Fribble's Blend

Thoughts On Life, Death, and Carrying On

2011-12-01T13:05:00.001-05:00

I was listening to John Feinstein on NPR Fresh Air this noon and he closed his interview with the remembrance of how sports helped him get over the death of his mother.

It brought back a memory to me. When I had my first majorette corps, I had to go to the home of one of the members the day after her step-father had died. The girl's mother was beside herself trying to decide whether to go to the high school football game her son was playing in, concerned what people would think of her.

"Is your son going to play?" I asked her.

"Yes," she said firmly, as though they had discussed it.

"Then you have to be there," I said, thinking to myself how I would feel if one of the girls in the corps would have a problem and a parent not be there.

She nodded.

I think that was when the Bible verse "Let the dead bury the dead" became meaningful to me.

Just a thought.

Alert for all WRITERS!

2011-11-10T14:49:00.001-05:00

I was listening to the radio the other day and heard something disturbing that I thought my fellow writers need to know about.

People who sit still for long periods of time -- this sounds like every writer I know! -- need to get up and move around about every hour. I believe this. Why? Because one of the dangers we are courting by sitting for hours after hour is colorectal cancer.

In August of last year I went through surgery for this monster! It is a life-changing event. Now fourteen months later I have come to terms with the changes it brought and am back to writing, not just copying and editing old work. One of the least of my problems is dealing with loss of memory that I blame on having four instances of general anesthia.

The onset of colorectal cancer can easily be dismised as hemeroids -- the o.t.c. remedies actually work to mask the problem. But if you have the symptoms, it's best to go through the colonoscopy to identify the real problem.

Recovery takes patience and good backup caregivers. My husband, children and the members of the my church have been very supportive.

So, here is my advice: Get a one-hour timer and set it for 55 minutes before you start to write. When it sounds, get up and move for five minutes (be honest!) before you go back to work. Walk, go outside and check out your neighborhood. MOVE! (I'm starting to take yoga lessons but anything will help.)

Fight the monster BEFORE he shows up.

It's been a LONG time!

2011-06-28T20:42:00.000-04:00

Can you believe that I've been too busy for several months to post anything on blogspot? Trust me, I have.
Once I got well enough to focus on what had to be done, I got to work on copying BLACK-TIE AFFAIR into my computer so I could find a new home for it. It was, at first, a chore. BT-A came out in 1992, followed closely by COME HOME TO LOVE, and since I have changed computers twice, I no longer had files on them when I got the release form back from Kensington/Zebra.

Would you believe that the evening of the day I finished retyping BT-A, I was reading my emails and found that Desert Breeze Publishing needed a MS stat! to cover for an author who was too ill to work on the editing of her book. I sent BT-A the next day and it was accepted so fast I got a crick in my neck.

After the few editing changes were made, I caught my breath and began feeding COME HOME TO LOVE into the computer. I finished that MS yesterday (94,000+ words) and will get it off as soon as I can. The plus for me in that job was that Thorndike put out a Large Print edition for libraries and sent me one.

BLACK-TIE AFFAIR will be released Friday -- this Friday. I'm stoked. It is pure fiction. I used a college library to check my facts -- it's glitz, glamor, high society, low society, and Florida. It's just a fun read -- as it was a fun write!

COME HOME TO LOVE is a fictionalization of my experience with my eyes which led to partial blindness, woven into just about every problem a respectable heroine can face these days. I hope it might be out soon.

Like I said, I'm BACK!

A Done Deal

2011-03-21T14:35:00.000-04:00

When last I blogged, I mentioned BLACK-TIE AFFAIR being picked up by Desert
Breeze Publishing. Well, contracts went back and forth, the MS was updated and proofed, and went back to sunny Florida -- where it started out in the first place.

Now son Stephen and I are working on the promo stuff.

I have one problem. Having had so much anethesia last year has wiped out a whole bunch of my memory, long term, short term, whatever. If it weren't for Stephen, I'd be in real trouble.

Some people think you should kick kids out of the nest when then become adults. That's pretty much a 20th Century thing. I'm not about to let go of a the kid who has helped me with research, chauffered me thither and yon and been a plotting board for low these many years.

So now I'm going to take a deep breath and get on with promo. After I walk around the yard a time or two. . .

The Need to Blog

2011-02-12T20:42:00.001-05:00

I have been neglecting to blog, wanting to spare readers of the ups and downs that have been my life, but I'm having more "ups" than "downs" lately, so here goes.

I'm able to do more of my usual chores around the house now -- not that I really like washing and putting away dishes, trying to reconstruct some order in my stash cupboard or making order out of the chaos that is my computer hutch. I can't wait for good weather so I can get out and garden.

One of the things that kept me going when all I could manage was to sit here and type was copying BLACK-TIE AFFAIR from the print copy to the computer. I think I've changed systems twice since I wrote the book back in 1991. I few weeks ago I discussed the project with a publisher who was looking for a book in publishable form due to having an open slot popping up unexpectedly. I sent her the file and she made me an offer! Maybe I have a career again -- I have more ideas up my sleeves.

