When the world is dark and quiet, and everyone is asleep, you lie there, jealous of the sounds of the sleeping humans and animals near you. In some ways, you feel lucky to enjoy the peace and solitude of the night. But, you know, later in the day, the gritty eyes, the fatigue, and no time to rest will strike a negative chord in the day.

One of the great pleasures during my career as a librarian and also as a writer is researching. Since the advent of the internet (and yes, I am that old) is that one can spend many an hour wiling away the time by searching and researching a topic of choice. It’s an amazing gift when insomnia wiles its way into the night or if a sliver of interest in something leads me on a merry chase to find more information.

When I am deep inside writing a book, I liken it to being underwater in the deep, deep end of the pool. I struggle to come up for air, but I’m not drowning.

MMSC is turning 44! This excellent organization has been helping marine mammals and sea turtles for 44 years. It’s featured in my book Between Earth and Sea.

It’s a beautiful, late winter morning. The sun is arriving earlier and the sky is brightening every moment luring us into the day. It’s a lazy Sunday and the animals are settled in beside me as I drink my steaming cup of coffee. The glowing fire in the woodstove is keeping us toasty as we look out the window on a chilly morning. The palette of the frost and winter-worn grass is a medley of beige, tan, and brown with sycamore seed pods decorating the grass like polka dots and the brown leaves lying like a paisley pattern.