Jun 27, 2016

open letter to the foster parents



Seth stuck his hands in his pockets and lifted his chin. He didn't want to be there, didn't want to talk to anybody. 
At Grace's he'd been able to just sit on her little stoop, be alone with his thoughts. 
Even when she'd come out for a little while and sat beside him with Aubrey on her knee, 
she'd let him be.
Because she understood he'd wanted to be quiet.


Sea Swept



____________________________



By Mferr020 at en.wikibooks, CC BY-SA 3.0, 
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=9097807



What I hope is that by sharing the tips for foster parents that follow — what hurt and what helped — I can ease the delicate transition from “home” to “foster home."


Here's what I really wish I could have said to those foster parents:





____________________________




The smile, Phillip noted, came much more quickly and easily than it had a few months before. But there was a gap in it.
"Hey." Phillip butted a finger on the bill of the cap. "Lose something?"
"Huh?"
Phillip tapped a finger against his own straight, white teeth.
"Oh, yeah." With a typical Quinn shrug, Seth grinned, pushing his tongue into the gap. His face was fuller than it had been six months before, and his eyes less wary.



Inner Harbor

Jun 24, 2016

Mentions in Nora's Novels




He could smell Anna's red sauce simmering, like ambrosia on the air. "God
bless us, every one," he murmured.
"Manicotti," Seth informed him.
"Yeah? I've got a Chianti I've been saving just for this moment." He tossed his briefcase aside. "We'll hit the books after dinner."
He found his sister-in-law in the kitchen, filling pasta tubes with cheese.


Inner Harbor



__________________






Jun 23, 2016

reason to not clean our homes




"Michael, not to
intrude, but could I ask how long you've been living this way?"
'l bought the place about four years ago."
"And you're still alive. You're a strong man, Michael."


Public Secrets


______________



We finally have a scientifically-backed reason to not clean our homes



______________



It was her first free day since resuming her role of Amanda. 
She was spending it doing something she rarely started, and more rarely finished. 
Housecleaning.
In tattered shorts and a halter, she sat on her windowsill two stories
up, and leaning out, washed the outside of her windows. 
The volume on her radio was turned up so that the sinuous violins of Scheherazade
all but shook the panes. 
Occasionally someone from the neighborhood would shout up at her. 
 Ariel would stop working— - something that took no effort at all— - and shout back down.


Dual Images

Jun 20, 2016

things to Know About the Summer Solstice




In the dark green shadows of the deep woods, an hour before moonrise, they met in secret. Soon the longest day would become the shortest night of the solstice.


Dance Upon The Air


___________________



Raymond Norris [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], 
via Wikimedia Commons


This year, the summer solstice falls on June 20 in the northern hemisphere and is celebrated across the world. In the northern hemisphere, the solstice heralds the beginning of summer and in the southern hemisphere, the beginning of winter. Here are some interesting facts about the day when the Earth is actually the farthest from the Sun.





___________________



The moon was nearly full. It would be fat and round by the weekend, and the solstice.
And a full moon on the solstice meant bounty, and promise. 
And the rites of fertility that lead to harvest.
“Last year I went to Ireland for the solstice,” he told her. “There’s a small stone dance there, in County Cork. It’s more intimate than Stonehenge. The sky stays light until nearly ten, and when it begins to fade, toward the end of the longest day, the stones sing.”


