“Hope Smiles from the threshold of the year to come, Whispering 'it will be happier'...” Alfred Lord Tennyson HAPPY NEW YEAR --2026 has arrived! I hope you have enjoyed this first week of the New Year as much as I have, LOL. One thing for sure, 2026 is not going to be boring... For this first blog post of 2026, I thought I'd list a few of my goals and ambitions I hope to achieve (or at least make some progress on). 'If you build it, they will come', a famous movie quote onc

"What if today, we were just grateful for everything?" Charlie Brown, courtesy of Charles Schulz Happy Thanksgiving Eve! I hope your November has been filled with happy moments. This is definitely my favorite time of year. The lights and decorations are up. The pies are in the oven. The holiday sweaters are sparkling. And... it's time for a road trip to see family and friends! This year's festivities are extra special. Our lovely writer friend from across the pond, Sheila Pa

“The moon has awoken with the sleep of the sun, the light has been broken; the spell has begun.” Midgard Morningstar As October comes to a spooktacular close, we're firing up the cauldron and chilling the boo-ze to celebrate the scariest night of the year, Halloween! Inspiring my quest to conjure up some spookylicious eats and drinks, I have two books I highly recommend to bewitch even the pickiest pumpkin eater... Shall we begin? The latest addition to my cookbook collectio

'It begins with a character, usually, and once he stands up on his feet and begins to move, all I can do is trot along behind him with a...

“Wherever you go becomes a part of you somehow.” Anita Desai Well, hello, August! Month eight of the year has arrived and that means one...

' Be Americans. Let there be no sectionalism, no North, South, East or West. You are all dependent on one another and should be one in...

“Spring being a tough act to follow, God created June.” Al Bernstein Well, hello, June! The sixth month of the year has arrived and with...

“Earth and sky, woods and fields, lakes and rivers, the mountain and the sea, are excellent schoolmasters, and teach of us more than we...

'Family: the bonds that connect us, and the secrets that send us reeling.' Gemma Lancaster Williams, Marchioness of Kentshire Well,...

“The best way to predict the future is to create it.” Peter Drucker Well, top-o'-the-mornin'-to-ya, March! 2025 has been full of...

“In the coldest February, as in every other month in every other year, the best thing to hold on to in this world is each other.” Linda...

"There are far, far better things ahead than any we leave behind." C.S. Lewis HAPPY NEW YEAR ! A quarter into the first century of the...

" So, every year when Christmas comes, I realize a new, the best gift life can offer is having friends like you. " Helen Steiner Rice...

"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them." John F....

"A pretty sight, a lady with a book." Shirley Jackson Happy Trick or Treat Eve! It's been a busy 10th month of the year--trips to an...

"In a weak moment, I have written a book." Margaret Mitchell We interrupt this spooktacular month of October with some #BREAKINGNEWS ,...

"The true mystery of the world is the visible, not the invisible." OSCAR WILDE September, what a lovely month of mystery and mayhem it...

"I don't think the robots are taking over. I think the men who play with toys have taken over. And if we don't take the toys out of their...

"The most effective way to destroy people is to deny and obliterate their own understanding of their history." George Orwell The end is...

Behind the Scenes: The Exhibition of Castlewood Manor Veronica Cline Barton Whoop, whoop, here we are, that most wonderful time of year...