So, how do you like my new digs? Snazzy, eh? I really dragged my heels about getting this done because I realized I needed help, and there’s almost nothing I dislike more than asking for help. However, my dear friend and website mistress Sarah Dickinson rallied to my rescue. She was able to grasp what I envisioned, and make it so! Or, at least as so as possible, because sometimes I imagine things that aren’t actually do-able. Like pretty ponies galloping across the screen any time you hovered over the word “horse”. Some people see websites as they are… I dream of websites that make website developers run away screaming like their hair’s on fire.

Sarah has known me for years and years. She knows Party Girl Debra and Horsey Girl Debra and Sit Around And Yack and Snack Debra very well. However, this was the first time she interacted with Obsessive Nit-Picky Editor Debra, and had to field comments like, “I think the kerning on that sub-head needs to be .5 picas smaller” and “Could you put a 42 point font on that rather than a 41” and all the sorts of tiny threads that lifelong newsprint editors cannot resist trimming off. It has to be perfect. Not 97 percent, or 98 percent, but 100 percent. From an editor’s perspective, a page is either perfect or it’s shit. There’s no “good enough” middle ground. I imagine a lot of shrieking, wailing, and gnashing of teeth took place on the receiving end of my texts and emails! Thank you for not reaching through the phone and strangling me, Sarah!

Those of you who have read my first book, “The Elements of Horse Spirit —The Magical Bond Between Humans and Horses,” will recognize Sarah as the one who surely and patiently led me back to the world of horses, and from that experience, this book emerged — as did a new career path. I don’t work as a newspaper editor anymore, or write newspaper columns, but you’ll find columns both new and old under the Blog tab. I included a “Greatest Hits” selection of old non-political columns there — not all of them because there are hundreds. Twenty-six years worth! I also stashed a sampling of my political columns separately in the Archives, if that’s what you enjoyed reading, because as for me… I don’t enjoy that so much anymore. For me, as I look back on my column writing career, writing about politics is manufactured aggravation without tangible positive results. I want to stick to my new path, which is all about tangible positive results: insight, enlightenment, entertainment, and human experience, with a focus on nature, magic, and the Pagan arts and spirituality — not the perpetual cesspool of misery and strife that is our current socio-political reality.

So, let me show you around the place a bit:

Those beautiful “slider” photos on the homepage correspond to the pages noted just below them: Horse Spirit, Pagan Curious, and Sacred Massage; one for each book. Horse Spirit is available now, Pagan Curious will be published in January, and I am currently working on Sacred Massage, with a release expected in 2022 or 2023.

“Pagan Curious — A Beginner’s Guide to Nature, Magic and Spirituality,” is a book for brand-new beginners, who know nothing at all about Pagan practices and beliefs, but are drawn to its focus on nature, magic, spirituality, and living genuinely and comfortably in your own skin. If your current spiritual beliefs seem hollow or unfulfilling, and you seek a new relationship with divine energy, the planet, nature, and yourself, this is a perfect starting point.

“Sacred Massage — The Magic of Soothing Touch” draws upon my 22 years of experience as a massage practitioner. (Yes, I worked two jobs all those years!) So many things I do as a massage practitioner can easily be taught to someone who seeks to soothe a friend or loved one. From sore, overworked muscles to anxiety, to needing to care for an elderly parent or a child with sensory processing challenges or a partner struggling with stress or grief, to simply wanting to provide a safe, nurturing, healing experience, anyone can learn to channel loving, healing energy through their hands.

A brand new feature for my website are the feature stories I’ve written for Witches & Pagans and SageWoman magazines. These appeared in the print versions over the last couple years, and focus upon some of the most fascinating individuals I know in the Pagan community. If you thought that witches are old, ugly hags with warts and pointy hats, you’ll be in for a surprise when you meet these wonderful witches and Pagans. They are literally the people who live next door! Speaking of Witches & Pagans, I’m expecting to be a new columnist for that magazine in 2022, where I’ll be known as the Garden Variety Pagan! These are such beautiful, informative, timeless magazines. If you aren’t familiar with them, subscribe! They are magazines you’ll keep forever.

Other little bells and whistles on my new and vastly improved website are links to my social media pages, and a link to contact me via email. Come visit, follow me, and send me a message — I’d love to hear from you!

So here we are — welcome to my new place!