Face The Fire

Jun 17, 2016

Things Dads Are Hardly Told To Do For Their Daughters, But Should




"You know what I'm built on. You can't think I'm good enough for her."
"Of course you're not," Boyd said simply, and noticed those clear green eyes didn't so much as flicker.
"She's my little girl, Jonah. No one's good enough for her. But knowing what you're built on, I'd say you're pretty close. I wonder why that surprises you. The one area I don't recall you ever being low in is esteem."
"I'm over my head here," Jonah murmured. "It's been a long time since I've been over my head in
anything."
"Women do that to you. The right woman, you never really surface again. She's beautiful, isn't she?"
"Yes. She blinds me."
"She's also smart, and she's strong, and she knows how to deal with what's dished out."
Absently, Jonah rubbed his thumb over his sore lip. "No argument."
"Then my advice to you is to play it straight with her, too. She won't let you get away with less, not for long."
"She isn't looking for anything else from me."
"You keep thinking that, son." At ease again, Boyd crossed to Jonah, laid a hand on his shoulder.
"There's just one thing," he said as they started toward the door. "If you hurt her, I'll take you out. They'll never find your body."
"Well, I feel better now."

Night Shield



________________________




By Srichakra Pranav (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], 
via Wikimedia Commons




Inspired by writer Roxane Gay's response to a nervous father of a daughter, I've compiled a list of the things I believe all dads of daughters should know to make sure his influence is the best possible kind, from my personal experiences and through the many experiences of other daughters.





________________________





With a quick, throaty laugh, Natasha led the way into the bedroom.
"Don't mention looking sexy around your father. He isn't quite ready for it."

"But he's all right, isn't he? About the move?"

"He misses you, and sometimes he looks in your room as if he still expects to see you there--in pigtails. So do I," Natasha admitted, and sat on the edge of the bed. "But yes, he's all right with it. More than. He--both of us are so proud of you. Not just because of the music, but because of who you are."

No one was more surprised than Natasha when Freddie dropped on the bed beside her and burst into tears.

"Oh, my love, my baby, what is it?" Drawing Freddie close, Natasha stroked and soothed. "There, sweetheart, tell Mama."

"I'm sorry." Giving up, Freddie pressed her face into Natasha's soft, welcoming shoulder and wept. "I guess this has been building up all day--all week. All my life. Maybe I am spoiled and indulged."

Instantly insulted, Natasha leaned back to look at Freddie. "Spoiled? You're not spoiled, and not indulged! What would put such nonsense in your head?"

"Not what, who." Disgusted with herself, Freddie dug around in her pocket for a tissue. "Oh, Mama, I had such an awful fight with Nick today."

Of course, Natasha thought with a little inward sigh. She should have suspected it. "We often fight with those we care about, Freddie. You shouldn't take it so hard."

"It wasn't just a spat, not like we've had before. We said awful things to each other. He doesn't have any respect for who I am, or what I'm trying to do. As far as he's concerned, I'm just here to kick up my heels, knowing if I trip, you and Dad will be there to catch me."

"And so we would, if you needed us. That's what family is for. It doesn't mean you're not strong and self-reliant, just because you have someone who would reach out if you needed help."

"I know. I know that." But it helped enormously to hear it, all the same.

Waiting for Nick

Jun 16, 2016




“Then maybe . . . Wait a minute. February? Is it Vinnie Calerone?” 

“Yes. Do you know him?” 

“Yeah. Knew him when we were kids. My ma's friendly with his. When he heard I moved back, he came to see me. I service his Mercedes. He said he was getting married in February, said he'd get me an invite.” 

“Were you close?” 

“Not especially.” He glanced at her, then decided to finish it out. “He was getting the shit beat out of him back in the day. It looked to me like he'd have held his own one-on-one, but there were two of them. I evened the odds. And I was right. He held his own. Vinnie's wearing a zoot suit.” His grin spread with easy humor. “I can actually see that.”

“You got into a fight for him?” 

“Not for him, especially. It was more the two-against-one deal. Beating somebody up because he's gay is ignorant. Ganging up to do it? That's cheap. Anyway, it only took a few minutes.This is the place.”


Happy Ever After


_______________





Orlando skyline, photo by Bill Dickinson (as permitted for use on Wikipedia)




Orlando nightclub shooting: 49 lives cut short

Jun 13, 2016

3 A.M.




"It's all right," he murmured.
"I—I thought you'd gone."
"I said I'd stay." He slitted his eyes open, scanned the dull red glow of the bedside alarm. 
"Three A.M. hotel time. Should have figured it."


