Hello! This poor blog gets neglected when I’m busy. That said, I’m still out and about blogging at other sites. If you’d like to catch up on my thoughts, quirks, and happenings over the last six–no, seven!–months, you can search the following blogs for my posts:
- InkSpot, a place for mystery, mayhem, writing, and life
- ShadowSpinners, when nice people write bad things
Meanwhile, I thought I’d update you in pictorial fashion with a few of my favorite pictures since the last time I blogged here, which was November 5th last year.
December
Last May I closed on my very first house (tale of a terrified first-time home buyer here), and with my very first house came my very first fireplace mantel. Strange right? Even when I was a child, we didn’t have a traditional mantel. As the holiday season rolled around, I decided to decorate my very-first mantel.
Alas, the expensive part of ownership: dealing with dead trees. This poor cedar was rotted at its core so it needed to come down, and what a process that was. The up-side is that my backyard is so much brighter.
January
Snow! I love snow days. We don’t get all that much snow where I live. In this picture you see my little Chihuahua/terrier mix, Fawn, greeting the neighbors.
Getting cozy with my writer’s life on a gloomy day. The red chair is one of my favorite spots in the house. I was hustling to complete the final changes for WHISPERS IN THE MIST, coming out August 8th from Midnight Ink Books. (Yay!)
February
My mom has dementia. I don’t talk about it too much, except that every once in awhile I’ll post a picture on Facebook of our Mom Movie Nights. Fawn is a great little therapy dog for her. (Mom still lives at home–we’re so lucky–and we have great caretakers.)
Every year like clockwork February teases us with a week of beautiful sunny days. You better believe I sat outside when I could (with my next work-in-progress, of course, and Fawn sniffing the breezes).
March
Look, advanced review copies!
And then I jetted off to Ireland for novel research. This was the best trip so far, a perfect balance of writing time, research investigations, tourist fun, and hanging out in pubs. It was just what I needed to fill the well.
April
Still in Ireland. This old fella cracked me up. He represents the old Ireland. WHISPERS IN THE MIST features a group of fellas just like this man. They’re regulars at a fictional pub called The Plough and Trough … and some of their members are at the center of a murder investigation.
Home sweet home in my neighborhood park.
May
Outside writing. This is one of my favorite writing spots right now. The little centerpiece are early roses from my garden.
And gardening! Talk about a learning curve. Since buying the house, I’ve learned that I may actually be a gardening kind of person. Who knew? This is my other work-in-progress–the corner where the ailing cedar had stood. It was a mess. After hiring someone to chop the wood, I carted it load by load into the garage and then set about weeding and prettifying. I haven’t decided what perennials to plant yet.
June
While I was gone, this raccoon made itself comfortable in my backyard. It took me awhile to figure out that the reason it always seemed to be about at all times of the day was that “it” was a “she,” and she was a mama. Two nights ago her pups climbed down this tree for the first time. They are so cute, but, yes, I know, I’m not supposed to be so hospitable.
As the weather warms up, I find myself gravitating to rosés. Happy summer!
This is my life in a nutshell. What’s your life about these days in ten words or less?
Lisa Alber's Words at Play 
Your garden and writing table are very inspiring. I think I might go home and try to put something together for myself like that:)
Hi tspwriter, thanks! I love being in the garden when the weather is nice. It makes it easier to not procrastinate. 🙂 A tablecloth over the table is the little detail that makes the difference.
well, our bathroom sink is always made from stainless steel because they are long lasting::