Chicago
The Niles Public LIbrary tea and signing last night in a suburb of Chicago was a huge success. It was an evening to be remembered, with good food, laughter and books! I am reminded once again of the value of libraries and their commitment to the community.
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On the Road Again
I unpacked my suitcase from Gettysburg this morning, dumped my dirty clothes in the hamper, and took a serious look at the carry-on bag I used for our trip to Pennsylvania, thinking I could reuse it for Chicago. No way! I’m heading to STITCHES , and the yarn market there is—in a word—INCREDIBLE. Just for all the yarn I intend to cart home, I’m going to need every inch of space I can find in the largest suitcase the airline allows.
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Unpacking and Repacking
Sunday, our final day of vacation, we had a wonderful visit with our friends Minda and Leon Butler in York, PA. Read more
Gettysburg
I was standing on hallowed ground in Gettysburg. Today Wayne and I walked the site of Pickett’s charge across the open field with Gary Roche, our Civil War guide, and Dale Gallon, a Civil War artist. It was humbling to know that thousands of men fell right where we had walked. I’ve never considered writing historical fiction, but I sure feel the emotion of this battle.
Living History
My dear, sweet husband loves war; more specifically, the study of it. Because of his passion for the Civil War, we’re flying out tomorrow morning for Gettysburg for the second summer in a row. It helps that our friends, Gary and Marsha Roche, are meeting us there. Gary is a trained battlefield guide and has the knack of making history come alive. Last summer I tagged along, sitting in the back seat, content to knit away. Before long I set my knitting aside and leaned forward so as not to miss a word. I’ll sen Read more
Family Reunion
Wayne and I spent the weekend in Colville, Washington, for his family reunion. We reconnected with aunts, uncles, cousins and more kids than we could count. We realized that not only are we related by blood to all these wonderful people, but many are also dear, dear friends. We passed around photos from the reunions thirty and forty years ago, and I realized that Wayne and I haven’t really changed that much. Okay, there’s less hair and more of us, but that seemed to be the way with everyone e Read more
Yarn vs. Chocolate
It was Stitch and Pitch night at the Mariners baseball game last night at Safeco field. I attended with two of my knitting friends and we had a fun evening, cheering on the home team. As a bonus, the Mariners won on the bottom of the ninth inning.
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A Rose is a Rose
I had my first cake decorating class this week. My granddaughter, Jazmine, and I are taking the class together. Really, just how difficult can this be? I found out Tuesday night.
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Out of the Corner of My Eye . . .
My husband is my hero. Late last night I was sitting at our kitchen table, reading, when out of the corner of my eye I saw something scurry across the hardwood floor. That something turned out to be the biggest spider I’ve ever seen. It looked about the size of a dinner plate, although in retrospect I now realize it was a bit smaller. Once I found my voice and called out to Wayne, my wonderful husband took immediate action. Once the life threatening monster had been destroyed, Wayne calmly said, “You’re safe. Read more
The City by the Bay
I left my heart in San Francisco, along with my pocketbook. Who knew one city would have so many incredible yarn stores. Candi Jensen, friend, designer, and producer of the Emmy-nominated PBS series Knit and Crochet Today, took me and several writing and knitting friends out for a yarn crawl. Okay, so technically I was in town for the big Romance Writers of America Conference, but I made sure there was free time scheduled for other important matters, such as shopping and exploring. Other than the Conference, and Read more
Lessons Learned
My thirteen-year-old granddaughter, Jazmine, volunteered with our church to minister to the homeless in Portland, Oregon. She arrived at the church with three suitcases–one entire suitcase contained her hair products and make-up. The church limited her to two suitcases and it was horrible for her to have to choose which two. The next thing I heard sent shivers down my spine: Jazmine had to relinquish her cell phone. They might as well have ripped off her right arm! Then yesterday, in an effort to teach her w Read more
My Current Favorite Book
I’m reading the best book. My friend, Jill Marie Landis, is one of my most favorite authors. She took a short hiatus from writing and is back with what I feel might be her very best book to date, a historical titled Homecoming, a July release. Homecoming has kept me up late several nights, because I just had to know what was going to happen next. If you haven’t read Jill before, then treat yourself to a truly wonderful read.
Weekends Are for . . .
I had a wonderful, lazy weekend. I sat outside in the sunshine after church on Sunday and read, followed by a long nap on our front patio. I guess I was resting up for the next few weekends when I’ll be traveling.
