What’s in a name?

I’ve been musing, pondering, mulling over the name change for my blog, but haven’t decided yet. I am so grateful for all the suggestions, but none of them agree and everyone has an objection to one name or another.

Some think it’s important to keep Judy in there; I think “cottage” has to remain. Apparently there are countless blogs titled Musings, and “Tales” suggests fantasy, which is not at all what I had in mind. What a dilemma!

But I think the name change is important and signifies the changes in my life as I age. Ten years ago I was 68, and Judy’s Stew reflected the mix of my life—writing, cooking, and grandmothering. Now, as I approach 80 too fast, I lead a quieter, more sedentary life. Oh, yeah, I’m still a doting grandmother, but I haven’t produced any new writing in six months, and I haven’t cooked. Invited friends for supper tonight, and Teddy made the blue cheese/chicken sandwiches (so good).

Now I’m in the cottage, where cooking opportunities are limited, though I promise a report soon on my new induction hot plate. Once I get more mobile, I may be able to do some remarkable cooking out here. My first experiment will be lemon linguine.

When people ask what I’m writing, my stock reply is that I’m “managing my career.” It’s true in part, but it’s also a mask for the fact that beyond blogs I haven’t written anything new in months. Today I had a glimmer of an idea, first inspiration in forever, and I may experiment with following it. But it was a good feeling.

I’m off on an adventure, but it will be a quieter adventure than the frantic pace I maintained in the past. One year I published three books in the calendar year—I don’t feel driven to do that anymore. I won’t claim to have set the mystery world on fire, but I’ve published enough mysteries—ten—and gotten enough nice feedback that I won’t feel like a quitter if I move on to other things.

 What do you all think about “From Judy’s Cottage”?