Concord Grapes My great-aunt Verna lived in a house across the street from the National Cemetery in Winchester, VA. My grandmother lived with her, and later my aunt and her family shared the other half of the house. As a kid, I’d go visit them all, occasionally staying the night. The house was L-shaped, and in the corner of that ell the yard had been bricked over, and a high arbor spanned and shaded the ground beneath.

Here I am with Linwood Jackson, President of the Delaware Press Association. On May 1, I was awarded a Second Place in the Delaware Press Association Communications Awards for my book, The Song of North Mountain. This was my veryfirstever book released solely under my name, and the award presentation was exactly one year after the book hit publication.

For the last year I have been suffering from fluctuating exhaustion, primarily due to major surgery I had in August, preceded by related health issues and the formal launch of my first book. If you've read my blog or followed me on social media, the book was a Big Deal. I'm on my fifth career, this time as a writer - poetry and stories.

This winter has felt like one of the longest I have ever experienced. I've been tired, confused, and overwhelmed with so many things. Just when we hit mid-March, the confusion has mounted. I wear my Big Coat in the morning, with temps in the high 30s, and shorts and flip-flops by mid-afternoon. Even Mother Nature is confused. The political landscape is confusing.

These last months, especially the last week, have been a blur. I am (still) recovering from major surgery, (c'mon, now! It's been 6 months! I should be as fit as ever!!), my partner has been in skilled nursing and hospital for eight, I have a writer's block that is in hibernation mode, and the weather makes me want to crawl in with the writer's block and sleep until June.