Lovely small town morning with the kid. Farmers market and holiday market resulting in one spoiled and happy kid. Today’s purchases: croissant, cookie, pot pie, plush hippo, magnifier necklace, apron made of vintage fabric, dried flower bouquet magnet, and a hand painted Christmas ornament. Can’t afford it very often, but was so much fun!

It's a rainy day in my corner of North Carolina, USA. I rather like a rainy day from time to time, though they make me a little sleepy. Do you enjoy rainy weather? (plus: I look like dark Kermit in my raincoat and that makes me happy).

Celebrating a publication day today. A few years back I wrote this weird little piece, a semi-autobiographical, complicated vignette about motherhood: "The Beginning of You." I've always liked it, but never found a publishing venue for it. Until today! https://34orchard.com/issues/issue-6/

Finding some reason for hope today. And some reasons for despair. I guess that makes it another day that ends in Y in America. It remains to be seen if it’s a day that ends in WHY? #election #politics #midterms

I'm trying #NaNoWriMo again this year. My secret goal is just to write on the novel every day in November--I don't care if I get 50K words or not. I just want to get back to daily progress. Any other #NaNo fans out there? #CoSoWriters

When characters in books text, how do you prefer to see that represented as a reader? I'm in a convo with some writer friends about this. So far, I use standard dialogue with an in-text mention so you know it's a text. But I haven't quoted entire text conversations in my work so far. #CoSoReaders

Some difference of opinion as to which way to go today. #cosodogs

Each year my family does #extralife a gaming marathon that raises money for children's hospitals. This year we're asking donors to contribute to https://www.extra-life.org/participant/In_Honor_of_Darth Any and all donations welcomed. #playgamessavekids

Are you looking at me?

Feels like time for a new pinned post explaining who the heck I am. So here we go:

I'm Samantha. I write. I seek small beauties in daily life. I walk. I read. I bake. I watch old movies.

I'm a "sunny side up, look on the bright side" girl who values comfortable shoes and pretty dresses with pockets.

This map has been making the rounds on my socials. I love this kind of thing and it really re-lights my travel bug. Only 5 states left and then I'll at least have visited all of them. Here's the link if you want to play with it, too: https://tenpages.github.io/us-level/us.html

#throwbackthursday I love how 80s we all were. Just saw some of these cousins last weekend--that little guy in the blue jacket? He's a dad himself now, and is over six foot tall with a long beard. Time is weird.

I'm having one of those weeks where there simply aren't enough hours in each day to do all that needs doing. Makes me tired before I even start. Hope your week is slower and kinder than mine!

Very happy to share "Under an Orange Sky", a bit of golden age scifi out on Allegory today. Seeing a story into print is always a joy. https://www.allegoryezine.com/stories/fiction/underanorangesky #CoSoWriters

Family party this weekend. And it really great bonfire. And I’ve been too long since I’ve had to sit and enjoy a bonfire. How long has it been for you? #CoSoWeekend

I'm a fan of classic films, so I wrote a little something about Casablanca, a film I think is perfect. https://medium.com/@mirymom1/the-problems-of-three-little-people-f3ad40523109

#foggyfallmorning we had to take our walk very early this morning and it was hard to get up, but mother nature made it worth it. Fall fog. Can’t ask for anything finer.

Had some fun playing around with this website tonight https://tenpages.github.io/us-level/us.html It'll let you make a map of where you've lived, visited, driven through, etc. I've only got 5 states left I haven't at least driven through.

Set the kid loose with googly eyes and now my Halloween produce is so much more fun! #halloween