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Reba's Stories

It's National Word Nerd Day. I'm guessing most people would rather think about food than grammar rules, right? So here's a chance to do both. My husband's love of grilling isn't all that different from my love of words. To take a page from Stephen Covey, we both begin with the end in mind. My husband knows how he wants the final product to look, feel and taste. I know the story I want to tell. Getting to our individual ends involves some of the same lessons, compromises and processes. Follow some basic rules First, both writing and smoking a pig involve following some basic rules. When smoking a pig, the temperature has to be at a certain level to ensure food safety. There is no way to speed up the process. A lot of personal preference is involved relative to taste or doneness. Writing isn't all that different. You have to accept certain basic rules of grammar and usage to ensure the reader understands what you are trying to say. Writing will flow at its own pac...

Isn’t it great how the new year gives us license to both look back and look forward at the same time? It’s a time for reflection and resolutions. While I do my best to avoid hard core new year’s resolutions I’ll never keep, I do enjoy reflecting on my past year’s reading choices and looking ahead to what might be on my 2024 reading list. First, a quick look back. I didn’t set a reading goal for the year other than to read more, screen less. My “Blink Book Review” series gave me some accountability in that area. The books with yellow checks are part of that series. Are the reviews are available here . A few superlatives: Favorite: “Lessons in Chemistry” by a mile! Unfortunately, I didn’t write a review, but this book is inspiring, funny, insightful and beautifully written. The dog, named Six-Thirty, was my favorite character. (The tv series is OK – the book is stellar.) Most inspiring: “The Art of Calm.” A former Columbia resident, Roger Hutchison shares beautifully his journe...