Deborah Adams's Blog, page 58

12-22-12

The world as we know it did not end. When December 22 came right on schedule, I realized that I hadn't done much in the way of holiday decorating, so I set forth on that bitterly cold morning in search of a holiday wreath.

Shortly after hitting the road, I passed a young woman walking in the opposite direction. The temperature was still in the 20s and she -- in her lightweight jacket and bare ankles-- had arms wrapped around her body, which provided almost no protection against the draft creat...

Things Your Dog Doesn't Want You To Know

A review of Things Your Dog Doesn’t Want You To Know and a guest post by author Hy Conrad

Ever wondered what your dog is thinking when he gives you that look? Or when he barks like crazy at absolutely nothing? Or when he goes tearing around the yard as if his tail is on fire?

I recently read a book that explains all that and more. Things Your Dog Doesn’t Want You To Know is a tell-all written by the dogs themselves, and not just a dry list of suggestions about water and food, either. Eleven...

The Mother of Danger (with Frodo on the right)

Danger Dan, Danger Mom, and Frodo I posted about my Great Skydive Adventure a few weeks ago, thinking that I’d checked that one off my Bucket List and never needed to do it again. And then….

Danger Dan, Frodo, and the other professional skydivers are a wonder, aren’t they? Following their bliss, jumping out of planes for fun and profit – not falling prey to ordinary 9 to 5 jobs like the rest of us. Where do they get the guts to do that?

Well, in Danger Dan’s case I’m pretty sure he gets it f...

Better than Ponce de Leon - a guest post from Carolyn Hart

You probably know Carolyn Hart as the author of the Death on Demand mystery series. Or the Henrie O mystery series. Or the Bailey Ruth Raeburn mystery series. Or perhaps you've already latched on to the first in her new Nela Farley mystery series, What the Cat Saw .

But before all of those books, Carolyn wrote several stand-alone suspense novels, every one of them as superbly-crafted as you'd expect from this enormously talented writer.

Being the dear and generous lady that she is, she gracious...

Danger Dan, Frodo, and me

Inspired by the bucket list year of Joan Hess and the advice of Liz Squire (“Never pass up an opportunity to try something new!”), I started my own list of things that I’d like to do before I die.

Some things were added to my bucket list retroactively (complete an endurance ride) because I did them before I’d heard of the bucket list idea and because I want credit for every cool thing I’ve done. The number one item on my list (fly with the Thunderbirds or the Blue Angels) will probably never...

October is Domestic Violence Awareness month

I've written several posts about the issue of domestic violence, and now I've compiled them into a single PDF that you can download. You'll find the link at the end of this post.

Do you think domestic violence isn't a problem for you?

Domestic violence may not be something that happens in your home, but it DOES affect you. Someone you love is a victim, or will become a victim.

Violent offenders don’t discriminate, and violence in the home is never contained within the home. (Take note of the n...

Junk food in my garden

Earlier this year I discovered that mice and voles had taken up residence in my garden. It was a smart move on their part -- the chicken coop is right next door, so they could gorge on the seed I'd planted then curl up for the night in the coop.

They ate ALL of my peanuts, most of my green bean seeds, the potatoes, and they are probably responsible for the half-eaten strawberries, tomatoes, peppers, and so on.

I was happy when the snake moved in because I thought he'd take care of the rodents....

What's in YOUR shampoo?

Recently I took a Making Natural Toiletries workshop at Thyme Wisper's Herb Shop down in Perry County. That's Thyme in the pic to the left.

It was worth the drive just to meet her! Such a gentle and welcoming woman she is. Her shop sits on a hill and it's surrounded by wooded acres that are breathtakingly lovely.

This is a woman who knows her herbs, folks. She didn't just read an article on the internet and hang out a shingle. All of us in the workshop were tossing out questions about various...

More about the gardening-writing connection

The first draft is finished. In fact, it was finished a long time ago. During the revision process, however, I kept stopping about half-way through.

That’s a sure sign that something isn’t right with the plot. I don't know what the problem is, though, and the only thing for it at this point is to march myself out to the garden to do something productive.

The garden is a mess and I decide to tidy up. Tomato plants are scraggly, browning, pitiful. They still offer up a few sad little fruits, a...

Writing Down the Rows

Readerwoman commented on the previous post to ask how writing can improve your gardening. Julie Wray Herman, author of the Three Dirty Women novels, has graciously provided an answer.

The previous article had a comment that got me to thinking. I do a lot of gardening. I do a fair bit of writing as well. (Three published mysteries featuring a trio of lady landscapers and a couple of gardening articles in Texas Gardener magazine.) So how does writing improve my gardening? For one thing there is...