My returns and pickups at the library seem to be a good metaphor for the turn of 2025 to 2026.
If . . . Then
With apologies to Laura Numeroff, I take an If . . . Then journey of my own today.
If
your daughter and son-in-law are leaving early to return to Texas,
Then
you will want them to have breakfast to eat along the way.
If
you have a fresh batch of delicious chocolate pear muffins from a new recipe,
Then
you will put some in an easy to carry plastic bag.
If
their dog Oliver casts a longing look at the extras sitting between them in their truck,
Then
she will take a picture to send you.
If
you are teaching your 13-year-old grandson to write limericks,
Then
you will want to write one with him.
If
you suggest that he use a phone photo to create an ending twist,
Then
you will already know which one you wll use for your limerick.
All of that said, you see the picture at the top and this is the limerick:
There once was a dog in the backseat,
his return home just a repeat.
His folks, full of stuffin’s,
now hoard the muffins.
He plots how to steal a nice treat.
The Giving Flower
Driver's License Renewal
My husband’s claim that I could easily renew my license online without a trip to DMV turned out to be untrue. He had done it himself and was quite sure it would work. I’ll spare you the details of several fruitless efforts that ended up each time with a claim that the DMV had no matches for the license I was renewing.
A Case of Mice and Murder
If you love a good murder mystery with a couple of unexpected twists and turns, I have a book recommendation for you! In her new book that comes out today, A Case of Mice and Murder, Sally Smith cleverly interlaces a couple of legal cases – the disputed author of a bestselling children’s book and a murder.
For Better or Worse
Fun Friday
The Zuzu Secret
In Miriam Chernick’s new middle grade book, The Zuzu Secret, that comes out today, Josie and Abe are dealing with enough even before the car accident. The Shermans have just moved to Silver Spring where the parents are preoccupied in adapting to new jobs. Josie’s enthusiasm for a vet volunteering job she hopes for gets lost in the chaos.
Completing the Circle
When Sally O'Malley Discovered the Sea
Choo Choo
Still Sharing Laughter
His younger siblings claimed it was unfair that Murray seemed to get out of any punishment because he could always make me laugh. Evidence came in his required essay with a word count that I assigned for playing ball in the house. Scattered throughout were numbering notes to document the progress of the word count with notice that he had a bonus of five extra.
Werewolf Hamlet
Nuggets from a New Novel
Setting aside my time for sheer pleasure on our recent snow day (all two inches!), I pulled out the newest Louise Penny mystery, The Grey Wolf. On my reserve list for months at the Oak Grove Public Library, my turn had come with perfect timing. I expected nothing but watching over the top of my book as the snow fell while sitting in my favorite chair with a cup of tea.
Two Inches of a Snowy Day
When all was said and done yesterday, we got about two inches of snow – not nearly as much as our friends in New Orleans, but still. The day filled with pop-ins from the two grandsons next door, mostly exuberant 11-year-old Owen. Benjamin, recovering from a head cold and nearing the blasé world of teenage, was a bit more subdued. The day went like this.
Serendipity or Lagniappe?
Our long anticipated trip to Alaska brought either serendipity (a happy coincidence) or lagniappe (something additional or extra). You may decide. Whatever it was, it continues.
On July 13, 2007, in Fairbanks, Alaska, our young server asked a question before she took our breakfast order. “Are you a writer?”
Ring In! Ring Out!
For many years, one of my favorite quotes from Shakespeare has been, “And this, our life, exempt from public haunt, finds tongues in trees, books in the running brooks, sermons in stones, and good in everything.” Perhaps this fondness comes from the nature lover or the writer in me or a combination of the two.