How many graduations have you traveled to this month? I arrived home this past week from northern Virginia and the graduation of a granddaughter—Salutatorian may I add!—just in  time for Father’s Day weekend with family members on their way to help celebrate, and the annual South Carolina Ridge Peach Festival.   Staring at my still unpacked suitcase, unwrapped gift for     read more

My dog can’t resist a good squirrel chase. A favorite begins with a stare-down at the bird feeder. The squirrel looks up from stuffing its cheeks, twitches its tail, and it’s on! There’s time for one more greedy grab but the delay requires a super-squirrel escape. The thief crouches, springs from the high porch rail, and finds safety in the     read more

  If, like me, you’re a people pleaser you’d probably rather eat bugs than employ confrontation as a healthy means to resolve a conflict. But sometimes that’s exactly what’s needed. Here are 3 things that help me “cowboy up” and face a confrontation when there’s no other way out. I remember I’m not equipped to live in a minefield. I’m     read more