The Mystery of the White Mulberry

The sign of fall ending that I watch for each year–the white mulberry tree is dropping its leaves. The white mulberry by my driveway keeps most of its leaves while maple and oak leaves are falling. Oh, it sheds a few here and there. But, suddenly, one day something tells it that now is the […]

Following Footprints

Following Footprints

We all leave footprints as we journey through life. Some, thankfully, are lasting; some, thankfully, are not. Our footprints show the directions we’ve taken and the choices we’ve made, whether good or bad. My brothers and I often remark, “Dad said …” or “Mom told me…” My parents are gone now but their words and the […]

Intruder

Miss Tootsie glanced at the three women who sat in front of the fireplace with her. The small blaze still put out some warmth but they were all three wrapped in quilts or afghans. The chill Miss Tootsie felt seemed to have seeped all the way into her bones.                 “You know, never in all […]

The Thing About Writing…

Writing is an exercise in imagination. I write in scenes and, in order to write a scene effectively, I have to be there. I have to see, feel, and smell whatever is happening at that moment. That can be exhausting but I want my readers to see, feel, and smell what I do. This involves […]

An Ireland Visit

A light rain is falling. I’m pretty sure it is raining in Ireland, too, where St. Patrick’s Day originated.  While I was there, rain was sometimes hard but never stormy.  Each day of my visit to Ireland is a memory I store away and bring out now and then, as I do this morning.  Our […]

Warm and Comforting

Do you ever enjoy going to some place warm and secure and comforting? I do. Sometimes, I retreat into childishness and have a doughnut (or two or three) and a cup of hot chocolate. I read or write a children’s story and there I am until I feel grown-up enough to take on the world […]