Writer at Random

Blame Anne Hathaway

I did it again--went a little crazy at my hair appointment.

Every few years I get the bug for short-short hair, even though I come home from the stylist, look in the mirror, and want to run screaming into the abyss.

See, it looks so cute on Anne Hathaway! I mean, did you see her Oscar photos? Très chic!

The problem is I am twice her age. Plus she is just naturally gorgeous. And has better hair.

Someday . . . when I'm finally comfortable with the "new me," I might post a photo. Until then, you'll have to settle for a picture of Anne.

Yes, I've noticed . . .

Not offering any excuses this time, but, yes, I realize this blog is currently a dead zone. How does that saying go  . . .

The best laid schemes o' Mice an' Men,
Gang aft agley,
An' lea'e us nought but grief an' pain,
For promis'd joy!

That's a quote from Robert Burns's "To a Mouse." Might as well title it "To an Absent Blogger."

I would promise to do better, but I wouldn't want to raise false hopes.

Mental health day

Today I went shopping. I don't enjoy shopping all that much, but I needed makeup and other stuff, plus I had a lovely gift certificate for Coldwater Creek that was burning a hole in my purse (thank you, DiAnn Mills!!!).

Why did I need a mental health day? It's a crazy-busy time with book signings, two library presentations coming up, and reviewing galleys for my next book.

Not the most exciting blog post, I know, but as I mentioned several days ago, I'm working on being more consistent. How am I doin', huh?

What prompts you to take a mental health day? What's your favorite way to spend it?

Sometimes it's just one of those days!

This is our dog Gracie. For some reason she likes sleeping with her head under something.

I kind of felt like doing this today. It was the third day to have those handymen hammering away, and I had a splitting headache. But--YAY! --they finished around noon. Now we just have some touchup painting and cleanup to do. Yep, shaping up to be another fun weekend at the Johnson house.

Think maybe I can squeeze in next to Gracie???

Good hair day, bad office day

Had a salon appointment this afternoon.

Which is a good thing since a couple of handymen are ripping holes in my office ceiling today. The house we purchased last year was built with indirect lighting, which means somewhere in each room is an electrical outlet that is operated by a light switch on the wall.

Not fun when the outlet is in a totally inconvenient location for plugging in a lamp. Not to mention the lamp illuminates only one part of the room, unlike a typical overhead fixture would do.

So . . . those nice handymen are relocating the A/C vent from the center of the ceiling over to one of the corners, running new wiring from the light switch to the ceiling, and installing a ceiling fan with light kit in the center of the room.

And this is happing in all the upstairs bedrooms (one of which is my office).

So my office is a mess.

But my hair looks really cute. And  I'm really going to enjoy that ceiling fan this summer!

How will you celebrate the Fourth?

Happy Fourth of July (a day early)!

It's going to feel weird this year since the kids are traveling and we won't have family in town to celebrate with. One thing we can count on, however. The dogs are going to freak out at the first pop of a firecracker!

We'll enjoy a lazy day, maybe throw something on the grill. Or better yet, eat out! (Have I ever mentioned on this blog how much I dislike cooking???) In the "olden days" when the kids were at home, we'd haul out the ice cream freezer and make up a batch of homemade vanilla ice cream. This year we'll settle for a couple of very generous slices of ice-cold watermelon!

What are your plans for the Fourth? Any favorite traditions? While you're celebrating, take a moment to remember how privileged we are as Americans. Thanks to all the men and women throughout our history who have been willing to fight and die for the freedoms we enjoy.

Pinterest, anyone?

Oops, the day almost got away from me before I remembered my commitment to blog regularly!

Let's talk Pinterest, shall we? I'm late jumping on this bandwagon, but I've got a few pins up now. You can find my boards here.

If you're on Pinterest, tell me what you like best about it. What are some of the benefits you've discovered? Any tips or advice you'd share with a newbie?

It's hot!!!

A picture is worth a thousand words, but in this case, only two are necessary!

Busy day in a writer's life!

At the allergist getting my weekly shots but determined to blog again this week!

Great morning chatting with fellow author Dora Hiers. We've been preparing our program on "Writing Inspirational Novels" that we'll be giving at area libraries in July. Nothing beats talking with another writer about all the ups and downs in this crazy business!

Next, errands. Writing today? Not so much.

Day 3 and counting

How many times do you have to do something before it becomes a habit? Seven? Twenty-one? I forget. But I'm determined to make this a more active blog.

Even if I'm the only one who's paying attention. Which I suspect might well be the case, considering how much the blogosphere has grown!

So, for today's post, I'd like to share some photos of my new "baby."

A Horseman's Gift is book 2 in my "Horsemen of Cross Roads Farm" series for Heartsong Presents and tells the story of Nathan Cross (Sheridan's brother from book 1) and Filipa Beltran (daughter of Manuelo, the stable hand). Currently the books are available only by subscription through Harlequin's reader service.

What's new in your life? Tell me all about it!