Tag: #weekendcoffeeshare

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#weekendcoffeeshare – April 13, 2024

Posted on by R.M. Carlson

Good morning and come on in! Join me for #weekendcoffeeshare #160! I”m so glad to be blogging again. I really enjoy the writing, but I also enjoy my interactions with all of you. Grab a cup of coffee and please join me for a catch-up.

Wild weather in my part of the world again this week. Terrible thunderstorms and wind. It’s spring here and the weather is always unsettled, but never quite as unsettled as it is this year.

The week started with the solar eclipse! We did not get totality here. We got about 96%. It was quite cloudy that day, but most of us still got a pretty good glimpse at the eclipse. I was surprised because it did not turn as dark as we expected. Quite an event! The University here has a space science division and very nice facilities including a large telescope. They invited the public to come take a glimpse and that was fascinating!

I’ve done a lot of work this week. A lot of writing. What is your current WP? I’m looking at ideas for two books. I don’t know, for sure, if I will pursue these ideas or not, but I like them both. It’s not about me, however, it is about the potential audience for my work. I have to undertake some market research to find out if there is a potential audience. I feel like I’m out of touch with what the public is reading for pleasure since, until recently, I was writing on contract in my field.

What do you feel the public likes now? I’d love your opinions!

I have some pics of my garden although Mother Nature seems determined to make this gardening year difficult. Our last frost date isn’t until May 15, so there is plenty of time left for her to kill it! I used to grow vegetables, but not now. Living in the forest does not let you have access to enough sunlight. There is also a tree here, the black oak, that drips sap that is poisonous to veggies. So, now it’s flowers for me!

Speaking of flowers, allow me to show you the progress of some of my favs in my flower garden! Here are the perennials just starting in my shade garden.

Siberian Bugloss (top) and fern (bottom)

Ajuga – a great shade groundcover

Coral Bells

Here are a few of my plants in another flower bed that get partial sun/partial shade.

From the front:

Hosta. Left of the hosta is a clematis. Immediately behind the hosta is two peonies. Behind the peonies and to the right, climbing, is another variety of clematis. Behind the peonies/clematis is an iris bed. The irises are slowly coming up. I have both Siberian Iris and Louisiana Iris.

Other flowering plants are in this bed that have not come up yet. It’s early spring here in the Kentucky mountains.

Thanks for having coffee with me and have a wonderful week!

Many thanks to Natalie the Explorer for hosting #weekendcoffeeshare!

Posted in #weekendcoffeeshare, Uncategorized

#weekendcoffeeshare #158 – March 30, 2024

Posted on by R.M. Carlson
green tea on green background

Hello, everyone, and welcome to #weekendcoffeeshare #158. Help yourself to one of several brews or a cup of green or black tea. Grab your beverage, have a seat in my writing room, and we’ll catch up!

As Natalie points out, it’s the end of one entire quarter of 2024! I can’t believe three months of 2024 are already gone. The older you get, the faster time flies! If we were having coffee this morning, I would tell you that this last quarter has been one of the busiest I’ve had in a long time. I’ve had several projects that I’ve tackled but not necessarily finished.

The first quarter has been my time to break back into to blogging and I’ve surely enjoyed blogging with all of you. My fiction skills were rusty (or non-existent) and I’m trying to hone them a bit by writing for the excellent Challenges here on WordPress. I’ve also written a few non-fiction pieces on topics near and dear to my heart. My Appalachian series, for example. Stories here and there about other non-fiction topics, rescue dogs and hunting dogs. Politics. A little travel writing. These areas in which I write will continue on into second quarter 2024.

One project is a novella, perhaps an e-book, that I’m working on. The genre is fantasy which I’ve never written before. I find it fascinating and quite difficult. I have enjoyed the world building phase a great deal. I’ve found that fantasy is challenging. My novella is set in a particular time and I want the details of that time accurately depicted. It’s required a lot of research and I’m still not quite there yet, but I’m gaining on it! This WIP will extend into the second quarter of 2024 and probably beyond. What’s your latest WIP that will go on for some time this year?

On a personal note, busy is an understatement. It’s just barely the beginning of spring here in the Northern Hemisphere. That means outside work like cleaning up the yard and flower beds. I love in the forest so no vegetable beds, I’m afraid. We get our spring, summer, and fall vegetables from local farmers’ markets. We are starting, but just starting, to see signs of spring here. We’ve had warm weather early and I’m afraid my plants will be killed back by frost. Our last frost date isn’t until May 15.

