Write with TLC

I am trying out SubStack ! Come check out my Substack page and subscribe to get notifications directly in your inbox when I post. For now, all on Substack are free, and you can pledge to support me when I turn on paid subscriptions if you'd like. I just posted a new post, Poetry and Politics , and have scheduled a couple of poems to share over the next few weeks to celebrate National Poetry Month. Please check it out! Thanks! 

  Read an Ebook Week has arrived! All my ebooks on Smashwords are on sale from March 2, 2025-March 8, 2025. Check out most of my titles for 50% off.  My short story, Alone, is free during this Read an Ebook Week. Check out most of my books on Smashwords  or my latest book and short story at Smashwords . (Smashwords and Draft2Digital are merging resulting in me temporarily having 2 pages.) Or individually by clicking on each book below. While you’re there, check out the many other authors participating in the Smashwords Read an Ebook Week promotion! Thank you to everyone who has supported me over the years since I started publishing my books beginning all the way back with All She Ever Wanted in 2001! I am grateful for every reader! I will continue to write about the things that make life worth living, the lessons I learn, and the challenges we face in the world. I have a new book of poetry, Earth in Silhouette, coming soon! Disclosure: This blog contains affiliate links ...

Kit, Little Loves Forevermore  (for Kit ) Your sweetness and light Shined through every day Whether you were setting Or enforcing Your boundaries Snuggling Baby Or your humans Protecting your kitty siblings From doggies walking past Or your human Mama  F rom a garter snake in the yard Telling the vet who was boss At every single visit          Just in case he forgot Chirping at the birds in the yard           Or on the television screen Chasing the sunny spots in the house Or sitting in front of the blazing fireplace You were always So very regal in play or rest From the very first moment You chose our home as yours And us as your family You brought sweetness and light To our lives Making you  Then and forevermore Mama’s Little Loves Disclosure: This blog contains affiliate links meaning if you click on those links and make a purchase, I earn a commission at no additional cost to you. To learn more about me a...

Kit died on January 16, 2024 at   West Hills Animal Hospital   with her humans by her side. Kit's birth place and date remain a mystery.  She found her furever family in December 2008 when she came to live in our home. The vet estimated her be to between 2 and 3 years old at the time, so our best guess is she was born some time in 2006. Read Kit's origin story here. Kit always brought much personality to any space she inhabited.  She was fiercely independent and just as fiercely affectionate when she chose to be. She gave strong lessons in boundaries! As in respect hers! As in it became a common refrain to remind myself and others "Not without her permission." But, a little conversation usually resulted in cooperation. She generally got bored with toys quite quickly, but she loved her Baby (a stuffed mouse with coloring similar to hers) and Ballie (a soft brown ball). She carried them around the house and cuddled with them often ignoring all the other toys. She would...

We all experience grief. It is universal and unique all at once. Grief is devastating and grief is a gift. My forthcoming book of poetry, The Gift of Grief , (ebook available for preorder ) explores my journey through various bouts of grief. It took me a long time to embrace grief rather than fight it or ignore it or work to process it seeking an end date. Grief works on its own time. Embracing it brought me to a place where I could see the gift it brought to my life. I discovered that grief is something we learn to live with not something we process as a one-and-done. I really wanted to check off items to show progress like it was some kind of task list.  At times I felt like the waves of grief just couldn't end because as soon as I started feeling settled, I lost someone else, I sometimes felt like the grief was just too much. I began to realize this was probably true for many other people as well. Between 2020-2024, I grieved the deaths of several friends, myriad extended family...

As someone who has long refused to register with either of the major political parties in the United States as a statement on the issues I have with both parties, I've struggled with how to embrace Uncommitted Oregon . While my values tend to trend liberal, even progressive, I often find the Democratic Party falls short due to the influence of lobbyists, PACs, and corporate influence in general. And the Republican Party's values tend to be completely out of line with mine, or frankly my world view in general. When Uncommitted Oregon started getting off the ground, and I saw the behind-the-scenes work going on, I was both intrigued and conflicted.   In Oregon, I have to be registered with a major political party to vote in that party's primary. I fully support Uncommitted Oregon's message that an immediate and permanent ceasefire throughout Palestine must happen now - well, yesterday or many yesterdays ago, that humanitarian aid must be allowed into Gaza via land crossi...

