Reece's Ramblings is Rambling on

Reece’s Ramblings has a new home!

I’m excited to launch Colleen’s Creations, my brand-new website. As a result, RR has moved to ColleenReece.com >>  Good-bye Blogger; Hello Word Press!

Who says you can’t teach an old dog (or an 85-year-author) new tricks?

It took years for me to be convinced I needed a computer. Or Email. To switch from dial-up. To start a blog. Each time, knowledgeable friends installed programs that once I learned to use, I couldn’t imagine not having. It just happened again.

I recently mentioned to my good friend/former writing student, Susan K. Marlow, who has 85,000+ books in print, that I was thinking of getting a website. She hopped on the idea like a duck on a June bug, and stole time from her writing career and family to set me up. We had countless hours of communicating by phone, email, and online chat while we discussed details.

I don’t have to wait until October for my 86th birthday present! 

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Meet Susan, My Motivator

Horses, Adventure, and the Old West. Exciting reading for the whole family.

Samples. Freebies. Contests. Lapbooks. Study Guides. Curriculum Bundles.

As a child, Susan Marlow grew tired of reading books in which only boys encountered danger and adventure. At the age of ten she began writing her own stories—stories in which girls took the risks and became the heroines. As a wife and homeschooling Mom, Susan never intended to become a published author but is currently the author of six series of “wholesome books for kids.”

Circle C Beginnings (ages 6-9), Circle C Stepping Stones (7-10), Circle C Adventures (9-13), Circle C Milestones (11 and up), and the Goldtown series: Beginnings (ages 6-9), and Adventures (9-13). Susan combines her love of writing with her passion for American history, especially the settling of the Old West.

Click the images to visit Susan’s website.

Coming February 15, 2022

Andi and Riley are together at last—but their adventures don’t stop in their happily-ever-after.

Appreciating Freedom #4th of July #Independence Day

 

We often don't appreciate what we have until we no longer have it. The good news is, once restored, we no longer take it for granted. This is especially true when personal freedom is snatched away, often without warning. 

 After a year-and-a-half of necessary isolation, masks, and social distancing, the freedom to invite friends into our homes is a never-again-take-for-granted blessing. So is meeting with others and going out to lunch (while following safety guidelines).  Gone are the prison bars that isolated us from family, friends, and small groups.  

 

 My dear friend Sandy Nachlinger came to see me yesterday. Not bundled up in my unheated garage, along with others in my writers' critique group, but in my house. We later headed for lunch at a favorite Auburn, Washington restaurant. Uh-oh. No cars in the parking lot. Closed for repairs until 4 P.M. Plan B needed.

Only half-serious, I suggested a special seafood restaurant on the waterfront several miles away. Sandy laughed and said, "Why not?" Off we went, rejoicing all the way about actually feeling free and safe to follow our spur-of-the moment idea.

 

Approximately a half-hour later, we arrived at Anthony's HomePort in Des Moines. It felt like coming home. Starting in the late 1970s, Anthony's was our family's go-to place for birthdays, when out-of-town relatives visited, or when we simply wanted excellent seafood. So many memories. So many Sunset Dinners. So much laughter and joy that echoes through the years and gladdens my heart.

 

The kids are now grown, have families of their own, and live elsewhere. I hadn't been to Anthony's in years. Thankfully, it had not changed. The sunny day, food, and service surpassed everything I expected. Sandy and I looked down on the marina with dozens of boats, and across the water to forest-clad islands. Our conversation shifted between serious and silly. We had the waitress take our picture and decided our first spur-of-the-moment venture would not be the last.

 

Carpe diem [seize the day]

 

This was the farthest I had been away from home in well over a year. I savored every  bite of food, every mile going and coming, every moment with Sandy--and discovered it is also one of her favorite restaurants.

If you are feeling stressed, pressed, depressed, or just need time out, call a good friend, drop everything, and run away from home. All you have to lose is the blues. 

 

We did. 

 

👩  👧

 

 

 

 

Give thanks today for those who bought our freedom, often at a great price.

Colleen

 

 

 

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