Migration (Or, “What? We Have to Move AGAIN?”)

Yes, it's been a while. Surprise! I'm still in Montana. But let me tell you, it's occasionally been a close call. Cascade Stream, which bordered the property our rental was on. Our lovely little cabin was on a property that had been listed for sale for quite some time. We were on a month to …

Spring in Paradise…Valley, That Is

The sun lays long and low over Paradise Valley. The world is slowly opening back up and somehow, so am I. My husband had only been working for a couple of months when that Coronavirus monster changed reality for us all. It's a brave new world, and I'll forbear from commentary on how the strong …

Panic Now! (Or, Maybe There Is A Reason)

It started with the urgent instinct to keep our gas tank topped off. I wasn't sure where the feeling was coming from, but I mentioned it to my husband one day as we were taking one of our drives through Yellowstone. He knows me well enough that he said, "Okay," and not much else. Then …

Ending 2019 (or, It’s Been One Hell of a Year!)

At some point early this morning, I realized it was New Year's Eve. Another turn around the sun. Another year of life gone by. Possibly a few more gray hairs but honestly, at this point, I couldn't tell you. If it weren't for Clairol, it would be hard to find one that wasn't gray. My …

Home and the Holidays (or, Is This Annual Torture Really Worth It?)

Note: This is a little (or more than a little) morose. It gets pretty personal. I've been hesitating on hitting "publish." But if just one person reads this and thinks, "I know how she feels, I'm glad I'm not alone," it will be worth baring this bit of my soul. _______________________________________________ It's that time of …

My First Book Signing (Or, Holy Sh*t I almost died!!!)

All the signs said stop. Seriously. No money, no vehicle, one tiny credit card that would barely pay for the trip. I suppose if I was with a major publishing house, they'd be paying for things like book signings; but as a tiny publisher author, it was all on me. I had paid for the …

Travels (or, How the Hell Did I End Up Here?)

Yeah, I know, it's been a long time. So much has changed! I spent most of the past year working at a Thoroughbred farm in southern California. A lot of it was good. Some of it sucked. I hate rain, and it was a record-breaking year for rainfall in SoCal. Thoroughbreds are basically jet engines …

Sometimes It’s Better to Sleep Alone

THE FOLLOWING IS A TRUE STORY, RELATED TO ME BY MY FATHER, JERRY. HAPPY HALLOWEEN DADDY, WHEREVER YOUR SPIRIT NOW CALLS HOME. _____________________________________________ They arrived at the deserted cabin after dark. The two young men were dog-tired; the six dogs dragged exhausted paws. Jerry and Donnie had been hunting since before dawn. As the native …

When Autumn Calls (and Thank You, Mr. King)

There's a Stephen King quote that often comes to mind this time of year, I think it's from Salem's Lot. When the days get cooler and the leaves start to turn (well, in most of the continental U.S. anyway), he says there's an instinct that kicks in, maybe an echo of ancestral memory, a whispering …

My First Autumn (or, What the Hell is THIS?!)

When I left Maui to go to college at William & Mary, I tried to be prepared. I researched that thing called "seasons," and what the temperature was really going to be like. I was very excited to see things like tulips and daffodils in spring, and changing leaves in autumn, and maybe even (if …