Inner Harbor


____________





By Pegasus1138 - Own work, CC BY 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=771921




You Asked: Why Do I Always Wake Up at 3 A.M.?


It all results in the same thing: you just can’t get to sleep. But the underlying causes of insomnia are multiple, and it may be a mix of biological, medical and psychological issues, explains Michael Perlis, director of the Behavioral Sleep Medicine Program at the University of Pennsylvania.





____________


At three A.M., when spirits often stir, Jude huddled in bed under a thick quilt with a pot of tea on the table and a book in her hand. The fire simmered in the grate, the mist slid across the windows. She wondered if she'd ever been happier.
And fell asleep with the light burning and her reading glasses slipping down her nose.

Jewels of The Sun

Jun 12, 2016

Always Be With Someone Who Lets You Eat Cake




"Want dessert?"
"Damn right."
"Okay, but don't order the tiramisu, because then I'd be forced to beg you for a bite, then two, then I'd end up stealing half of it and go into a coma."
Keeping his eyes on hers, he signaled for the waitress with the casual authority of a man used to giving orders. It made Cybil's brow crease.
"Tiramisu," he told the waitress. "Two forks," and made Cybil weak with laughter.

The Perfect Neighbor



______________________




By Danielle Tsi from Mountain View, CA, USA (Profiterole montage) 
[CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons




2- Always Be With Someone Who Lets You Eat Cake



The right man or woman will let you eat cake. Lots of it.
I went out with someone, a very great and kind person, who seeing me struggle to decide on dessert, (really, is it fair to choose between chocolate mousse and cheesecake? I don’t think so) let me order both.






______________________




He sampled the chocolate himself. "This is very well named. 'Sin.' " He tormented himself by imagining the taste of her mixed with the chocolate.
It made her stomach jump. "You're going to have to sin by yourself." She picked up her coffee. "I'm resisting."
"One more," he murmured, sliding the fork into the dessert, lifting a tempting bite to her lips. And he was pleased to see, when she took it, that she could indeed be tempted.

IAN @  MacGregor Grooms

Jun 10, 2016

"sending" Dear Husband to Lunacy

After his first experience - a successful one if you ask me - with Nora's books, dear husband has been dedicated to HIS kind of books.

I didn't push or even asked if he wanted to read more... as I was deep in The Obsession and waiting for my Bay of Sighs to arrive so I was a bit surprised when he asked: "find me something to read."
I asked: "do you want to read Nora again?"
He said "OK"

And that was it. I chose Northern Light because we talk constantly of Alaska and how much we'd like to visit. And - to be honest - I wanted to see and hear his reaction to Meg's outgoing and somehow unique ways.


So on June 10th he starts reading NORTHERN LIGHTS.






UPDATE



9 days after starting Northern Lights - yesterday - Dear Husband turned to me and said:

"After such a day - he had a Lish day with lots of things to do that as gratifying as they were tired him to the bone, and on top weather turned into August overnight, and he had been working outdoors for hours - all I want is to crawl back to Lunacy and Meg's Cabin".

And off he went to bed to read his book. 

He's really enjoying it!!! I'm very happy with my husband enjoying one of my favorite books from Nora.


________________




UPDATE!


He's done it. It's August the 2nd and he took his time to enjoy and finish it. Those last pages seemed to take longer than the rest of the reading :). He liked it very much. He went through all the stages I did when reading the book which is curious as we're nothing alike. It was funny to see him pointing The Professor as the killer. It was sweet to see his bafflement and then the happiness and love for Meg. Admiration for Burke since day 1 and that he took his sweet time to read those last pages tells me he didn't want to leave Lunacy or this story. He's asking for more from Nora. I'm undecided between the Concannon Sisters or In the Garden Trilogies. He really loved the Quinn's - and already claiming that it's one of the kind -  so I think he prefers it to standalone novels.

