One of my favorite quotes:

Send a handwritten note.

Practice your cursive.

Enjoy the intimate feeling of placing a pen to paper and creating.

Once upon a time I wrote all my stories in notebooks. Using a keyboard to write does not give the same connection to the words.

I woke up this morning and embarked on a leisurely stroll through a winter wonderland. Take a look at these beautiful trees laden with hoar frost.

Happy New Year! I hope 2016 is a year filled with good things.

Wishing you a wonderful holiday season and a wonderful 2016.

Check out these festive and unique Christmas trees!

A butterfly tree.

A nutcracker tree.

An eyeglass tree.

November 11 is Veteran’s Day.

Honor the veterans: Thank those who remain; remember those who’ve gone.

Did you know?

Veteran’s Day was officially declared in 1919 by President Woodrow Wilson, commemorating with Armistice Day: “To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations…”

Freedom is not free. It is an ongoing fight.        

Washington Crossing the Delaware

by Emanuel Leutz

…made more perfect when spent with my beloved horse!

Horses – if God made anything more beautiful, he kept it for himself.  ~Author Unknown

To see the wind’s power, the rain’s cleansing and the sun’s radiant life, one need only to look at the horse. – Author Unknown

All horses deserve, at least once in their lives, to be loved by a little girl. – Author Unknown

A horse is poetry in motion.  ~Author Unknown

The love for a horse is just as complicated as the love for another human being…if you never love a horse, you will never understand. – Author Unknown

In the steady gaze of the horse shines a silent eloquence that speaks of love and loyalty, strength and courage. It is the window that reveals to us how willing is his spirit, how generous his heart. – Author Unknown

Bread may feed my body, but my horse feeds my soul. – Author Unknown

I heard a neigh. Oh, such a brisk and melodious neigh it was. My very heart leapt with the sound. – Nathaniel Hawthorne

There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man. – Sir Winston Churchill

God forbid that I should go to any Heaven in which there are no horses.  ~R.B. Cunninghame Graham, letter to Theodore Roosevelt, 1917

I have seen things so beautiful they have brought tears to my eyes. Yet none of them can match the gracefulness and beauty of a horse running free. – Author Unknown

When your horse follows you without being asked, when he rubs his head on yours, and when you look at him and feel a tingle down your spine…you know you are loved. – John Lyons

It’s not just harvest time for soybeans and corn! The grapes are ripe for the picking and ready to be crushed and blended into delicious wines.

Enjoyed a recent visit to a MN winery. Love the wine bag – bees and honeycomb!

Vines were beautiful. Get out and enjoy these lovely autumn days!

I love fall. September and October are my very favorite months. The heat and humidity give way to cooler, crisper temps. The dark and light greens of tree leaves transform into brilliant reds and yellows and oranges. It’s time for wearing my favorite pair of jeans and comfy sweatshirt. And the fall treats arrive: pumpkin spice lattes, orchard apples, baked squash. I hate to say goodbye to my outdoor living space, but I embrace the beauty of fall. It’s also a wonderful time to write and read. And, yes, I am writing. I have too many stories in various stages of creative production. I’m editing manuscripts for submission and trying to finish others. And even though I have lots of new ideas (which I jot down into a notebook) I am trying to not start anything new right now. Finish what I have in process first!

My outdoor living space!

Welcome sunflowers, welcome fall!

Have you heard about Free Mini Libraries? There might be one in your city. It’s a fabulous idea. Small boxes are placed in neighborhoods where people can take a book for free or leave a book for someone else to enjoy. Many libraries across the country are doing similar programs. There’s an organization called Little Free Library – check out the website and the creative ways Mini Library owners decorate their boxes. I was delighted to find one in my neighborhood which is supported through a local library program – photos above. I hope they decorate it though! It needs some color! A friend of mine also has one. Supposedly there are 30,000 Little Free Libraries across the world!

Late August’s beautiful coneflowers and purple thistles in Minnesota!