Weekend Roundup - Z

 This week's assignment? Has a Z, favorite, and Your Choice.

Has a Z: ZANTAC has a Z. This is a list of dog friendly over the counter medications. I keep it handy, just in case.

Favorite: I probably used this pic the last time I posted a Z. ZEBRA starts with Z and they are a favorite at the ZOO. This one, however, isn't real.

Your Choice: PIZZA is always a good choice. This is the first time I tried a pie with pineapple. Probably wouldn't order it again, but it wasn't bad.

Linking to Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup - Y

 This week's assignment: Starts with Y, Favorite, and Yellow.

Starts with Y: YARN starts with Y. This is the beginning of a baby blanket for great-granddaughter.

Favorite: Flowers are always a favorite, but this YELLOW one is one of my favorites.

Yellow: How about A YELLOW butterfly on YELLOW wildflowers? Oh, and a honey bee hiding in the corner.

Linking to Weekend Roundup

Thankful Thursday

 As the year winds down and the house begins to feel a little more like Christmas, I find myself pausing to feel thankful.

Today, I’m thankful for small but satisfying accomplishments—Christmas presents bought, the tree glowing in the corner, and cards sent on their way. Those little checkmarks on the to-do list bring a sense of calm I didn’t know I needed.

I’m deeply thankful that most of my family will be here for the holidays. Time together is something I never want to take for granted, especially as the years seem to move faster and faster.

This year also brought something I’m especially grateful for: finishing two books. One is already published, and the other will be very soon. There were moments of doubt, long days, and revisions that tested my patience—but seeing those projects come to life has been incredibly rewarding.

As I look back on 2025, I’m allowing myself to reflect on both the good and the hard parts. Every year carries its share of lessons, and I want to carry those forward with intention. It’s time to think about what worked, what didn’t, and how I can grow from it all.

Looking ahead to 2026, I’m setting a goal that excites and challenges me: to publish two more books by the end of the year. Writing continues to be a gift, a discipline, and a joy—and I’m thankful I get to pursue it.

For now, I’ll sit with gratitude—for family, for finished projects, for hope, and for the promise of a new year just around the corner.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

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Whispering Pines

 It's here. This is my third full length novel.

This story has lived quietly with me for a long time, and I’m so excited to finally share it with you. Thank you for reading, for supporting my work, and for stepping into these pages with me. I hope you like it. It's available on Amazon. Thank you very much for your interest. Please feel free to share.

https://a.co/d/6PJSuR2

In the shadow of a savage tornado that claims their parents in a fiery crash, sisters Willa and Skye Stanley cling to survival—and each other—amid the wreckage of their young lives. But as grief gives way to suspicion, a web of small-town murders unravels around them. Whispers of sabotage and buried secrets point fingers at Willa, Skye, and their foster brother Finn.

After college, Willa inherits a family home in Illinois—a crumbling castle laced with ancestral spirits—Willa seeks solace in her writing and a tentative romance with enigmatic contractor Ethan Gray. Yet the killings follow. Finn's shadowed origins collide with a vengeful phantom—a red-haired specter whispering warnings of "he's coming"—as familial wraiths rise to shield the living from a monster born of betrayal.

In this pulse-pounding blend of cozy mystery and supernatural suspense, Whispering Pines weaves a tapestry of love, loss, and lethal legacies. When the cellar door creaks open on a blood-soaked reckoning, one family's unbreakable bond must bury the killer forever.

Weekend Roundup - X

 This week's assignment: Has an X, Favorite, and looks like X.

HAS AN X: TEXXAS Jam 1980. Don't think we could see these bands for $16.50 these days.

FAVORITE: With an S - eXquisite view. Wish I could be there on this snowy, wintry day.

LOOKS LIKE X: I'm reaching here, but this Monarch butterfly is clinging to the center of an X. Sort of. :)

Linking to:  Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup - W

This week's assignment: Starts with W, Favorite, and Winter.

Starts with W: Black and WHITE WARBLER

Favorite: Beautiful WHITE horse named WHISKY. I sure miss seeing him out the WINDOW every day. But he is happy in his new home.

Winter:The first real snow of the WINTER came this past weekend. Brr!

Linking to Weekend Roundup

 

Weekend Roundup - V

 This week's assignment: Starts with V, Favorite, and Verdant.

Starts with V: Vulture starts with V. 

Favorite: These are my favorite VIOLIN players. 