Jun 9, 2016

Introverts Handle Heartbreak Differently




"Throw something, then," he suggested. "Punch me, yell at me."
"That would make it easier for you." She needed her cave, her solitude. And some
scrap of pride. "I asked you to go. If you have any conscience about what you’ve
done, you’ll respect that."


Three Fates


___________





By Stan Wiechers from New York (Sadness) [CC BY-SA 2.0 
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons





When an introvert’s heart is broken, give them Netflix and ample time alone.



Heartbreak doesn’t hurt any less if you’re an introvert, an extrovert or a somewhere-in-the-middle ambivert.
Still, each personality type deals with the sting of a breakup a little differently. Below, experts share seven things that are true of most introverts going through a split.





Jun 8, 2016

"How I Recognized (and Left) a Financially Abusive Relationship"




Like a traffic cop, Mac threw up her hand. “You paid her bills?”
He shrugged. “Initially she was trying to save for her own place, then . . . 
It got to be a habit.”


Vision in White

_______________





I remember the first time my then-boyfriend asked me for money and I didn't feel like I could say no. We were parked in the lot of a train station where he often picked me up. Since he'd recently quit a job he hated and was only working part-time, he needed extra cash for gas to keep picking me up and visiting me, he said. He'd calculated that half the cost of the drives he took for my sake came out to $20 a month.
Nobody other than a cab driver had ever asked me to compensate them for a ride, and the exchange felt oddly transactional for two people who had been dating for a year and a half. Plus, I paid for my own train tickets, which I thought made us even. But he said it would be hard for him to see me as much if I didn't pitch in that monthly $20, so I did.

But it didn't stop there.



_______________


Mac took a moment to absorb. “Let me just sum all that up, take it down to its basic formula. Because its one I know very well. She maneuvered you into providing her with housing—for which she paid nothing.”
“I could hardly ask her for rent.”
“She shared none of the household expenses, and in fact sweet-talked you into fronting her for her expenses. You probably lent her cash from time to time. You'll never see that again. You bought her things—clothes, jewelry. If you balked, she used tears or sex to smooth that out and get what she was after.”

“Well, I suppose, but—”

“Let me finish it out. When she got tired of it, or saw something shinier, she lied, cheated, betrayed, then laid it all out as your fault for not caring enough. Would that be about right?”



Vision in White

Jun 7, 2016

Mentions in Nora's Novels




At GoodReads, today, someone was saying how details aren't important in Novels... someone had been pointing that some less rigorous detail in one NR novel that kept distracting her from the story... two members jumped in saying that it wasn't important... I beg to differ... we all love Nora Roberts' Books BUT details DO matter.

When reading a novel - as much deep into it I am - I can't help but having my mind flying away with the several mentions that show up. It is easy for a song, a singer's name, a place mention to send me away from the book into the internet to search for what Nora's trying to show, bring, evoke... that way I can return to the book knowing where and with whom I stand ;)












On one salmon-colored wall was a Maxfield Parrish sea nymph. Noting it, Philip had affirmed that Adrianne was more of a romantic than she wanted to admit.


The Sweet Revenge










Jun 6, 2016

Books Smell So Darn Good




He liked the smell of the place, of books and wood and people come in out of the
rain. Another time he’d have enjoyed just the being there. And though Gideon was
the keenest reader in the family, Malachi would have found pleasure in simply
choosing a book and settling down with it in this palace of literature.


Three Fates


_____________________



By NYC Wanderer (Kevin Eng) - originally posted to Flickr as Gutenberg Bible, 
CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=9914015



Science Finally Explains Why Books Smell So Darn Good



Ask an avid reader what their favorite scent in the world is, and the answer is almost immediate: the intoxicating smell of old books.

Whether you’re taking a good whiff in an indie bookstore or breathing in the delicate pages of an ancient volume at a local library, there’s no denying that old books smell damn good.

