Into the Darkness of the Cave

Into the Darkness of the Cave

I mentioned a few days ago that my mother had written a personal account of exploring a cave near the Illinois River. People going out to fish on the Illinois may not realize it was once a free-running river, with no dam to block its progress. They may not know that caves lie hidden on […]

An Inner Core of Firm Resolve

An Inner Core of Firm Resolve

https://www.amazon.com/Blanche-Day-Manos/e/B0090018EI/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0 We’ve all heard, “Growing old is not for sissies.” Let me enlarge on that: “Writing is not for sissies.” Or, just about anything we want with our whole heart and have to work hard to get is not for the faint-hearted. We must have an inner core of firm resolve. Sort of like the […]

The Silver Moon Knew the Old Mansion’s Secret

The Silver Moon Knew the Old Mansion’s Secret

The full, silver moon had looked down on some nefarious goings on at Granger Mansion, things that nobody else knew about…well, yes, maybe two other people knew and the dead man might have known, but he could never tell. Now, forty years later, someone is threatening the murderer. The secret should have been secure; but sometimes […]

This Thing Called Loneliness

This Thing Called Loneliness

Writing is an alone kind of business. It can’t be done while chatting with someone. However, a warm, friendly pup and several cups of hot coffee don’t hurt a thing. Some writers get away from it all by going to a cabin or the seashore while writing or to a different country while researching. I understand […]

Wire Briers and Limberlocks

Wire Briers and Limberlocks

“Wire Brier, Limberlock, three geese in a flock. One flew east, one flew west, one flew over the cuckoo’s nest.” How many of you heard this or played the game on childish fingers? Jane’s aunt introduced her to the rhyme years ago. I learned it from my mother and passed it on to Matt and then […]

The Neighborhood Alarm Clock Named Nemo

The Neighborhood Alarm Clock Named Nemo

Nemo sits looking up at me hopefully, short tail wagging, brown eyes beseeching. He has had food, bone, water, and gone out to do his duty. Now, why does he want to go outside again? Why, to bark, of course. He counts, among his many duties, alerting the neighborhood to the fact that it’s a new […]