Dieting and Exercise
Once I finish swimming my half mile in the morning, I speed walk around the pool with my friends Rachel and Alice. We share recipes and talk about food the entire time. I was telling them about a great pork chop recipe I recently found that sounded so good and easy. Brown four pork chops in butter or oil, salt and pepper to taste, add two sliced apples (skins on) across the top of the browned chops, add ½ cup maple syrup, cover and cook 20 minutes. Sounds yummy, doesn’t it? Alice cooks her pork roasts with homemad Read more
From Horses to Dinosaurs
Wayne is away for the rest of the week with our youngest son, Dale, for a Father/Son getaway. That means that I’m not cooking, which gives me more time for—you guessed it—knitting. I recently finished an alpaca/wool sweater for four year-old Isaiah with the cutest horse buttons. I showed it to him, only to learn he now loves dinosaurs. That’s not a problem for Grandma Pickle. I found the cutest dinosaur hat that looks as if it was designed just for him. You know what they say: . . . Read more
Popping the Cork!
It’s party time for the Macomber household. First off, I’m finishing the writing process on SUMMER ON BLOSSOM STREET, my 2009 hardcover. I still need to edit and polish it before my editor sees it, but the first major step is just a few pages from being complete. Secondly, I received word from my agent this morning that the negotiations for my new contract are complete. This means that two more Blossom Street books, two additional Cedar Cove books, and two more Christmas stories are now on my schedule. Read more
Funny Bones
I thoroughly enjoy reading my guestbook entries each morning. People write me the most incredible notes. Some have brought tears to my eyes, and others have me laughing out loud. One of the more recent ones that tickled my funny bone said. “You’re my favorite romance writer ," then added, "You’re the only romance writer I’ve ever read.” Read more
Me and Our Judicial System
I was scheduled for jury duty all this week, but, in the end, I wasn’t chosen to sit on the jury. I spent most of yesterday at the courthouse, which was an adventure in itself. I came away with a deep appreciation of our judicial system and an even greater one that my number didn’t get picked (although I would have done my civic duty had it been required). Read more
The Art of Relaxation
Wayne and I had a wonderful 4th of July weekend. We did absolutely nothing. For most of Saturday I piddled around in my yarn room. Wayne says I’m like Midas with his gold. I fondle my skeins, scour through my pattern books, and spend copious amounts of time just sorting through a variety of projects that are just waiting for me to grab my needles.
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Happy 4th of July!
The 4th of July reminds me of potato salad and my father. He loved potato salad. In fact, I was married before I realized that not everyone ate potato salad for breakfast. (Try it with fried eggs; it’s great!) Dad was proud to be an American and served his country honorably. He was a POW in WWII and he marched in every hometown parade and flew the American flag proudly. We owe our freedom to honorable men like my dad. You can bet I’ll be eating potato salad tomorrow. Happy 4th of July, everyone. < Read more
Live Long and Prosper
While I was away on tour, the last of my father’s brother passed away. My Uncle Bernard lived a long, fruitful life and was so very precious to each one of us. What I loved most about him was his dry sense of humor and his quick wit. My cousin Linda told me about a particular telephone call she had with Uncle Bernard. It was after eight in the evening and she was a little afraid he might be getting ready for bed, so she asked, “Uncle Bernard, are you in your pajamas?” My sweet uncle hesitated and then drawled Read more
Twenty Questions
Our son, Ted, and his family are visiting our Florida home for their vacation this year. They arrived on Sunday. The day he arrived Wayne and I received no less than five phone calls. Questions like, “How do you turn up the air conditioning ? What’s the code to the garage? How do you get the top down on the convertible? What’s your neighbor’s name?” But it was the final question that gave me pause. “Mom, I don’t want this to scare you, but do you have a plunger?” Read more
Back in the Swim of Things
I was back in the office last Monday but now I’m really back. This morning I started writing again. Yippee! While I love meeting my readers and actually do well on tour, I’m happiest when I’m sitting in front of my computer with an entire group of people no one else can see. (Some people get sent off to the loony bin for the very same thing—I guess I should be more careful what I say.)
How Different We Are
Wayne and I are gradually settling into our lives here in Washington. We love living in Florida, too, but Port Orchard will always be home. One of the things we especially enjoy in Port Orchard is watching movies at home, and we’ve been having fun with that this week. Our tastes are vastly different, so we take turns choosing which ones to watch.
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Homecoming
Wayne and I rolled into our driveway last Saturday night both exhausted and excited to be home at last. We drove from the signing in Miami to my last signing in Fort Wayne, Indiana and then on to Port Orchard with a couple of stops in between. For the last thousand miles we were like horses heading for the barn. The very first thing I did, even before unpacking the suitcases, was hug my grandchildren. Now that, my friends, is a real homecoming.