But why exactly is that?

Well, thanks to Andy Brunning, a Cambridge chemistry teacher who devotes his free time to debunking complicated chemistry, you don’t need a master’s degree to find out.





_____________________



The smell caught her instantly. Books, a world of books.


Key of Knowledge

Jun 4, 2016

Grilling mistakes and how to avoid them




"A monumental moment. I am passing the sacred tongs and spatula to you."
"Wait a minute, wait a minute." Ally elbowed her brother aside. "Why can't I do it?"
"Ah." Boyd held a hand to his heart. "How many times have I heard you say those very words in our long and exciting life together?"
Amused and fascinated by the family dynamics, Jonah watched mutiny settle over Ally's face. "Well, why can't I?"
"Allison, my treasure, there are some things a man must pass to his son. Son." Boyd laid a hand on Bryant's shoulder. "I'm trusting you with the Fletcher reputation. Don't let me down."
"Dad." Bryant wiped an imaginary tear from his eye. "I'm overwhelmed. Honored. I swear to uphold the family name, no matter what the cost."
"Take these." Boyd held out the barbecue tools. "Today, you are a man."


Night Shield


______________





By Hedwig Storch - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, 
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4380081



Cooking is still a science, even when you're doing it outdoors. Despite what your dad might have taught you, grilling is more about patience and planning than poking and prodding. Make a single error, and your burgers could turn out tough and bitter, your chicken rare and unappetizing.
Luckily, these errors are easy to avoid.



______________



“Quite a view,” Quinn added, nodding toward the men at the grill.
“Camera worthy.”
“Excellent idea. Be right back.”
“Where’s she going?” Layla asked.
“I have no idea. Just as I have no idea why it apparently takes three grown men to cook some hamburgers.”
“One to cook, one to kibitz, and one to insult the other two.”
“Ah. Another mystery solved.”


The Pagan Stone

Jun 3, 2016

The Perks of Ageing




English rose, she thought and let out a half laugh. 
Once, long ago, she might have appeared that fragile and dewy. 
She turned and studied one of her healthy stock plants. 
She was much more like that now, sturdy and strong.
And that, she thought as she got back to work, was just fine with her.


Black Rose


_______________




By Athena1199 (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons




Like traffic and taxes, aging is inevitable. 
But why cringe every time another birthday comes around? Wine gets better with age, and so do we. 
Read on for some compelling reasons why you should actually be excited about the years to come.





_______________




"She didn't want you coming out with me tonight."
"Apparently not, but that's too bad. Here I am."
He looked at her again. "Why?"
"I said I would, and I do what I say I will. Then you can add that she made me mad, 
and I don't back down, either. And lastly, I wanted to explore whether 
or not I'm going to like your company on a purely social level."
"You shoot very straight."
"I do. It irritates some people."
"I'm not one of them. Sorry about the sweater."
"So am I."
"We could speculate-"
"We could," Roz interrupted. "But I'd just as soon not, right now. 
She didn't stop the evening, so I don't see why she should drive it, either."


Black Rose

Jun 2, 2016

8 Swing ideas for your dreamy home




He’d been expecting the unusual. And he wasn’t disappointed.
The focal point of the living room was a long oversize hammock swinging from brass ceiling hooks. One end of it was piled with pillows.


Dual Images


_________________





By John Reinhard Weguelin - http://onokart.files.wordpress.com/2010/10/john-reinhard-weguelin-the-swing.jpg, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=19796830

Looking for a relaxing space in your home? 
Whether there is you living room, terrace or porch, a dreamy swing 
is the perfect solution.



_________________




"Sleep with me awhile." Turning her head she kissed his
shoulder before settling again. "Just for a little while."
For days and nights she’d thought only of tomorrows. The time had
come again to think only of now. Long after he slept, she lay awake,
feeling the hammock move gently.


Dual Images

Jun 1, 2016