ANYTHING and EVERYTHING

There is surely something for everyone in this collection of columns written for the online news site Tampa Bay Reporter (tbreporter.com). Sometimes witty and informative, sometimes sad and sarcastic, the Sassy Sandpiper writes honestly and straight from the heart. One of Wilson's gifts is painting her own experience in such a way as to make it universal. She finds the extraordinary in the ordinary and celebrates the smallest victories in her own life as well as in those of her...
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There is surely something for everyone in this collection of columns written for the online news site Tampa Bay Reporter (tbreporter.com). Sometimes witty and informative, sometimes sad and sarcastic, the Sassy Sandpiper writes honestly and straight from the heart. One of Wilson's gifts is painting her own experience in such a way as to make it universal. She finds the extraordinary in the ordinary and celebrates the smallest victories in her own life as well as in those of her readers. There is a voice here that makes us feel like we're having a conversation with an old friend.The Sassy Sandpiper waded onto the scene March 7, 2016. The start-up news site, Tampa Bay Reporter (tbreporter.com) was just getting its feet wet, providing exclusive news coverage for the Tampa Bay area.Consulting Editor Jon Wilson invited me, his niece Merry Ruthe Wilson (M. R. Wilson) to write an occasional column about anything and everything. She scooped up the offer.Jon named the column. I'm so glad he didn't choose The Teeter Snipe.So here's what the Sassy Sandpiper has skittered across during the past three years."Merry's columns are a welcome respite from the chaos of modern life,whether she's writing about food or traditions or cats. Lots of cats.And I often come away thinking, "Oh, I should try that." Her stories,infused with nature and love and a desire to make the world a better place, offer sharp observations and even some sly advice. "Plant aseed," she writes, in a column that appears to be about the equinox,but is actually about hope. She challenges us to think a little bit differently, a little more gently, but never does so in a condescending way. Merrytalks to us, her readers, as if we're all friends. She likes us. We trust her.And I promise you will find something in each of these columns that make you smile."--Jill Hohnstein, Salem, OR