What Are You Grateful For?

I was at a women’s breakfast a few weeks ago, and the organizer used this question for an icebreaker: “Over the past 18 months, what is one thing you are grateful for?” She waited a few minutes, and then one by one, each person took a few minutes to share their thoughts. Since I was […]

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Up for the Challenge?

We were all packed. A large bag of travel snacks was by my purse. Our Yeti containers were filled with water for the journey. The only thing missing was our travel companions, but it was not quite 6:30 a.m., the pickup time. Then the phone rang. Our daughter, Lu, and her husband, Doug, might not […]

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Four-Legged Drama Queen

I have never thought of myself as a drama queen, but I have lived with some. The current one is black and tan and has four legs. If you have heard that dachshunds are stubborn, I can tell you that is absolutely correct. I would even say relentless. They wear you down until you give them […]

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Dogs Behaving Badly

Last night I went to my first in-person, without-masks meeting. It was lovely gathering together, enjoying our combined energy and face-to-face camaraderie. Then one person asked me how our dogs were. Rather than reel off a list of some of our current challenges, I said, “They have been very naughty,” and laughed. A lot of […]

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Change in the Wind

I would like to say there is a freshening wind blowing from the sea, but the truth is that a hot, dry Santa Ana wind is bending the trees and parching my skin. The temperature is in the 90s. The air conditioner has kicked in, and I’m perched at the dining room table, thinking about […]

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Desert Dreams: a blog by Marcy Mary

I’m trying to find a sunny spot to have my morning nap. But the sun is being capricious. I admit I did like basking in the sun in the desert—first, warming my back, then turning on my sides, and lastly, my belly. Heaven! When I was indoors, it seemed that at almost any time of […]

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Desperate (Lunch) Measures: A Post by Marcy Mary

If you have read my books, then you have met my cousin Daisy. She is a black Labrador retriever, and we are about the same age. She has three human brothers, but I only have one human brother, Joey. One of the things I admire about Daisy is her very long legs that enable her […]

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Time to Pick Up the Leash Again

I was sitting in the backseat as our friend Mike wove his truck through the orange-and-red-hued mountains of Utah. John was riding in the front passenger seat. In my lap was my newest canine friend, Rusty, a Jack Russell terrier of a certain age. Because of his color and size, Rusty is a poignant reminder […]

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New Friends: A Post by Marcy Mary

Hello, friends! I know you have been waiting for me to write a blog. Well, the wait is over. Here I am as gorgeous, intelligent, and modest as ever! And I am very excited to tell you about my new friends … I was resting in my forest-green bed with the coordinating Black Watch plaid […]

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