Adults enjoy snowdays, too.

The view from my front door.

In case you haven’t heard, the Northeast of the country had a major snowstorm. Meteorologists were quick to say it wasn’t a blizzard. Whatever you call that storm, we were pummeled with 12-18 inches of snow. No matter how soft and fluffy the weather channels say it was, it was still a foot and a half of disguised water that turns into ice. Digging out was not fun. I’m built to write, not shovel.

Of course, the pillowy precipitation wasn’t all bad. My campus was closed yesterday to give the facilities staff and the city plow drivers time to clear the roads, walkways, and parking lots. You know what that meant, right?

A free day! Woohoo! Sadly, fear of injury kept me from trying to sled down the hill in my backyard. And frigid below-zero temperatures made it unwise to make snow angels. Instead, I read, watched Columbo reruns, made a pot of chicken soup, and played with my dogs.

It was a glorious “not-a-blizzard”. The forecast, however, reports we should see one of those this weekend. Will the fun never end?

It’s about the character

My tendency to binge-watch television shows. I don’t know why. Maybe it’s the total immersion into another world. It’s nice to escape the real one sometimes. However, I don’t find all worlds engaging. Not even well-built ones. Sure, I like action as much as the next gal. I like urban fantasy worlds probably more. But for me, it’s all about the character.

Tonight (maybe all night), I’m watching Percy and the Olympians, the series. I know I’m not the target audience, but I’m captivated. The characters are so complex. They have backstories that clearly color their personalities, emotions, perceptions, thought processes, and consequently, their decisions.

Have you seen The Brothers Sun on Netflix? It’s another good example. It’s about two brothers who are charged with protecting their family from organized crime. One of the conflicts in the book is that one brother was raised in the family’s criminal enterprise, and the other was raised with NO IDEA about the family business. Although it’s a comedy, the main characters are well-rounded and nuanced in terms of how they see the world and the choices they make.

This is why I write character-driven fiction. Action? Yes. Romance? Yes. Supernatural elements? Yes. But the characters and their journeys of growth, success, and/or redemption are the heart and soul of every story I write.

What pulls you into a story?

Christmas movies: I have a type

My partner and I love Christmas movies. Most years, we start watching them the day after Thanksgiving and continue each day until December 25th. The first one we watch is usually Christmas Vacation. The last one is usually A Christmas Story. And in between, well, anything goes: Christmas comedy. Christmas horror. Christmas romance. Christmas classic. Christmas heartfelt.

This year, I’ve been paying more than the usual attention to what I enjoy the most. With the exception of Love Hard (I adore Jimmy Cho) and maybe Trading Christmas (Faith Ford won my heart), I’m not a huge fan of Christmas romance or rom-coms. I might be tired of the tropes. Or maybe nothing about them matches my experience, observations, or fantasies.

Christmas horror is an interesting genre. Most of them are campy and funny. Some are truly frightening. I could do without gore, but I like them. My favorites are Violent Night, Krampus, and A Christmas Horror Story (featuring Bill Shatner!).

I may have too many favorite comedies to list. A Christmas Vacation is a must watch every year. It’s on its way to being a classic. Office Christmas Party with Jason Bateman is hilarious. (I just watched that yesterday!) Bad Santa with my soon-to-be exhusband Billy Bob Thornton. The Santa Clause series.

I have finally figured out that my favorite Christmas genre is ‘heartfelt”. Christmas Chronicles 1 and 2 with sexy santa Kurt Russell. Red One with the Rock and J.K.Simmons. It’s a Wonderful Life with the inimitable Jimmy Stewart. A Bishop’s Wife with Cary Grant. The Holdovers with Paul Giamatti. These are the movies that make my heart sing and my soul long for something I have yet to identify.

Although, I can’t forget Die Hard. It’s in a category all by itself. Rock on, Bruce Willis.

My Mom’s Favorite Holiday Cookie

Full disclosure: This is a picture I found on DepositPhotos. I haven’t made them yet this year because there is far too much going on to bake. But I plan to. In the meantime, you can enjoy them.. They are so yummy!

You might think that lemon is not a flavor of the holidays, but you wouldn’t dare say it to my mom. She loved the flavor of lemons and she loved these cookies. She called them snowballs. I’m happy to share the recipe with you.

Ingredients

• 8 oz cream cheese, softened 

• 1⁄4cup  butter, softened 

• 1 package lemon cake mix

• 1⁄4teaspoon  vanilla

• 1 egg

Pre-heat oven to 375.

Let’s Make Cookies!

Combine cream cheese and butter. (You can do it by hand but using a mixer makes it creamier.)

Mix in 1/2 of the cake mix, the egg and the vanilla until smooth. (Make sure your mixer is on low if you’re using one.)

Stir in the rest of the cake mix.

