niall brigant

Taking that Breath

~ Natsgirl ~ Leave a comment

Morning and so nice to be back.

That fork in the road has been disruptive, as most forks are. Saying goodbye to things that have outlived their time is not easy. Change never is. As I have made another step toward that person I will become I’ve found some friendships have proven themselves. They have grown with me, willing to bend as I am, myself, bending.

Others have not.

It has been a year of travel and discovery. I am hiking in company, as well as alone. I am seeing beautiful places and finding that this part of my life is another beginning.

One thing I have missed is writing. It is that quiet place where I can allow my feelings to surface in ways it’s not polite to do in company. My characters speak for me, and reflect those I see around me. I don’t have to give them my ‘polite’ face. They can scheme, love, rant ad play to their hearts’ content. And, so they do.

My apologies for wandering so long. I can’t promise I’ll be totally back on schedule, but I am writing. Thank you for your understanding.

Chapter 45 – Goblin’s Dance

Flower Time!

~ Natsgirl ~ Leave a comment

I hope you have a wonderful time, regardless of the holiday you celebrate. For me, it’s the coming of the leaves that puts a spring in my step. Rains fall. Flowers bloom and all the earth reminds us that in the big flick of things, there is always a new beginning.

My best to you, and special thanks to Ms Buffy. May your cheeks be sore from smiling and your arms ache from returning the many hugs you receive.

Chapter 43 – Stranger Things

Spring Forward…

~ Natsgirl ~ 2 Comments

Is there anything sillier than Daylight Savings Time? Why do we persist?

I’ll be struggling for the whole next week, pushing and prodding my sorry self to adjust to ‘losing’ an hour in my sleep cycle. There was a time it wasn’t so difficult for me, but in the last five years, anything that throws my circadian rhythms out of alignment creates problems.  Am I bitching? Yes… a bit… maybe more than a bit.

Thank you, Ms Buffy for editing this week’s chapter. I know how hard this weather is on you, and I wish you were having an easier time. My thoughts are with you, and all my best wishes for a kinder, gentler Spring.

And thank you, readers, for coming along with me on this journey.

 Chapter 38 – A Body in Motion

Welcome from the Woods

~ Natsgirl ~ 3 Comments

Chapter 37 is now available. I apologize for the delay.

I spent the weekend camping with my new girls’ troop. There remains some confusion here in the U.S. about girls joining Boy Scouts. Some think the troops are integrated: girls and boys camping and meeting together.

Not the case. There are girls’ troops. There are boys’ troops. They may compete against each other at events, but they aren’t in the same units. What allowing girls into the program did provide young women was equal access to the Boy Scout camps, resources and ranks.

Why is this different than Girl Scouts? Because it is. Girl Scouts does not have the heavy reliance on outdoor experiences that Boy Scouting does. Doesn’t make it ‘wrong’, just makes it different. There are girls who’d prefer to be camping in tents, rock climbing, kayaking and hiking in the wild. I was one of those girls, and for those wild spirits like me, there’s now a program that can nourish that part of them.

So, without further delay…

Thanks, Ms Buffy for lending your talent. Stay safe in the snow.

Chapter 37 – Walking on Glass

Winter is Coming…

~ Natsgirl ~ 3 Comments

Actually, in this part of the world, winter has arrived. The snow on the trees is encased in a coating of ice and I hear the occasional crack as a weak branch gives way under the sheet weight of water. The sun is coming and within the hour, my outside world will be transformed into a blaze of crystal.

I am still inside. I am recovering. It wasn’t the flu but this season’s cold laid me low for almost two weeks. It kept me from work and derailed my gym sessions. I survived on chicken soup, turkey soup and clear broth. I binge-watched television, slipping in and out of NyQuil haze and wondered when I’d feel myself again.

I’m getting there.

Thank you for your patience. What I will share – Getting old is not for the faint of heart. It’s a constant balance of knowing when to fight and when to accept.

Thank you, Ms Buffy, for your efforts on my behalf. They are so appreciated!

And thank you, my readers, for your patience!

 Chapter 32 – Swinging Away

High Cotton

~ Natsgirl ~ 4 Comments

It’s an odd saying, meaning one is doing well or is successful. I remember reading it first in Gone With the Wind, and somehow, it seemed appropriate. The Northmans have ‘arrived.’ They are accepted at Summits, their advice sought. People talk about them and eyes naturally move in their direction. Are their lives settled? Far from it, (and when will they ever be?), but for now, things do seem to be going their way.

All my best and best wishes for a prosperous and blessed 2019.

I hope to see Harlow Layne books grace my bookshelves and Amazon feeds. I wish Ms Buffy a wonderful, healthy year filled with happy tales of family and friends.

I hope you each find your own best happiness in the year that is to come.

Chapter 30 – High Cotton

Winter roars…

~ Natsgirl ~ 1 Comment

Unlike years past with their lingering warm weather, this year winter has come. There’s been no tip-toeing or dilly-dallying about it. One day it was warm and the next there was a blast of rain and wind that as much as said, “Fun’s Over! Bundle up!”

Now, the trees are all but bare and the wind blows cold, sending whirlwinds of leaves that scrape and skitter across the paved surfaces, chattering against each other.

My best to all, and especially to Ms Buffy. Bundle up, my friend, and protest those hands!

Happy Sunday…

Chapter 23 – Prodigal’s Passage