Story of Todd (for Todd ) Todd May 14, 2009-February 2, 2024 Sleeping quietly All the others scampering Can’t take my eyes off Your little white and gray body Snuggled up against the edge I wait for you to wake up Keep glancing back Finally, I can’t wait any longer I pick you up Your brilliant blue eyes Capture my heart In less than a beat You yawn Not scared Not too excited Not agitated Settle in Home Bringing you home You bounce through the house With such enthusiasm Snuggles and pets Kneads and kisses Purring so much and so loud Always so happy Yet so very sensitive To noise To upheaval To chaos You loved hard You played hard You lived hard Always looking for a new challenge Entertaining yourself and us You were life personified Tenacious to the very end Loving to the very end Filling our hearts day after day Beyond the very end Disclosure: This blog contains affiliate links meaning if you click on tho...

Todd (aka Toddy) died on February 2, 2024 at West Hills Animal Hospital with his humans by his side. He was born in California on May 14, 2009 and brought to Oregon by Safehaven Humane Society shortly thereafter and given the name Powder. He chose us as his family in July 2009 when we met him at Safehaven. From day one, Todd was a loving, sweet, gentle cat who wanted everyone - human and cat alike - he loved to be happy and peaceful. He loved both his humans and both his kitty sisters.  He purred so frequently and so loudly that on his first visit to the vet, Dr. Glaze proclaimed "He's purring so loud I can't hear his heartbeat."  He became easily bored with toys but always loved a new one. He loved to run through tunnels and chase dangling things. He would challenge himself by climbing up the six-foot cat tree using only his front legs. Boxes full of packing paper always made him happy. He didn't care for the outdoors though he did give it a try a few times. He...

2024 has found me, us, the world. I keep searching for meaning in the moments, large and small, that made up 2023, globally as well as personally. There are disappointments, challenges, losses, and triumphs dotted throughout the year. Somehow today it is the little kindnesses that stand out to me in a sea of painful moments. And, I wonder if sometimes we forget that a little kindness, a little love, a little compassion goes a long way toward making life bearable for those in challenging circumstances. My problems this year pale in comparison to worldwide atrocities. They were still challenges I had to face and handle. Those challenges taught me some lessons about the people in my life as well as about myself. Frankly, I don't want to talk about my personal 2023 right now. Relationships change, grow, end, and begin. People lift us up and people let us down. Good things happen, and bad things happen. The world around us can be incredibly kind and just as cruel. And through it all, we...

Banning books has always seemed beyond ridiculous to me. What is the point? Ending knowledge? Ending points of view? What if the book you love is the one on the banning block? Does that change things? T he idea behind book bans is to silence those with messages someone doesn't like. I have often wondered what would happen if someone turned the tables on them.  I recently saw that someone decided to challenge the book bans in their state by using the criteria in them to request the Bible be banned from a library. The official who wrote the book banning bill whined that wasn't what he intended, but let's be  clear the criteria fit. I guess that answers the question. And, this wasn't the first time the Bible has been caught up in these kinds of bans... Just  Google it .  The thing is, and this is what they count on, liberal and progressive folks tend to want people to have access to a multitude of books and generally don't try to ban books because we value knowledge an...

Woke... Are you woke? Am I woke? The word woke has somehow become a slur, an insult, a criticism. Every time I hear the word used in this manner, I roll my eyes. I have to wonder if people really understand what they're criticizing or even what the word is intended to mean. Let's start with a simple definition of woke - awake, aware, conscious. The opposite of this would be asleep, unaware, unconscious. So I'm supposed to be insulted by being called awake, aware, conscious. Really?  Well, call me woke... I'll wear the label proudly!! Now, to be a little less general. When criticizing the idea of being woke, most people seem to be referring to people who are aware or seek to be aware of injustices, inequalities, and vitriol in order to address the consequences for those affected in order to make necessary changes to create a more just, more equal, and more accepting world. Wow! And, there are people who think people should be ashamed of being woke. Really? Are they serio...

