirt cheap to entice folks to travel the high seas again.

Read Full Post »

Valentine’s Day Fail

Here we are at February 14^th already. Valentine’s Day has arrived again. Time to show your special someone how much you love them. I know, I know, you should do that every day, but today is the one day a year when you should really treat your sweetheart to something uniquely special. Something out of their ordinary. Something frivolous. Nothing says, “I love you,” like wasting money on something only the receiver will appreciate and enjoy. Like flowers. Or a bottle of their favorite Prosecco.

Read Full Post »

Because I Really Like It There

It’s been a while since I’ve posted anything about my books or writing in general. Since I am a published author, I guess I should probably talk about my books on occasion, right? Today is that day. I thought I’d share with you some of my ideas and how my creative process works when I’m writing.

Read Full Post »

My Christmas Wish For You

I’d like to take the credit for the poem below, but alas I cannot. In fact, my creative well has been a bit low lately and finding the right words to express what’s in my heart right now has not been easy. So, I spent some time on the internet trying to find the exact sentiment that I can share with you this holiday season.

Read Full Post »

Thanksgiving Greetings From Vicksburg

The holiday crush is upon us. It’s time to pack on the pounds and dole out the dollars. With a mad dash here and a mad dash there, here a dash, there a dash, everyday a dash, dash. In other words, it’s the holidays. November and December are always such special months of the year. But ultimately, the hustle and bustle culminates in the sharing of relaxed meals with loved ones and cozy nights by the fire.

Read Full Post »

What’s Really Going On Here?

Do you ever look at a person and immediately formulate an opinion about them, be it by their clothes, their hair, their tattoos, etc.? It’s easy to do. It’s easy to look at someone and decide right then and there that there is something wrong with them or something unpleasant enough that you want to keep your distance. But is there really something wrong with them? Are they really unpleasant to be around? Does their pink hair really mean they’re starved for attention? Do their whole-body tattoos mean they have low self-esteem? Does their revealing clothing really mean they have loose morals? Maybe. Probably not. But, if you don’t look deeper, you’ll never find out.

Read Full Post »