Category Archives: updates

The Day My Spinach Salad Blew Away (Really!)

 Why it’s good to get away…

getaway coneflower

Echinacea or coneflower, one of the beautiful flowers you’ll find in Prescott, Arizona. I would have had a picture of my spinach salad flying away, but I spent too much time explaining what happened that I didn’t think to take a picture. The orange echinacea looks prettier anyway.

“I’m sure I forgot something.” I said to Jerry as we took off for a two-day jaunt in Prescott.  Jerry concentrated on driving.

To see if I could get a reaction, I said, “Oh no! I forgot to pack underwear for you.” He didn’t seem fazed at all. “I didn’t pack any pants for you either.” Still unfazed.

I had no idea of the adventure ahead, that cowboy actors would talk to me from the walls or that my spinach salad would blast into the air and fly away.  My thoughts centered on items I forgot to pack as well as looking forward to visiting my family in Prescott. Plus, and this is a big plus, enjoying the cooler mountain temperatures. Where we live in the desert, it’s a 192-degrees outside. In Prescott, people actually walk around outside in the summer without fainting. read more

One Step Forward. Ouch! Maybe.

I entered the physical therapist’s office with bright optimism. The receptionist greeted me with a warm smile.

I had broken my ankle two months earlier and had hobbled in a walking cast for a month. I had imagined that once the walking cast came off, I would be as good as new. I envisioned the pain-free possibilities…dancing, hopping, jumping, even skipping. Perhaps I’d sign up for a 30k marathon if I so desired. But my hopes sunk when my foot continued to hurt after the cast came off. My podiatrist  suggested physical therapy.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA Pain, to me, sometimes feels like looking through a window at a peaceful world beyond where personal physical discomfort doesn’t exist. (I took this picture at the Lan Su Chinese Garden in Portland, Oregon.) read more

How To Deal With Disappointment

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One’s best success comes after their greatest disappointments. ~ Henry Ward Beecher

Disappointments come throughout our life. Just the other day I ordered a grilled vegetarian sandwich with sweet potato and Portobello mushrooms. I thought I’d be adventurous and try something new. I’ve since discovered sweet potatoes don’t belong in a sandwich unless you enjoy the taste of spackling paste with mushrooms. “Why didn’t I order the pasta bowl? I know I like that,” I lamented. read more

SpongeBob, Skinny Dipping, and Other Simple Pleasures of Life

Recently, I learned one of my friends enjoys skinny dipping, explaining how liberating it feels to swim in unrefined freedom. This caused me to think about the simple pleasures of life and the satisfaction they bring. That said, here’s a list of mine.

SpongeBob MailPants

1. Receiving a SpongeBob MailPants postcard in the mail.

Imagine my delight at finding the giant postcard with the bright yellow, toothy, sponge face of SpongeBob SquarePants staring up at me soon after plucking it out of my mailbox. On the card’s other side my 10-year-old nephew Gary thanked me for money I had sent him in lieu of his school fundraiser (which I had missed) and his congratulations on my becoming an author. Nothing could make my day more special than this. read more