These crocuses and ferns will be fine if it frosts, but I have peonies, iris, clematis, and hostas that may not be fine.

On another subject, my husband has spent the last six months dealing with medical challenges. We hope that he is now stable and maybe even getting some better. We’re had a lot of medical paperwork and doctor’s appointments to attend to.

Another activity I will be involved in during the second quarter of 2024 is dog training. Our German Shepherd, Sophie, is both obedience and protection trained. She just needs some brushing up on her skills. If our Corgi, Hazel, can stay well, she needs obedience training. Hazel doesn’t understand (yet) the concept of obedience since she has been sick. She seems to be getting better!

The only travel we have planned, to date, is short trips to Kentucky State Parks. We take Sophie with us and she has a blast. She always gets a hamburger on the way home.

What is everyone reading? I am reading the new novel by Kristen Hannah, The Women. It is about a girl in her early 20s, back in the 1960’s, who is a nurse and volunteers in the Army to be an Army surgical nurse in South Vietnam. Believe me, it is worth a read. If you weren’t around during the Vietnam War, you’ll learn a lot. If you were, you will remember a lot.

Thank you so much for coming to my #weekendcoffeeshare #158 this weekend!

Thank you to Natalie the Explorer for hosting #weekendendcoffeeshare!

Posted in #weekendcoffeeshare

#weekendcoffeeshare – February 24, 2024.

Posted on by R.M. Carlson

Living the dream in the deep woods of Kentucky

Welcome to my #weekendcoffee share on February 24, 2024. It has been a long time since I have been able to pay attention to my blog, but that’s about to change. I welcome all of you who might remember me and everyone new as well!

Up until recently, I was writing full-time, but I have retired. I may work on a book, but I’m not going to write for a living anymore. It’s the time in my life to write what I want to, write a book, and develop this blog.

It’s almost spring here in Kentucky and it can’t come soon enough for me. We have had a very mild winter, the mildest winter I can remember here in Kentucky. We’ve had a little snow a few times but very little. We have had some really cold temperatures, but just as often, it has been spring-like outdoors. What an odd winter it has been. Climate change, perhaps?

A few months ago, I wrapped up my job and, after two careers, finally retired. I last worked for a Wall Street firm, SmartAsset. What a great employer! I wrote financial articles for them for a couple of years and it was really a good experience even though I worked 16 hours a day! Before SmartAsset, I worked for a number of Wall Street firms along with the New York Times. Prior to that, I was a college professor of finance for 27 years. Now, after so many years of work, it feels good to be retired although I do miss it. Here, on my blog, I hope to continue to write about subjects close to my heart including Appalachia and other topics. I also like to participate in challenges here.

To re-introduce myself to you, and just introduce myself to anyone who is new, I have been writing and teaching for many years. I’m now older even though I still feel like I’m 35 in my head! I won’t say that age is just a number. Believe me, age and aging is real. Another subject I’ll write about here. You can expect 2-3 posts per week from me. I live in the country near a small town in Kentucky, a beautiful state. I live very near the Bluegrass, horse farm country. My family includes my husband, also retired and with some serious heart issues, and two dogs and one cat. More about the livestock here later!

Late February, I think, is an odd time of year. Not quite still winter, but not spring yet. At least not here. The days vary from very cold to quite warm. But there aren’t many signs of spring yet except the horses are having their babies and they are adorable when they are out in the fields. I am definitely anxious for spring.

That’s all for now. I welcome you all to my #weekendendcoffeeshare. I hope to see you again soon. If any of you know of any challenges that are currently ongoing, please drop me a note in the comments section and let me know where I can find them.

Thank you!

#weekendcoffeeshare is sponsored by Natalie of Natalie the Explorer

Rosemary

Posted in #weekendcoffeeshare, Non-fiction

#weekendcoffeeshare 83

Posted on by R.M. Carlson

Good Sunday morning! If we were having coffee this beautiful late summer day, I would invite you in and offer you any of the coffees or teas you fancy. So help yourself to a cuppa, pull up a chair and let’s talk!

It’s been a beautiful weather week here in the Upper South region of the United States. Specifically, just as information for those of you who are new, the state is Kentucky, the northeastern part near the southern Ohio border. My grandfather used to call the weather we’ve been having “bright, blue days.” They usually only happen here in June and September, so the weather is early this year. Does that mean an early winter? I love the bright, blue days. The temperature is warm and the humidity has dropped. Perfect! All in all, it’s been a wet summer here. I’m aware of the drought in many areas of the U.S., but not here. The Appalachian area south and east of me, Eastern Kentucky, had a record-shattering “1000 year flood” recently. So many Kentucky residents are shoveling mud and trying rebuild. It’s very heartwrenching.

