(C) 2023, JJ Shaun First Reader and I spent the last few days house-sitting for friends. When their original house-sitter fell through, they reached out and asked if we’d be willing to look after their house and the animals on their ranch. So, here we are, looking after a couple dozen chickens, two horses, three … Continue reading And Now For Something Different
(C) 2022, JJ Shaun It seems Mother Nature can’t quite make up her mind. Last Friday, it snowed most of the day, and we got a few inches of the wet, heavy white stuff. Most of it had melted by Saturday afternoon as the daytime temperatures warmed up once more. The weather-guessers predicted rain for … Continue reading Warmth, At Last
The beginning of 2023 has had plenty of bittersweet memories, and it’s only March. Late last month, I heard from a young lady I used to babysit. Her dad passed away. Her dad and my dad were the best of friends when I was growing up. We’d lived in our little town on our dead-end … Continue reading In Honor of Lost Family and Friends
(C) 2022, JJ Shaun This week we celebrated the vernal equinox here in the Northern Hemisphere, heralding the beginning of spring. The region experienced a bit of wind, but the day was mostly sunshine. Tuesday was even nicer. In typical Northern Colorado fashion, winter reappeared on Wednesday. We shoveled a few inches of wet snow … Continue reading Spring Is In The Air
The last four years have been brutal on my mental and emotional well-being. Losing my job, then our home, getting covid, and sending my four-legged buddy over the Rainbow Bridge, all over a year and a half, had me ignoring my physical body. My diet crashed, I gained a bunch of weight, and my overall … Continue reading A Year For Self-Care
I spent the month of November writing a novel. That’s right, I participated in National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), and this year, I won! To win, I needed to write 50,000 words in November. I am among thousands who “win” every year. The goal is not to be the first or the best; the goal … Continue reading I Did A Thing
Another year has come and gone. Once again, in the United States, Thanksgiving Day is upon us. It’s a day to express gratitude for what life has served—and to overeat. While it’s been a long year, and we are still waiting to finish rebuilding our home, life is moving forward. The last two years have … Continue reading A Heart Full of Gratitude
Mr. Contractor continues to move forward. Since it’s mostly just him doing the work, progress is moving slowly but steadily. (C) 2022, JJ ShaunLooking in through the basement window. While the slab is yet to be poured, the downstairs plumbing stubs are in place, and the site awaits inspection ahead of the next step. (C) … Continue reading Rebuilding the Dream, Pt 117
It has been 732 days (two years and two days) since we lost our home to wildfire. I had a vivid dream in the early morning of October 18, 2020. I dreamt I was walking through our house, and flames consumed everything. I felt no heat nor heard the roar of the flames, but I … Continue reading Rebuilding the Dream, Pt 111
Nothing is happening at the property as we wait for the concrete to cure. Some forms have been removed, and the walls look almost dry where they’re exposed. (C) 2022, JJ ShaunThe north end of the basement. (C) 2022, JJ ShaunThe south end of the basement. I didn’t have a measuring tape, but I estimate … Continue reading Rebuilding the Dream, Pt 109
A piece of my scattered mind.
Tavern Tales
Poetry BLOG By Edge of Humanity Magazine
New Writing Engaging with the Sacred
50,000 Monkeys at 50,000 Typewriters Can't Be Wrong
J.J. Shaun 