I have always done my best, and most creative, thinking (and writing) when I spend time outside. It doesn’t matter if I’m hiking, walking, shoveling snow, or just hanging out. There’s something about the out-of-doors that feeds my soul. Many people, including my kids and close friends, have been offering not-so-gentle hints for years about moving. “But it won’t be safe to live there as you get older.” “What if you need medical attention? There’s not much there.” “How can you manage with so little shopping in what passes for a town?” The list is long. I could fill a …
Are you a procrastinator? Sometimes? All the time? Never?
If the answer is never, we probably could not be friends. LOL Things I like to procrastinate on… Dishes. I hate washing dishes. I do it, but I can always find soooo many things to do to avoid it. Bills. Nuff said. Drying my hair. I have been known to wear a towel on my head until I go to bed. My hair looks like Medusa, but whatever. LOL My job. Writing. Sometimes it’s easy and sometimes it’s like pulling teeth. Suffice it to say, I’m an excellent procrastinator. Although, I’ve realized sometimes it’s not a bad thing. For …
What Makes Long Term Partnerships Special?
Today (although by the time you read this, a couple of weeks will have elapsed), my husband was out walking the dog. He slipped and fell on some ice and ended up with a 2” laceration in his forehead and a hairline fracture in his scapula. While I am grateful the damage wasn’t worse, still he will be out of commission for at least the next month. Means more on my plate. For example, I just got back from the transfer station. There is very little home trash pick up in Mammoth Lakes, so the municipal district charges us for …
Procrastibaking: Vegan Blueberry Crumble Bars Edition
So, I should be writing, diving deep into my manuscript, crafting brilliant dialogue, untangling plot knots…but instead, I’m here, dreaming of summer, sunshine, and fresh berries. Naturally, that led me to what I like to call…procrastibaking (i.e., the art of putting off today what can be done tomorrow and baking instead!). This time, I whipped up some Vegan Blueberry Crumble Bars, and let me tell you, they were absolutely smashingly delicious. And by “smashingly,” I mean I smashed them into my mouth, one after another, like I was training for a competitive eating contest. I have no regrets. The best …
Happy St. Patrick’s Day, my friends!
What do you think of when you think about St. Patrick’s Day? Green Beer? Of course. Wearing green even though it’s not you best color? Absolutely. Pinching your buddies who are not wearing green? Yep. And…. Leprechauns! Yasssssssss! I love Leprechauns and I’m pretty sure it’s time for me to put one into a story. LOL So in the spirit of the holiday, let’s learn a Leprechaun little history — Our tiny little friends are associated with St. Patrick’s Day due to the fact that the little dudes are prominent figures in Irish folklore and this holiday celebrates Irish culture. …
Spring Fever!
Oh, it’s nearly spring. Ostara (the Vernal Equinox) is coming up and I’ve got spring fever. I never get ‘summer fever’ but oh, around this time I’m ready for cool days with a little bit of sun, and flowers and fresh breezes and I’m really ready to air out the house. Our days are still in the 50s, and nights in the upper thirties-low forties, but I can sense spring in the air. So my lawn care person got a surprise this week. Last week I was suddenly in a flower frenzy and I found myself on the Home Depot …
The Gentle Art of Mindfulness
I developed a meditation practice years and years ago. I’d love to say I’ve been consistent in my practice, but life often got in the way. And then, I made an interesting discovery. I didn’t have to be sitting cross-legged on a yoga mat to be present. Ultimately, mindfulness simply means experiencing the current moment to its fullest. We make choices several times each day. We can choose to be fully in the moment, or we can choose to perseverate about something that happened yesterday–or last week. There’s quite a tendency to rehash past events. Or worry endlessly about stuff …
Starting Seeds & Dreaming of Summer Harvests
Spring is nearly here, so it’s time to start my garden! Five years ago, my son bought me an AeroGarden, and, ever since, it’s been my go-to way to start seeds indoors. It’s the perfect little system for giving plants a head start before transferring them to my outdoor garden. Mine holds six plants at a time. An aside: You don’t need to buy an Aerogarden to start your plants indoors. Even though I love it, I’m not endorsing Aerogarden in particular. I have (and will again) used clip-on grow lights, along with large, clean yogurt containers with a lid …
OMG. Exercising In Your 50s… LOL
Welp, I used to be in shape. Great shape. In my life before I was an author, I was an actress. I’ve done Broadway, TV and film. I danced my bahooky off in Chorus Line, Forty Second Street, Damn Yankees and many other shows. HOWEVER, as a writer I sit on that very same bahooky way too much. So, I’m doing what any sensible gal would do. I’m exercising again. It’s been alarming, hilarious and painful. Shall we discuss? Let’s. Walking is great. It’s not great when it’s colder than a witch’s tit outside. Right now, that’s the case. Walking …
Toolkit for Challenging Times
No matter what your political leanings, nothing about the past month can have been easy. From the liberal (not a dirty word, no matter what you’ve been told) side of the house, we mourn as human rights crash and burn. From the conservative side, many people feel cheated that the new administration isn’t doing what they said they would. In truth, the slash and burn approach to dealing with governmental agencies they don’t understand or appreciate has been painful to observe. Especially, as they try to rehire essential staff…ones responsible for containing bird flu and the nation’s nuclear codes, among …