A family Christmas tradition of time and magic — “Papa? How old are you?” He looked down at me and smiled. “How old do you think I am, Sam?” I listened to the crunch of the fresh snow under my snowshoes as Papa and I made our way along the trail to “Old Lake.” I had been to Old…

How did we get here & am I doing anything right? — Mild Epiphany: “Do you ever get the feeling that you have no clue what you’re doing with life?” This one is not from me but comes courtesy of a recent Tweet from our resident laugh factory lady, Preeti Ramachandran. “It’s one day after the other, one step at a time with no real aim or direction?” Then she answers her query. “Just me? Okay then.” In this case…

Shorten Your Scroll. New Releases and Compiled Lists! — Click on the Banners below “New this week” to see my writing by category for easier access. New Additions: Mango & Strawberry topped Lime Custard Tart A slice of tropical fruit flavors to brighten dead winter daysmedium.com The Most Dangerous Cake in the World Two stories and a recipe. Italian Buddino Torte (and it’s gluten-free!)medium.com Rate-a-Record Vol.7 — Poetry in Motion Songs that sail me away, catching the currents of fictionmedium.com

A slice of tropical fruit flavors to brighten dead winter days — A week ago, a friend stopped by before leaving for vacation and dropped off a bag of limes. That may sound like an odd thing, but it’s routine between my friends and me. I have an open policy of “give and receive.” …

Two stories and a recipe. Italian Buddino Torte (and it’s gluten-free!) — Chefs have secrets. Secret ingredients, tricks of the trade, and closely guarded recipes. And all chefs have secret stories about their experiences with food, the making of it, the presentation, the event served, or the reaction to it. …

Songs that sail me away, catching the currents of fiction — The Rate-a-Record prompt, godfathered by Terry Barr and carried mightily by Paul Combs and others, continues to be a favorite title that gets my clicks. The concept is simple. An offering of songs, generally two, though sometimes more, are presented for evaluation and rating. Scoring is via the American Bandstand…

A fright-inducing, panic-charged paranormal mystery. — A date at the movies between husband Andy Parker and his wife, Lily (both remarried) sets the scene. All seems well between the couple, but a casual conversation over coffee leads to Andy revealing the plans for Lily’s daughter, Olivia. …

A slice of the color spectrum populates the questions with personal answers. — This interesting prompt came from Paul Combs, a fascinating person and a terrific writer. It’s different, answering direct questions rather than responding to a category or genre. I could have guessed his color, but Paul’s answers are worth reading. Color Coded: The Hue Questionnaire Writing Prompt A deep divemedium.com