Category Archives: self-help

Easy Reading is Damn Hard Writing

Posted on December 1, 2012 by

I have known people who thought the ultimate criticism was to have someone tell them that their manuscript was easy to read.  And I have known commenters who snickered about their ‘cleverly designed insult’ when saying just that about a piece … Continue reading →

Posted in Entertainment, self-help, Uncategorized, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 74 Comments

Learning How to See

Posted on October 10, 2012 by

I looked out the window in my bedroom this morning and immediately saw the beauty of the various shades of green facing me.  Not only the soft sage of the curtains falling gracefully to the sides, and the deep forest green of the … Continue reading →

Posted in home, landscape, remembrance, self-help, spiritual, Uncategorized, Writing | Tagged , , , , , | 38 Comments

Updates

Posted on October 5, 2012 by

Thank you all for the wonderful well wishes, tips and advice, and sympathy during my husband’s recent ordeal with kidney stones.  We think it has passed.  When it first subsided we weren’t sure whether or not it had just moved … Continue reading →

Posted in family, self-help, Uncategorized, Writing | Tagged , , , , , | 45 Comments

Living in the Stone Belt

Posted on October 1, 2012 by

There is an area in the southern United States that extends from Washington, DC to Louisiana that is known as ‘The Stone Belt’.  I first learned about it a few years ago after being diagnosed with gall stones, though it … Continue reading →

Posted in family, self-help | Tagged , , , , , | 42 Comments

Reader Recommended Books

Posted on June 10, 2012 by

You, dear readers, have spoken.  The list for favorite reads has been compiled and collected here for a quick print out to take to your bookstore, library, e-book download, or internet purchasing site. This is a marvelous variety of titles.  And … Continue reading →

Posted in Entertainment, humor, self-help, shopping, Uncategorized, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 57 Comments

Mother’s Day or Un-Mother’s Day?

Posted on May 12, 2012 by

For me, Mother’s Day is a sweet holiday that links me to generations of mothers who came before me and who will no doubt follow.  And it always looks like flowers in my mind. I come from a long line … Continue reading →

Posted in Civility, family, gardening, holiday, home, remembrance, self-help, spiritual, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , | 57 Comments

S is for Steam

Posted on April 21, 2012 by

Even Mother Earth needs to let off steam from time to time. The trick is to have enough space around you that you don’t burn the people who are closest to you. Women especially, tend to bottle up negative emotions … Continue reading →

Posted in self-help | Tagged , , , , , , , | 17 Comments

R is for Ripples

Posted on April 20, 2012 by

It starts out imperceptibly small, the tiniest of lifts in the water. Suddenly, it fans out and out, rippling forward until it breaks against the land. This ripple effect reminds me of life. How many times have we told a … Continue reading →

Posted in self-help, spiritual, Writing | Tagged , , , | 15 Comments

Quotes for Writing and Life

Posted on April 19, 2012 by

I learned never to empty the well of my writing, but always to stop when there was still something there in the deep part of the well, and let it refill at night from the springs that fed it. Ernest … Continue reading →

Posted in Entertainment, self-help, spiritual, Uncategorized, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , | 16 Comments

Objectification

Posted on April 17, 2012 by

There is no question that women in today’s society are held to a high standard of beauty and sex appeal, even as they age. We say that men become ‘distinguished’ looking as their hair grays. We overlook their spreading waistlines … Continue reading →

Posted in Civility, Entertainment, self-help, Uncategorized, Writing | Tagged , , , , , | 17 Comments