Did you meet your writing goals this past week? I’ve been taking a break from writing, but I’m about to jump back in it with both feet. I’m working on a couple of books that I’m determined to finish. I don’t really see much hope for working much in the next couple of weeks. It’s an awkward time of year with just a couple of weeks left until the unofficial start of the fall season, Labor Day weekend, arrives. It’s also pretty busy with the students going back to school. We tend to go back to work after Labor Day if we have been vacationing. Until life settles down, I will probably stick to blogging.

This is the time of year I take a close look at my flower gardens. Some of you know I live in the woods, so it’s impossible to garden for veggies. I’ve been making notes on these flower beds around the house to see what I need to replace. I want to know what did well and what did poorly. As far as veggies go, we go to a local farmer’s market and get amazing green beans, corn, cantaloupe, beets, strawberries and much more. We have had wonderful, healthy eating this summer. I love to cook if I have fresh vegetables and fresh fruit to use.

It seems my days are filled with appointments of one kind or another and small, but necessary, projects around the house. I can’t do nearly as much as I could just a couple of years ago. Time marches on and I’m surely not a spring chicken any longer. My body (and soul) tell me that every day.

Sometimes, I worry because my tolerance for other people, up close and in person, is at an all-time low. I’ve always been a loner, an introvert. Still am and on top of that, I don’t like to be around people much these days. The pandemic helped me grow accustomed to not being able to see my family and friends, which is one of the biggest effects of the pandemic on lots of people. I usually prefer more private pursuits now, either with my husband, or alone. I save my very limited energy for that.

We would have liked to have done a little traveling this summer in our RV. Who can afford that? At current gas prices, it would cost $500 to fill up the gas tank – once! Soon, we want to take a RV trip around one of the Great Lakes, Lake Superior, which hugs the U.S. – Canadian border. Everyone raves about that drive. Lake Superior is such a beautiful, wild, lake and the trip takes you to its waterfalls and pictured rocks all along both coasts. The southern coast of the lake is in Northern Michigan while the northern coast crosses into Canada.

I feel like I just gave a journalistic report on my world. I’d love to hear about your world. The differences are what makes life interesting.

Goodbye until next time!

Posted in #weekendcoffeeshare

#weekendcoffeeshare 80 – The Dog Days of Summer

Posted on by R.M. Carlson

Hello, everyone, and welcome to my weekendcoffeeshare hosted by Natalie! Come on in and share a cuppa with me. There is expresso and also some Japanese Sencha green tea if tea is more your thing.

I missed the weekendcoffeeshare last week because I was out of town, but I’m back this weekend. I’d have to tell you, if we were having coffee, what wild, strange weather we’re having in this part of the world. They warned us about climate change and I fear we are watching it come true. We’re having the hottest summer here in the southern Appalachian Mountains that I can remember and that most of the old-timer’s can remember. In truth, I’m right on the cusp of the “old-timer” category myself. While the western portion of the U.S. is having record-breaking droughts and wildfires, here in the East and in the mountains, it’s like a jungle! Just this week, we had terrible storms and flooding rains. In some parts of Kentucky, there is terrible flooding happening. Fortunately, we are safe from flooding, but down this mountain, it’s flooded and we would probably have a hard time getting out.

Mountain peaks in Smoky Mountain National Park, near Gatlinburg,Tennessee

The big news from here is that we had a new roof put on our house. Our roof was old and the storms this summer had not done it any favors. So, we finally pulled the trigger on a new roof. Given the cost of building materials, the cost shocked me, but we had to do it. Putting a new roof on a house, and removing the old roof is pretty traumatic on the inhabitants of the house. Lots of noise. But, we survived and we have a beautiful new roof! We had a really pleasant experience working with the roofing contractor which was a nice change of pace. I’ll have to say that the cat, Cherokee, and the dog, Clarabella, were not appreciative of the noise!

These days are what we, in the South of the U.S., call the dog days of summer. The ”dog days” are the period, generally, from July 3 – August 11 which can be the most heat oppressive days of summer. With each day hitting 90 degrees F. or at least pushing it, it feels like the dog days this year! The humidity almost matches the temperature. The Romans associated the hottest part of summer with the star, Sirius. During the period of July 3 – August 11, the sun occupies the same spot in the sky as Sirius and the ancient Romans thought that meant Sirius was also giving off heat. Sirius is known as the ”dog star.”

