I Need Some Spring In My Step...

...and dirt under my finger nails.

It has been a long, cold winter for Dayton, Ohio. God has finally decided to show some pity on us and give us a spring teaser. It's supposed to reach the high 50's today.

I'm a gardener. I love my flower gardens. The past couple of winters were relatively mild, so my crocuses shot-up in January. Not so this year- luckily. January is too early even for crocuses. But now that it is nearing March, and I'm trying to convince myself this spring teaser is something more, I thought I'd go out and search for signs of life. Late winter's brown canvas has got me down, I need some green. Lo and behold... A couple of weeks ago I went shopping at my favorite store, Alley Cat Chic. I bought some spring treats to lift my mood. The small, white bird was only $3.99. It must be a good-luck charm because that very week I spotted my first robin. The roses are my favorite color of green, I just had to have them. Would you guess that bulb is not real? I think it may be the best 65 cents I've ever spent. They all helped to carry me to today and my sweet, little crocus shoots bravely

poking out to say "hello."

A Book For My Birthday :)

My lovely husband gave me this incredible book for my birthday, A Celebration of Scotland by Janice Anderson. I love all things Scottish (yes, even haggis) and I love books, so the two things coming together is sublime!

This is just one of the many stunning pictures in the book. I picked this one to share because I think it is one of the most beautiful places in Scotland. It's called Glencoe. As with many places in Scotland it has a bloody history. It was the scene of a massacre in 1692, and there are stories of ghostly bagpipes playing in the glen on the anniversary of the mass murder. Is there anything more haunting than the sound of pipes? Ghostly bagpipes perhaps.

So here's my dilemma about my beloved land of Picts: When I retire, do I buy a castle in the country and christian myself Dame Rebecca, or do I buy a cozy cottage by the sea?

All Aboard

It's agonizing. Sitting here trying to write my first blog entry. It's like stepping out to the pool in my bathing suit on that first hot day. Is everyone going to stare, mouths open wide, catching flies? Will they say, "She shouldn't have done that!"? But if I want to be a writer I have to put myself out there, right? Okay, so here I am. My name is Rebecca. I'm a wife and a mother of two little beauties. My brother, who suffered a traumatic brain injury (TBI) as a child, also lives with us. I'm working on getting published as a children's author. I have recently submitted a picture book manuscript and have yet to hear anything. I'm working on another picture book and a chapter book. I belong to SCBWI and a wonderful writer's group here in Dayton, Ohio.
I have no idea where this blog will take me. My thought in starting it was that it would help hold my feet to the fire as far as my writing goes. I'm a procrastinator, it's in my blood. I used to say I'm lazy, but I've learned from Bob Greene (yes, Oprah's Bob Greene) that I shouldn't say that about myself because then my subconscious mind will believe it and I will set my self up for failure. Should I be taking psychiatric advise from TV personalities? Probably not, but let's not delve into my "problems" and an explanation for my life-long love for TV.
I decided to title my blog "Epoch" because I truly feel like this is the beginning of an era in my life. I'm starting a journey and I have so much I want to take in. I hope you enjoy the ride ...it's going to be bumpy.