Spring Has (Almost) Sprung!!
It’s been a very warm March so far, here in Northern Alberta; spring definitely seems to be on the way.
I hope you enjoy this haiku poem/photo, from the archives. How I love to see that first spring crocus, peeking out from under the snow.
Hope the sun is shining where you are and wishing you a very Happy and Lucky St. Paddy’s Day too!
Holiday Greetings, Fond Memories and a Little Romance!
One of my all-time fav photos from the archives of me and the fabulous Mr. Cheddar that still brings a smile to my day, every time I see it.
Our beloved pets are such a blessing. I have loved each of them with all my heart and they will never be forgotten. Hugs to one and all, on this side and over the beautiful Rainbow Bridge. Enough said, I feel the tears welling up…
As for a little romance, I hope you will enjoy this dream sequence, excerpt from my midlife romance, Third Chapter, Second Chance. This is always a time of year when I especially remember those I have cared about and loved, through the years. Sadly, so many have already passed on. Others, I have lost touch with. Where are they now, have they been happy, were their “roads taken” happy ones…? Fortunately, in my novel, there IS a happy ending, so no worries there!
I am hoping for lots of snow here in Alberta, for our first Christmas spent in the province. Strange but true, I just LOVE snow and missed it a lot during all those “dry Decembers” in BC.
Wishing you and your family a magical holiday season and all the good things in ’24!
Happy Autumn and Upcoming Kindle Promos
My favorite season is on the way! How I love Autumn. 🙂
Here in Northern Alberta the air is once again clean and crisp, with just a hint of Fall in the early morning. A welcome relief, after weeks of the terrible forest fires that surrounded the area and the toxic smoke that went with it.
I have several upcoming Kindle Book promos that I hope you will check out:
-Laughing at the Grim Reaper- FREE- August 26-30
-Regrets: I’ve Had (Quite) a Few-Countdown Deal-August 26-Sept. 2
-Groovy Green Kitchen 1-FREE-Sept. 2-6
-Groovy Green Kitchen 2-Countdown Deal-Sept. 2-9
-Haiku Reflections 1- FREE-Sept. 9-13
-Haiku Reflections 2-Countdown Deal-Sept. 9-16
-Third Chapter, Second Chance-FREE-Sept.16-20
-Haiku Reflections 4-FREE-Sept.22-26
-My Poetic Path-FREE-Sept.29-Oct.3
-Mr. Cheddar’s Meowsings-FREE-Oct. 7-11
-Haiku Reflections 3-FREE-Oct.14-18
The FREE Kindle promos are available at all Amazon sites.
The Countdown Deals are only at Amazon.com.
Happy Autumn, Reading and Cooking!!!
Still travelling….
My travel/moving update, posted today at My Poetic Path. Happy week and stay warm!😊
By way of an update from my earlier holiday/moving post below.
We are still “in transit” right now but leaning towards Alberta as being our new home province, at least for now.
We had hoped to spend some time in Mexico before making a firm decision, but with all the upheaval and violence down South, it didn’t seem like the right place to be, even for a visit.
My heart goes out to the people of Mexico. It’s time for that awful cartel situation to end, once and for all. They’ve apparently made big progress in Columbia in that regard; I hope it is Mexico’s turn next.
I will post more when we do get settled. For now, enjoying some new places, people to meet and of course, lots of snow!!! Love it.
Stay warm and Happy February.❤
Holiday Greetings and Leaving BC
Hope that you have had a wonderful year in 22; in spite of the craziness going on in the world around us.
I’m convinced now that the best path to real peace and happiness going forward is to “carve out” a good personal space to dwell in and dwell on; not just in the physical sense, but mentally too.
When I get too fixated on “the news” and in particular, some of the very bad decisions being made worldwide by so-called “leaders”, it’s easy to get discouraged and depressed. That will continue to be one of my biggest goals, heading into 23. To dwell on “what I can change” and not nearly so much on “what I can’t”.
There is still joy, goodness, beauty, kindness, integrity….all the good things, in abundance, in this world. And all that still gives me reason to have hope and to feel cautiously optimistic.
Right now, the packing goes ON and ON and on…..as we are preparing to leave BC, after living in this province for about 15 years. It’s time for a big change and BC is not the province that it was, even 10 years ago. Very expensive to live here now and climate change that continues to “rear it’s ugly head” each summer with the wildfires raging for weeks at a time. Also, no incentives or perks from the government to stay here, just more ways to gouge us it seems. I have some fond memories of BC but not enough to want to stay; that’s been the case for too many years now.
We are deciding between Northern Alberta and Mexico to move to. How is that for a range of options? They both have their pluses and minuses. Time will tell. We plan to check them both out thoroughly and take some time to get a “feel” for what seems like a good place to really settle down and be “at home” in the best sense of that term.
I wish all my blog readers, past, present and future a VERY Merry Christmas and much happiness in the New Year. Here’s hoping it’s a memorable one for all of us, for all the right reasons!
Happy Holidays and Blessings in 2022!
It’s hard to believe that another year has flown by.
It’s been such a difficult one for so many people, around the world. We are living in such strange times right now. It’s hard to hold onto hope that things WILL get better but when there is no hope, all is lost.
I’ve been trying to stay as upbeat and hopeful as possible and has been the case during so many difficult times through the years, writing and the creative process have made a big difference for the better.
