It's summertime and big budget movies are returning to theaters, including Top Gun: Maverick. It released two weeks ago and has already earned 292 million -- making it the highest-grossing release of Tom Cruise's career. Back when the first Top Gun released, in May of 1986, I was finishing up my freshman year of high school. I used to go to the movies very often in those days with school … [Read more...]

I got the nicest email this week in response to a newsletter that I sent on Monday. If you're curious you can see it here. I often write these and wonder if anyone cares or reads them, but lately I've been getting several responses from readers. That's been so much fun. But it also has me thinking about what you as readers love about our newsletters. Each of us on this blog has a different … [Read more...]

Hi friends! This week I’m thrilled to welcome back my fellow author and friend, Jill Kemerer. If you aren’t familiar with Jill or her books, you’re in for a treat! I had the pleasure of hanging out with Jill last month. We spent the day in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It’s lovely there if you haven’t been. We talked about writing, books we love to read, and life. It’s always a special treat catching … [Read more...]

The other day I went out to the chicken run and didn't see Ringo, my amazing rooster. So I looked inside the coop, and there he was, dead. My heart broke. He was beautiful, and he did his job so well. The girls and I will miss him. Why do I keep a rooster? Hens don't need a rooster to lay eggs--they only need a rooster to lay fertilized eggs. Ringo fathered many of my current chickens, … [Read more...]