The past two weeks: Rose baths. Intrusive thoughts. French vanilla tea. Looking in the mirror and liking what I see. Looking in the mirror again and nitpickin’ and bitchin’ – being a brat. More tea please. Make it chamomile this time for the nerves. I have been in the house too much. Feeling as though I’m teetering between reality and a dream state as if I were some sleepy hermitess. Go on a walk in the park with hubby and get some vitamin D and resurgence. More balcony gardening and rearranging things. My bunny plotted and schemed and ate one of my collard green plants. I could not be upset with him for too long he is who he is, and the guy is too cute, but he is grounded from going outside for a short time. Lying in bed too much. My favorite place to be. Visiting libraries is still a ritual and reading books remains a prayer. Feeling groggy these days, but no matter, rest is a recipe for a great me. Brainstorming experiences and ideas for my next short story. We will see. Over and out.
A lady tries not to overthink her writing craft while getting spooky inspiration from the masters of horror.
I sit at my altar looking out to my balcony. The sliding door is open, and the room becomes light and airy. I watch my bunny clean his ears with comfort and ease. I sit here looking at him thinking this exotic pet of mine has a good life. I have been doing some studying to pass an exam to continue my business path. I have also been doing some short story writing. I have not been able to come up with a good ending for the one I was recently writing. I have changed it three times already and I am still not pleased. I am going to put this story on pause like I have done the other three stories. I am overthinking it and that is something I refuse to do with the writing craft.
I am writing something else in the meantime, anyways. A story about a misunderstood woman who faces adversity in her community/small hometown. Specifically, one person continues to spread hate and bring harm her way until a hard truth comes out – a veil has lifted. I will possibly place some spooky elements throughout the story to pay homage to the Halloween season, who knows?
For the past two weeks I have been too tired to do much as late as if I unknowingly have a personal Mr. Sandman at my side waiting for me to sit on the couch or lie in bed so he can start his sleepy sand shenanigans. But being the person that I am, I always force myself to do something whether it’s reading, cleaning, writing or studying even if it is for a very short time I showed up for myself somewhere, somehow.
Horror reads for October 2025
Well, for the remainder of the month I am going to get my one-thousand-word daily limits. Watch some Over the Garden Wall and continue reading my spooky books throughout the month. Tonight, I will get my husband to read me a short story aloud from what he is reading currently: Stephen King’s Nightmares and Dreamscapes then maybe we can get into some Poe and Lovecraft for the rest of the month. I need all the inspiration I can muster up. Finally, we usually end our nights watching some horror films. Gosh I love this time of the year!
A lady take a chance on her life to become a businesswoman once again while still writing seriously.
A wise man once said doubt is a luxury that one cannot afford. The feeling of uncertainty has been tackling my mind when it comes to going back into the real estate industry part time to make some extra scratch while I continue to write. But there has been this seed of hesitancy that I have been trying to keep from sprouting. I have thought about this pursuit for some months and have decided to act.
While my mind has been racing like the fastest horse at the Kentucky derby. I have been trying to slow my body down and do one of my favorite things – go out into the community and relax in nature. I was feeling a bit suffocated and anxious due to all the mind flutter I damn near blew a fuse. I needed to exercise my mind and my body, so I decided to try something new with my husband. “Instead of driving let’s take the valley metro trail to a new library, get some lunch, play some Pokémon and walk around downtown.” He lit up with excitement. We set plans in motion. I became the happiest girl. My husband, a satisfied man.
It was a good time out. The sun followed us like a burning shadow nonetheless manageable than most days. We went to Burton Barr Library – a six-story building with art collections throughout, immaculate study rooms and of course books galore. I cannot wait to go back and study at one of those desks for hours on end. I did check out some books on improving my writing. I am thrilled about this reading material. I hope to gain much knowledge from such authors and put that information to use.
After our library visit we decided to stride through the lively downtown streets looking for a good snack. We came across a creative and charming restaurant named Lovebite Dumplings serving pork, chicken and veggie dumplings with your choice of noodles or rice – the food was delicious and packed with flavor. I decided to take a picture in front of the restaurant because I thought it to be nice looking.
Downtown Phoenix, Sep 2025
Now that our bellies are full and feeling fatigued from all the activity, we decided to make our way back home where we relaxed in our cozy apartment drinking cold drinks and watching old movies starring Joan Crawford. The weekend was a win.
A lady forces herself again to go outside & write seriously!
I have been waiting patiently for the weather to show some grace. She is not ready to do so, and I am no God to force mother nature to change moods. I must let her run her course while I continue hiding in cool rooms, resting under blossoming trees and stone ramadas when called to go outside. Fall is amongst us, and I am happy knowing that my seasonal summer dread is fading away. No more being envious of those precious ducks and geese swimming in ponds while I walk beside them with sweat trickling down my nutmeg skin while cursing myself for being crazy enough to leave my home in the first place.
This past weekend I was out in the sun again because summer is almost over and I must be a big girl and finish the season outside strong like my inner child wants me to. So, I ended up at one of my favorite places in Phoenix – Manistee Ranch. A place where I can walk around and be surrounded by beauty and nature’s repose. It is nice to take a walk on the grounds, lay on the grass, or sit at a bench in the shade and think clearly – meditate. I love a place where I feel safe and have a sense of belonging. Having such places to go to is good for the soul.
Manistee Ranch, Sep 2025
Afterward, my husband and I love to go to libraries in the area and get down on resources they have to offer. Utilize your local library. After all, a library is a cultural community center that yearns for those to seek its knowledge housed within its walls. Some goods we happened to leave with were different types of flower and herb seeds for fall gardening (all free) and we also purchased a few used books for .50 cents each. The book I found myself purchasing is named Hao by Ye Chun. It is a book of short stories about Chinese women handling migration and motherhood. So far, the book is beautifully written with resilient women going through troubling life situations. My kind of book through and through. These are the types of books I love to read. These are the kinds of stories I aspire to write.
Now I come back home where I feel my best. I have scrapbooked my monthly goals in my planner. Books I plan to read, stories I want to write, places I want to visit while praying for creativity and consistency to keep me honest. One of my newest goals for myself and my brand – becoming an online diarist. I have always kept journals since I was a child – scribbling thoughts down and writing silly anecdotes about my day to day. But it is time to attempt serious writing, again while remaining true to my being this time around. No performances, no trying to strive for perfection, no being distracted by people’s perceptions of me. I am blocking out the noise and honing my craft. This is my journey of refinement in all facets. This is my 2nd beginning.
Garden of Shannon 