Drop dough by teaspoon onto a cookie sheet.

Bake 8-10 minutes.

While still warm, dust liberally with powdered sugar.

Peter Piper picked a lot of peppers.

A bounty of colorful peppers.

Hot Pepper Jelly. YUMMY

We joined CSA this Fall—Community Supported Agriculture. In case you are like me and this is a new term for you, when you participate in CSA you purchase a share of the farms crops. This purchase gives local farms the means to buy their seeds etc for the subsequent growing season, while you benefit from a weekly haul of produce and other products. It is a risk to purchase a share because there is no guarantee of a return, for instance, if the crops are bad or the weather is destructive. But it’s a cool thing to do because it supports local farmers. We need local farmers to thrive, now more than ever.

A Fall CSA is shorter than the spring/summer version. As you might imagine, the variety of possible produce is smaller too. That being said, this year we have gotten an abundance of food. Lots of end of summer corn, tomatoes and melon, winter squashes, pounds and pounds of potatoes, cauliflower, cabbage….and peppers. OH MY GOSH. So many peppers.

Because there was no possibility that the two of us could eat so many, we made a dozen or so jars of Hot Pepper Jelly. Have you ever had it? First of all, it’s easy to make. If it wasn’t, I wouldn’t be able to do it. Second…it is DELICIOUS. Sweet, hot, yummy with any kind of cheese (especially cream cheese).

I think we might try canning cranberry sauce next. Stay tuned.

Forever grateful

My father was in the military long before I was even a twinkle in his eye, serving in the Navy during the Korean War. He never spoke of it, but given the treasures he kept, it was clear he was proud of his service. My oldest nephew was a soldier in Afghanistan. He served multiple tours as a medic. All that he saw, all that he did, had a profound impact on him. He was never the same after his honorable discharge. My ex-spouse was in the Navy for over a decade. He was an electrician onboard a submarine in a time of relative peace.

Although they all served under different circumstances and joined for different reasons, one thing they had in common was a years-long commitment to defending our country and protecting our rights. My heart fills every time I think of the time their lives were not their own,, the dreams and goals they sacrificed or put on hold.

To the men and women who enlisted or were drafted, or currently serve in any branch of the military, from the bottom of my heart, thank you for your service, your dedication to our country, and the sacrifices you made in defense of life and liberty. Tomorrow, we celebrate you.

My heart honors you and is grateful for you every day.

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Time to try something new.

Ladies and gentlemen, my very first TikTok. Drop a comment and let me know if you think I should do more videos on TikTok, or just admit videos are not my thing.

It shouldn’t be this hard.

Create self care habits and rituals.

One more time, I have set my intentions to take better care of myself. I’m very good at taking care of other people. But remembering to exercise, eat clean, and REST continues to be difficult.

Sure, I can go along for a while but then life happens and I get off track. Again. Then I have to grieve the time lost, pull myself up and dust myself off, and begin again.

So, here I go. Making a fresh self-care plan and trying to figure out what I need to do to be more likely to stick to it. I WANT to stick to it. Anyone want to join me? Maybe we can encourage each other.

Start date September 1.

The Beach is My Happy Place

I love the beach.

Actually, I more than love it. It soothes me. Heals me. I never feel as peaceful or happy as I do when I can see the waves, smell the water, and feel the ocean breeze. Earlier this week, went to a small beach on the Connecticut shoreline. It took me an hour to drive there, and I stayed a couple of hours. I know some people would say it wasn’t worth the time. But it was for me.

Does the beach affect you the same? If so, take a moment to watch this industrious creature and listen to the sounds of the water.

A Moody and Fun Evening #edgarallenpoespeakeasy

This past weekend, I had the opportunity to attend the Edgar Allan Poe Speakeasy at a local theater. It was amazing! the actors (who were also the bartenders) performed interpretations of Poe’s work in a very atmospheric setting. It was moving, eery, funny and generally a good time. Of course, Poe-inspired drinks were serve.

I highly recommend attending if they come to your town!

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In case you want to check them out!

An alter to Poe.

If You Can’t Stand the Heat…

If you live in the wake of the current heat wave, there’s nothing you can do about it.

Except you literally should stay out of the kitchen. Today it was 109 with the heat index. My poor flowers are suffering. Some water today resuscitated them, and we moved all of them to shade in the middle of the yard. Wouldn’t it be nice if someone tended to us like that?

I’ve never been a fast writer, but it’s extremely challenging to write in weather like this. It’s physically uncomfortable, of course. But the scorching temperatures and the New England humidity make it nearly impossible to concentrate. But I’ve made commitments so I keep chugging along. I plan to have a new novella and the final installment in the Living After Midnight series before the summer is over.

Ever hear of the Little Train That Could? I think I can, I think I can, I know I can, I know I can…

Stay tuned.