Nicki Chen's Blog, page 17
May 5, 2019
The Novel Is Done. Now What?
Now that I’ve finished my novel, I have to decide what to do next. Luckily it’s spring. I can stand in my patio, among my potted plants–my pansies and geraniums–and think about it. I finished writing my novel a while … Continue reading →
April 14, 2019
Home Sweet Home
Statistics show that the average American moves 11.3 times during his or her lifetime. We’re just getting comfortable in one house, one neighborhood, one city, and–What do you know?–we pick up and move again. You have to wonder why we … Continue reading →
March 31, 2019
All Little Girls Want to Be Ballerinas
A couple of weeks ago my sister and I attended the ballet. Arriving early and with nothing better to do, we poked around the gift shop on the ground floor. The first thing we saw there was a display of … Continue reading →
March 24, 2019
Counting on Spring
Although some things we hope for will never come to pass, we can always count on spring. Every single year winter comes to an end and spring takes over. Sometimes spring is punctual, arriving on or near the vernal equinox. … Continue reading →
March 17, 2019
The Car Salesman and the Earthquake
We needed a new car. It was 1993, and my late husband and I had moved back to the United States after twenty-some years abroad. Before leaving Vanuatu, we’d sold our sweet sky-blue three-year-old Toyota to friends. Now it was … Continue reading →
March 3, 2019
An Afternoon at the Hair Salon
As I turn off the highway and park, I’m not thinking of my hair appointment as anything special. After all, I come here every five weeks or so to get my hair cut. The big pot of flowering plants on … Continue reading →
February 17, 2019
A Snowbound Writer’s Retreat
Writers sometimes dream of getting away to a quiet place where they can write. In fact, they’ll pay good money to spend time in that serene spot where no one or nothing will distract them from the task of writing. … Continue reading →
February 3, 2019
Living under Martial Law
When martial law was declared that September day, I had only a vague idea what the implications would be and how it would affect our lives. We’d moved to the Philippines the previous September, and I’d spent the year getting … Continue reading →
January 20, 2019
Waking to a “National Emergency” and a Declaration
I don’t know which woke me, the jangling ring of the phone or my husband leaping out of bed, his whole body on alert. As he spoke, his answers sounded curt and serious. “Who was it?” I asked when he … Continue reading →
January 6, 2019
Green Lake on a Sunny Winter’s Day
The week started out rainy. You can’t stay inside all the time, though, especially when you have eight out-of-town visitors. So we resorted to raincoats, hoods, and umbrellas for our outings. By a happy coincidence, I received a new umbrella … Continue reading →