Verdant: Spring provides lots of verdant scenes.

Linking to Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup - U

This week's assignment: Starts with U, Favorite, and Up.

Starts with U: Wish I could be UNDER this UMBRELLA at Santa Rosa Beach, Florida.

Favorite: Hub's friend, UNCLE Ray, send a jar of muscadine grape jelly made from grapes in his vineyard. Yum!

UP: This is a shot of downtown Dallas from high UP in the Reunion Tower. The tallest building you see is the Bank of America Plaza building is lit up green at night. When we lived there, I spent a lot of time high UP in that building.

Linking to Weekend Roundup 

Wordless Wednesday - Contraption

 

Linking to Wordless Wednesday

Third Novel

So, just now, I closed out the word document containing my third novel tentatively titled, Whispering Pines. Now all that's left is rereading and editing. 

 Woo Hoo!!

Weekend Roundup - T

 This week's assignment: Starts with T, Favorite, and Tall.

Starts with T: TRAIN starts with T.

Favorite: TOAST as in French TOAST starts with T and it is my favorite breakfast food.

             

Tall: TREES are TALL.

Linking to Weekend Roundup

Skywatch

 Happy Friday! Night clouds.

And the Northern Lights as seen from the front door.

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Tuesday Treasures - Snow

 I'm not a fan of winter. Spring is my favorite season because it brings warm weather. I like the colors of fall, but it has always signals the approach of a long, cold winter. But ... there's something about seeing the first snowflakes. It's exciting to see. Thankfully, our first snowfall only lasted an hour.

Linking to Tuesday Treasures

Weekend Roundup - S

This week's assignment: Starts with S, Favorite, and Shadow.

Starts with S. SUNFLOWER starts with S. I plant them every year for the birds. Even hummingbirds like them. 

Favorite: I took this picture through a crack in the logs. These sheep live at Lincoln Log Cabin State Park.

Shadow: This is Hubs as he leads Bonnie through the gate. They're ready to go for a ride.

Linking to Weekend Roundup

Happy Anniversary

Nine years ago, the stars finally aligned on an unseasonably warm day in Sundance, Wyoming. A gentle breeze carried the scent of wildflowers and sun bathed the morning in a golden glow. Our hearts danced in harmony as we exchanged our vows, promising to share a lifetime of love and adventure. It was a day when everything felt perfect, and as we sealed our commitment with a kiss, it was as if the universe itself celebrated. 

The Barn Collective

Amish Country Pennsylvania

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Weekend Roundup - R

 This week's assignment, Starts with R, Favorite, and Rain.

Starts with R: RABBIT starts with R. This guy likes to hang around outside the fence, where he knows he's safe from the dogs. 

Favorite: Yay! I found a way to incorporate horses. I love watching RACE horses. I like to bet on grays, but they almost always lose. Good thing I'm not a big gambler. 

This is the backside at REMINGTON Park.

Rain: And this is my favorite RAIN picture. There is a loafing shed a few steps in front of them, but they seemed to be enjoying this warm summer shower.

Linking to Weekend Roundup

Skywatch Friday

The Sea of Sunset

This is the land the sunset washes,

These are the banks of the Yellow Sea;

Where it rose, or whither it rushes,

These are the western mystery!

Night after night her purple traffic

Strews the landing with opal bales;

Merchantmen poise upon horizons,

Dip, and vanish with fairy sails.

~ Emily Dickinson

Linking to Skywatch

Wordless Wednesday

 

Linking to Wordless Wednesday

Tuesday Treasures

Flowers that bloom about our feet.

For tender grass, so fresh, so sweet.

For song of bird ...

... and hum of bee.

For all the things fair we see and hear,

Father in heaven, we thank thee! ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Linking to Tuesday Treasures

Nature Notes

It's October, and the air is cool and fresh, so we took a drive to Chillicothe to look for a park where there's an eagle viewing area and to see the changing leaves. The trees were full of reds, oranges, and yellows. 

Saturday we drove to a small lake in Eureka, the home of Eureka College where President Reagan spent his college years. The water reflects the gray skies. We saw a fisherman and geese floating across the water. One came in for a landing, but I missed the shot with the exception of a splash. Autumn is my favorite time to get out and appreciate nature.

                                       

Linking to Nature Notes

The Barn Collective

Far away.

A little closer.

Close ups. 

      

   

Linking to The Barn Collective