Forgiveness is not some supernatural event that fixes everything. It can't be. Asking it to be is too much to expect as well as absolving us the work it takes to right a wrong or at least acknowledge a wrong that can't be righted. Forgiveness is all about accountability and absolves no one from the need for accountability. Forgiveness is essential to life. It allows hurts to mend, amends to be made, and offers a way to move forward. Sometimes that forgiveness allows people to move forward together, but sometimes it helps them move forward apart. When they move forward together, that's growing closer. When they move forward apart, that's finding closure. Both are important at different times in life. Forgiveness isn't something we do for the other person. It's a gift we give ourselves. It's a letting go of what's beyond our control. It's an acceptance of what happened and whose accountable. Forgiveness allows us to stop clinging to the mud miring us i...

What now? The end of 2022 is upon us. In a few hours, it'll be 2023. How was your 2022? Funny how I haven't heard that question asked much lately. But then again, I've been housebound due to a foot injury for much of the last few months. As I've stated many times over, I don't really get the big deal about the end of the year and the beginning of a new one. Life goes on regardless of what number is on the calendar. That said, I think 2022 has been both good and bad, like most years. On the professional side, I'm rather happy with the progress I made on my poetry. I'm not as happy with the progress I made on the novel I'm working on. I'm happy with the cards and other products I've created on  Zazzle . I'm not as happy that both this blog and my cooking blog, Vegan Cooking with TLC , ended up rather neglected this year. I'm happy I posted more reviews on Reviews with TLC this year and figured out how I want to approach reviews going forwa...

I have left another social media platform, Twitter. I had long considered leaving, but Elon Musk buying the company was the final feather for me.  I archived my data and deactivated my account. It didn't feel as liberating as when I deactivated my Facebook account, but that's probably because I hadn't really used Twitter in a long time. I'd also never used it quite like I did Facebook. I don't think I'll miss Twitter.  Based on what I've seen in the news thus far about how Twitter is now being managed, I'm quite certain I made the right decision. It seems the platform is headed in a direction that's antithetical to the way I live my life and the way I want to move about the world. Inviting hate into my life is unproductive. There comes a time when we have to decide if a company that is antithetical to our values deserves our patronage. I have decided neither Facebook nor Twitter deserve mine. The benefits I get from either one don't outweigh the ...

  The End of Democracy Will we see  The end of democracy coming The warning signs Blowing through our lives Like a cold winter breeze Drifting the snow of democracy Into drifts that drown us In a sea of snowflakes Dirty with the fighting It takes to hold on to  The freedoms we Believe to be protected As we go about our lives Ignoring as each one erodes Trusting those we put in power To put people over power Forgetting the addictive power Of power Convince ourselves We can change courses At our next reset The reset we believe is always there But what happens when The new beginning promised Erases all signs of our choice Will we fight for our representation Or will we turn on one another Allow tyranny to erase every clue To the past we hold up as sacred To the tradition we swear matters To the myth of what we never were Will we fight to become a Better democracy or give in to become Ruled by the fear that gives power To greed and leaves us all Wishing for a world We imagine...

Eight of my ebooks are currently 50% off on Google Books. Current sale lasts through August 31, 2022. Buy books here Thank you!

Often when we long for one thing that craving is simply a mask for the thing we really want.  When I crave Grandma Stamm’s macaroni and tomatoes, boiled potatoes, or chocolate cake, it’s not the taste I want.  No one can ever duplicate her cooking even if they follow her recipes to the letter.  Grandma made those with her special love, and that’s what I really crave.  Grandma died twenty years ago, and I still long to spend time with her. She often expressed her love through cooking.  Every Sunday she fixed favorite dishes for family and friends she expected to visit.  There were no invitations, no RSVPs, no formality.  People wandered in and out of her house Sunday afternoon and into the evening.  They fixed a plate of food from the bowls and platters of food kept warm in the oven, played a game of cards, and chatted about the week past and the coming week.  She’d lay her cards down to greet the newest visitors, and after much protest, retur...