I first heard the two-hundred-year-old Scottish phrase, hurkle-durkle, when I visited Scotland for the first time in my 20s. The lovely little B and B my friends and I stayed at, Mrs. Henderson’s Bed and Breakfast, was a welcome relief from the pouring rain we’d traveled in for days. My tiny room was beautifully decorated […]

This gorgeous painting by Ramon Casas, After The Prom, 1899, certainly captures how I’ve been feeling lately. I’ve been dealing with a writer’s worst enemy. But my husband expressed it best a few days ago. “I’m not motivated to go to my karate class today,” he said as he poured our morning coffees. “I’ve been […]

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 […]

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 […]

Writing can be a real bugger. Sometimes you have no idea what you’d like to write about. You want your writing to be profound and meaningful but your brain only comes up with the sound of crickets. This is a writing prompt about a time you needed to loosen up. You?? Yes. You. I’m a […]