For Whom the Bell Tolls
Wayne had surgery on his shoulder yesterday. . . sort of a drive-by-surgery. No kidding, he was in and out within two hours. I barely had time to get any good knitting in or to study people in the waiting room. (Situations like this are rife with great plotting potential!)
I brought my injured hero home. With painkillers he’s feeling just fine. He has a little bell he rings when he wants or needs something. We shall see how long he gets to keep it in his possession . . .
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The Rest of the Story
I always assumed I was the storyteller in the family. Not so, I’ve discovered. It turns out that Wayne is also gifted in this area. He recently broke his arm and has thoroughly enjoyed “expanding” on his injury. I heard a lovely young lady ask Wayne what happened to his arm. Read more
Catch of the Day
Bogie and I went for a long walk in the neighborhood yesterday afternoon. Bogie sniffs and marks his territory along the way as I tug at his leash and remind him we are out to walk, not sniff. Part of our route takes us past the marina, and we take a small detour and walk along the dock to see if any dolphins or manatees have stopped by for a visit. We didn’t see any, but we did run into a fisherman. I asked him if he’d been lucky, and he smiled back and said, “Yup, just once. I caught a redhead more than thirty years ago.&rdqu Read more
Water Aerobics
My friend and neighbor, Judy Mulhern, has been encouraging me to take a water aerobics class with her. To this point I’ve resisted. The memory of the last time I took such a class lingers in my mind. I was cocky and with good reason. I swim half a mile three to five times a week. As a result, I figured I was in pretty good physical shape, and, really, bouncing up and down in the pool isn’t all that different than swimming laps, right?
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Florida R&R
Wayne and I are taking off and traveling across Florida for a bit of R & R mixed with business. Wayne’s shoulder surgery is next week, and we thought this would be a good time to escape for a couple of days. Florida is a great state to live in and visit–there are so many entertainment options! I’m using the time to plot my next couple of books. It’s amazing how many ideas come my way when I’m sitting by a pool, sipping on a cool drink and watching the lifeguards (and life!) go by. Read more
The New Knee Club
Wayne went to see the surgeon regarding the results of his MRI. It seems when he fell and broke his arm, he also injured his shoulder, and that will require surgery. The doc also took a look at his knees and said both need to be replaced, and soon. In fact, he was surprised Wayne was still able to walk, as they are bone on bone. Wayne’s getting plenty of sympathy from me—I’ve had knee replacement and rotator cuff surgery. Now both Wayne and I will have the joy of “extra attention” at airport screenings. Read more
The Quotable Woman
Here’s a bit of trivia about me that you might not know: I collect quotes. I make a point of finding something someone said that strikes my fancy every day. And then I write it down in my gratitude journal. I’ve used my collection of quotes as chapter headings in a couple of books: MRS. Read more
Shirley, Goodness, Mercy and Will
It’s a “red letter day” at our house. This morning I sent my November book, ANGELS AT THE TABLE, featuring Shirley, Goodness and Mercy–along with the apprentice angel, Will–off to my editor. In celebration I had a manicure and pedicure, came home, and took a nap. Now if that’s not luxuriating I don’t know what is! Read more
Grandma Time
My son, Ted, and grandson, Carter, are visiting this week. While Wayne and Ted were off doing manly things (translated, that means they were at car dealerships looking at fancy sport cars), Carter and I had the day together. We went out to lunch, swam and took Bogie for a long walk. Then, while Grandma rested, Carter played video games. (That boy does have energy!) He’s good for me, though. Thanks to Carter, I got my 10,000 steps in for Monday. Read more
Birthday Candles
This is a red letter day in our family. Read more
Goals for Life
I’m having lunch out today, meeting with three other Florida writers: Roxanne St. Claire, Rachel Hauck and Martha Powers. We meet every year and go over our goals. It’s fun to mark our progress, and I always come away inspired and encouraged by my friends.
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Happy Valentine’s Day!
Years ago, when Wayne and I were dating, and I was oh-so-in-love (still am!), I came up with a pet name for him. I called him Bunny Toes, because he has hair on his toes. (Those were the days when everything was romantic, even hairy toes.) I still call him my Bunny Toes, although I’ve shortened it to B. Toes. Today he proved that he can be just as romantic as any hero in one of my books. Wayne remembered it was Valentine’s Day, and he gave me a beautiful ring. You gotta love a guy like that . . . Read more
Yellow Roses
One of my goals for 2012 was to take an art class. It’s something I’ve been putting off for years. Then I heard about a class taught by a former student of Bob Ross, who had the amazing series about how to paint on PBS for years and years.
This painting of the yellow roses is the result. My daughter, Jody Rose, has a birthday this week, and I’m giving this to her.
In Our Own Backyard!
I’d just sat down at my computer this morning when Wayne yelled that there was a manatee by our dock. Naturally, I grabbed my cell phone (for the camera) and raced outside. Bogie raced after me, barking at my heels, wondering what all the excitement was about. We routinely see manatees in the inland waterway–that’s no surprise–but to have them swim right up to our dock is a rare treat.
