• Eateries - General Interest

    Lunch at 2 The Moon Bakery

    September 11, 2024

    Today, Barb, my life-long friend (and illustrator), met me halfway between our homes at 2 The Moon Bakery, in Lake City, MI, a husband-and-wife establishment located across from Houghton Lake. It seemed the perfect place to celebrate the release of Tukaa’s Tale (Sept 2024). When Barb shared the name of the bakery, we both felt it prophetic, since my story revolves around the two moons of Accunii. Don’t look any further, I informed her, this was meant to be! And I kid you not, this was the album I was listening to on the way there and back. I didn’t…

  • Computers - General Interest - Photography - Tech - Video

    Goodbye Adobe

    August 26, 2024

    I’ve been in the business of content creation for many years, and as time has progressed, so have the prices. I guess that goes with the territory, but one factor I despise – yup, software subscriptions. Sorry, but if you’re a small company, the outrageous cost isn’t justifiable. What happened to buy the software and it yours? I don’t even mind once-in-a-while major upgrade costs, but having to renew yearly? Not for me. And I know that many have followed in my shoes. Enough is enough, so long ago I said goodbye to the big A! So, what programs do…

  • Animal Kingdom - Birds/Birding - Chipmunks - commentary - General Interest

    Keeping cats indoors

    August 25, 2024

    I’m distraught, due to the number of felines roaming our neighborhood and killing our chipmunks, and yes, our birds. As many of you know, my husband and I enjoy watching these tiny cousins of the squirrel. We love seeing them scurry across our deck in search of their favorite treats of peanuts and sunflower seeds and ducking in and out of the “chippie cup”. And of course, my biggest delight is having them eat from my hands and feeling their teeny, padded feet against my skin. We look forward to it every day. But for the last few weeks, we…

  • BTS - commentary - General Interest

    Don’t interfere with our culture

    August 21, 2024

    I read a well-written article titled, The Sacrificing of Suga (K-Culture with Jae-ha Kim, a culture journalist), and felt I had to respond, even though I had written a post two weeks ago, dated August 8, 2024, speaking of how he was treated by people in general. I and many others were astounded by Suga’s treatment by the media in his own country of South Korea, and when we (his fans and others, worldwide) questioned the motivation and intention behind said handling, we were told in so many words, “Don’t question what we do in our own country. You do…

  • commentary - General Interest

    Inaccurate invoicing

    August 4, 2024

    When you get a bill clearly showing a zero balance, you think, great, I’m up to date and you pay it. And if the following invoices declare the same? But wait, you’d be in error, at least if you’re a customer of company X. Imagine our surprise when our internet was shut down without warning? No email, phone call or letter in the mail, informing us that we were past due or that our service would be shut off. Flick the switch. OFF! HistoryWhen our internet failed in Oct 2023, I called to discover the problem. Was there a glitch…

  • General Interest - Health/Beauty - Psychology

    Please don’t take my picture

    August 1, 2024

    This really hit home for me tonight, because honestly, this is how I’ve felt for the past few years. In fact, I’m horrified when I see photos of myself now. You see, I’ve always looked ten to fifteen years younger, until lately. What the heck happened to me? When did my face begin to droop? When did I age so drastically? I don’t even like looking in the mirror on most days. Right now, I’d be happy removing all the mirrors in my house. There are days when I feel confident, but now they’re fewer and farther between. Even when…