The Messy Briefcase to the rescue! — “Absentminded Professor,” my father called me when I was a child. Even then, I would forget things I needed to take to school with me. Now that I really am a professor, the absentmindedness hasn’t improved. I just have a million strategies that help me look like I’ve got my…

From a different porch — We spent a lovely week at North Topsail Beach last week. We enjoyed lazy days watching the waves, stuffing ourselves with fresh seafood, and catching up on reading. …

The life question I’m still asking — When I was 15, I started my first job in a library. I shelved books, read to small children in story hour, and helped run a theater group for Middle Schoolers. More than 40 years later, I’m still working in a library, now a library director at a small college…

Random reading, little writing — Aren’t these rhododendrons in my front yard pretty? I snapped this last week on my way to work in the morning and wanted to share it with you. I love having these wild things in my yard. I’m no gardener, so it’s magical to me when things bloom each year…

6/26/22 — From my posts on Medium On June 5, we euthanized our sweet old English Setter, Fergie. She had a tumor on her spleen diagnosed in October of 2020 and we have savored every moment with her since then. …

Announcing a new series from Messy Desk, Messy Life — I am excited by this new series “Messy Reading,” that I’m starting for the Messy Desk, Messy Life publication. I will post weekly links and summaries of content that fits the Messy Desk audience: messy organization and productivity, mental health and wellness, and neurodiversity (especially ADHD). Like many Messies, I…