I’m really not much of a mall shopper. I tend to gravitate toward small shops and neighborhood stores. But there’s something so wonderful, so magical about the mall – any mall – at Christmastime, I could spend hours there. From Santa’s house to a Winter Wonderland to the massive ornaments and decorations, I don’t need to spend […]
It’s a big stretch, I know. From cattle to gnomes. But my current work-in-progress has me reading and studying all about our wee friends in pointy hats. I’m developing a particular fondness for woodland gnomes. So, on a recent hiking trip in the Hocking Hills, my daughters, my nieces and I were on the lookout […]
Last Friday, Maggie and I made a 4-hour drive from the farm to Gallia County, down on the Ohio River. We were on a research trip for a work-in-progress and our gracious hosts, Chuck and Marjorie, suggested a popular lunch spot in Gallipolis. Because “they have the best hot dog sauce,” Marjorie told me. “If you […]
Ohio has had a rough winter by today’s standards. It seems that we just don’t have the kind of winters I remember as a child in the 1970s. These days the snow comes and goes. Three or four inches of the fluffy white stuff falls, stays a few days, then melts away as quickly as […]
I may be more like the cattle on my farm than I dare to admit. It’s taken me a couple of weeks to ruminate and digest all that I took in at the 2010 SCBWI Confernce in Los Angeles. I’m at a disadvantage to my bovine friends, as I possess only one stomach. And, unfortunately, […]
What comes to mind first when you think of Ireland, England, and Scotland? This? Yeah, me too. Sheep, green grass, stone walls. And since I arrived, there has been no lack of sheep, green grass, or stone walls. But Scotland and Ireland have been nearly as prolific in the production of writers as they have been in the […]
Well, we’ve all heard of the Blarney Stone, I suppose. But little did I know that it is located at the very top of Blarney Castle in the village called Blarney in County Cork, Ireland. Lovely, isn’t it? Okay, this is what it looked like this morning. I guess a building built in 1446 might be in need […]
Go to sleep. Wake up. Pinch self. Indeed, self is awake. Self is not dreaming. Since self is not dreaming, self should pack self’s suitcase. So, I left the farm in the rain… And arrived in SUNNY Chicago! The city was in full bloom… The view from my hotel is a little different than the view […]
No, not this kind of kid. This kind. On the coldest night of the year Baby, one of Maggie’s mamma Boer goats decided to bring her twins into the world. Alas, Sir Okey and Knight Dokey. Not too long after,Maggie’s other mamma goat, Licorice, decided that delivering multiples sounded like a good idea. She outdid Baby by […]
Now that the school visits have started in earnest, I am humbled to discover that I am developing a small but,oh-so-enthusiastic fan base! Imagine that! I don’t know why I’m so surprised by this. I remember vividly how, during my elementary years, any new face at school was intriguing. And if that face smiled and showed […]
