• How are you?

    How are you?

    “How are you?” he asked. How much time you got? I mean, I could easily provide a lengthy, challenging, and emotionally charged response, right? After a brief moment of contemplation and equally quick dismissal, I said, “I am well. Thanks for asking. I’m here. I’m not wearing a mask. I’m outside. It’s not raining. I’ve…

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  • Table of Safety

    Table of Safety

    At my house, we have this thing we call the Table of Safety. Officially, it’s our dining room table, where we sit each morning reading the paper, scrolling the internet, and eating our breakfast. Unofficially, it’s anywhere we need to invoke a sense of respect and privacy during conversation. It’s sort of a, “No offense,…

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  • White Board Worthy

    White Board Worthy

    I’ve recently returned from a writers’ retreat and was thinking about what words of writing wisdom I could share with my Monday blog readers . . . but then I realized our highlights are NSFW. My friends do not, and I am currently not, writing mature themes. Our novels contain very little crude indecent language…

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  • I came across an old blog post the other day and it inspired me to update it. It’s from January 28, 2013 and titled MaryFranniversary. It celebrates a FULL year, 52 weeks, of Monday blogs. I was pretty proud of myself for having completed that many posts. I realize it’s the end of June which…

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  • DeKalb Weird

    DeKalb Weird

    Some of you are probably thinking, about time, right? And others are like, what? A quick refresher–whenever I travel, I try to keep track of things that I experience that are new and/or different for me. You know, anything that causes me to say, “Hmm, well that’s weird.” I’ve published “weird” lists for Ireland (twice),…

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  • Change is good, right?

    Change is good, right?

                        I came across this photo the other day and decided it was particularly timely.  Taken on my sixth birthday in October, 1972, it’s my friends and I posing for a photo in our party best. I love this picture. Today, this picture makes me sad.…

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  • I’m Melting

    I’m Melting

    A shout out to MY PEEPS! To the ladies in that mature stage of life between puberty and death. Fair Warning: This post is not for the young, physically squeamish, or well, guys, I guess. Although the latter might learn a thing or two. Just sayin’. Been kinda warm and summery around these parts lately…

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  • This is a test. This is only a test.

    I’m struggling with words this morning. My predictably regular Monday morning thoughts are randomly escaping me. I’m sure I’m not alone in this disconnectedness. Chaos: When the present determines the future, but the approximate present does not approximately determine the future. I do believe we are all in this together. What hurts one, hurts all.

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  • Honor and Respect

    Honor and Respect

    It’s been a rough many weeks of sheltering in place. This date marks the SEVENTY-SIXTH day for those of us in Illinois. Just another day. Maybe a Monday? Who knows?! It hardly seems like a holiday. For the record: IT IS MONDAY, MAY 25th, 2020 MEMORIAL DAY. Our restrictions soften officially May 29th, but I’m…

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  • Doing my part.

    Doing my part.

    As you probably know, I’ve been working on the sequel to A Stranger’s Child for almost two years now. It’s been slow going…a false start (that part will be book three), personal stuff, and the unexpected deaths of friends and family (2019 was a rough year) all contributed to slowing my momentum. Now, with this…

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