Dog Wearing Sunglasses, Pomeranian, Dog On Vacation, Happy Dog, Funny Dog, Dog Summer, Dog Days of Summer.

Due to the excessive heat, my flower gardens have gone dormant and only the shade garden seems to be thriving. The New Guinea impatients are doing all right. This is the time of year when you go outside during the early morning or the evening. Any other time is too hot and you are setting yourself up for heat stroke. I try to get some exercise in during the evenings. I am not a morning person. I’m a nightowl.

Not much writing this week. Other things have taken precedence. I hope to get back to my fantasy story for young adults this week. Hope you’ve had a fantastic week and thanks for stopping by my #weekendcoffeeshare!

Thanks, Natalie!

Posted in #weekendcoffeeshare, creative writing, weekendcoffeeshare

#weekendcoffeeshare 77

Posted on by R.M. Carlson

#weekendcoffeeshare

Please come in and grab a cuppa! I have several different brews of coffee and a couple of tea blends – a green Japanese sencha along with my ever-present cinnamon blend and a wonderful orange pekoe. If we were having coffee today, I would first tell you about the lovely family reunion I attended beginning early in last weekend and extending through part of the week..

The reunion was for my mother’s side of the family that originated from eastern KY, a part of Appalachia. The roots of my mom’s family began there in the years before the Revolutionary War and some of us still live there. This reunion was really in honor of my only remaining aunt who turned 90 a few days ago. A very vital, active 90. She’s amazing. When her daughter asked what she wanted for her birthday, she said she wanted to go home,,,,home being here in Kentucky. So they planned a trip and brought her home. I had not seen her in eight years, so I really enjoyed seeing her.

On Thursday night, we all had dinner together at one of the restaurants in the city in which she is staying. The closest large city to me. The whole family didn’t show up but a very good representation. It had been a long time since I’d seen most of them, so it was wonderful to catch up. Then, on Saturday, we all went ”up in the country” to where my grandfather’s beautiful farm used to be. I have a cousin who still lives there at the old homeplace. Some of us cooked a spur-of-the moment dinner but we did have the traditional green beans and cornbread plus more. Almost everyone was there although there are a handful of family members lost to us. At least, I feel they are lost to me, but I guess that happens in most families. I could only stay for a few hours, but it went very well and many in the family got to relax, talk and enjoy the day even though it was stormy. The house is in the picture below and you can see the big wraparound porch. We hung out there, and in the house, most of the day.

@Rosemary Carlson

This is a picture of our old homeplace in eastern KY. It was built by my grandfather in 1901 and this is where he raised my mother’s family. This is also where we just had our family reunion. The house has been upgraded and restored. Our reunion here was a great success!

This was probably my 90 year old aunt’s last time to come back ”home.” She lives near her daughters in a wonderful retirement center in Scottsdale, Arizona. The cousin who lives in this house is also elderly at 84. Chances are slim that she’ll ever be able to host us again even with help as she has some ongoing illness issues. Sad for me, as this is where my roots are and it always feels like home.

Other than the reunion, Hubby and I have been busily preparing to have a new roof put on our home. What a big job! We have storm damage to the roof, as do most other people in my area. We may have to wait weeks and maybe months, but it has to be done before winter. Building materials, although dropping in price now, are still expensive so the estimates are coming in for the roof way on the high side.

I haven’t had much time for creative endeavors amidst the reunion and the roof on my home. I’ve only been able to do a little writing recently, most of here on this blog. I have read a few really good books and as we all know, reading is essential for a writer. I try to read many different genres and styles. My next project, which may have to wait until cooler weather, is a fantasy story for young adults that I am working on. It’s set in medieval England, but more about that when I dive back into it.

I’ve always been a political animal and I find myself very interested in not only American politics right now (which are a mess) but also into worldwide politics. The next two years will be a fascinating and scary time for American politics. I’m considering starting another blog where I would write only about politics, mostly opinion pieces but fact-checked to the max. What do you think?

We are probably not traveling this summer. We waned to travel some, in a limited area, in the US in our RV. But with high gas prices (at least high to us), we’ve decided not to. It would take $500 to put gas in the RV once!

We are having a very hot, and now humid, summer. Here are some photos of my flower garden to end our coffeeshare time.

Rose begonias @Rosemary Carlson

New Guinea Impatients @Rosemary Carlson

I’d love to hear about your weekend!

