Artwork

  • Antique sewing machine surrounded by flowers.
    Artwork,  Essays,  General Thoughts

    In My Multiple Hobby Era

    I’ve written before about my older tendencies, even though I am only 45 as I write this post. Thankfully, “grandma hobbies” saw a new resurgence after the COVID-19 pandemic. And as usual, I was a bit late to embrace them. Childhood hobbies Like most children, I enjoyed playing outside on my swing set and spending time with my pets. I played make-believe house, doctor, office, etc. I made silly videos with my siblings using a VHS camcorder. I watched my favorite TV shows, whether live or on recorded VHS tapes. As far as hobbies, I remember making art projects or jewelry, messing around with plastic canvas, learning to sew by…

  • "Why shouldn't truth be stranger than fiction? Fiction, after all, has to make sense." Mark Twain
    Artwork,  General Thoughts,  Novels (my writing updates)

    How much truth is in my fiction?

    Writing what I knew as a teenager I loved reading when I was a kid, and I began writing as a teenager. The results of my early efforts were 7 handwritten “finished” novels, several poems (many of which are terrible), numerous essays, one random index card with a great idea, a notebook of not-so-great ideas, and a handful of false starts for a story that will never work. My finished stories were fabrications with a bit of what I wanted mixed in. For example, I gave all my main female characters a love interest because I wanted a boyfriend so badly as a teen. Along with the fiction was a…

  • Artwork,  Essays,  General Thoughts

    Under Pressure

    Being a mother is stressful. So is being a wife. And being a woman in general. I try so hard to be good at my many jobs and wear many hats, but most of the time I feel like I’m juggling and the joke’s on me because I can’t juggle. I put a lot of pressure on myself. I’ve wanted to be married and be a mom for as long as I can remember. When I was in high school, I dreamed of falling in love, getting married, and having children right away. I couldn’t imagine not having children soon after getting married because I didn’t think I would be…