Our office is on the 6th floor of our building, and I've made a point of taking the stairs for a few years now. It's not a pretty climb - just an indoor stairwell made of cinder block walls, cement stairs and basic iron railings - but I like the exercise. I rarely meet anyone else, and never above the 4th floor, so as I trudge up to work and back ( Read more... )

In mid-July, hubby & I took our first trip to Vermont (or anywhere, for that matter) since the Fall of 2019. The 2019 trip had been for his father's funeral, and it's been rough not being able to see his mother for so long. Fortunately, his brother lives next door to her, so she's not totally alone. We left home at 4:45am in absolutely torrential ( Read more... )

Here's a little scene I wrote at my daughter's request for a Librarians-Leverage crossover a couple of years ago. I just found it again and thought I'd share.

( Herding Cats )

This past Christmas-time I sent anonymous cards to a few people whose decorations always cheered me on my commute to and from work. I wanted them to know that their efforts were appreciated. Now, on my recent walks in the surrounding neighborhoods, I've seen lawn signs announcing that a 2021 graduate from the local high school (where I also went) ( Read more... )

From the highs to the lows. Great weekend (see previous post), good start to the week --- and then today. Instead of everything I had planned, I spent the morning wrestling with banks online and on the phone. I will not bore you with the annoying details. Suffice it say that it left me with a headache and the hope that work would be better (I ( Read more... )

It's been such a challenge to keep quiet about this, but now it's all out in the open. My daughter got engaged this past Saturday! Hubby & I have known since the week before Christmas that her boyfriend was going to propose. He'd video-chatted with us to ask permission. (We said, she doesn't live under our roof anymore, so she is her own woman ( Read more... )

The end of the year, that is, and I thought I would get in at least one more post for 2020. I'll post stitching update photos in January ( Read more... )

October is shaping up to be a challenging month. Last week we had a maintenance check done on our hot water heater, which resulted in - you guessed it - replacing it. At 14 years old, it was so rusted the tech was surprised it had not ruptured. So, just as I was starting to build up a bit of a financial cushion it disappeared. On the bright side, ( Read more... )

How did we get to September already?? I want two more months of summer, and then I'll think about September. Oh, I know, it doesn't work that way. At any rate, I am starting this new month with a new mantra. For quite a while, the note under my vanity mirror asked "What Do You Want More?" As in, do you want cookies or a slimmer waistline? Do ( Read more... )

Meg's long-distance boyfriend has been up for a visit for the past week. (Yes, he followed all the safety protocols before traveling.) He left this morning on his 16 hour drive back to Kansas City, MO. They met in January at seminary orientation in St. Paul, MN and have grown a very strong relationship even though it was only through e-mails, ( Read more... )