I’m up late, which is usual for a Friday night. Snow is coming down softly. Earlier today it was all about large, soft flakes, but now it’s a misty powder under the one streetlight sort of near our house, but, really, it’s so dark out it’s hard to see the rest of it. I’m calmed […]
Category: Blog
MLK Day
Someone on Bluesky recently asked what we’d be doing today if we were ignoring the inauguration. I have no interest in that event or the man being sworn in. I have no interest in watching a billionaire’s hateful oligarchic election happen. What I am interested in is doing something positive. Well, the person who asked […]
I pretty much grew up barefoot
“I preferred to plow without wearing shoes, and I remember vividly the caress of the soft, damp, and cool freshly turned earth on my feet.” On growing up on a farm. Carter Presidential Library I didn’t grow up on a farm but grew up running in the grass like a wild child and spent plenty […]
Submitting Canva files to Ingram Spark
Preflight issues when working with color-illustrated books in Canva and submitting to Ingram Spark I wrote this documentation after hours of frustration when trying to format Canva’s downloaded Print PDF to a PDF/X-1a:2001 compliant format when submitting a children’s book to Ingram Spark. I had all sorts of art box and other errors, and tried […]
Social media and politics
I know I’m terrible at posting new blog entries consistently, but life is going well. I’ve just been reading more books and am making good headway in my newest novel. On politics and social media, recently Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said the following: Earnest post, but: a thing I like here is it’s okay to have moments […]
Connections
I’ve been a writer since I learned to write. And if I’m not writing, I must find some other creative thing to do. I’m not very good at painting or drawing, and I don’t play any musical instrument proficiently. The older I get, I realize that my hand-eye coordination is getting worse. Some of that […]
Summertime, and the Livin’ is Easy
I can hear the smooth voice of Ella Fitzgerald swimming around the house in a sea of foliage-scented breezes wafting through the screens. I am sorry for writing like once every six months. Though livin’ is easy, it is busy. My job takes up a lot of time, and then the rest of my time […]
The New Year
I know I haven’t written since October, but—maybe it’s just a part of getting older—though I love writing about memories, current insights, and dreams, I have lost my desire for social media. Like, I don’t think the world cares about my story. Social media is all about people sharing their stories, and I am not […]
I guess I’m a Canadian now
I attended the Canadian citizenship ceremony on Friday, October 27, and now am a citizen. I guess everyone has their own story about their path to citizenship. Mine seems pretty ordinary. I was born and raised in the United States, married a Canadian in 2006, and got landed immigrant status (permanent residency) in 2008. Until […]
On Kitchen Parties, Running, and a Changing Climate
The last time I wrote was in early May this year when the peepers had just come out. It’s one of my favorite sounds in the world. The peepers sing until June. Then the crickets come out in August and go until the early fall. Since I last wrote, we’ve had a close call with […]