'Such as thy thoughts and ordinary cogitations are, such will thy mind be in time. For the soul doth receive its tincture from the imagination. Dye it therefore and soak it with the assiduity of thy cogitations.' - Marcus Aurelius. A lifetime of writing has tie-dyed my soul.

Please humor one of my linguistic peeves: this illustration is to prove that it's ruffed grouse, not ruffled. Grouse do not have ruffles and never have had ruffles. They have ruffs, like Queen Elizabeth I. Although a woman once told me, jokingly, that she had a ruffled spouse.

Have you noticed that the root word of 'delightful' is 'light'? Just saying.

Getting old is a pain in the patootie and tends to put a person in a grumpy mood. So I start every day by writing in a designated notebook about things that are beautiful in my life right now. And I use fancy colored pens, turquoise magenta emerald. And stickers on occasion. ❤️

Just got an email, 'Me and my friend are writing a book.' 'Her and her friend' want my advice, which is, for the love of mercy, learn correct #grammar !!! In the heartbreaking case you don't know, it should be 'My friend and I.' 'She and her friend.' Yes, that's the way I talk.

Reading my own fantasy novels published thirty or forty years ago, I've been appalled to find errors that have been nestled, smirking, in the text all this time. What's even more appalling, they will continue to to lurk and smirk like jolly little tumors in my books forever!

How stupid is this? In order to access a working scooter at the store, a disabled person (moi) must climb like a goat over others that are charging and not in service. They are parked too close together for access, and the ones that are functional are sure to be in the middle.

I can no longer read paper books; the print is too small. So, now that my fantasy novel The Hex Witch of Seldom is on sale, I bought a Kindle copy. (I've decided to start enjoying my own books again. Hadn't looked at Hex Witch in decades.) I read it last night and was astonished!

This contemporary #fantasy novel of mine will be on sale April 1 thru 4 for $1.99. 'Seldom' is a fictional small town in Appalachian Pennsylvania. One of the protagonists is a mustang named Shane. #hex_magic #mustang_rescue #Vietnam

Theodore Roosevelt's daughter Alice, a teen when he was in the White House, loved to surprise guests by pulling her pet out of her purse. 'Meet Emily Spinach. She's as green as spinach and as skinny as my Aunt Emily.' Alice also chewed gum, played poker, and dressed daringly.

I just remembered the name of another small-time band: Chafe. Aak. So I'm inspired to think of more band names: Emily Spinach. Iron Pacifier. Moon Ouzel. Space Metrognome. Irate Pachyderm. Very Best Bracket Fungus. Harpies For Hire. Hognose Bedfellow. Pink Ampersand. #bandnames

I gleefully gifted this thing to my son. I think it is epic. He is crazy about T. Rex jokes. This T. Rex is kind of a cookie jar, fairly large, and alas, I think my son's wife does not like it, not at all, and deplores its impact on her home decor. I may never see it again. 😟

Happy St. Patrick's Day! My father was Irish. Sailed to the USA from Galway Bay in 1926, age 22. From my memories of him, his Irish heritage was not a big deal; he wanted to lose his lilting accent and be American. He often told me this was the greatest country on earth.

I'm tired of being told not to 'think old,' watch my state of mind, when all the evidence tells me that getting older is a state of body, irrevocably, and it's all about loss. Not to 'think old' is dishonest. Besides, I've always been a rebel. I plan to protest the whole way.

Playing computer games, I am afflicted by Barbie Doll ads featuring Barbie taking off more and more clothes, getting skinnier and barer. I think the promo is called 'cutie reveal.' I guess calling it 'stripping Barbie' would not have been as appealing. It kind of creeps me out.

March 8 was my mother's birthday, and as far as I'm concerned, International Women's Day was conceived in her honor. She would be age 115 if she were still alive. Here's a photo of her when she was a teenager, and here's one of the paintings she would create, then give away.

A dermatologist's office near me is expensively landscaped with jagged rocks, prickly cactus and thorny things. Now, call me oversensitive and illogical, but just looking at that place makes my skin scream. It's too scratchy. I wouldn't go there if you paid me. #first_impression

Bad book choice. Screams self-published. Viewpoint first-person teenager but voice middle-aged schoolteacher. Sometimes viewpoint morphs into third person for no good reason. Protagonist inexplicably knows everything other characters are doing. Author is 'author,' not a writer.

Tomorrow, March 1, the e-book of my #fantasy novel Wings of Flame will be on sale for $1.99. This was the sixth book I wrote, published back in the 1980s. It's still good reading. And by the way, happy Leap Year day! #horses #royalty #twins

Last night, playing games at my computer, I noticed motion near my elbow and saw a roach as big as my thumb feasting on what was left of my snack. Watching its antennae waving, its busy butt, its rapt scouring of the plate, I felt like letting it alone, so I did. #fellowcreature