A Novel Creation www.WatersWords.com

  Graduation...in Kosovo This week  marks a special event in Europe.  And I'm not there to experience it.   Those of you who have followed my blog for a while, know that I received a message in 2017 from one of my former students at the University. A message that proved to be a gift. Heather graduated from the teacher education program where I taught and served as the head of the education department. I was one of Heather’s professors as well as her advisor when she studied at the private university in Cincinnati. Since graduation, Heather had married and now used her gift of teaching at a private school in Kosovo. Think “Southeastern Europe.” The message was simple. Heather let me know she and her husband were going to have a baby. It brought a smile to my face. The next part of the text explained she was returning to the United States to have her child. I remember thinking that was likely a good decision.  Finally, she noted that since she was going to be in t...

  Do You Have a Story to Tell? Tell It!   Someone asked me how I keep writing. “Aren’t there times when you just don’t feel like writing?” Sure. That’s when having a plan helps.   I was trying to think of a good metaphor to explain my writing schedule. I could compare it to exercise. You just do it on a regular basis, inspired or not.  Exercise Your Writing Muscle In fact, when I’m not particularly “inspired” to write, I engage in a writing exercise. There are story starters online or even books with suggestions to exercise your writing muscle.    I’m sure those are helpful, but for me, I will often turn to topics  Chicken Soup for the Soul  plans to publish and write stories for the next two or three titles. If I like what I wrote, I edit the story, read it out loud to make sure it says what I want it to say and submit it to the publishers. They are not all accepted, but I have had several stories published under various titles in the  ...

  The Train Ride We had a ticket to ride! If you read my post a couple of weeks ago called “Yay for May!” you already know my oldest grandson graduated from the University of Cincinnati in the field of cyber-technology. You may recall from that post I said Joshua has other interests, too. If you missed that post, I’ll put a link to it at the bottom of this one. The station had it's own Thomas the Tank Ever since he was a young child, Joshua  has had a fascination with trains. He was a huge fan of Thomas the Tank Engine. He loved the train under the Christmas tree. He collected all sorts of track and trains through the years.  Of course the big draw for us to travel to Ohio was to celebrate Joshua’s college graduation, a week or so before accepting that diploma, Josh graduated from “train school.” Seriously. He graduated as a Junior Brakeman. The first step in the train school in Connersville, Indiana.  So, while we were in the area, Joshua took us to Connersville to ...

True Confession:     “I am a paperphile.” There. I said it. I love paper. I’m addicted. They say the first step to recovery is confession.  So here it is: I am a paperphile. I don’t think I’ve ever met a blank piece of paper or a notebook or even a paper placemat at a restaurant that didn’t draw me in to retrieve a pen or pencil and start writing. Or drawing. My mom would send me to my room to clean it only to find me sitting in the middle of the floor an hour later, surrounded by paper, books, or half used notebooks, reading or writing. My paternal grandmother understood. She sent notebooks and calendars my way.  Even as I am typing this, I am surrounded by five notepads and two pads of post-it notes and four pens.  That is in addition to the legal pad on the other side of the computer where I’m working! This is not a set-up. This is my life! Poor Mike. I have a desk in our house that I regularly clean out. Actually I mostly stack the paper in neat piles a...

  Yay for May! Yes, my birthday is in May. But this isn’t about my birthday. Yes, Mother’s Day is in May. But this isn’t about Mother’s Day either. (If you want to read a wonderful Mother’s Day post, click HERE . I’m pretty sure last year’s Mother’s Day was the best yet for these five mothers in the story.) Nope, this first weekend in May we are celebrating the boy turned man named Joshua. Joshua Thomas or JT was born in May, too. But the real celebration is that this May, Joshua is graduating from the University of Cincinnati. He is the oldest and first of the grandkids to graduate from college.  My heart is full. Joshua’s degree is in “Information Technology-Cybersecurity,” but he is so much more than a techie.  Joshua’s interest in cars offered an immediate connection to Mike when they met roughly four years ago. In fact, when Mike took Joshua to the Don Garlits Museum in 2023, I thought they’d never come back! And JT loves the fact that Mike and my late husband, Tom, ...

Buried Treasure from the Bottom of the Ocean Newsflash! While in the Florida Keys, Mike and I found buried treasure. Okay, I collected most of it, but Mike humored me by not laughing, helping some, and most of all, allowing me to haul my treasure home.  While in the Keys, we did more than gather information for a book I intend to work on this next winter, we visited the sandbar. The sandbar is a gathering place for boaters in the Atlantic and not too far from where we stayed. Lots of Boats: You can see  Manny's Food Barge... We enjoy the sandbar. I was first introduced to it on our honeymoon three years ago. It was then I met Manny, a Cuban man who runs a food barge catering to visitors on the sandbar. We wade through the clear blue water to get our fresh grilled hamburgers then head back to our boat to eat. It’s fun.  I love watching fish swim by as we sit on the boat and eat lunch. What a view!  The last day of our visit this time, a large tarpon lazily made h...

  Of Sun and Sand; Of Water and Wonder If you follow my blog, you can probably guess where Mike and I are right now celebrating our anniversary. Although I had visited the Keys on a couple of occasions prior to marrying Mike, he introduced me to the calm, beautiful Key called Islamorada. We stay at a resort known as Kon-Tiki. And yes, that’s where our cat, Tiki, got her name. Kon-Tiki isn’t fancy but it is beautiful. The water, the tropical flora and fauna of the islands, the sand bar where we can see fish swim by, listen to music of our era, and eat sandwiches we buy from Manny, a local entrepreneur who drives a “food boat” instead of “food truck.” Yep that's me in the boat on the sandbar!  The restaurants on the isle are excellent. Hey, the competition is tough. You either offer your best or go under. And each visit we discover new restaurants to enjoy. We still have a few favorites and each time we add a few new favorites.  Of course there are tourist attractions. We’v...