Look at these chickens! This lovely 1916 Gustav Klimt painting, Garden Path with Chickens, always makes me smile. Klimt is famous for many works, including The Kiss, which I had in my living room in my late twenties. Klimt obviously loved women due to how generously and soulfully he painted them. However, I think he […]

“My idea of a great day is to work on a project, have something good to eat, and maybe do a little thrift shopping too,” said my aunt who was the queen of creativity. She loved to try new recipes, create with her hands, and find the beauty within the ordinary. She taught me the […]

Do you feel you must wait for inspiration to strike before you can write? It’s time to let that go. When you allow yourself to just write for the pleasure of it and not weigh yourself down with lofty expectations? Writing becomes a hell of a lot more fun. And the best way to start? […]

Let me know if this has ever happened to you. You have a writing idea simmering in your mind.  Perhaps you overheard something interesting at the grocery store. (Yes – all writers eavesdrop! I’m shameless.)  Or maybe you had an unexpected and thoughtful conversation with a stranger and you just can’t stop thinking about it. […]

Years ago, a friend of mine found this print of The Skating Minister in a thrift store. I was green with envy. I almost challenged her to a snowball fight for it. However, common sense prevailed and I secretly grumbled to myself. All is fair in love, war and thrifting. So why do I love […]

What you’re looking at is where I’d be living if I had a dollar for every person who said this phrase to me: “I don’t know what to write about.” Maybe you can relate. You have probably always had the desire to write and maybe you’ve dabbled in writing over the years. But more often […]

Oh life, you can be a little trickster at times. You plant this desire in me to write. It brings my soul such joy! But you also plant the idea that I have to do other things too. Life tasks like keeping my husband, dog, garden, and, relationships alive. Listen. I have the best intentions. […]

A few years ago, The New York Times ran a short story about a company that branded their dried potato dish: Funeral Potatoes. The name had caused a bit of a ruckus. People were offended by it. Shocked right down to their little tater tots. Because I guess we aren’t supposed to say the words […]

One of my long-dead boyfriends, Vincent Van Gogh, said this about my favorite time of the year: As long as autumn lasts, I shall not have hands, canvas and colors enough to paint the beautiful things I see. Oh, Vincent – you nailed it. There’s so much happening in the Fall/Autumn that I have to […]

We’ve been immersed in wickedly hot weather the past three weeks. Fry an egg on the pavement kind of heat. Some people love these long, steaming hot days. Not me. I enjoy the beauty of summer, but you can bring on Fall, thank you very much. I’m a woman with a big head of curly […]