Susan Spess Shay

My last post was Memorial Day. That’s a whole month with nothing to say. *sigh* Why? Well . . . did you ever noticed that most people who write blogs are experts at something? I’m not. I’m not an expert gardener. (The weeds are choking my veggies as we speak!) I’m not an expert knitter, but I have several projects started. I’m not an expert photographer, although I get a lucky shot now and then.…

How’s your MD weekend going? Mine’s been fantastic! Way more fun than a Memorial Day I spend at Old Mannford Ramp. :) What’s made my weekend so great? Well, for one thing I got to go to worship for the first time this month. (Terminally Curious breaking in here–Does anybody else really miss worshiping with others when you’ve missed several in a row, even though you worship by yourself? Is Susan…

Ever been to Philadelphia? It wasn’t on my Bucket List of Places I Want to See Before I Die, but we flew out there last month for G-Man’s birthday, and we had a great time! He’s a fan of R & B music and a couple of his favorite groups were playing in Collingswood, New Jersey. We stayed in Philadelphia, because Collingswood is just across the river. Our plane left early, early in the morning, so…

When Dad was a Boy

I have a patchwork story. Patchwork, because I’ve kind of pieced it together from stories I heard over the years. That means it might not be totally accurate, but to the best of my knowledge, it is. :) Back in about 1939, when my dad was in fourth grade, Granddad moved his family to Tonkawa, Oklahoma.  Three Sands A little background information from http://www.okhistory.org– In 1920 oilman…

My dad’s Small Town World was Mannford, Oklahoma. Old Mannford, named after Mann’s Ford. By the by, Mann’s Ford wasn’t a vehicle. Here’s the Wiki-definition. A ford is a shallow place with good footing where a river or stream may be crossed by wading or inside a vehicle. A ford is mostly a natural phenomenon, in contrast to a low water crossing, which is an artificial bridge that allows crossing…

Fire Season, Again, Again

So yesterday, Sister Debbie and I had planned to go after work to take pictures at the ranch where we spent a lot of time growing up. Don’t you love making plans so they can change? Early in the afternoon, we started seeing heavy smoke coming from south of town. Fire Season, again!           Picture by Matt Shay as he left C-Town There’s one thing about our Small Town World, when tragedy happens,…

2016–So It Begins

A new year. A do over! I love fresh starts and do overs, don’t you? Of course, I loved 2015. I had a grandson born, did a little traveling with G-Man, had some personal growth and had a great time writing about (which is like living in) my imaginary town, Jordan Valley. But now it’s 2016, and I’m thrilled to think what might happen. Hopefully, I’ll finish and polish the four books I have set in…

Caramel Corn–To Die For

Robyn Venable asked me to share my recipe for caramel corn, one of my favorite autumn things. I didn’t share it with anyone for a long time, because it was the only thing I could make better than anyone else. Besides, it wasn’t MY recipe. It was a recipe given to me by a friend or two. But I’ve changed it so much over the years, I think I can safely share it now without worrying that she’ll get…

Fall/Autumn/Best Time of the Year!

It’s here! It isn’t a calendar or a clock that tells me. It’s the feeling when I go outside. It’s #2 son’s birthday and football and the fair. It’s the color of leaves and the frost on the punkin. What? you might ask, but I bet you already know. It’s Fall. Autumn. Heaven Time. (Whatever you call it.) And I’m so excited! Its got me knitting and cleaning and loving life. The best thing? Caramel…

How long has it been since you were at the Grand Canyon? We’ve been there twice, the last time at the beginning of this month! And to be honest, my toes stayed curled for a long time after we left because of the sudden drop looming next to the path. :) As you can probably guess, I snapped a few pics while we were there.   This statue was in front of the restaurant where we ate. Don’t you love it?…

The Train to Silver(ton)

If you talk to anyone who’s been to Durango, they’ll almost always ask if you took the train to Silverton. We took the train, but they made us give it back. *That’s a joke.* And I’m so glad we did. :D The day before our train ride, we went through the museum. (G-Man and I are big museum visitors. Just ask our kids!) This is where the engineer hangs out during a train trip. The guy who shovels the…

Ever want to an inside look at a writer's office? Come on over and meet A Real Live Texican!

  I don’t know if I’ve mentioned it or not, but I have a special place in my heart for Baja Oklahoma. (also known as Texas.) My mama graduated from high school there and one of her favorite sisters as well as one of her favorite niece live there. What’s not to love about Texas?

And I have another reason I like the place–a really sweet friend lives there that I’d love for you to meet. And we just…

Have You Met Jean? Well, why not?

So far, I’ve been introducing you to people I know, love, and love to read. This week is no exception! Jean Brashear is one of those authors I love, love, love!

When I asked if I could talk to her about where she writes, she was more than happy to comply. (Thank you, Jean!)

Me: Do you always write in your office? If not, where else do you write.

 Jean: I just about never write in my office, nor…

Behind the scenes with . . . Or, Come into my parlor, said the spider to the fly.

Me! (Yikes!) As you can see, I’m not good at taking selfies. :D

Here’s a tiny corner of my office. I especially like the thingy with all the drawers, because a dear friend gave it to me not too long before her death.

But I don’t write in my office anymore. Most of the time I write in my recliner in the family room. When I look up, I see this picture.

I won this picture and I love it, because it…