And the reason the stash cupboard is a mess is that I'm working on a "Courthouse Steps" quilt with skinny little one-inch wide logs that finish to half an inch. I love it and it eats up fabric. It's good to be sewing again -- and thinking about writing, gardening -- and what I'll do now that the weather is improving.

I have to say that husband Ken and son Stephen have been my support system. I get at least one hug a day, even now that I'm doing so well.

Things You Should Know

2010-10-22T19:00:00.000-04:00

Okay, the first thing I'll tell you about radiation for cancer is that -- you don't have to really DO much of anything. The technicians take care of everything. You lie down and they move you so that you are lined up with the machine's coordinates.

Now, it might get scary when the big machine is turned on and starts to make funny noises and move around the table vertically. The first time you go through it is the worst. I think it is setting parameters. After that, it seems to me, it doesn't take so long, and it might not be doing the same thing during every treatment. So it's not so scary as time goes on.

Technicians are great. So sometime take them so candy or pastries to get on their good side. . .

It Hurts to Laugh

2010-10-16T10:42:00.000-04:00

I'm learning to cope with the results of my abdominal surgery, but it's been over two months and, with various developments along the way, I've had setbacks. I promise not to go into too many details -- I don't want to gross you out anymore than I want to gross myself out.

But a few days ago, I saw the doctor in charge of radiation -- a charming man from Long Island, and thankfully somewhat mature. Well, during the session to set up the X-ray machine and my position thereunder for precisely targeting the area to be radiated, the doctor instructed me to raise my legs straight up and bring them back down on a pad that would become a form to insure my position will be the same during each treatment.

Well, I did something stupid. Which is not unusual for me -- and I'm still paying for it. I locked my knees and ankles and lifted both legs at the same time -- even pointed my toes -- in what synchronized swimmers call a "double ballet leg."

The doctor and the technician were drop-jawed! I used to do this as a standard part of my conditioning until a few years ago. But I'll be 70 in about two weeks. I should have known better. I have muscles protesting that had nothing to do with post-op.

I think I'll finally have to start acting my age.

If Living Were Easy, Anybody Could Do It

2010-09-26T11:05:00.001-04:00

I never thought I'd hear the words "Stage 3 Colon Cancer." Wish I never had.

The surgery was drastic, and I lost an instant ten pounds, and two days of knowing what was going on around me. I'm told people visited me, and I responded, but that is all in a black hole.

Then there were other things that had to be done -- the worst for me, a chemo port being put into my shoulder.

After studying the situation, being given the cold information from various sources, I'm viewing chemo (and radiation) with skepticism.

I'm a writer with at least four projects in various states of delay while I went through the wierd inability to concentrate which was probably a symptom of the growing seriousness of my condition. I don't want a rigorous, debilitating course of treatment that will disable me for what useful (writing) life I have remaining. (I turn 70 next month.)

I'm trying to be upbeat. It comes out in off-beat, rapid-fire gallows humor -- some of the best of it directed at my surgeon -- but at least he laughs. I'm not so sure it's going to get me through, but it might well be more effective than the chemo and the radiation.

I Always Knew He Was a Prince

2010-09-10T20:23:00.000-04:00

My husband and I have been married for 47 years, and there have been ups and downs -- as in all marriages. And once you get to white hair, glasses and wrinkled skin, well, it's hard to see the love.

But in the month since my surgery, it's hard to miss it. Someone takes my arm when I have to walk a little distance. Or brings me a snack in the middle of the afternoon.

Recovering from surgery is an up-down-sideways path, and last night it was more miserable than most. I asked DH to put his arm around me, and he did, but he also made sure the blanket was in place and that my second pillow was where I needed it. Such little things don't take all the pain away -- but they make it more bearable.

It Came in a Box!

2010-08-24T12:40:00.000-04:00

When Husband came home from church Sunday, he was less a fount of information than usual. He handed me a prompter and kept saying, "Just wait. It's coming. -- Oh! There it is."

It was Gerald and Louise Barbee's black pick-up truck, and it drove into the yard as close as it could get to the end of the walkway to the house. Well, Louise s one of my favorite people so I went out to say hi.
But they were busy unloading things from their truck -- a rosebush, shiny gift bags, a big green utility box with things poking out of it. A Sunshine Box! For me?

Well, I've put things in SunshineBoxes for other people, often without much thought, usually without putting my name on the token gift. But so many things in that box seemed to be thought out -- things I needed or can use. Two pair of scuffie slippers, night/lounge wear, puzzle book and quilting books that have bearing on current work. Snacks! and fun things!

I was totally taken by surprise, overwhelmed with gratitude -- and appreciation of the thought and humor and friendship extended to me. Next time that big green box shows up in the vestibule of the church, a lot more of my thoughts will be going into it!

Recuperating Is Not for Sissies

2010-08-21T18:34:00.000-04:00

But I think I'm going to make it anyway.

It helped that, the other day when I went to see my doctor, he looked at me, took a step backward and said, "You look good for being eight days post-op!" Guess that's the best you can get from a surgeon.

