Posted in 2023, life, Writing

I Scream, You Scream…..

What’s your go-to comfort food?

I had to think about what I would reach for and want to reach for if I need comforting and I’d have to say it’s Ben and Jerry’s ice cream.

My original go-to was Chunky Monkey but I’ve moved on to Cinnamon Bun. If my husband was out of town on a rare trip without me, I’d hit the grocery store and make my pick. I’d try to divide it out over the two nights but usually not quite make it and the second night I would be wanting more!

It’s been awhile since I’ve reached for a pint but there have been moments that I’ve gazed at them longingly through the freezer case!

Posted in 2023, Writing

I’m My Own Worst Enemy

What bothers you and why?

It bothers me that I procrastinate doing things that I enjoy – writing, creating social media posts, reading – until I have all my “chores” done. Chores that can be done any time!

In fact, as I was typing this, I jumped up to put away the dishes on the drying pad and washed what was in the sink. My thinking was, I have to get ready for work. But I’m an owner! I don’t have a time I have to be at work! I could have sat there as long as I wanted to finish this.

Posted in 2023, life, Travel, Writing

A Love of Travel

Are you seeking security or adventure?

I’ve spend most of my adult life working towards being secure. We have a beautiful home that is now set up for aging in place with an addition and full bath with laundry on the first floor. We’ve built up our remodeling business to be successful with a second generation in place. I think (oh, be more positive Nancy!), I KNOW I am secure so I guess that leaves adventure!

I enjoy adventure! Actually I always have enjoyed adventure. My travel or event motto has been “I’ll try anything once. If I don’t like it, I don’t have to do it again”. Win tickets to see a band play briefly at 7am in New York on the morning news show? Heck yeah! Tickets to a NY Giants football game the Sunday after thanksgiving and we’re in a suite and my husband won’t go with our son? Of Course I’ll do it! Drive in the pouring rain to get there? You betcha!

We’ve been fortunate to have taken some pretty fun motorcycle vacations and there has been a lot of adventure in them! They started as motorcycle trips and then the other female in the group of 6 and I got involved with the planning. They became vacations that we used motorcycles as transportation.

2013 our first motorcycle vacation to the Blue Ridge Parkway. This was a side trip to Chimney Rock. Begrudgingly made by the “travel director”. This is when I knew he would no longer be in charge.

I’ve been a willing participant to help with the driving when my niece moved from Connecticut to Pensacola Florida and from Connecticut to Las Vegas with sightseeing trips thrown in.

2011 Pensacola Florida to drop off my niece’s belongings, spend the night and then drove on to New Orleans for a few days. She drove back to Florida and my sister and I flew home.

My husband was never as willing to “give it a try” but I think over the years because of our motorcycle trips, he’s been more adventurous so I now I have a read and willing partner. He even planned our summer vacation at a cabin resort at Lake George with our boat!

October 2022, on our Viking Cruise from Paris to Normandy and back with my sister and her husband.
Posted in 2023, Writing

My True Love

What do you think gets better with age?

I think a true love relationship gets better with age. With true love, you’re always hoping and wishing the best for the person you love. Sometimes they can’t see what it is you want for them (they think you’re nagging!), but it’s only because you want them to be the best you know they can be.

I think of very long ago relationships that I thought were love, but they weren’t. I’m not sure what they were – I was in love with the thought of being in love and thought that’s what true love was. It wasn’t.

Then I found my true love. There was definitely a honeymoon phase and we learned about each other as the years went on. It wasn’t always fun and sometimes not pleasant at all. But when it’s your true love, you don’t give up and you don’t turn away. One day, he saw in himself what I always saw.

And it got better, and it keeps getting better.

Posted in 2023, Books, Writing

Where A Book Can Lead You

Have you ever read a book and wondered how the author grabbed that thought or feeling out of your brain? Wondered how they can tap into that emotion you thought was long buried? It can bring tears or smiles or a renewed feeling of confidence.

This book reads like a group of short stories. But, what’s interesting, is a character from one chapter might just pop up in another one! The first chapter is about the young woman who writes the book and her family life growing up. She goes away to college and has signed up for a Creative Writing class, telling her parents, who wouldn’t have approved, that it was a core requirement. In her first week, her professor tells the class to “Write me a story”. He tells her she’s a gifted writer but her story reads like she’s just observing, he wants more emotion.

