Blog

Blog

Diamonds may be a Girl’s Best Friend, but Spandex is a Woman’s

The time had come—the dreaded pants shopping. I took a deep breath, pulled the door open and braced myself. How many pairs of women’s pants…

joyclevelandAugust 29, 2022

Blog

What’s in Your Pantry?

Today, the sun is shining, birds are cavorting, and only a few stubborn piles of snow are sticking around. Yay! It’s officially 20 days until…

joyclevelandMarch 1, 2022

Blog

The Visitor

To my mind’s eye, he is quite old and old-fashioned. He wears gloves, a dark suit, a stiff top hat, and black, polished shoes. He…

joyclevelandJanuary 11, 2022

Blog

‘Hey Sharon!’

My name is not Sharon, but Sharon is a fine and lovely name. However, there is a woman who thinks my name is Sharon. I’ll…

joyclevelandOctober 4, 2021

Blog

A ‘DEAR JOY’ Letter from My Couch

I called him Bronzy… And the minute I saw him in the furniture store, I knew we were made for each other. He was a…

joyclevelandJune 23, 2021

Blog

The (Unofficial) Obituary of Howard Beetle

Howard Beetle passed away on June 17, 2020 on top of a bathroom sink. He was a longhorn beetle and an Iowa forest native. As…

joyclevelandMarch 17, 2021

Blog

Happy New Year?

Today is the last day of 2020. As I write this blog, I’m debating with myself. Should I wish everyone a Happy New Year? Didn’t…

joyclevelandDecember 31, 2020

Blog

What Happens in the Kitchen: A Holiday Confession

We humans like ‘perfect’—perfect hair, perfect weather, perfect kids, perfect WiFi, perfect cheese plates… According to one website, the perfect cheese plate must have the following: Homemade wheat…

joyclevelandDecember 20, 2020

Blog

The WAIT Button

In my corner of the world, I’m looking at brightly-colored leaves that are hanging onto branches for dear life. Many of their cohorts have floated…

joyclevelandOctober 23, 2020

Let's stay in touch

Subscribe to Joy's mailing list

Download Chapter 1