Author: Shelley Burbank

This author has written 44 articles
Not So Happy Hour: RIP RBG
Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Not So Happy Hour: RIP RBG

Ruth Bader Ginsburg, March 15, 1933-September 18, 2020. Rest in peace.  As I was about to write a Happy Friday Happy Hour post, I turned on my phone and heard the horrible news that we have lost one of our leading lights, one of our wise women, one of our champions of justice. Ruth Bader Ginsburg. That this should happen now, in a year which seems more like an dystopian apocalypse movie than real life, seems like overkill. If I were editing this script, I'd tell the screenwriter to tone it down a bit. How are we…

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VIDEO: Pondering in the Garden

VIDEO: Pondering in the Garden

The flowers of Autumn Joy Sedum start out a delicate green, turn pink, and then deepen in color as the season progresses, ending up a dark maroon just before the snow falls. There is so much to ponder in the garden...life cycles, growth, maturity, interconnectedness... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vsHOjlB3JFA&t=100sGood Monday morning, peeps!I thought it was time for some mindfulness this morning.I'd grabbed my getting-to-be-habitual peanut butter protein bar and a mug of coffee and headed out to the garden to do some reading. The sun was shining. The birds were swooping to the birdfeeders. It was glorious, but all…

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Facing Reality: People Won’t Budge From Their Fave Social Media Platform, so I Must Pivot Once Again

Facing Reality: People Won’t Budge From Their Fave Social Media Platform, so I Must Pivot Once Again

This cute, funny, little mug was a gift. I've been enjoying my coffee in the garden with this guy all week.  Part of the writer's life is figuring out how to best create a social media presence and a "platform." I've read many articles and books on the topic, and I have experimented with just about all the major social media platforms out there. I wish I could jettison social media from my creative life entirely, but somehow I haven't been able to find the guts to do so.  It's so tempting. I'm old enough to…

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Plants, Plots, and Plodding Along

Plants, Plots, and Plodding Along

To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow. -Audrey Hepburn PLANTINGFrom the minute I saw this San Diego apartment balcony, I knew I wanted to create a cozy, plant-filled space where I could sip my morning coffee and enjoy a glass of wine or a cocktail at sunset. While I often envision such things, I'm also a horrible procrastinator. For some reason, I balk at making decisions and then, gasp, pulling out the credit card. It could be I worry about buyers remorse. It could be I'm just cheap. Who knows?Anyway, the spirit moved me…

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The Exhilaration of Creativity

The Exhilaration of Creativity

"Putting a book together is interesting and exhilarating. It is sufficiently difficult and complex that it engages all of your intelligence. It is life at its most free." --Annie Dillard, THE WRITING LIFE If only I could write as well as Annie Dillard.  Right now, I'm writing on my balcony, in a not dissimilar way to a moment she describes in her book THE WRITING LIFE. Her balcony overlooks deciduous trees; mine a multi-laned San Diego road. But there are birds here, too. Like women peering through a shop window at a fabulous pair of shoes,…

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Fear and Loathing in America

Fear and Loathing in America

I'm starting something new on the blog. It's called Off the Cuff. Here I write about sundry topics on my "off days." Basically, I'm venting. So beware. However, I also attempt to find a silver lining or a way forward. Also, there may be references and footnotes. Yeah. It's that kind of thing. Today's Off the Cuff topics: Social media, for the most part, no longer serves me. And people are crazy.  ***** Social Media "Whoas " For a few weeks, I've posted notices on Facebook pointing to my website, encouraging people with whom I'm "friendly"…

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