Category: Uncategorized
Posted on December 3, 2025
by JANET L BARKER
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Exhausted. Euphoric. Somewhat crippled. Grateful. At peace. These are my emotions as I wait to board the plane at JFK, bound for the Southland and in a few days the Central Coast of California. I’ve been here for a little more than two weeks,… Continue Reading “Hot Cocoa Blessings”
Category: UncategorizedTags: #christmas, #grandchildren, #grandparents, #hotcocoa, #littlekids, #love, #newyorkcity, #sentimental, #writing, family, life, love, memories
Posted on November 14, 2025
by JANET L BARKER
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I’m on location. In a setting I thought of visiting, someday—maybe—but nixed the notion because it’s dusty and desert-y and HOT and DRY and really not my vibe at all. But here I am with more than 100 sisters from another mother, celebrating resiliency, growth, adventure, new… Continue Reading “For a week I camped in the desert”
Category: UncategorizedTags: #arizona, #butterflytracks, #camping, #campinglife, #campingwithfriends, #grandmascamping, #growth, #lulusway, #quartzite, #solowomencampers, #takingachance, #takingchances, #womencamping, #womenfriends, #womensmeetups, #writing, book-review, books, desertadventures, fiction, finding-your-tribe, love, quartsize
Posted on September 11, 2025
by JANET L BARKER
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“The Secret Garden” “Tom Sawyer” “A Present for the Princess” “My Side of the Mountain” Disney’s “Sleeping Beauty”, “Snow White”, “The Wizard of Oz” and Dad’s soothing, animated voice lulling me to sleep, assuring me that all is well in the world and that… Continue Reading “My Side of the Mountain”
Category: UncategorizedTags: #camping, #fall, #hiking, #Nature, #pleasureway, #retiredteacher, #solowomencamping, #travel, #travelinggrandma, #writing, @retirement, life, pacific-northwest, prairie-creek-state-and-national-park
It’s been a long while since I blogged. I have so much to share and don’t really know where or how to begin. It’s all good. No worries there. But it’s been a jumble, a rumble, an unfolding, a sorting out—-literally—-of my entire life… Continue Reading “I Wrote a Poem”
Category: UncategorizedTags: #art, #beachlife, #cambria, #cambriacenterforthearts, #centralcoast, #dogs, #gratitude, #kauai #grandhyattkauai #summer #summervacation #georgeclooney #thedesendants #fullmoon #retirement #blessings #hawaii #advanture #lifeizgood #love #blessings #maitai, #livinglifetothefullest, #lovinglife, #maryoliver, #poetry, #poets, #retiredteacher, #thewritinglife, #writing, family, fiction, grandparent, life, love
Posted on February 24, 2025
by JANET L BARKER
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For those who have never lived on their own, might be afraid, anxious about silence, worried about fixing things, the idea of cooking for one, being responsible for paying one’s bills—-don’t be. You can do it. You can handle it. I know because not… Continue Reading “The Three Bears”
Category: UncategorizedTags: #California, #cambria, #faith, #grandmother, #hope, #livingmybestlife, #peace, #retiredteacher, #retirement, #roomofmyown, #thelittlethings, #vanlife, #writerslife, #writing, @retirement, blog, coastal-california, family, life, love, mental-health, retired-teacher, san-luis-obispo-county, tiny-home
Posted on February 21, 2025
by JANET L BARKER
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I’m in my Enya phase—-again. A wispy, cloudy, bubbly, dream state of being. Honestly. Honestly. Honestly. I am living my dream, a dream I’ve held onto through all, the ups and downs, the beginnings and endings and now I’m in the Now. The Now I’ve… Continue Reading “Mermaid Cove”
Category: UncategorizedTags: #bucketlist, #cambria, #centralcoastcalifornia, #coastalcalifornia, #dreamcometrue, #fulfillingadream, #grandparent, #hope, #lifeizgood, #love, #writersresidency, #writing, family, life, livingthedream, love, mental-health
Posted on February 9, 2025
by JANET L BARKER
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I poured my cousin’s prune juice into my coffee this morning. The cabin was dark, and I was stunned out of a glorious sleep-in sleep by room service or a stewart (not so sure what staff is called on a giant cruise vessel). Shadowy… Continue Reading “Princess for a week”
Category: UncategorizedTags: #adventure, #cruise, #cruiselife, #cruisingintoretirement, #enjoyinglife, #feelinggood, #grandparents, #hope, #lifeizgood, #livingthevidaloca, #love, #loveeverymoment, #princesscruise, #retiredteacher, #retirement, #travel, @retirement, cruises, cruising, cruisinggrandmas, cruisingwithfriends, cruisingwithfriends, happinessisprincesscruise, princess-cruises
Posted on January 13, 2025
by JANET L BARKER
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Love is … Remember that 1970s back-of-the-newspaper, black and white simple line-drawn “cartoon”? That’s what I’m thinking about while I’m thinking about the trauma of the last week and the national politics of the forthcoming. What is love? And how can love sustain us… Continue Reading “Today, she is free”
Category: UncategorizedTags: #cambria, #cattledogs, #doglove, #dogs, #findingpeace, #gratitude, #grief, #hope, #loss, #lossofadog, #love, #loveandloss, #petloss, death, lossofapet, love
Posted on December 12, 2024
by JANET L BARKER
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Posted on December 12, 2024
by JANET L BARKER
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For all the years I’ve been visiting my daughter, I rarely explore The City solo. That’s the best way to learn, when you have to figure it out by yourself. Like learning a language, when all roads lead back to you, you eventually get hip. Or… Continue Reading “Trust The Women”
Category: #grandparents, #hope, #lifeizgood, UncategorizedTags: #adultchildren, #bestlifeever, #family, #grandchildren, #grandma #travelinggrandma, #lifeizgood, #lostinmanhattan, #loveofgrandchildren, #manhattan, #newyorkcity, #nyc, #peace, #retirement, #travel, @retirement, coffee, columbuscircle, family, food, life