2023 top ten

10: Starting Scouts BSA with four of my five kiddos has been a challenge. When we’re actually DOING SCOUTS – campouts, skills development – life is good and the kids are progressing well. But among the adult leadership, there’s a lot of angry jockeying for power and it’s … not what I expected. My self-appointedContinue reading “2023 top ten”

7 random things I’ve done

I have a lot of new followers on the Instagram account, so I wrote an introduction post with 7 random things I’ve done: 1 – Adam and I were balloon wranglers in the National Independence Day parade in Washington DC. We were on a team of five that steered an Uncle Sam hat down ConstitutionContinue reading “7 random things I’ve done”

9 writing books

I’m homeschooling myself in writing and editing. My curriculum so far: The Well Educated Mind by Susan Wise Bauer Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World by Cal Newport Why We Write About Ourselves by Meredith Maran The Art of Memoir by Mary Karr Scratch: Writers, Money, and the Art of MakingContinue reading “9 writing books”

38 places for travel plans

My last post is some of my favorite places around the US, but really – my FAVORITE place is anywhere these people are, grumpy faces and all: The places I want to go with them, but haven’t yet, are the Freedom Trail in Boston Rocky Ridge, the Laura Ingalls Wilder farm in Mansfield, Missouri AlaskaContinue reading “38 places for travel plans”

11 places I love in the USA

I love this country. I love the variety of locations, both natural and manmade. I’ve visited over half of the states, and driven through most of the rest of them – I’ve touched down in 42 of the 50. I’ve lived in eight states – California, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Virginia, Maryland, Mississippi, and Connecticut, plusContinue reading “11 places I love in the USA”