Usually when a four lane highway is narrowing to two lanes there is plenty of notice in advance. Signs point out the change far from when it actually happens, and arrows painted on the road itself reinforce the notion that changes are upon you and you’d better merge or be left hanging. However, life is usually not so cooperative.

When discussing my writing with the book club of Cardiff, Wales I was asked where my idea for Please, Call Me Barbara came from.

With the legal limit of persons allowed to congregate at six, we (four of our British friends have lowered their standards to allow a couple of Americans to join with them) have started meeting each Friday afternoon for late lunch. This is how we’re getting through the curfew.

There are times when it is permissible to throw off the veil of modesty and brag a little. This is one of those times.

For years I taught literature classes in the high schools of four Midwestern states as I coached basketball. Poetry was never a favorite topic; however, I’ve been finding some inspiring poetry in the recent lockdown.

The virus has dictated much of our lives the past year as lockdown has ebbed into curfew. As a way to avoid cocktail hour beginning at noon, I have been busy writing. The first is Alexa a story triggered by frustration experienced in my futile struggle to coexist with technological devices.

I have agreed to, upon occasion, review books involving French themes for France Book Tours. The first novel is an historical work based on a controversial painting by Gustave Courbet.

Finally the second collection of short stories is in print. It’s amazing the number of decisions which accompany taking manuscripts to the final product. You can now find Thinking, Just Thinking on Amazon - and here you can find a further preview.

Here is another sample of the stories which will be released later this month in Thinking, Just Thinking.

Murphy’s Law implies that whatever can go wrong certainly will go wrong. That rule definitely applies to many of our trips.