August IWSG Taking A Leave...

 

Hello Wonderful Writers and Bloggers.

I am taking a few months off from blogging. I hope you all are having a wonderful summer! Thank you all so very much for your support, visits, and comments. I appreciate the IWSG so very much and hope to recommence this winter. 

IWSG

The awesome co-hosts for the August 6 posting of the IWSG are Ronel Janse van Vuuren, Natalie Aguirre, Sarah - The Faux Fountain Pen, and Olga Godim!

In the meantime, from my garden to you...

Loss and IWSG Late Again

 

IWSG

I missed yesterday's post, but at least I got here today. I won't have a long post today, just remember to thank our co-hosts this month, and support all the amazing writers on this blog hop. Blog Hop seems such an old fashioned word now. But it still serves those of us who have a need to be a part of something bigger than just ourselves.

Every month there is a question we can answer if we choose to. I won't this month because I've already answered it before, Charlotte's Web. But I will put in one of my favorite quotes from the story, because I need to here this today. 

from the Audible website

Here are our lovely and wonderful co-hosts for this month:

 PJ Colando, Pat Garcia, Kim Lajevardi, Melisa Maygrove, Jean Davis!

Please visit their sites and thank them!

Enjoy summer. It is now upon us! From my garden to you...

May Showers & IWSG

IWSG

 Okay today is what I will term a b***h session. I am officially done with Microsoft. I have used Word (Microsoft365) for over 20 years, subscribing after having bought it back when you still could. I love Word. I loved the whole package, and my husband uses excel all the time in his work. So, up until now this has been a win-win situation. Now I am locked out of my account AND there is no way to get back in. Before you ask if I’ve done this or that or whatever, yes, I have. I have tried changing passwords. I have filled out the recovery forms. I have gone on the community boards to no avail. I have called every single number for help that Microsoft has. I have gone to a computer store where they told me they don’t bother calling Microsoft because they can’t talk to a real person either. There is NO way to talk to a real person to get my account unlocked.  I won’t even go into my thoughts on their use if AI on the phone or chats. I can’t even get in to stop paying for my subscription. I will have to contact my credit card to have them refuse payment because I’m not paying for something I can’t use anymore. So, what is a writer to do when her favorite writing program is no longer available?

If any of you have suggestions, I am happy to hear them. The guy at the computer store said there are free use programs like Libreoffice. I am currently researching my options. In the meantime I am so very frustrated and angry with Microsoft. I feel let down and taken advantage of. They’ll take my $$ but not give me any help. Now my rant is over. Not my frustration, just the rant. 

On to honoring our IWSG co-hosts for May! Please visit their sites and thank them for their efforts today!

Feather Stone, Janet Alcorn, Rebecca Douglass, Jemima Pett,and Pat Garcia!

I'm not going to answer the question of the month this time, as I feel I've already spent enough time moaning on this post! I will say that I'm glad spring has finally arrived, and along with it the showers April didn't give us. I have also spent a lot of time in my garden which has given me moments of touching, feeling, smelling earth, and, as does happen sometimes, scenes. Scenes leading me back into my story. Happy May. 

From my springing garden...

 

April Is Upon Us IWSG

 

IWSG

Good Day to you all. Today this post will be very short. Hope you all have a wonderful spring-filled April with lots of flowers and good rain...

A little Madness in the Spring  

by Emily Dickinson

A little Madness in the Spring

Is wholesome even for the King,

But God be with the Clown -- 

Who ponders this tremendous scene --

This whole Experiment of Green --

As if it were his own!

Please go and visit our amazing co-hosts this month and thank them for their support...

Jennifer Lane, L Diane Wolfe, Jenni Enzor, Natalie Aguirre!

February 2025 Already IWSG

 

IWSG

Conflict. Every story must have this at some point or no one will read it. This is a truth we all know and have come to live with. This year however, for me, is about more than dealing with conflict in my stories. It is how to deal with conflict in my life, in my country, and in my future. I know some people are happy with where our country is and where it seems to be going. I will admit here and now I am not. I am afraid. I have never felt this way about my country before. I still have hope in humanity and the good in people, however I'm not sure right now that that is enough. I won't say anymore because I'm too emotional about this. All I can do is pray and send as much love and light as I can throughout this country that I love, and the world and hope for the best. I wish you all well...

Please go and visit our co-hosts this month and thank them for being there for all of us.

Joylene Nowell Butler, Louise Barbour,  and Tyrean Martinson!

February 5 question - Is there a story or book you've written you want to/wish you could go back and change?

Yes! The one I can't seem to finish right now! Maybe this year when I get home...?

Some photos of our current trip in France. I look at them a lot as they help me remember the good things, and people, in my life...

Co-grandparents! Geoffrey, Bob, Christine and Lisa!

New friends we met in Laguiole, Annie and Jean-Claude from Bozouls!

Looking for a special knife in Laguiole (No! You don't pronounce the g!)