A Special Bird
Our Florida home is on the inland waterway and I’m often distracted with the different species of wildlife right outside my back door. As I was dressing this morning I looked out my window and saw a large bird perched on a piling near our house. I was afraid if I got closer this beautiful bird would fly away. What makes this bird so special wasn’t its coloring or even its size. This bird reminded me of home and family and all the fun times we’ve shared over football. Yes, you guessed it. The bird was a sea hawk! Read more
A Good Day to be Indoors
It’s raining here in Florida. Now, I raised my kids in the Pacific Northwest. I know about rain. After all, Washington State has the only rainforest in the continental United States. However, Washington can take a lesson from Florida rain. This is rain unlike anything I’ve ever seen. It comes down so fast that windshield wipers can’t keep up with the flow. So, Wayne and I are hunkered down. I’ve got a pot of soup simmering on the stove and Bogie asleep at my feet. It’s a good day for writing. Read more
An Anniversary Year
My good friend, Lisa Jackson, and I keep in touch via email. I reminded her that in 2012 the two of us will celebrate 30 years as published authors. We both sold our first books in 1982 to Silhouette Books, which, at the time, was a division of Simon & Schuster. We laughed about the changes in the business since we first sold, not to mention all the technological differences. I mean, who would have imagined we’d be able to read books on a phone, or that there would be such a thing as a digital reader, both of which I have and love.
Super Bowl Party
Wayne and I are having friends over for a Super Bowl party on Sunday. We’re a big football family. Everyone gets into the games, big time. We aren’t alone either. Seattle is football crazy. Last year when the Seattle Seahawks were in the play-offs, Marshawn Lynch ran a touchdown in the last minutes of the game for a win against Super Bowl XLIV Champions New Orleans Saints. The cheering was so loud that it actually registered as an earthquake. Trust me, our family contributed to that noise. To prove how big an influe Read more
The Best Way to Shop
Wayne is fishing this morning with his buddy, Norm, so I thought it was the perfect time to make a run to Sam’s Club. You see, shopping with my husband is not always a pleasant experience, especially someplace like Sam’s. It’s in and out, get what we need, and nothing else. I wish I had a dollar for every time Wayne’s said to me, “What do you need that for?” He asks me that for every-day items like toilet paper or, even worse, chocolate. Once in a while other women will pass our cart and send me sympathetic lo Read more
Treasures from My Grandmother
I've been working in my yarn room, sorting through my stash–going through the projects I have lined up to work on and dreaming about others. The urge came after I received a package from my cousin Linda, who mailed me several crocheted projects our grandmother had made. Oh, what a treasure to open that box and lay my hands on the things Grandma had created. As far as I know, I'm the only grandchild who inherited her love of needlework. She died when I was four or five, and this is all I have that was hers. It's enough. It's more than enou
Happy Birthday to Jaz!
It’s my oldest granddaughter’s birthday today. Jazmine Lynn is 17. Okay, stop just a minute. That’s impossible. I was in the room when she was born, and no way . . . Read more
My Path to Writing . . .
Monday morning and I’m eager to get to my desk, but first I have to make a pathway through a sea of dog toys. And since Bogie loves to chase and ‘kill’ his toy bunny, squirrel and lamb, there’s usually a pile of stuffing mixed in with everything else . . . a graveyard of injured toys. Naturally, once he’s designed this obstacle course for me, he leaps onto the sofa and promptly falls asleep. Isn’t that just like a male?
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Eating Well and Losing Weight
I haven’t been able to blog much this week, as I’ve been away at a spa in Texas where they encourage minimal use of modern devices like cell phones and laptops. I’m here with other women authors for health, spiritual enrichment, and weight loss. I’ve been eating really well, but low fat and have actually lost weight. I’ve fallen in love with vegetables all over again! I’ve been setting goals, working on plot ideas, and reassessing things that I want to do for the year. It’s been a fabulous week.&nb
Cold in the South
I know it’s hard to generate a lot of sympathy from those of you who are in our nation’s colder climes, but its very cold here in Florida. We’ve had temperatures dip into the low 30s, and in the Orlando/Ocala area they’ve had a hard freeze. Poor Bogie is so cold he’s sleeping on my lap instead of his usual position at my feet. I’m bundling up and sipping hot chocolate and thinking of heading further south, but we can only go so far!
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Lost and Found Department
Wayne, Bogie and I flew to our winter home and welcomed the New Year here in Florida. I enjoyed the long flight as it gave me uninterrupted knitting time. I worked on a pair of fingerless gloves for my daughter that were originally intended as a Christmas gift. I finished one glove and showed it off to Wayne and the flight attendant and anyone else whose interest I could attract. Unfortunately, I left the yarn on board the plane. I was upset but got little sympathy from my husband who said, “Want to call 9-1-1?” Well, it j