“Team Waffle”

Six years ago, around Christmas of 2010, Elizabeth Holman, a Palliative Care Psychologist at the Veteran’s Administration, said it was as if a switch flipped in her brain. She and her spouse Diane Brookshire had been raising CCI puppies for about eight years, but suddenly Elizabeth knew that it was time to put her focus … Continue reading “Team Waffle”

Exploring the Human-Animal Bond: Book Review of MADELINE FINN AND THE LIBRARY DOG

It’s hard, sometimes, to find the best fit for a therapy dog. Our dog, Hathaway, wasn’t that fond of being read to and we switched therapy jobs from a R.E.A.D. program to Animal Assisted Therapy at Children’s Hospital of Colorado. But my husband and I saw firsthand the progress and breakthroughs that come with reading … Continue reading Exploring the Human-Animal Bond: Book Review of MADELINE FINN AND THE LIBRARY DOG

Michelle Kephart & Rumba

If you ever need to show someone what a real service dog can do (or why you can give up these pups you are raising), look no further than the amazing You Tube video of Rumba the Service Dog. CCI Grad Michelle Kephart said she put the video together in part to address the … Continue reading Michelle Kephart & Rumba

In The Garden: A Labor of Patience—Carol O’Meara on Japanese Beetles

Carol O’Meara is a horticultural entomologist and an extension agent in Colorado, but she grew up on the East Coast. When she and her siblings got into trouble, her family had chores for each kid. Carol’s job was picking Japanese beetles from the roses. “I spent a LOT of time picking off Japanese beetles,” Carol … Continue reading In The Garden: A Labor of Patience—Carol O’Meara on Japanese Beetles

In the Garden: A Climate For Immigrants (Japanese Beetles!)

This article first appeared in the April 2017 issue of "The Rose Window," the on-line publication of the Denver Rose Society. By Susan Wroble Denver Rose Society’s March meeting featured a talk by Dr. Frank Krell, Curator of Entomology at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. He spoke on the creation of a welcoming … Continue reading In the Garden: A Climate For Immigrants (Japanese Beetles!)

Giving Away Treasure

I love thrift stores. Once a month, I choose one and treat myself to a long perusal of its shelves. I love the excitement of not knowing what I may find. But I do know that having explored the rest of the store, I’ll always end up in the book section. Like all children’s authors, … Continue reading Giving Away Treasure

Finding the Time…

For the past two decades or so, I’ve struggled with that all-too-familiar question: How to find the time to write? I’ve pretty much tried all the tricks: scheduling writing on the calendar, going on retreats, the 15-minutes a day plan, writing at night when the kids went to sleep… They all failed, but that last … Continue reading Finding the Time…

Cocoon!

I was born with a hip that didn’t fit quite right, so I always knew I was going to be a candidate for an early hip replacement. The past few years gave a steady decrease in the things I was able to do. When I stopped being able to ride my bike around the neighborhood, … Continue reading Cocoon!

On Writing: What Makes a Great Book?

By Susan Wroble I picked up Leila Sales’ amazing book Once Was a Time at the library last week. Immediately, I was engrossed in its themes of history and time travel and, above all, friendship. It made me start thinking about what makes a book great. I know what I do when I read what I think is a … Continue reading On Writing: What Makes a Great Book?

Building Writerly Resources: The Squibby Notebook

By Susan Wroble Over the years, I’ve attended a lot of conferences and workshops, but after this year’s Spring RMC-SCBWI conference, I felt that what I needed most was some way to organize the information so that it would stay relevant and useful. That’s when it hit. I already knew how to do this! About … Continue reading Building Writerly Resources: The Squibby Notebook