A friend paragliding

Bozouls

Joan of Arc

"Le Trou de Bozouls" The Canyon of Bozouls, very worth visiting

November Is Not Tidy IWSG

IWSG

Co-hosting this month! I love being able to contribute back to this group. By the time you read this the election day voting will be done, but not the election itself. I won't go into all that means because it will be different for all of us. I will leave it to our poet Walt Whitman who wrote this for a very long ago election, because it still holds truth for this newest one...

May peace be with us all.

Please visit and thank our co-hosts this month:

Diedre Knight, Kim Lajevardi, JQ Rose! and me!

The question of this month is: What creative activity do you engage in when not writing?

I garden, crotchet, sometimes knit, build photo albums for family calendars, and photo books for family, reliving trips or special moments... Like these below. Our niece married the love of her life in October. Here are a few photos reliving the amazing experience that came to mean so much not only because we love them so much, but also because it was able to happen in spite of the destruction surrounding us from Helene. 

"First Look" and a private reciting of their vows to each other.

The "fairy-like" atmosphere they (we all!) created.

The weather was perfect and sooo many friends and family came. We were all blessed...

October Has Blown In With A Vengeance IWSG

IWSG

 I didn't know what I was going to write about this month. I waited until the words came, now, and the first word is Helene. This world has so many disasters happening in it right now, that to say this one is so completely horrible and devastating feels almost surreal, not reality. But most of my family, and a LOT of my friends have been hit hard. I am so grateful that so far everyone is alive and doing all right, everything considered. My sister has power again, but no internet. The roads are starting to be cleared so my parents can come down off the mountain they live on, for now, but cousins are stuck, brother and sister in law are stuck, can't get out to get food or water or internet service, and are hoping to be relieved soon...

My issues are so small, except for this. My family. My friends who lived through the devastation are very important, and so their issues have become paramount for me. Please, help in any way you can, donating, sending prayer, sending positive and healing thoughts, whatever you can, please do it. And, not just for this most recent disaster, but for all of the conflicts happening all over our planet. Because we are all human, and eventually, what happens "far" away from us, affects us in one way or another. 

Life lines are a part of healing and rebuilding. IWSG is a life line for a lot of us, keeps us in, even if it's only a toe in the water at times. I am grateful for this medium and all it offers to us. So, on to that part of this post.

October 2 question - Ghost stories fit right in during this month. What's your favorite classic ghostly tale? Tell us about it and why it sends chills up your spine.

Well, my favorite ghost story is Evangeline's Miracle, my first published novel, so guess I don't need to give the reason why! Please give it a shot if you like ghosts, from the past and present...

And, please go and thank our other amazing co-hosts this month for being there for us!

Kim Lajevardi  http://kimlajevardi.com/  

Diedre Knight  https://pensivepenspost.blogspot.com/ 

J Q Rose  http://www.jqrose.com/ 

An Oregon Coast Sunset September 2024

IWSG September Disappointed

IWSG

So, yes, late again, and, to boot, disappointed in myself. Not only because of being late, but because I can't seem to find the rhythm I had writing before we left. Not. One. Word. And, the feeling/question I have is, what is my purpose? All my life I have had a purpose. I've heard this is what happens when one reaches a certain age, so maybe I'm right on schedule. I feel so unmotivated, and yet, when I ask myself do I want to stop writing all together, my body seizes up and my eyes bug out. So visceral a feeling of "Oh No!"

How do I make peace with myself about this? Both my husband and I are feeling the after vacation blues and wondering what do we do now? It's not like we don't have things to do! We do. Just... something is missing. 

I will leave it there and move on to more important matters like IWSG co-hosts and visiting and... and I don't know what else, yet. Whew.

Beth Camp, Jean Davis Yvonne Ventresca, and PJ Colando!

Please visit them and thank them for helping out this month!

I won't be answering this month's question. Instead I wrote the above questions and will endeavor to answer them at least by next month, I hope... 

August IWSG & Home

 

IWSG

Happy hot August, yuck. After spending 6 weeks down under where it is winter, and a mild one at that, coming home to dry heat and dry air conditioning is taking time to adjust to. Also being jet lagged doesn’t help! However, it is nice to be home and sleeping in my own bed. I had hoped to have the energy to write my post yesterday but sleep deprivation will change the best laid plans. And I’m writing on my iPad because my son stole my mouse so my desk top is unavailable till too late! This won’t be a long post.

I didn’t have any time to write while away; never had such a busy vacation before, so once my head is cleared (and I have my mouse back!) I will be hitting the keys with gusto because I’m eager to re-orientate to my Celtic world…

I hope your summer is going well. 

The question (s) this month are:

Do you use AI in your writing and if so how? Do you use it for your posts? Incorporate it into your stories? Use it for research? Audio?

No I don’t at this time. I might change my mind, but for now I just use MI (My Intelligence!)

The wonderful co-hosts for august are…

….the iPad is not letting me cut and paste right now…grrrr

So, please go to the IWSG website and look up, Featherstone, Kim Lajevardi, Dièdre Knight, CJ McKenzie, and Sarah-The Faux Fountain Pen! Please thank them for co-hosting!!! 

Hope you enjoy a few photos from the trip!