​If you’ve missed me on social media, I can happily say “I am back”!
If you haven’t missed me then I hope that we can connect now and that you will enjoy my musings.
Today I am thinking about routines. Sometimes we all need a break from our predictable daily habits. But often we wish that something unexpected would happen and then when it does, it throws us off a bit—we weren’t ready for it, it’s upsetting our plans, or other obligations, and we don’t want to say ‘yes’ to the adventure!
That’s me sometimes. But I’ve found that rejecting it is not a good way to gather memories, experience something wonderful, and engage with new people or places.
Lynda Barry, a well-known cartoonist, says to “expect the unexpected, and whenever possible, be the unexpected”.
Is that the key? To “be” the unexpected”? Be spontaneous, impulsive even? For planners, it’s a challenge to be anything other than organized, engineering what happens in our daily lives.
Either way, we know that life throws us curve balls and we have to try to catch them and deal with them the best we can. Sometimes we are better at it than others. I do challenge you to be the unexpected when you can. Maybe it’s a simple gesture to a friend or a stranger. Maybe it’s saying yes to the next thing that you are asked to do and embracing the experience!
I hope that something unexpected and wonderful comes to you soon and that you will welcome it and create a memory!

To Our Veterans on this Veterans Day 2023:

Just as I believe that this universe, this world, and our humanity were brought into existence by a higher power, with an intelligence that has no boundaries of time or space, I believe this great nation was brought about for a purpose. It didn’t come from nothing. It came from an idea, a belief that as our Declaration of Independence states, “all men are created equal and that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness”.

Men and women have bled and died for this belief. They have fought against tyranny from the very beginning of our country, first winning a victory to set our own course as a nation with a new vision and a concept of government that had never existed before 1776. Over the last almost 250 years, our armed forces have fought for liberty for liberty’s sake, to hold back the tide of armies that have threatened that same liberty in every corner of the world.

They have fought to keep our own country united because, as President Abraham Lincoln said in 1858, “a house divided against itself cannot stand”. These are words that are especially true today.

Our veterans, and our active military, have been the bulwark, the first line of defense against those who would take away that liberty. Each one of you is part of that line both in your past service and in the lives that you lead now. We offer you our humble thanks and gratitude for your service.

I believe that we are stronger as a people and as a country under God’s protection and blessings. This nation is one nation under God, and you are honored today in that belief. ​

I have some great news for you!  The third in the Kate Tyler series will be here soon!  I won't give away too much, but Kate is facing her biggest challenge yet--and it is very personal.  It is a heartwarming story that I know you will love.  

Stay tuned for a cover reveal and more information on
when and how to order!

Signed copies will be available.  

I love it when I find a new author and fall in love with the writing--the story--the ending! 

Alena Dillon is a new favorite and I highly recommend this book.
​
The conflicts of mother and daughter, wife and husband, present and past are beautifully portrayed!  Dual timeline of 2009 and 1943 tells a story of regrets, secrets, forgiveness, reconciliation and recognition of heroic acts that were long overdue.  Dillon knows the struggles of everyday life, of sacrifice, of patriotism, of a mother's love for her husband, her family, and her mother, in spite of all of their challenges and brings struggles and reconciliation full circle.  You will love this book!

So, this happened last week....one (very strong) gust of wind and our patio canopy flipped over.  Fortunately, if there is a fortunate side, a length of rope stopped it from flying through the neighborhood.  It was really a strange sight!!  So, we planned on having two or three guys, plus my husband, wrangle it right side up and return it to the patio.  At around the appointed time we got a knock on the door, welcomed one of the men that was going to help, and, to our surprise, he told us it was all fixed, right side up, on the patio, tied down again!  What????? By himself??? With no help??? Yes.  All by himself.  

Isn't that sometimes like life??  We experience something that seems insurmountable to fix except for a lot of effort, which also seems beyond our individual reach, and then someone is placed in our path that says, "No problem, sure I can do that," and then they do exactly that.  I am still amazed that he was able to do that by himself.  But he did and we are very grateful to Palmer who performed this miracle!!  

Never underestimate the power of ONE!  And I hope that someday we can all be that ONE that makes a difference in someone's life! 

Exciting news! This follows on the heels of last year's Gold Medal for "Heirloom"!
​
We are pleased to announce that 'The Legend (A Kate Tyler Novel)' has
qualified as a 2022 Award Finalist. This means that you have won
either a gold, silver, or bronze medal, which will be announced at
MWSA’s annual awards banquet on August 27, 2022.
In the next few days, your MWSA book listing will be updated to finalist status.
https://www.mwsadispatches.com/library/2022/the-legend
On behalf of MWSA President Bob Doerr and all MWSA board members, we
congratulate you on a job well done!
Sincerely,
Betsy, John, and Rob
MWSA Awards Directors

If you have read “Heirloom” already, you know that gardening was not something that Kate was very familiar with as her story begins, although she did have fond memories of visiting a garden in Europe with her twin sister Becky as a young girl.

“A sudden breeze brought a scent with it that made Kate turn her head.  She recognized the scent from somewhere deep in her past, but she could not place it.  She followed the scent down the flagstone path, and it led her to the old rose garden.  She gently lifted one of the haggard roses, leaned in, and breathed its scent.  The petals were scant and pale and yet somehow exuded a sweet, extravagant aroma that brought back a memory from her childhood.”

It’s wonderful how scents bring back a time and a place from our past as if it were yesterday.  Aromas of cooking in your mom’s or grandma’s kitchen.  Or maybe it was the smell of wood and sawdust and the tools in your dad’s workshop.  The scent of grapes in the vineyard just before harvest is one of my favorite memories growing up on Keuka Lake in New York State.  Whatever it may be, scents are a powerful reminder of our past. 

Kate began to embrace gardening as a way to heal, to grow, and to give a new purpose to her life.  Does that ring true for you?  Kate’s new friends, Sam and Martin, encourage her to use the rose hips from her garden for jellies, teas and soups.  Follow the link below for a YouTube video on how to make Rose Hip Tea—I think I might try it, too!

https://youtu.be/hMwj0l_SMF0

If you still want to buy Heirloom for yourself or for a friend, it is still available on Amazon in paperback and kindle or, better yet, email me at [email protected] and you can get a signed copy mailed to you!  

(Disclaimer: This is NOT a photo of my garden!  But it is central to Kate's journey in my upcoming novel "The Legend" to be available on April 5, 2022!)