Category Archives: Essays and Observations
A Lost Day
I am having a Lost Day. I lost sleep because it got too cold for my fan last night. I’ve lost a bag of glass bottles. (I know I had it yesterday.) I’ve lost my phone. (Yes, I had it … Continue reading
Managing Life vs. Writing vs. Health
The last week of August I got a firm reminder that writers are human. I developed some kind of infection, probably sinus or ear. I ran a fever, I was getting up, feeding my animals, and falling face first (because … Continue reading
Recovering Daisy Peasblossom
Today is January 20, 2021. The year 2020, with all its bumps and warts has been laid to rest, and the world looks hopefully toward a fresh year. Covid-19 notwithstanding, 2020 was only moderately horrible for me. But I shall … Continue reading
Writer’s Block
Spring is here, and with it comes my usual restless desire for “new”, “different”, and “change”. Once that meant running away from the house and my grandmother to play in the woods, where I built tree houses, swung on grapevines and … Continue reading
Finding My Feet
Writing, even when the subject is something dry, comes from inside. The most mundane subjects, such as user manuals or handbooks, develop a particular flavor that reflects the personality of the writer. More than that, they are influenced by the … Continue reading
Depression
My great-grandfather said that when laziness struck the bone, it was fatal. I have often wondered, as I struggle with making sense of my daily existence, if what he was talking about was really depression. Depression isn’t necessarily born of sorrow, … Continue reading
Writing: Refreshing Value of Vacation
Thanksgiving week, and I am tired. This time of year, my thinking slithers down into some dark place. As the days grow shorter, so does my temper. That proverbial glass tends to be half-empty more often than it is half-full. … Continue reading
Writing: Don’t Give Up
Today I woke up with the normal fearsome despair in my heart that comes from having a pile of work that needs to be done. I plunged into the stack, starting with my daily quota of help desk questions. In … Continue reading
Writing: Time and Energy Management
If there is anything in all the world I am not good at, it is time and energy management. Anyone who has ever worked with me will readily share that I am bit vague about when something should happen. Learning to … Continue reading
Rejections, Inspections and Missed Offers
Into every writer’s life a few rejections will fall. July was one of thinnest budget months I’ve seen in a while. The last of my teaching pay had been spent on bills and groceries, my first retirement checks would not … Continue reading
Daisy Peasblossom Fernchild 