August — Another Month in the Rearview

So here we are at the end of August. Another month in the rearview mirror. How have the first eight months of 2025 gone by so quickly? August was a month of highs and lows in many ways. The month started hot and then became blessedly cool 😊 I hope we are done with the heat and humidity for this year, but then, we are talking about Ohio.

I read just two books this month. I have been battling exhaustion, and it has cut into my nighttime reading. My first book was a little longer than my usual and took half the month for me to finish. The River Wife by Jonis Agee is a family saga- type story with three narrators; all women who in one way or another are connected to river pirate Jaques Ducharmes. It is a story of hard lives lived in the deep south, spanning the decades from the 1800s to the 1930s. It was nicely written with engaging characters– quite brutal in some spots, very sweet in others. But I found it to be a bit heavy. I gave it 4 stars on Goodreads.

While putting out our monthly shipment of books at work, I was delighted to see a title by Mary Kubica called The Good Girl. I came across her book, Just The Nicest Couple, at a thrift shop last month and had read first chapter before leaving the store (with the book tucked safely in my shopping bag!) I took a peek at this one to see if it was just as good. It was! It went home with me that night. Another twisty, turny psychological thriller of dark family secrets. I couldn’t put it down. 5 stars

In other bookish news, My twelfth novel, Superheroes, came out this month and is getting some really good feedback. I’m so pleased!

On the social calendar for August, my sister and I had a coffee date to celebrate Superheroes’ release.

And there were more things to celebrate. My youngest granddaughter turned four this month! Wasn’t she just a baby?

My friend Sharon and I celebrated my seventh (now 8th) week of being sugar free with a bubble. It was such a pretty day we went for a little ride around nearby Lake Katharine afterwards, and then we went for a spin around Sharon’s property on the Kubota. Fun day!

I have only lost five pounds so far, but I am noticing that clothes that used to be tight are now loose. Progress!

I also had a new kitchen adventure in August. Freezer Pickles! They are much sweeter than the dill I usually make, but the sweet, tangy taste is a nice change, and they are quick and easy to make 😊

Ever have an old clunker that became not so reliable? The kind you take to the shop for a tune-up and discover there’s another issue. And another, and another, that needs to be addressed? I sometimes feel like an old clunker, lol.

I decided that before summer ended, I would take care of some maintenance. First up, a visit to the dentist for a cleaning. And some news I was not anticipating. I now have two shiny, new dental appointments on my calendar for November ☹ Next up, eye exam. I had noticed my distance vision was getting a little blurry. I thought I would have the exam and in a few days, get a snappy new pair of glasses. Maybe red 😊 Instead, I got a referral to an eye specialist for some testing on my corneas, which my eye doctor though appeared to be thinning. He erred on the side of caution. After a number of tests, the specialist concluded that there was nothing wrong with my corneas (Well, nothing he would not expect to see in a 60-plus year old pair of eyes. Thank You, Lord!) So it’s back to the eye doctor to get those glasses. I’m definitely getting red!

As we move into fall, my thoughts turn to autumn leaves and big pots of chili. Apple picking and comfy sweaters and pumpkin everything. Welcome, September! Please hang out awhile, instead of rushing off like your cousins, May, June, July and August 😊  

Early birds

The sparrows are busy busy building homes for their babies.

The early birds get the words!

A new-to-me table and 2,500 words

I’ve always loved vintage 1950s tables. The ones with the Formica tops (I’ve seen them in various colors, red, green, yellow, blue…) with chrome legs and trim. I’ve wanted one forever and have occasionally come across them in antique stores, flee markets and even at garage sales. Their prices have always been beyond my reach. Until yesterday. While browsing through a new antique/home décor/jewelry/clothing/books/basically everything store downtown I happened to see one of these little cuties being used to display kitchen goods. I was sure it was just a display piece and not for sale, but I asked anyway. It was, indeed, for sale. Kicking my courage up another notch, I asked the price. The answer almost knocked me over. It was missing its leaf but I don’t have space for that anyway. It also needed a good scrubbing, and the base was a bit pitted, but it was a fraction of what I have seen them for in the past. Frugal is my middle name, but even I could not pass this one up. I got a small income tax return this year. A big chunk of it went to buy Miss Emma’s medicines. Another chunk, I threw at a pesky medical bill I have been making payments on. The last little chunk was going to be put in savings, but sometimes a girl just needs to treat herself. My brother-in-law was kind enough to swing by with his truck and pick it up for me this morning. Isn’t it lovely?

