Debbie’s Blog
Rap Song by Bailey
One of the questions I'm asked most often has to do with my children. Will any of them be writers, too? I have wonderfully creative children, but none share my passion for writing. However, my grandchildren show real promise.
Allow me to brag a little. My granddaughter, Bailey, ran for school vice-president and WON, due in large part to a rap song she wrote with her father. Here it is, in part:
Fun Being a Grandma!
Three of my grandchildren are visiting Wayne and me this week. (Their parents tagged along, too!) As soon as we landed, I grabbed the kids with their backpacks and headed to the house, leaving Jenny Adele and Kevin to deal with the luggage. The kids weren’t in the house two minutes before they changed into their swimming gear, raced to the pool and plunged into the water. Read more
First Day of Spring!
Bogie and I welcomed the first day of spring with a long walk this morning. I wanted to give him lots of extra attention, as I’m leaving for Seattle this afternoon and will be away for a week. I’ve been loading up the refrigerator with packaged meals for Wayne. If I don’t he would eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches the entire week. Peanut butter and jelly might not be such a bad thing. A steady diet of PB&J will guarantee Wayne will miss me! Read more
Rehab with Bogie
Wayne is busy at work on his rehab, and I have to admit he's doing a great job with his exercises. Notice the golf club he has in his hands. He's working on his shoulder and improving his game all in one. The only negative is Bogie, who loves to have Wayne down at his level. He thinks it's great fun to lick Wayne's face or climb on his belly while he's exercising. Oh, the joys of recovering from shoulder surgery!
Lunch with The Love Squad
I had a lovely lunch yesterday with a group of ladies who call themselves The Love Squad. They read my book A Turn in the Road and fell in love with Max. The table was set with a toy motorcycle at each place setting and the napkin rings were small tires (I envision toys all over Vero Beach missing tires). There was even a road map on top of the tablecloth, indicating the stops Bethanne and Max made on their trip. Every item on the menu was taken from the Cedar Cove Cookbook. I was wined and dined and loved by the Love Squa
The Dreaded Black Screen
I’m not much of a technical person. When it comes to computers, I can write a chapter, store a chapter and print a chapter, and beyond that I’m pretty much useless.
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