Don’t Open the Door

Don’t Open the Door

  When the blues come knocking at your door, don’t open it. They come disguised as many things–fear, worry, anxiety, guilt, sadness, if only, despair–whatever their names, don’t invite them in and make them feel comfortable. They might never leave if you do. Goodness knows, there’s more than enough sadness and misery to go around. […]

Introducing Ulysses

Introducing Ulysses

Chapter 5 As the sun sank below the trees, I decided to make this a short day and go to bed early. Last night, I had been so wrought up from my hair-raising experience, I slept only a little. Tonight, I’d drink a cup of chamomile tea and, hopefully, sleep at least until sunrise. Glancing […]

Just Supposin’

Just Supposin’

Writing a mystery is doing a lot of just supposin’. Come with me a moment into the mysterious realms of the fourth Ned McNeil mystery. Just suppose that it was part of Ned’s job to take a picture of an old farmhouse for her boss, Daisy. But, suppose that when Ned goes inside the dark […]

The Birthday of a Master

The Birthday of a Master

  For goodness sake, it is not a foregone conclusion that all is doom and gloom. I refuse to budge an inch from my belief that all will be well.  All the phrases in italics are attributed to William Shakespeare, that great master of words, who was born on this day in 1564 and died on this day […]

A Perfect, Ordinary Day

A Perfect, Ordinary Day

Yesterday was a perfect, ordinary day. Today, I’m hoping will be the same. My friend Jane once said that ordinary days are the best days of all. I agree. I realize that there’s nothing ordinary about the virus fear that is gripping our nation and the world. We all long for the time when life […]

The Sad Tale of Three Bears

She had been following that tell-tale trail all morning. Surely, this time she would find the culprits. All those over-turned garbage cans, clothes stolen off clotheslines, food swiped from picnic baskets when no one was looking–it all had to stop and she was just the sleuth who could stop it. Looking down at the ground, […]