Zonk--to fall soundly asleep or relax completely. The last day of the Blogging from A to Z in April Challenge. Ready to zonk out accurately describes my life at 82 at this time! I always want to finish something I've started, but completing A to Z has been a challenge. Each blog post takes one …
Category: friends
Life at 82: S is for Story
Participating in the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge Early on when I started this blog (2010), I often wrote about the importance of telling your story. I said if you don’t, your words will die with you. I still feel that way, only more so. Since I retired from teaching nursing in 2000, …
Life at 82: O is for Oliver
I've rarely been able to understand poetry--the mystery of the meaning of the words and their fragmentary arrangements. But I've learned in several classes since I retired, that I don't have to understand every word. That sometimes reading for the feel, sounds, and rhythm is enough. For someone like me who is left-brained, logical and …
Life at 82: D is for Diet
Participating in the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge Diet. Such a hated word. Who wants to deprive themselves anyway? It seems like I’ve been dieting most of my life. In my thirties already, I graduated TOPS and became a KOP (keep off pounds sensibly). The meetings were so much fun. We’d joined a …
Another Podcast on Marv Taking Charge
Please listen here. Spread the word about my book. Refusing chemo is an option. This podcast was sponsored by the Chicago Writers Association in concert with my book being given the Book of the Year Award for Indie Nonfiction. I am beyond grateful and will write more about that event later. (Enjoy the podcast with …
Growing Older – On Turning 82
Thinking about turning 82 is both positive and negative. The positive part, of course, is that I’m still alive. I’ve outlived several classmates who’d be the same age. I’m still able to walk and talk and see and hear and smell and taste and feel. I do not take these capabilities for granted. But I …
Brain Burst. Imminent!
Have you ever felt as if your brain would burst from accumulated words? As a writer and blogger, I'm having that problem now. The last time I remember being in this situation was the day I started my Caring Lessons memoir. Sitting in a NC gazebo with my friend Marianna and a cat crossing our …
Lois Hoitenga Roelofs’ Memoir Earns Well-deserved Honor: Marv Taking Charge: A Story of Bold Love and Courage Is a Chicago Writers Association Book …
On May 5, 2023, I wrote about Lois Hoitenga Roelofs’ wonderful memoir Marv Taking Charge. It’s the story of her husband, Marv, and his decision to … Lois Hoitenga Roelofs’ Memoir Earns Well-deserved Honor: Marv Taking Charge: A Story of Bold Love and Courage Is a Chicago Writers Association Book … Thank you for reposting, …
A Fitting Award
“Marv Taking Charge” is a finalist for Book of the Year in the Chicago Writers Association’s Indie Nonfiction category. A Fitting Award Thank you, Marianna!
Book Tour #1 in the Books
Home at last from a nearly 2,000 mile road trip to spread the news of Marv Taking Charge, my book about my husband's terminal cancer for which he refused treatment and chose quality of life over quantity. Read more about the book and how to order here. This trip was all I could wish for: …