Did You Know Alexa Can Read Kindle Books?
A few months ago, I installed several Amazon Alexa devices to make our home “smart”. We have Google Pixel phones, so maybe I should have installed Google Nest devices, but Amazon offered a good deal on some Alexa Echo Dot and Echo Show devices, so I bought those. We are now a mixed media home. […]
Three Generations of Dogs and Babies
When I was born, my parents owned a dog named Punky. I’ve seen pictures of Punky in the past, but I don’t think I have any photos of her at this point. Punky had a short life in their household. My parents got her sometime after their honeymoon, then I came along nine months and […]
Time With My Granddaughter
I was able to travel to meet my new granddaughter a couple of weeks ago. During my visit, I think I avoided the “where’s that baby?” syndrome I wrote about recently. I tried to help with household chores as much as with tending the baby. But I did do lots of baby-cuddling during the week […]
Railroad Development in Oregon
The Transcontinental Railroad was completed in 1869, linking California to the Eastern United States. But it took many more years for Oregon to become a part of the national railroad network. I wrote in an earlier post about Byron Pengra, who started a military road in Oregon in 1864, intending to build a railroad along […]
“Where’s That Baby?” Redux
Soon I will get to meet my new granddaughter. I have anticipated this moment for months. I can’t wait to get her into my arms. And yet, I also remember how it felt to have my own new baby—it seemed everyone wanted the baby, and no one wanted me anymore. I described one incident with […]
I’m a Grandmother!
Over the past many months, one thing I have not written about was my soon-to-be status as a grandmother. My daughter had a baby last week—my first grandchild. I can’t post a picture, nor reveal the child’s name, because I have promised my daughter I would not do so without her permission. In preparation for […]
Milestone: Sending My Work-in-Progress To Beta Readers
I’ve reached an exciting point in writing my current work-in-progress—I’m about to send the manuscript out to beta readers. Writers define and use “beta readers” differently. I now use them when the basic plot is baked (though details can still be tweaked), when I’ve edited the manuscript fairly well (though there are likely typos and […]
Birthday Celebrations in 19th-Century America
Birthday celebrations figure in several of my novels, including my current work-in-progress. But I’ve never posted about how people actually celebrated birthdays in the 19th century. I decided some research was in order. But most families who had a lot of children could not afford to celebrate everyone’s birthday. So in 1860s Oregon, farming families […]
Winter Park 2010: A Reflection on Life and Time
As I browsed through my digital photographs looking for something to write about, I came across a folder of pictures I took on a ski trip to Winter Park, Colorado, in 2010. The trip actually took place in late March 2010, during my daughter’s last spring break in law school. But a ski trip is […]
My Self-Image Through Rose-Colored Glasses
I recently got new eyeglasses. I’ve needed corrective lenses since I was eight and a half, so this was not a new experience for me. But every time I get new frames, my image of myself changes. My first glasses were blue cat-eyes. I was assured they were very cute. And I was so happy […]