Look what my mom found while going through some boxes! She sent this to me with “Is this your first manuscript?” written on a light-pink Post-it note. Just holding these now-yellowed pages in my hands and seeing […]

More Fun with Poetry Month

I’m going to “cheat” a little today, re-printing an article I wrote on, what else – poetry month – that was published in a local magazine in my community, Journal Plus.

A little […]

The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. – Lao Tzu
A man recently wrote me, asking, “How does one begin to write a book?” My response: “One word at a time.”

But to do that one thing is key: fo […]

It’s finally here. April. In my world known as National Poetry Month.
A brief history. National Poetry Month was started by the Academy of American Poets in 1996, in order to bring more support and recognition […]

Lloyd Burgess Sharp, affectionately called L. B. by those who knew him best, was a pioneer in outdoor education long before the term became commonly known (and coined by Sharp himself). Beginning his […]

One of the many things I like about poetry is that it can be a uniquely effective communication tool. It can reach people on an emotional, intuitive level that is not always easy to do with spoken words or with […]

Two notes before I start today’s post. If you’re not thrilled by the first one, then you’ll likely welcome the second one, but stay with me here and I’ll show why my temporary shift in content focus may be worth […]

Prevent trenching accidents! NAHB-OSHA Trenching and Excavation Safety Handbook explains in simple language how to comply with OSHA excavation standards on residential job sites. In an easy-to-use E […]

Part 1– Appreciate the Easy Things
When I read a story about someone who has worked valiantly to achieve a goal, say, losing 100 pounds, or quitting smoking after 30 years, first, I am proud of them. I know what […]

Touching Stories
Read. Think. Walk. Write. – Touch.
So I’m back to one syllable. And today’s word relates to, dare I say, ‘touches on’ the primary four.
This isn’t surprising, since the word “touch” has so ma […]

There is one home-grown tangerine left from the large bag given me by a friend of my parents, from his own trees, a couple of months ago. It’s been in there so long I don’t even know if it’s edible anymore. But I […]

In Consequential Strangers” – Part 1, I mentioned one particular group of people that I see in passing in my daily life that have become important enough to me to merit their own post. So I’ll start by rep […]

The answer to the question on everybody’s mind lies in between the pages of this refreshing collection of short stories where Gypsy discovers the secret to satisfaction by accepting her insatiable appetite […]

Read. Again, of course. This time the inspiration comes from a children’s book. I find some of the genre, especially the classic ones, both soothing and uplifting. I’m going to take this detour, and leave you […]

So today the emphasis is on the “read” part.
I recently read an excerpt from a book called “Consequential Strangers: The Power of People Who Don’t Seem to Matter…But Really Do” by Melinda Blau and Karen L. Fing […]