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What Nobody Knows

Every so often, I find myself quoting the author W. Somerset Maugham, who once said, “There are three rules for writing a novel. Unfortunately, no one knows what they are.” I thought of that Saturday while attending a “Writing Children’s Books” Workshop at Georgia Writers Museum. The workshop featured four successful children’s book authors, speaking about different aspects of writing, illustrating, and publishing. Their presentations included their own personal stories – how they got started, what inspired them, and best [...]

By |August 22nd, 2022|Columns, Quotes and Sayings, Writing|

A Big Little Hit

There was much in the news last week to spark outrage, no matter which side of the political divide you’re on. And, of course, that divide got deeper and wider as time went on. Which is all the more reason an unrelated incident in the news was so welcome and heartwarming. I’m referring to the Little League Regional Championship game in which a batter got knocked down by a wild pitch that hit him in the helmet. That, of course, [...]

By |August 15th, 2022|Columns, Making a Difference, Respect, Values|

Ending on a Sour Note

I know I’m a little late coming to the sourdough party. Bread-baking got really popular during the pandemic, when most of us were locked down and looking for things to do at home. Banana bread and sourdough bread seemed to be at the top of the list. I never got into bread-baking then, although I really like sourdough bread. I remember one time – long ago, during a vacation in San Francisco – buying a packet of sourdough starter from [...]

By |August 8th, 2022|Columns, Health and Well-being|

Canceled Communication

“What doesn’t kill me makes me stronger.” There are many times in my life when that quote, by German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, has rung true, both literally and figuratively – such as when I had breast cancer, followed by severe heart damage from chemotherapy. And when my kids were teenagers. It happened again recently, when my email address went bananas. The first I knew of a problem was when I got a phone call from a friend who said she [...]

By |July 31st, 2022|Columns|

The Travelers Return

We’re back home now after almost a month on the road. The first trip was to visit our daughter in California. Then, after a few days at home – just enough time to unpack, do laundry, repack, and celebrate the 4th of July – we headed back out again to visit our son, daughter-in-law, and grandkids in Minnesota. It goes without saying that we had a wonderful time visiting with family, and I could write a dozen posts just on [...]

By |July 17th, 2022|Columns, Family, Holidays, Travel|

Time for Summer Vacation

I’m taking the next three weeks off from writing – other than the journal I’ll be keeping during some traveling and exploring I’ll be doing over the next few weeks. You’ll hear about some of it when I return and settle down again in July. In the meantime, I hope you are enjoying the summer. Please stay safe, cool, and well-hydrated in this dangerously hot weather we’ve been having. Have a wonderful Father’s Day, 4th of July, and anything else [...]

By |June 17th, 2022|Columns, Health and Well-being, Holidays|