On Anger
I am spending more time on social media again, which is both good and bad. I get to interact with a community of like-minded individuals, I am exposed to new perspectives and points of view, and I learn from those more experienced and more knowledgeable than I am on a host of issues. Social media is everything great from early blogging, only faster paced and easier to navigate. Unfortunately, social media can also be a place of anonymous negativity and anger. For someone like me, who naturally worries and quickly slips into judgment, it is not always the healthiest environment. I am not breaking new ground; I wrote about this before. The news surrounding the pandemic remains bleak, more so with the holidays coming. The election added more disquietude to a season already fraught with…
Race to the Sun
Race to the Sun is the new book capturing my 4th and 5th graders’ hearts, but not without controversy. First, the positive. You know Rick Riordan of Percy Jackson fame, yes? Yes. Riordan is as synonymous with mythology as Rowling is with wizardry. He has fictionalized Greek, Egyptian, and Norse mythology in a way that…
Mostly, I do Small Things
Mostly, I do small things. I work from the studio in our backyard, and when I finish, I head back inside to work on dinner and monitor homework. At the end of the day, if there is still time, I pick up a book and hope to find solace. We spend the weekends at home, the boys…
Niko Draws a Feeling
The only time my mind settles lately is when I am reading to my first graders. Reading to them books like Niko Draws a Feeling, even over the grainy video of a Google Meets, are my very favorite moments of my work week. You can hear a pin drop, and sometimes, when I look up from…
In Defense of Pleated Lampshades
Pleated lampshades are the vibe we need right now.
How to Store Celery so it Lasts
My neighbor lives alone and found herself with more celery than she could eat in a week. She offered me some, but I also had too much celery in my refrigerator. I told her to make cream of celery soup and freeze it for casseroles in the winter. Then I shared with her how to…
How to Become a Tea Drinker
I want to know how to become a tea drinker before my 48th birthday on November 30th. This is not a lofty goal, but even goal setting is different in 2020. Some of the best literary characters drink tea. Tea goes with my decor. Snacks are often involved, and I am a big fan of…
