WE TOOK A LITTLE TRIP WEST OF THE MIGHTY MISSISSIP…
Something like that— And discovered Louisiana has a sandy beach! We like to travel on the backroads, an attitude of, “I wonder what’s down that road?” That’s how we discovered Louisiana has a sandy beach! On the prowl for a Louisiana Bird and Butterfly Sanctuary so new it wasn’t even on the hotel’s ‘local attractions’ […]
Big Announcement
Big Announcement March 15, 2025, Tucson AZ — Katlyn Bates’ Nightflower of Comanche Mound Named Western Writers of America 2025 Spur Award Finalist! Nightflower of Comanche Mound, https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D836QLVT, a contemporary young adult action-adventure novel set on the hostile plains of the Texas Staked Plains, follows 16-year old Charley Kensey who, seeking a sense of belonging, brashly invites herself […]
2025 World EXCA Coming to Texas in October
Listen up, Texas neighbors and beyond. There’s a different kind of rodeo coming to Texas. From youth to pro, World Extreme Cowboy Association (EXCA) members are tuning up their horses for the 2025 show-me-your-stuff competition October 28 through November 2, in Glen Rose, Tx., hosted by the Somervell County Expo Center https://www.theexpoatglenrose.com. Entrants, ages eight […]
Western Writers of America 72nd Convention in the Rearview Mirror
The 2025 Western Writers of American Convention, held in Amarillo, TX this year, was Western Writers’ 72nd convention, and my first. What an honor it was to attend. An honor and an education to sit among so many polished writers of Western literature, http://WesternWriters.org an honor to hear the excellent and entertaining speakers, such as […]
Big Announcement!
When things change inside a house, they change on the outside, too.
He who lives in a constant state of expectation is frequently disappointed.
KIDS AND WATER
To the waterpark! I took three granddaughters, ages 11, 14, and 17, to a waterpark for a couple days of chill, to escape the Texas heat, a short vacation from parents. It didn’t matter that summer storms followed us there; the resort was an enclosed year-round water park that had three zippy slides, a lazy […]
Texas Hot Tub
Gosh, it ‘s been Hot This Summer!
Stay Away From Auctions
Who doesn’t love a good auction? The bling, the crap, the undefined. I follow family footsteps when it comes to auctions, so what I buy is not my fault. Auctioneers recognize us, size us up when we walk through the door–a glint in our eye? They send somebody into a back room and scoop up all the […]
Skunks Make Awful House Guests
Skunk spray is an awful thing to wake up. Skunk odor seeps through the house even though the doors are shut. “Uck! They did it again.” I open the glass door a pinch, cut my eyes to the sleeping dogs. Koko and Pancho don’t even look up, but Sammy jumps to her feet. Guilty! She […]