My husband has been a farmer for 34 years. He has worked very hard at his profession. I’ve been encouraging him to retire. I continued to hear, “one more year.” Then we would make time to travel. Then one day, he came home, took off his boots and announced he was ready at last. Just like that. But he was worried about what to do with his time. I wasn’t. I mentally pulled out my honey-do list and sighed. “I wouldn’t worry about not having things to do.” So, we put our lake cabin up for sale and bought a nice 5th wheel. Isn’t that what everyone does? Talk about whirlwind life change. I had been so settled into the idea of “one more year”, that I hadn’t really thought through how life might evolve. We have a new home, a boat, a cabin, a trip to NC once a year to see our … [Read more...] about “I’m done,” he said.
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Interview with author Melanie Dobson
I recently read Catching the Wind by Melanie Dobson and had to review it for you. I was captivated, delighted, and in awe of her writing skills and attention to story detail. As a historical writer myself, I enjoyed the creative expertise Melanie mastered in this novel, joining two fascinating story lines from the present and past that blend together to make a "can't put it down" book. This story sure to please any contemporary or historical reader. A woman searches for a little girl who lived during WWII. Her journey takes her on a path to discovery of many mysteries, the least of them concerning her own past. Click on the picture - it will take you to Amazon where the book is on sale at the moment. I've invited Melanie for an interview, to share some thoughts by answering … [Read more...] about Interview with author Melanie Dobson
Is Your Sanctuary a Prison?
We have owned our secluded cabin near a lake in Northern Idaho for 3 years now. Access is boat in only. It’s a quiet, serene, and peaceful place. It’s surrounded by trees – cedars, red fir, white fir, cottonwood. In the mornings, the suns filters through the branches into a spot we have cleared that we call the Cathedral. In the middle is a fire pit with an old porch swing on one side, wedged between two trees. The morning birds sing a continuous song, and you can breathe in the forest smells of loam and evergreens. Your mind can cease its clatter and clutter in the stillness of our property. It’s so still at times I can hear nothing but by heart beating. We cherish the occasional deer sighting and laugh at the comical large red-headed woodpeckers at play. Gray and … [Read more...] about Is Your Sanctuary a Prison?
It’s Where You Belong
You belong there. Pick up where you left off. Begin again. Start over. Get back to doing what you were doing when you quit doing what you were doing. I hear these words so often in my head, and sometimes I blow them off as meaningless. I have done all the above so many times, what’s the use? You may have asked yourself the same thing a time or two. But if my brain is continuing that driving drone, there must be a reason. The reason, I’ve come to know, is that trying to deny your purpose in life, trying to avoid what you have been given to do, isn’t worth the struggle. Your brain, and most likely your heart, have figured it out. It’s your bruised ego that has yet to surrender. I have no ego, you may say. Yeah, I used to say that a lot too. Yes you do, just as I do. The … [Read more...] about It’s Where You Belong
10 Things My Grandparents Wouldn’t Understand
I’ve been thinking lately of how my mom or grandparents would possibly understand all the things going on in the world today. Sometimes I think I would rather have lived in their day and not have to deal with all the changes in attitudes, belief systems, politics, cyber-technology, and societal confusion. Living in an age where everyone is offended by everything, when being right is more important than being kind, and my computer crashes – taking my precious files with it, is not for the faint of heart. I keep hearing my mom’s words in my head saying “what is this world coming to?” My Grandparents lived sheltered from most everything on a little farm in California. I used to wonder why they lived such a simple disconnected life. Now I understand. In my grandparent’s … [Read more...] about 10 Things My Grandparents Wouldn’t Understand