For #weekendcoffeeshare

Posted in #weekendcoffeeshare, Food

#weekendcoffeeshare 74 – Week of 6/18/22

Posted on by R.M. Carlson

Good morning, everyone. Come right through the house and back to the deck. It’s such a wonderful weather day that I thought we would enjoying sharing our hot beverages on our deck. The weather couldn’t be better after a horrendous heat wave this week and a big storm last night. Thankfully, we sustained no damage. Grab a coffee or tea. There is a real selection today including French press, Jamaican, and more along with some fabulous green tea. But, first, a picture of my rose begonias in full bloom. These are annuals where I live.

@rosemarycarlson

If we were having coffee today, I would ask those of you who have chosen green tea some questions. One of my interests, and I’ve even done some writing about this, is using diet and nutrition to stay healthy and using diet to treat/cure illnesses. I’m currently writing a spec article on the health benefits of common foods/ingredients, so I want to pick your brains a bit. Even though I prefer black tea, I always drink a cup of green tea daily. How do you like the variety of green tea I’m serving today? Green tea is recommended for many special diets that are used to mitigate illness and it is also recommended for us to just stay generally healthy.

Another interesting food that I’m researching is the lemon. Water with slices of lemon in it is particularly healthy. I’ve found that if you have certain types of liver disease, lemon water is one of the primary beverages you should drink as it makes your liver expel toxins. Myself and a number of friends try to get in several glasses of lemon water daily. It serves as a natural diuretic.

Clearly, my writing task this week is to research some healthy foods and put together a short article. I still often write and sell freelance articles on spec.

Whenever I write, I have my little dog at my feet. Her name is Clarabella and she is a very old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. Someday, I’ll tell you Clara’s story. Her background and her recovery here with me is interesting reading. She’s my constant companion.

Do you use diet/nutrition to stay healthy? What are some of your favorites? Do you have a little pet who keeps you company when you work? I’d love to get your comments! Have a wonderful upcoming week and I hope to see you at next week’s #weekendcoffeeshare!

Thanks for stopping by!

For Natalie’s #weekendcoffeeshare

Posted in Flash Fiction, weekendcoffeeshare

This Week – weekendcoffeeshare #72

Posted on by R.M. Carlson

Weekendcoffeeshare

Good Saturday morning and welcome to #weekendcoffeeshare #72! If we were having coffee, I’d have a selection ready for you – espresso, cappachino, and more. I’d also offer you tea. I buy flavored black teas (cinnamon is wonderful!) and a selection of green tea. Please help yourself and thank you for stopping by!

Now that you have your beverage, how was your week? It’s been an interesting week for me. How do you feel about high school class reunions? Not only did I have a high school class reunion this week but an ”all-school” reunion. I went to a small, private school on the local university campus for grades 0-12. Each class had about 30 kids and we moved lock-step through the grades. The bottom line is that we got an excellent education and grew up more like siblings than classmates. The school was for the purpose of training student teachers. It is long since closed and student teachers are trained out in communities in the public school system.

We’re still close, those classes that went my school – Breck. We still have individual class reunions and all-school reunions and this week was our 5-year all school reunion. Of course, we enjoy seeing each other. But as the years pass, it starts getting a little sad. Maybe someone has passed away since the last reunion. Maybe we’re just all starting to look and feel old. Maybe….well…a thousand other things. I only went to an event or two this year, but it was a little sad for me and since I’ve been feeling particularly aware of my age anyway, the reunion didn’t help! Something to think about, I guess.

I’m used to living a pretty quiet life. Quiet both figuratively and literally. The reunion shook that up this week. This may sound contradictory, but I’m also used to living as a bit of an activist for causes I believe in, so I’m around people who tend to have similar viewpoints. At a reunion, you find many different viewpoints and some of them, at least for me, were fairly shocking. But this is the country we live in these days.

Speaking of both silence and activism, do you remember the Simon and Garfunkel song, ”The Sound of Silence,” from WAY back? There is a version of that song covered by another band that I love. I think it could be an anthem for the times we live in now as it was 50 years ago. Here’s a clip. Hope you enjoy it!

Are you reading anything particularly good these days? I’m reading ”Bleak House” by Charles Dickens. When I retired, I promised myself to read a great deal, both classics and new literature. It’s really good so far!

It’s been cool in northeastern KY this week. The nights have been very cool for June, but the heat and humidity are supposed to arrive soon.

Have a wonderful rest of your weekend!

