I just got home from a walk in Anne Garney Park, a little jewel in Kansas City’s Northland with a two-mile paved trail. I was searching for signs of spring. The park is mostly prairie and scrubby woodlands, and most of the vegetation today was still dried grasses and seed pods from last year. I […]
I grew up with a mother who celebrated her Irish background. She gave us green milk on St. Patrick’s Day and cupcakes with green frosting. Those were the best parts of our St. Patrick’s Day traditions. The milk with green food coloring was mostly for show—it didn’t taste any different than regular milk. But it
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It snowed again on Monday this week, and it might snow again on Friday. Such is March in Kansas City. So I’ve been thinking about beaches a lot. I love beaches. Unfortunately, my life has not been a beach for quite some time, though I want it to be. I haven’t been to a beach
For the past several years, Joyce Ann Brown was a member of Write Brain Trust, the indie author publishing group that is behind this Of Books and Nooks website. Joyce passed away last month after a few months’ illness. The other Of Books and Nooks authors have special memories of Joyce, her writing, and her contributions to
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Last year, the farmer across the road from our subdivision kept cows. I liked to watch the cows grazing in the field. At certain times of the day, they would parade toward the barn. But this year, there are no cows. I can’t watch the cows come home. I think it’s the increased prices in
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Before I married, my mother gave me six dish towels. “Here,” she said. “I received a dozen of these when I was married, and I want you to have some.” She and my father married in June 1955. The towels had had some use, but I think my mother mostly kept them aside, not wanting
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I got a new toy today–a new tablet. I read most of my books as ebooks, and I like having a small tablet. This Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 Lite has an 8.7 inch screen and it’s lightweight. It’s far from the best tablet or ereader out there, but it is perfect for reading in bed
I hit 50,000 words in my work-in-progress last week! That means I’m about half way through the first draft. I still have a long way to go, but I’m celebrating this milestone. Wish me luck! Theresa HuppTheresa is the award-winning author of historical fiction about settling the American West. Before she turned to writing, Theresa was
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I have lived in a new housing development for the last two and a half years. New construction starts every week, it seems. But I love watching the new houses go up when I’m out for my neighborhood walks. Theresa HuppTheresa is the award-winning author of historical fiction about settling the American West. Before she turned
I recently finished reading A Fall of Marigolds by Susan Meissner. This book is a dual timeline novel, with the main plot set in 1911 and the secondary plot set in 2011. The two timelines are held together by a lovely scarf prnted with bright marigolds. The 1911 plot features Clara Wood, a nurse in
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