Several days ago, I was reading an article about practices that help keep our brains young and memory strong as we age. I don’t remember all the practices, no irony intended, but starting a new hobby you’ll stick with was one of them. Knitting was considered particularly good. Among the other practices researchers touted were … Continue reading Social Ties and a Youthful Brain
Elizabeth Crook, Sharon Creech, and Ann Patchett
I’ve been out this morning watching the deer watch me. At about 6 a.m., I made my coffee and took it outside to go on a stroll around the premises with our cats. The early morning on our farm/ranch is perfect these summer days, and I can’t help but admire God’s lovely handiwork. We had … Continue reading Elizabeth Crook, Sharon Creech, and Ann Patchett
The Stories We Read and Write
I have completed reading two good books the last couple of weeks, and I want to talk about them in a bit. But first, I want to discuss a couple of the writing projects I'm excited about. I just completed writing Classroom Guides for my two middle-grade fiction books, Ranch Girl and the Orphan Lamb … Continue reading The Stories We Read and Write
Making Progress in the World of Words
The Storytellers, Nacogdoches, Texas Carl Sandburg, three-time Pulitzer Prize winner in Literature, once said, “I’m an idealist. I don’t know where I’m going, but I’m on my way.” I find this an optimistic view about doing. Sometimes we have to start doing. In my previous blog post (“Spring Resolutions: Reading, Writing, & Blogs”), I made … Continue reading Making Progress in the World of Words
Spring Resolutions-Reading, Writing, & Blogs
Most people make New Year’s resolutions, but I have decided to make mid-spring resolutions instead. The middle of May seems as good a time as any for resolutions. Some of those resolutions follow: Resume writing consistent blog posts. I enjoy blogging and have published ninety posts since I began on May 20, 2022. Over the … Continue reading Spring Resolutions-Reading, Writing, & Blogs
2025: Week 16 – Bookish
I’ve just finished Lucy Mangan’s latest ‘Bookish’, a lively toddle through her extensive bookshelves with accompanying comments on her journey … 2025: Week 16 – Bookis This post is from a blog I follow called Country Gate. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Click on “Week 16–Bookish.”
Our Daily Work: Ranch Girl and a Boy Named Toby
Literary Texas: Dorothy Scarborough, Part 2
Dorothy Dorothy Scarborough who is best known for her book The Wind is not a familiar name to most readers of today, but in 1920’s Texas, she was famous—or infamous to some in Sweetwater. Part 1 of this blog post, a couple of posts before this one, discusses her birth in Mt. Carmel, Texas, and … Continue reading Literary Texas: Dorothy Scarborough, Part 2
Of Books and Festivals
It seems that fall and book festivals go together, at least in Texas. I have had the joy and honor of being a featured author at The Texas Word Wranglers Festival in Giddings in September, have signed in the Writer’s League of Texas booth at the Boerne Book Festival in October, and will likely sign … Continue reading Of Books and Festivals
Literary Texas: Dorothy Scarborough
I finally finished reading Dorothy Scarborough's The Wind, a novel that caused quite a stir in West Texas when it was published in 1925. I say I finally finished it because I started it months ago and then stopped reading right in the middle. It was not that I had lost interest in the story … Continue reading Literary Texas: Dorothy Scarborough