Grocery Shopping on the Wednesday Before Thanksgiving

Normally I consider grocery shopping to be a chore, but I actually enjoy going on the Wednesday afternoon before Thanksgiving. Sure, I like the festivity in the air, but I also like to watch the clientele. Solid core cooks have already bought most of their supplies before the big day, so on that Wednesday afternoon,

Spirited Woman Top 12 Book List

I’m pleased to announce that The Neurology of Angels is on the Spirited Woman Top 12 Fall Book Pick List!

Things I Want My Niece to Know/Be/Do

There are some things we figure out the hard way, and maybe that’s what makes them meaningful. But if there is ever a chance for me to spare my niece some tears on her way to a full and happy life, then I will offer these bits of advice:   1) Push through the difficulties

Watching Baseball

I like to watch baseball, especially the post-season, for the suspense, of course, but also to see grown men with the excitement of little boys. It never fails to make me smile. Even in professional baseball, with the many millions of dollars in talent who have worked hundreds and hundreds of games, all the players–even

Crazy cat ladies and mad cows

Over the summer, I celebrated my birthday with a single cupcake and a can of tuna for my two cats. Shortly thereafter I read an article about how crazy cat ladies have a higher risk of suicide. After wondering if my tax dollars paid for that study, I became slightly alarmed. Does a person know

Ray Bradbury, Bullying in Politics, and the Potential Kindness of Kids

I read today that Ray Bradbury died. He was 91, so I suppose it wasn’t a surprise, but it is always sad when a light of insight is extinguished.   I remember the story “All Summer in a Day” that we read in junior high school. I have probably mentioned it before, but only because

Animal Stories: Moose plus Music Soundtrack

The fifth and final installment of the video and music preview series for Reflections and Tails was supposed to be about moose. However, it was surprisingly difficult to find moose videos that appropriately captured their essence in the story, and the genre of moose music is meager at best. So, I decided instead I would

Animal Stories: Book Cover Revealed and Wolves

As promised, today we reveal the book cover!   Of course today’s music and video hints are all about wolves. The secret is out; they have many sides. So, starting with the fairy tales we know by heart, I take you back to the big, bad wolf of childhood then to the fine line between the

Animal Stories: Dads and Dude Ranches

This third set of video hints about the upcoming e-book (title to be revealed in the next post) is about horses. Or rather, it is about a particular human experience with horses, namely the dude ranch. The first 25-second video shows the ranch that my family visited when I was in high school, and it

Animal Stories: About Vampires?

Post #2 in the video/music hint series is about vampires. Well, vampire bats, anyway. They are cute, they are delicate, they are misunderstood. Just watch the first video of a bat grooming his ears like a cat and feel the “awwww” well up inside you. If that doesn’t do it for you, watch the second