It was minus 18 yesterday morning at our house. And trust me that’s cold, really cold! So cold that when I walked the dog he tried to walk on three feet, alternately shifting his weight to save one foot at a time because the snow burned his little paws. Our walks have been for necessity only and quite short. As I write I have a small electric heater under my desk blowing warm air my way. And I’m a hot flash queen! I’ve been diligently working on my critiquer’s recommended changes for ”It Happened on Willow Lane”. I have finished this book several times and with each completion it gets a little better than the time before. But I believe it is very near to it’s final completion. I am thankful for my circle of loyal readers who have offered me honest feedback which I have utilized as I continue to tweak this collection of short stories. For this book I’ve tapped into my years of experience as a psychosocial RN which allowed me to develop keen insights in emotional survival. (Why do some people gain strength through adversity and others crumble?) The Willow Lane stories deals with totally different situations, the kind that people face alone and quietly everyday. Willow Lane characters bring humanity to divorce, deceit, alcoholism, Alzheimer’s disease, domestic abuse, suspicion of terrorism, attempted murder, suicide and the accidental death of a young child. This collection of short stories is a bit edgier than my previous books but the writers voice still offers a smidgen of wit through the various characters. I’ve continued to read and have enjoyed some good books and suffered through a couple not so good books that I’ve wondered, how in the world did this writer ever get published? We’ve seen some good movies and a couple that we felt cheated out of the time we invested in viewing, not to mention the money we paid for the tickets. We loved “True Grit” so much that we rented the John Wayne version from the video store and watched it the following week. Both were excellent though the original was much more like a Disney film in comparison. We also really liked “The Fighter”. Till next time…keep reading and stay warm.