Okay, no surprise here. I am a writer and we live in our heads. When we put the thoughts on paper (or in the computer)  that’s how we express ourselves.  Yes, I do know a few extrovert writers, but for the majority that I’m close to it takes a lot of effort to be “on”.

I’ve had a lot of company over the past few weeks – my college roommates for a four day pajamas party, family to look for clothes for an upcoming family wedding. Now Christmas is coming. I love them all, but it takes a lot of energy for me. I sometimes think of them as vampires. They get more and more energized as I’m drained.

I’m an empty nester now and frankly love it. It would be great to see the kids more, but I also love that hubby or I can say, “Hey, let’s go to the mountains for the weekend,” and all we have to do it lock the door and leave.

I realize that I come home from work (I still have a full time job in addition to writing) and don’t even speak for hours. I read or write and recharge for the next day. Then it starts over again.

What about you? Does being around people give you energy or sap it? What do you do to recharge?

I have an extra lot to be thankful for this year.  Of course there’s Hubby, still my best friend ever after 35 years together – he’s been especially great this week. And two incredible, intelligent, strong children who are off on their own, supporting themselves.

And I’m thankful that Rebel Ink Press and I found each other and that they are publishing my seventh work with them on December 17 – Nowhere for Christmas.

This year in addition, my best sister’s (okay only sister’s) son, my wonderful nephew got married this week to his partner in New York where they’re intelligent enough not to bar two people who love each other from getting married. 

 Logan Ford and Robert Reynolds

Samantha Honeycutt – Stage Manager, Franny Civitano – Actress (and wedding officiant), Laura Ford – Niece and College Student

But since this is my blog–this year I’m most grateful of all that in the fall I took on the sidewalk of NY three hours before the wedding –

• That Samantha was there to take over and handle everything – she really looked after me
• For all the New Yorkers who stopped to check on us, especially the man that saw me go down and called 911 then stayed until the ambulance arrived – I hope his brother is okay
• I did not shatter my glasses and get glass in my eye
• I did not break either wrist
• The small bone I did break in my left hand is already healing
• My ribs are only sore, nothing broken that pierced a lung
• My knee is only abraised
• And that the wedding was so soon after the fall, the eye didn’t have time to blacken to its present glory.

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving!!

Spicy Rib-Eye Beef

1  6-pound boneless beef rib-eye roast
1/3  cup coarse or cracked black pepper
½  teaspoon ground cardamom
1  cup soy sauce
¾  cup red wine vinegar
1  tablespoon tomato paste

 Trim excess fat from roast.  Combine pepper and cardamom; pat onto roast.
Combine next 5 ingredients, pour over roast, cover
Marinate overnight in refrigerator, turning occasionally

Remove roast from marinade; discard marinate.  Wrap roast in foil and place in shallow baking pan. Bake at 325 for 2 hours or until thermometer registers 140 (rare) or 160 (medium)

Well, it’s not like it used to be around here. Of course the kids grow up and move away. That’s good, it means we raised them to be independent and self-supporting. But it also means a lot of “new” traditions for the holidays. 

El Son lives seven hours away, which is not an imposing drive for him. But it’s where I hit the wall and need to pull over. He drives in for Thanksgiving (usually) and Christmas. There are years those are the only times I actually get to see him. We talk often, but his work hours until recently have made weekends and nights a problem. He did get to join us at the beach this summer! This year he’s spending Thanksgiving with a friend (the girl variety) and her family. So I guess Hubby and I will go to K&W for turkey with the other old farts.  No, actually we have a very nice invitation from friends, but if I want to feel sorry for myself I can.

La Daughter is a stage manager in New York City–making a living at it! I couldn’t be prouder, but New York City? It ain’t exactly around the corner. And those pesky tourists like to go to plays when they go to NY for the holidays. Guess who’s behind the scenes – yep, the unsung stage managers. So, holidays like Thanksgiving (when there’s the Macy Day parade) and Christmas (when the whole city is lit up) are busy days.

So, we’ve learned to adapt. If the kids come at separate times, we have two Christmases. We leave the tree up and the decorations out and so far the neighbors haven’t come after us with pitchforks and tar. At least one of them will fully understand this year when their son leaves for the military. Since I know El Son likes the spicy rib eye roast (recipe enclosed) we’ll have that for him and La Daughter prefers turkey so we can do that too and both feel extra special (well they are!) They get individual attention as if they were only children. And there’s no bickering like when they were kids either–though I think they’ve both outgrown that (Lord, I hope so!).

If/when they get married and have kids, I suppose it will get even more complicated and we’ll travel more. There’s no room in either’s apartments for us and they seem to like to come home (and it can’t be for my cooking). 

So the traditions change or we take them with us and fit them in with new traditions that the kids are evolving for themselves just like we did when we got married. I’m glad it’s not static, most of the time. But I can’t wait to hug the stuffing out of them next time I see them.

My latest novella – Nowhere for Christmas will be released December 17 – leave me a comment and you’ll be in the running for a copy as soon as it’s available!

Still celebrating November – I’m up at Rebel Reasoning today – Author of the Month! RebelReasoning

AND I’m over at Michael’s today – The Little People in My Head

Be sure to stop by and enter the Rafflecopter at It’s November! – a Rafflecopter giveaway