Posted in #weekendcoffeeshare, Gardening, weekendcoffeeshare

Life – 6/4/2022 – #weekendcoffeeshare

Posted on by R.M. Carlson
#weekendcoffeeshare

Please, come in, and share a cup of coffee or tea with me! I have breakfast roast and several different types of teas including apricot. So glad that you’ve come to visit and have a cup of coffee this morning. If I were having coffee with you today, I’d want to start to get to know everyone I don’t already know since I’m new – or really ”old/new.” I blogged here from 2016 until I started writing full-time. I’ve been gone a couple of years, but now I’m back because I’ve retired. I’ve missed blogging here and all of you.

You know, retiring when you’ve worked all your life is a huge adjustment. I wish I could still work at least part-time, but all good things must come to an end and I guess I’ve entered another phase of my life. I’m trying to adjust. Have you experienced retirement yet?

I’m trying to define my day, set up a ”sort of” schedule, so I won’t feel so lost. One thing I’ve done this spring is gardening and I’d like to share some of it with you. I can’t grow vegetables where I live unfortunately. Living in the forest means gardening challenges and you are stuck with shade gardens. I have a small patch of ground in my backyard where I can grow a few plants that need more son. My gardening zone is 6b in the U.S. We have four distinct seasons and a temperate climate. Here are some of the plants in my backyard garden that bloom in early June:

Here are my beautiful rose begonias. My grandmother grew them and I find them to be so beautiful.

Rose Bush, early June

Here is my little rose bush and it’s beautiful right now. That’s mint growing at its base.

Purple clematis

Here is my purple clematis. It had been here for 22 years, but last winter killed it to the ground. It is just getting started again, but I hope it once again will be lush and beautiful. Do you see the green bulb in the coach light? Our state’s governor asked that we all burn a green light until the pandemic is over. I wonder if I’ll ever get to replace it?

Now for my shade garden which is in front of the house:

Hostas

The hostas are large and lush this spring!

I grow many types of ferns:

Ferns under the azaleas

This is just one of my ferns.

I’d love to see pictures of your garden! These are just snapshots I’ve made of a little bit of the garden in spring 2022. Gardening is one of my hobbies now that I’ve retired.

It’s been great to have you here for #weekendcoffeeshare! I look forward to reading your posts.

Copyright @Rosemary Carlson

Posted in #weekendcoffeeshare

WeekendCoffeeShare #71- Come on In!

Posted on by R.M. Carlson
#weekendcoffeeshare

If we were having coffee this weekend, I would ask you to please come in, sit and make yourself comfortable, and before you sit down, please choose the beverage of your choice off my coffee bar. There are several types of coffee, cocoa and my favorite, a wonderful cinnamon tea.

I’d like to wish everyone hello and good wishes and thank you for joining my weekly coffee share this week. I’ve been away and haven’t participated in the weeklycoffeeshare for a long time now, but I’m glad to be back. I see many familiar faces here and some new ones. I’m looking forward to getting re-acquainted and reading everyone’s contribution this week!

Since I was last here, I took a job(s) writing freelance (and contract) for several firms including The New York Times, DotDash Meredith and Smart Asset. That was several years ago now and I had a wonderful freelance writing career. It was really an encore career since I had been a college professor for 27 years and had retired. All good things must come to an end, however, and I retired permanently in March 2022, However, just because I retired from writing commercially, doesn’t mean that I don’t want to write, so here I am back at my roots, blogging on WordPress. I’m so happy to be back and happy to see all of you!

My next venture may be a book or two. Something I have in my head that’s fiction and another non-fiction book on the area in the U.S. in which I live, Appalachia. You’ll probably hear a lot about Appalachia from me. I’m not ready to reveal all the details yet, but perhaps soon! I found out yesterday that I may have a health challenge to contend with that joins another health challenge that I’ve dealt with for years. Aren’t the Golden Years wonderful!?

I hope to spend a lot of time in the flower gardens here at my home in Kentucky, USA this summer. It was an oddly cool spring and even at the end of May, we’re having some cool weather. I’m ready for some heat and humidity! Well, maybe just heat! Summer is welcome this year after a long fall and winter of COVID-19 and the isolation that comes with it. I hope all of you have done well during the pandemic.

I also want to spend as much time with my little dog, Clara, as possible. Clara, a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, is an attention hog so I’m trying to oblige her this summer. She’s 10 years old which is a pretty long life for a Cavalier.

Thank you so much for stopping by my weeklycoffeeshare today. I’ll share more and more with you as time goes on including pictures! For those of you who celebrate it, Happy Memorial Day weekend!