After a long hiatus from writing for a variety of reasons, I am finally back to the “work” that I enjoy most of all.
I have a new Kindle eBook being released in January:
A book project that I had “percolating” in my mind for many years.
After that, I hope to complete two more Kindle eBooks before the end of 2022.
Got to make up for that long hiatus, right?? 🙂
I hope that my readers/followers here at Veggies (past and present) are staying well, and that the New Year is a much better one for all of us.
I’m trying not to dwell on all the doom and gloom news, it can be SO depressing and serves little purpose. Especially watching some of the misguided and life-changing decisions that so many of the “leaders” continue to make, in response to this pandemic.
We can’t give up now and there is light at the end of this tunnel if we hold on to what really matters, even now. Family, friends, real values, integrity, kindness, health and wellbeing….those things that never change, even when we are stressed to our personal limits.
I will leave you with a couple of holiday “goodies” that I hope will bring a smile to your day.
One of my favorite Christmas CDs continues to be:
I noted that it is once again at the top of the charts over at Amazon Canada again this year. Talk about staying power! Guaranteed to lift your spirits, especially when you sing along. I’m guessing a lot of you already have this one in your collection.
CRANBERRY MANDARIN CHRISTMAS LOAF
Enjoy the recipe and perhaps learn a thing or two about cranberries in my post:
IF I can find some organic fresh cranberries here in BC (supplies have been rather limited with the flooding, weather…) I hope to make a couple of these “beauties” this holiday season.
They make a wonderful hostess guest too. Great for fruitcake haters too!
Have some other news pending but I’ll wait til it’s a “done deal” before I share it here and at my other sites. I read a quote recently that I thought was very wise: “tell me what you have done, not what you are going to do“. That I thought was very good advice. Suffice to say for now, it is a BIG move in the works already and hopefully will be a “done deal” and a “have done” before my birthday in April. It won’t be easy with all the restrictions in place right now, but where there is a will, there IS a way.
Wishing you peace, love, prosperity and all the good things in 2022.
Hugs and All the Best!
PS: My apologies for the less than stellar formatting, I didn’t have time to “fight” with WP any longer today. Blogger is SO much easier to navigate, at least it is for me.
Good Riddance 2020!! Happy 2021!
Hello again,
If anyone is still stopping by here, I send my best wishes and hope that you are remaining well and in good spirits during this oh so difficult time in our history.
When I would think about the year “2020” many years ago, I always thought it had such a nice “ring” to it, such a good connotation of clarity and insight in that number. Instead, it has ended up being such a hard, long and frightening year.
But one that should be a wake-up call in many respects and hopefully will be in terms of keeping up our immunity, being ever vigilant about cleanliness….all common sense measures IMO, but sadly lacking it seems in so many people’s lives. When I see countless Youtube videos about “How to Wash Your Hands” ….that speaks volumes!
On the plus side (and there ARE some) it has been an opportunity for people to reunite with their families in truly meaningful ways, spending more quality time together.
Really thinking about what matters in the big picture and what doesn’t and will eventually pass.
The environment has apparently been doing much better too, with a substantial reduction in pollution levels during the many lockdowns and industry closures.
Joe and I and Mr. Cheddar have all weathered this storm and look forward to a much better year in 2021. We won’t be lining up for any vaccines, but we will continue to do the things that have kept us healthier and more fit that a lot of people over 50, year after year. I still believe that good health is not that hard to maintain for most people, but it does take work and more so, as the years pass by. It is SO worth it though.
I will close by wishing you a Happy, Safe and Memorable Holiday, in spite of the restrictions.
I hope you will also stop by my author’s site , to check out some Amazon Holiday Kindle promotions now in progress and a link to one of my fav Christmas songs too. I love all the holiday classics but some….a must hear, every year, like that one. 🙂
Hugs and Happy New Year!!!
PS: If anyone can enlighten me where to find the option to change the default page text color here at WP now, I would be oh so grateful.
Posting here at WP has become one big hassle. 😦
Blogging Update 2020 :-)
I hope your New Year is off to a great start!
I’ve decided to take a hiatus from all blogging, for the foreseeable future.
May be back, may not. I’ve learned from past experience, never say never, especially when it comes to blogging.
Just too much to do and every day seems to go faster than the one before it.
Trips to plan, including another big move, still working on unpacking and sorting here, numerous projects, writing, crafting….the list goes on and on.
My contact information at all my blogs, remains active, including at My Real Life Reviews, re: review requests.
I wish all of my blog friends, past and present, the best year ever!
🎄Happy Holidays!🎄
Mr. Cheddar and I Wish You the Best Christmas Ever!
We are skating away for a little break, to enjoy some holiday cheer.
🎀 See you in January! 🎀
Snowman Cheddie Returns!
And he’s only got one question….
Have You Been Naughty or Nice?
Santa IS on the way.😊
🎄Happy Holidays!🎄
PS.….On a more serious topic.🌹
I go thru the WP Followers list (who are followers of my two WP blogs ) around this time each year, and I delete the blogs that have not been posting for over a year.
My sincere apologies if I deleted your blog and you planned to return to WP. I hope you’ll stop by and let me know, if you do.😊
I miss a LOT of my old favorite blogs but I understand when there is just not enough time to keep them current.
VEGGIES, YARNS & TAILS 