This is as much decorating as I did for Halloween this year. This is the fourth year we’ve been in our home, and the first time I’ll be open for trick-or-treaters. In 2019, we were the only occupied house on the block. Only one family made it to our door. I hadn’t bought any candy, figuring no one would come down an (almost) empty cul-de-sac, and I promised them treats in 2020. But . . . pandemic. No trick-or-treating in 2020. Last year we were out of town. And so, this year I have no idea how many kids to

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The Queen Rides in my car and waves to to anyone noticing. She makes me smile. How about you? Out and About

Have you noticed that most bottles and jars come half-empty? I was glad to see the Folger’s coffee can (no longer a can, now plastic) is filled almost to the top.

. . . You find a long list of alcoholic beverages in your car in your son’s handwriting, and realize there’s nothing you can (or should) say to him, because he’s thirty years old, and he was on a liquor store run for his grandmother. This incident happened ten years ago. Son is now forty, and his grandmother still needs liquor store runs on occasion. What made you realize your child was grown?

I got a laugh from this pic my daughter sent of the “grandkitty.” The cat is not allowed on the table. But . . . she found a loophole! I mean, really, what are boxes for?!

Calling all readers! Going on over at Readers Coffeehouse Facebook group today is a giant book giveaway. Hundreds of authors are offering drawings. Just join the group to learn about authors, their books, and their prizes! https://www.facebook.com/groups/ReadersCoffeehouse/permalink/3300680743484476/?comment_id=3300712536814630&notif_id=1660659627882278&notif_t=group_comment&ref=notif

Was sorry to learn that one of my all-time favorite ice cream novelties is being discontinued. Sigh. This happens to me a lot. The beloved Chaco-Taco is gone. When I was at the grocery store last night, I hit the ice cream aisle in hopes of getting one last box, but, alas, there were none. Do you have a favorite summertime ice cream treat? https://www.washingtonpost.com/food/2022/07/26/choco-tacos-klondike-discontinued/?utm_campaign=wp_main&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&fbclid=IwAR0ae160Kjd18vdP_c7FcIs46dSFxlHgux5biDgloMX_rEUwBvbRDAsve5Y

I can’t remember not knowing how to read. But I have proof positive that I had to learn to write. In the back of my mother’s old Betty Crocker’s Good and Easy Cook Book (1954 edition), the index is covered in pencil scribbles. My pencil scribbles, circa 1958. Sometime during my toddler-hood, I decided I should write like Mommy and Daddy did. So I found the nearest pencil and the nearest paper—this cook book. And while my mother was otherwise occupied, I wrote. I think my mother was on the phone when I began my writing career. I knew as I

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May is National Photo Month. Photographs are easier than ever to take and to share—with cell phones and social media we can record our lives by the day or by the minute. But will we remember what every snapshot depicts? The digital image might record the date and time of the picture. But unless we let a facial recognition program determine who is in the picture, we may forget who those people are. And unless we let our GPS post our location along with the photo, that, too, could get lost. Plus, the sheer number of pictures we take today

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