Posts by Karen
A Volunteer saved the day…and the pages to my manuscript
Yesterday, I ran into a frustrating Word document issue; it made me want to abandon my project and spend the afternoon eating all things regrettable and then curling up into a cashew-shape. Before I reached out for help, I attempted to be self-sufficient and fix my problem. The issue? All of my Word documents lost…
Read MoreWhat Not to Say at a Funeral
Let’s set the scene. It’s a funeral. There are tissues. There are casseroles. There are people doing their best not to fall apart. And then… there’s you, trying to offer comfort but you accidentally utter something rather awkward. If you’ve ever said something at a funeral and then replayed it in your head for the…
Read MoreThe Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali – A Story of Friendship & Resilience
Why I wanted to read it & the format I read it in. When the book club that I joined in late 2024 was experiencing an uncertain interim due to the host stepping down, I was compelled to quickly find another community that appreciates the sport of full immersion reading. I found a group that…
Read MoreThe Cowardly Lion and the Roaring Generator: it was a dark & windy night
Yesterday afternoon, the wind howled and wailed, clamoring at our windows and doors, trying to let herself in like an uninvited party crasher. I had run through a litany of excuses for why I didn’t need to go to the grocery store, and believe me, if I can present enough logic, I’m pretty good about…
Read MoreJabberwocky: Self-taut
Word origin: I was blogging about our new generator, describing how heavy it is. I alluded to how I see myself as a relatively strong woman, but despite my level of fitness and my sinewy musculature (ok, yeah, I’m embellishing here) there was no way I would’ve been able to pull the generator up to…
Read MoreTodo Modo: Florence’s Must-Visit Bookstore Café for Coffee, Wine, and Literary Bliss
Our family was in Florence, Italy for the holidays. I discovered a wonderful café-bookstore that is now one of my favorite places to drop in and hang out for a while: Todo Modo located at Via dei Fossi 15. If you enjoy browsing cozy bookstores, drinking coffee, sipping wine, working in an aesthetically appointed environment…
Read MoreSaying Goodbye To Our Feline Family Member
Friday morning. I lit a candle at 9:58am. It flickered and waned, and then a diminutive flame climbed the braided cotton strand. As shadows abated, I thought of another household in another county, 49 miles southwest, where my nephew and his wife were struggling with a big decision that involved their pet cat. Ariya had…
Read MoreNo-ing your Boundaries
Recently, my husband and I were enjoying a cup of coffee together. Yes, we each had our own coffee mugs. This was not like the scene from Lady and The Tramp where we are sharing a spaghetti noodle or slurping coffee through a communal straw. Ron mentioned noticing a change in me that has blossomed…
Read More5 Must-Do’s for your short NYC Trip…if you like reading, the arts, & food
Disclosure: For 100% transparency, I do not receive compensation for the product or business recommendations mentioned in this post. These recommendations are based solely on my personal experiences and research. Below is my longform narrative of an April 2024 quick-trip to NYC. Ron and I drove from Baltimore to The Big Apple on a weekday…
Read MoreQuick & Easy Ways to Recharge Your Creativity
On a recent weekend, I popped into The Walters Art Museum for a B-12 creativity injection. I was welcomed by a bevy of cheerful volunteers and staff that informed me of the drop-in art event, Monument to a Memory, that was in progress. I meandered into the sun-dappled atrium of the Sculpture Garden. With marble…
Read MoreLessons Learned in Online Dating: My Match.com Success (and Fails!)
Online dating is a rollercoaster—sometimes thrilling, sometimes terrifying. From a face-painting enthusiast with a short temper to a golden-retriever-loving cheater, my journey on Match.com had some unforgettable twists. But in the end? I met my husband on Match.com. While our story has a fun & quirky Hallmark-meets-I-Love-Lucy vibe, here are the hilarious and eye-opening lessons…
Read MoreA Baltimore Fairy Tale
Note: When the Maryland Writers Association celebrated their 30 year anniversary, they launched a writing contest. The submissions had to be Maryland-themed and under 3,000 words. The winning stories were published in their 2019 Anthology. This story, A Baltimore Fairy Tale, was one of the winning contest entries. Outside Baltimore’s 19th century Marburg mansion, while…
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