Writer, blogger
Years ago, I flew out west to attend a writers’ conference. As the plane banked in its approach to the runway, I caught a glimpse of the dry, barren, rocky terrain below. As a native South Carolinian accustomed to lush, green landscapes, I was unimpressed, and slightly depressed, by this uninviting, drab, and seemingly lifeless […]
As a writer, I’ve always wondered what it was like to pen something as significant and monumental as the Declaration of Independence. Did Thomas Jefferson welcome the challenge? Did sentences form in his head faster than he could dip quill to ink pot? Or did he sit and ponder, staring at blank parchment as he […]
My 16-month-old granddaughter, Emerald, is adding words to her vocabulary at an exponential rate, parroting almost everything she hears others say. Sometimes, she doesn’t quite get the full word, but mimics the tune or changes the first letter to something easier to say. “Da-do” is thank you, and my grandmother name, “Glam,” is often “Blam” […]
I’ve always enjoyed working jigsaw puzzles. When I was younger, I often worked puzzles with cousins or on vacation. Sometimes, I was so intent on finishing a section of the puzzle, I lost track of time or didn’t hear when someone spoke to me. Often, life feels like a giant jigsaw puzzle. Interlocking challenges come […]
As a young mother, I remember the impact the suicide of a local health professional had on me. I was shocked, confused, shaken, and slightly afraid for some indefinable reason. My daughter was less than a year old and with my mother when I heard the news. I immediately went to get my daughter, again, […]
When I was a child, a popular vacation was the “road trip,” which involved loading the car with luggage and people and driving hundreds of miles each day, stopping only for meals, rest areas, and an occasional “attraction.” We usually drove until almost dark, then stopped at a roadside motel for the night. The next […]
I don’t follow the news as much as I used to. Not because I’m not interested, but because the slant of most news outlets in our country has become so negative. While I am interested and want to stay informed, I don’t want to be bombarded by negativism, questionable stories, and verbiage designed to stir […]
I grew up in a house my father built in 1951. Later he built an addition and remodeled other areas of the house. After my mother’s death, we did an major renovation, addressing some long-deferred maintenance. When we removed the kitchen cabinets, we discovered a water leak that wasn’t apparent. Years of undetected seepage had […]
Several weeks ago, a chapter of a book I’ve been writing, off and on, for the last two years suddenly disappeared from my computer. I discovered the missing chapter in my recycle bin, although I hadn’t deleted it. I wondered briefly if my computer deemed the chapter no good and auto-deleted! Thankfully, I was able […]
Several weeks ago, I entertained my granddaughter while my son and daughter-in-law did some yard work. When I heard commotion in the carport, I went to investigate. My son had moved a large rug that was rolled up and standing on end. Last year, a bird built a nest on top of the rug. However, […]