It’s time for me to prep for Camp Widow in San Diego this week. There are lots of tasks to get myself ready to be away from home for almost 5 days. Packing myself, scheduling the kids with grandparents, lining out their schedules, the list goes on. Last week, I received a survey from Soaring […]
Blog
Ruff Musings From the “Homefront”
I am sitting here writing in the moment as the week sort of sped by and I realized last night I had not prepped or drafted a post for today. Monday started with an interesting phone consult with a Literary Agent in New York City about my memoir that is continually in progress. If […]
One of Us
At 4:17am on July 9th, my mom became one of us. My dad succumbed to the traumatic brain injury sustained in the wreck on June 30th. They were married for 65 years. They got on each others nerves at points, but stuck it out together till death did they part. It’s a good thing I’m […]
The Getaway
I read in Forbes that 47% of working Americans won’t take a summer vacation this year “because it’s too stressful to plan a getaway.” “5 Productivity Hacks To Avoid The Summer Slump And Stay On Track,” by Bryan Robinson, Ph.D. (found at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/bryanrobinson/2024/07/02/5-productivity-hacks-to-avoid-thesummer-slump-and-stay-on-track/ ). While I no longer count myself among this group of Americans, […]
Summertime
and it is HOT in Riverside, California! Awakening to climbing temperatures that announce at 6:00 am another hot day on the way. I rise to turn on the fans. Oddly the first thought is about the heat and not about my widowed status. You see, there are many […]
July Blues
Just like clockwork, another July rolls around. As each year passes, the important dates seem to hold more value as we get further from when Erik was here. July holds so much significance for us. July 2nd of the year Erik passed was supposed to be our “Christmas in July” vow renewal. These important dates […]
Fireworks
This is the fourth, 4th of July we’ve celebrated without Tony. It doesn’t feel as devastating as it did the first few years. While it doesn’t hurt like it did in the beginning, I still find myself thinking about him throughout the holiday. On the 4th, our youngest was recovering from a cold so we […]
Pause
I almost forgot to write in here today, because life. But here I am, writing the blog at about 7:20pm eastern time. Better late than never I guess. My day was a bit wacky today, and started out a bit chaotic and rushed, which is why I forgot to write in here, since I normally […]
Hellos and Good-byes
Because summer has always been my favorite season, and I strongly dislike cold climates, the Fourth of July had always been one of my favorite holidays growing up in the North. For me, this holiday was sort of like a summertime version of New Year’s Eve with its fireworks, gatherings and celebration of all forms […]
A Tough Week
Trigger warnings: car accident, physical trauma, death, hospital scenes. Sunday afternoon a Sheriff knocked on my door. My 86 year old dad crashed his truck. He veered off the road at high speed and slammed into a culvert. He was taken to the local hospital by ambulance, but from the get go, it was clear […]
Goodbye, My Sweet
This past Tuesday marks four years to the day that Lee died. For years, Lee had successfully battled diverse types of cancer, and endured a host of other serious medical problems, with unusual grace and good humor. She was indefatigable and determined to beat pancreatic cancer nearly to the moment this terrible disease took her […]
It’s Time
Another death anniversary passed in April and here we are already in July. It’s time to honor our fifty-fith wedding anniversary coming up tomorrow. It is the privilege of a lifetime is to live, tell, and record the stories of our lives, Dan Neff. It is love on love on more love. […]