The book she writes is named “Theo”. It makes the rounds of publishing houses and is rejected all around. It finally gets read by a book editor tasked with reading piles of manuscripts that arrive daily at a small publishing firm. Once finished reading she emails her boss with two words, “This One”.

It’s read for an audible book by an actor who is losing his Hollywood looks. By a widower, but someone struggling with family dynamics. And so on, through about nine people in total. All suffering in some way, who either happen upon the book, have it recommended, or bought, or left behind for them.

All the characters who read the book were struggling with something in their life. All found something to renew themselves, either to carry on or gave them a new pathway forward in their life.

I bought this book at Barnes and Noble from the New Fiction shelf but I’d never heard of it, just something that caught my eye! I guess it was meant to be.

Posted in 2023, Shower Thoughts, Writing

What’s In a Name Leads to Phonetics Questions

Shower thoughts. We’ve all got them right? Here’s mine from today….

I want to send a thank you card to a remodel company owner and staff who hosted an open house when I was in Ann Arbor Michigan last week. Actually, it was in my reminders for Monday, but life and that “jump into routine” mode got in the way. Hence, me thinking about it in the shower!

His name is Jef. Short and sweet. But where’s the customary second F? Was he born Jef? Jefrey? Jeffrey shortened and dropped the second F? So many thoughts none of which turned into actual questions!

That lead me down the rabbit hole to vowels, consonants and what happens when you put them together.

We learn in elementary school that a vowel followed by 2 consonants will give the vowel a short sound. But a vowel followed by one consonant gives it a long sound. Right?

I started going down the list of names in my family. Nancy – the A has the NC before the Y. Cool. But Janice only has the C between the I and E which signals a long I. JanIce. Hmm what’s up with that?

Steven – gives a long E but Stephen? Well, that’s pronounced the same but shouldn’t because of the PH!

Mark – no surprise, Cody – the same, but what’s up with E-m-I-l-y! No wonder words are hard for a beginner!

My first item of business today will be my thank you card to Jef!

Posted in 2023, Books, Writing

Short Stories

May is Short Stories month and I enjoy reading them. This book caught my eye at the library last week so I checked it out.

The title doesn’t really seem to match the stories which all contain some type of illicit affair. A high school senior with her teacher, a couple of long distance relationships that get by between visits with phone or computer sex, and few, there are 11 stories in all, with the same characters at different stages over the course of a few years.

They were humorous for the most part and I actually enjoyed them (I spent most of the afternoon reading!), but in some of them I was fearful they would get caught, or annoyed that they could be so rotten to their spouse.

I cast no judgment but know it’s not something I’d ever do to my husband of 35 years! But in my 20s at the end of a couple of shitty relationships……

Posted in 2023, Writing

My Winding Down

I’m putting in less hours a day in our office but they can still be pretty hectic!

It’s weird but I find it soothing to organize at home!

I’ll usually go up to my room and put clothes away, organize shoes, and sort through my closet if I see a need.

Posted in 2023, Books, Writing

Make Me a Time Traveler!

Daily writing prompt
If you could be a character from a book or film, who would you be? Why?

If I could be a character from a book or film I would want to be a time traveler in one of Connie Willlis’s books! Doomsday Book, Black Out, or All Clear. To examine the past and travel back to the middle ages or WWII would have been amazing to explore and bring back information to use in their research.

Sometimes it was scary being in the middle of the plague or the bombings in London but they made it through.

Posted in 2023, Writing

I Can’t Do It!

When you were five, what did you want to be when you grew up?

When I was five I don’t think there was a thought in my brain as to what I wanted to be when I grew up!

I knew what I wanted to DO when I was 5…I wanted to learn to tie my shoes and show my teacher so I could get the award she gave out! She has them for everything! Knowing your address, phone number, line leader, milk distributor and they were so cute written out in her teacher printing.

But boy did I have trouble! I remember my mom teaching me and my twin. The problem for me was they were both right handers and I’m a leftie! I just couldn’t get it. My dad’s a leftie, but I don’t remember any help from him!

Finally, we had to resort to the Bunny Ears method. Two loops and put one over the other. It was acceptable, and I received my reward.