So I got a new- to- me table today. And after I cleaned it, I sat down at it and wrote 2500 words, the opening scene of a new story I am working on. Hey, it’s a start. So all in all, I’ve had a lovely day. Sometimes it’s the little things 😊

A Nice Day Out

I rarely go out to eat, but a friend is retiring from our workplace so I wanted to take her out to lunch to celebrate. Our first thought was Chillicothe, where there are a lot more choices for restaurants and thrifting, which is one of our favorite things! But they were predicting some nasty weather and by noon the snow had already been falling for a few hours. Since Chillicothe is thirty minutes from here, we decided to stay in town. Our town has no shortage of places to eat and we decided on Bob Evans. I’m glad we did. I got the Wildfire Chicken salad and sourdough rolls and it was delicious!

After lunch we went to poke around at Big Lots. Unfortunately that store will be closing soon but it was nice to get in on some great deals. I’ve been wanting to give my bedroom a facelift and I got a beautiful Bed in a Bag set for a steal at $19.99! The ultra soft comforter is reversible, a dusty rose on one side and white on the other. I love white bedding but have resisted because of Miss Emma’s shedding. If it turns out it was a bad choice, I’m not out much. I have a few ideas on how I want to spruce up the space. Maybe I will post before and after pics when it’s all done!

By the time we left the store the snow had stopped, so I hope we are done now. It was a lovely way to spend a day off. But on my next one I really have to get busy and do some writing!

Christmas at the Mansion

Last night our church held its annual Christmas dinner at a restored mansion in a neighboring town. We had it catered this year so none of us had to cook, though being us, many brought delicious desserts to share. Cheesecake. Pineapple Upsidedown Cake. Gingerbread, and pies. Yummm!

The mansion was built in 1908 and was a showplace for nearly 100 years, until it became abandoned and fell into disrepair. A local family bought it five years ago and have painstakingly restored it to its former beauty. I have toured this lovely lady a few times and even held a book signing in the carriage house when The Little Things came out. But I had never seen it at Christmas time! There is at least one tree in every room. I thought I would share a few of my pictures with you, though they do not do this gorgeous home justice.

The house has quite a colorful history. I love walking through the rooms and imagining how life was for the people who lived there. It really gets my creative wheels turning… Oh, wait. I said in my last post that I’m taking a little writing break.

Maybe 😉

A few thoughts on color…

When I bought my fixer upper four years ago, it was a very colorful house. The previous occupant’s personality came shining through in every room.

The guest bedroom was purple. One wall in the master bedroom was crimson. The living room walls were cave brown and the walk in closet was peachy beige.

Color is a wonderful thing, but these choices were definitely not me. When I moved in I painted every room country white, and waited for the house to tell me what colors it wanted its rooms to be. Does that sound crazy?

I’m not sure if it was the house talking or the fact that I’ve always love a red kitchen, but within three months my dated kitchen cabinets were cranberry, the ho-hum hardware updated to shiny black porcelain knobs.

The living room stayed white until just recently. I love the look of an exposed brick wall, but the real thing was a little out of my reach financially. This winter I achieved the look with a faux whitewashed brick wallpaper. I loved the hints of soft gray that popped out once the accent wall was done, so I matched the color and painted the other three walls Gray Frost. It’s lovely and soothing, and I wish I had done it sooner.

It’s no surprise that when Frankie Bonetti, the heroine in my current work in progress, bought her fixer upper she painted the living room Gray Frost.

After all, she loves what I love. And that’s one of the things I love most about her!