NaNoWriMo is coming!!

The weather is turning cooler here in New England, and you can feel that fall is in the air. And you know what that means … the pumpkin flavored everything is everywhere? Yes, but more importantly,

NATIONAL NOVEL WRITING MONTH (NANOWRIMO) IS COMING!!

If you are new to NaNoWriMo, let me fill you in. In November every year, thousands (hundreds of thousands?) of brave people commit to write 50,000 words in one month.

People just like me.

And YOU.

Have you always wanted to write a book? Many people I meet do. Many have even started to but then, for whatever reasons that seem so important at the time, they don’t.

I used to be one of those people.

I was one of those people until 2010, when I discovered NaNoWriMo, and I wrote the first draft of my first book, a book that is now published. Keep reading

Cicely’s Tree

Many years ago, when my son was starting kindergarten, we lived far enough away from school that he needed to ride the bus to get there. My husband and I took turns walking with him to and from the bus stop.

While I drank coffee and watched Anthony, my husband struck up a friendship with the West Indian woman whose house was on the corner.

Her name was Cecily. She was often out working in her beautiful garden, and my husband was also a gardener, so they had this in common. They often traded plants back and forth (e.g. dug things up and gave them to each other).

Cicely had a giant, mature Japanese Maple tree that covered a third of her corner lot. Keep reading

Sitting and flitting

I rarely have an unscheduled day but today, I did.

A day to do whatever I feel like doing whenever I feel like doing it.

Started it off well as usual with #CeleryJuice (there is actually a new book coming out devoted entirely to the benefits of this: Medical Medium Celery Juice by Anthony William) and #HeavyMetalDetoxSmoothie (thank you for these, #MedicalMedium).

After that, it turned out to be a day of sitting and flitting from couch to computer to kitchen (#ilovealliteration) … I took periodic forays off the couch to do whatever popped into my head to do. I flitted from one thing to the next to the next without censoring my thoughts or impulses. Keep reading

Drift Away

I was scrolling through FB this morning and noticed this post on my friend Donna‘s page (by way of the Realm of the Witch‘s page):

I thought. oh, that was my dad’s favorite flower.

I scrolled some more and then I saw this post on Pieces of Soul FB page:

I thought, oh, that was one of my dad’s favorite songs.

I started wondering what the date was … and then I realized what was happening:

The Ides of March approacheth!

My father died on The Ides of March, March 15, 1998, about two years and two weeks after my mother died (both from cancer).

I realized that dad was saying Hello from Heaven!

So pay attention to the signs and symbols that come your way, or you might miss out on something important!

Keep reading

The obstacle is the way

I used to be very active. Even though the closest studio was a bit of a hike for me to get to, I went to yoga several times a week. It wasn’t always an easy class, either, but I went.

Practicing yoga is one of my favorite ways to exercise, but somehow, I got a way from it. A series of small things occurred, not the least of which was my favorite yoga teacher (Kristen! I miss you!) moved several states away. And the less I exercised, the more I ate.

The more I ate, the smaller my yoga clothes got.

And the smaller my yoga clothes got, the less I wanted to go to yoga. Keep reading

BOOK REVIEW: Molly on the Range: Recipes and Stories from An Unlikely Life on a Farm by Molly Yeh

Molly on the Range: Recipes and Stories from An Unlikely Life on a FarmMolly on the Range: Recipes and Stories from An Unlikely Life on a Farm by Molly Yeh
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I got this book for both my daughter and I to read. We watch and enjoy Molly’s show on the FoodNetwork, Girl Meets Farm. This book is quirky and appealing. I was thrilled to find a recipe for Italian Rainbow Cookies! Worth reading, even if you don’t cook from it.

View all my reviews