Everyday Stuff
The New Sheltie
You may remember we lost our eight-year-old Sheltie, Jet, a couple of months ago. There are those people who get another dog right away (me) and those who wait a long time (John) and then there are those who compromise (us, usually). So when I saw the picture of an eight-month-old Sheltie on a breeder’s…
Read MoreStory Weekend: Three Words to Describe You, Then and Now
Sorry for being late with Story Weekend this weekend. A new puppy can really wreak havoc on the schedule! I was looking at some old family photos recently and at the age of 13, I was a pretty unsmiling, miserable looking kid! Then last night I saw a recent television interview of myself and thought…
Read MoreOther People's Skin
Today’s my Other People’s Skin Day. I try to have an OPS Day on the 28th of each month, though sometimes I forget. It can be exhausting, but also uplifting. I started my occasional OPS Days about two years ago after reading one of Thich Nhat Hanh’s book about how we’re all connected. Thich Nhat…
Read MoreStory Weekend: Your Earliest Memory
I feel sober and sad this weekend, witnessing the hurricane destruction in New York and my home state of New Jersey. I haven’t lived in New Jersey for decades, but my earliest memories are on the boardwalks of Point Pleasant and Seaside Heights, and it’s hard to see what’s happened to the coastline I’ve loved.…
Read MoreStory Weekend: Your Best Age So Far
Hmm. . . great question. I won’t go first because I don’t want to sway anyone (note: I wouldn’t go back to the age I was in this picture for anything, except maybe to experience being a size six again). What’s your favorite age so far? If you’re new to Story Weekend, here’s how it…
Read MoreA Book Club Visit
I love it when my schedule gives me the time to visit a book club in person! This Wake Forest, NC club read The Good Father, and we had a fun discussion and yummy munchies. If your club reads one of my books and our schedules mesh, I’d be happy to call your group by…
Read MoreStory Weekend: Your Childhood Talent
Today’s Story Weekend theme: childhood talent. What’s the story about yours? If you’re new to Story Weekend, here’s how it works: I pick a theme and you share something from your life that relates to that theme, however you interpret it. Thanks to all of you who’ve been contributing. As always, there are a few “rules”:…
Read MoreAre you a Re-reader?
I’m in charge of my bookclub’s discussion tomorrow night, and the book we chose to read was Stephen King’s 11/22/63. (That’s a slightly dated pic of my club on the left). I love King’s non-horror books and stories (The Stand is a favorite and his short story Shawshank Redemption inspired the fantabulous movie of the same…
Read MoreStory Weekend: Dress Codes
I remember walking into my high school one morning when a female teacher grabbed my arm, pointing in horror to the hem of the green corduroy jumper I was wearing. “I have a mind to send you home,” she said. But the hem was so close to the required middle of the kneecap that she…
Read MoreTeaching an Old Dog New Tricks
In what now seems like another life, I once belonged to a dog training club. My then-husband and I had two wonderful golden retrievers and for years we trained them in obedience and agility, going to shows each weekend and working and playing hard with our dogs. Then there was a divorce and a move…
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