I didn't tell him that I tried to grab a quick nap in his waiting room. The Bard said: "Sleep knits up the ravelled sleeve of care." Who am I to argue that?

But I'm trying to do as many of my little chores as I can handle within the parameters of doctor's orders and not leave things in a mess just because someone will pick up after me. Church tomorrow? I'll decide at the moment.

Healing can't be rushed.

End of A Crisis

2010-08-13T16:23:00.000-04:00

(Titles are EASY--it's the content that's hard!)

I'm totally lucid and appreciating life's little things. Having met a lot of people--some of whom I didn't want to meet but are crucial to my recovery. I see a way clear to my only finish, to not only finish my project but begin new ones.

A Crisis Forced Upon Me

2010-08-06T17:56:00.000-04:00

I thought it was a hemorrhoid. After all, I had borne three healthy children, all of whom weighed over seven pounds, and I'm not a large woman. My doctor -- a lovely woman with whom I have good rapport and a lot of confidence -- examined me examined me and thought it was a hemorroid, too. She suggested, considering my age, I might want to have a colonoscopy. I gave it a few days thought, mulling over all the aspects of our conversation and decided -- it would be a good idea.

What we both thought would be no big deal turned out to be a cancerous tumor in a very uncomfortable place. By next Tuesday noon, it's not going to be there anymore. Things are more complicated than I thought, involving complicated, irreversible changes to my body and my lifestyle. I didn't think, when I got the initial news, that I was going to be able to cope.

Now I'm a little more reassured. I've met some very positive and reassuring people who have explained things and answered questions -- some before I asked them.

The period of adjustment isn't going to be easy, but I have the support of Husband and Son, the congregation of my church and a lot of friends on the Internet. I won't post about details, but if anyone else finds themselves with a similar situation, I'll try my best to be a part of their support system, as so many are supporting me.

Tomatoes In My Life These Days

2010-07-30T14:49:00.001-04:00

HA!HA!HA!!!

Well, it's like this. There is a long-distance truck driver who lives across the street. He takes products of Tennessee and surrounding states out to Arizona and California, and generally brings produce back.

His last trip, he brought tomatoes -- gorgeous field-ripened guys in plastic bags, about 8 or 10 to a bag, and he gave Ken about 14 bags. Well, this is farm country, but not everyone still has tomatoes -- ours have pretty much given out because of the HOT DRY weather! So Ken just started going to the people we know in the neighborhood and giving them away (after he put some in our fridge, of course). He had some to bring back home and has been fretting about using them up -- he hates to throw anything away.

A few minutes ago, we got home from Knoxville and there was a message on the answering machine -- one of the happy recipients wanted MORE so she could make spaghetti sauce. So EVERYBODY is now happy!

The Ugly Blob Has Got to Go!

2010-07-10T12:49:00.000-04:00

This is a bad time of the year to get sick, especially if it's something serious. My primary doctor was on vacation this past week, one doctor is going out to town next week and the other -- well, I just don't know yet.

But the doctor whom I saw this week called me last night with the news I didn't want to know -- the problem is cancer. He just doesn't know if he has located all of it or not. I'm pulling for it to be. I think it is -- and I believe in being positive.

I've lost relatives and friends to cancer, and Husband is a sixth-year survivor of his problem. Treatment is not as primative as it as been in years gone by. For that I am thankful!

I'M GOING TO BEAT THIS THING!

And Then There Are Days . . .

2010-07-07T16:44:00.000-04:00

. . .that don't turn out so well. It's been a hard summer so far, and it seems like it might have started a while ago. I've had some bleeding now and again, but it got more frequent. So I went to my doctor and she got a worried look on her face.

I found out why when I had a colonoscopy today. It didn't turn out so well, but not terribly bad -- I don't think.

But I want to talk to you about -- well, you. I dread -- well, anything having to do with going to doctors, taking medicine, having tests -- 'cause I'm not a fan of doctors. But I've had to put bad experiences behind me. So if you're putting something off, bite the bullet and do it. You owe it to those who love you. There are places to get support, and I found that the people who took care of me today were sympathetic, informative and supportive.

Okay, if you needed a push in the right direction, you've got it.

Leave of Absence

2010-07-02T14:24:00.000-04:00

I think I'm taking some time off from writing -- and computing -- and whatever I can dump for awhile. I'm not feeling well, and it's semi-serious. Don't worry -- I've actually consulted a health professional and doing something about it.

But -- it's summer. Here in Tennessee it much too hot to do much of anything but make more iced tea!

The problem is, I have a hero of a story telling me what he wants to do in my much-delayed project. That's the kind of help I like to have, but not having access to my computer it frustrating.

Sigh. . .I'm going to go make more tea!

Y'all have a nice summer. See you in a couple of weeks!

Now, What Am I to DO?

2010-06-29T13:53:00.000-04:00

I can not breathe if the radio is not on. Every morning at 7, I get two hours of NPR news on the local station WUOT -- the 60-year of radio of the University of TN. Then I listen to Daniel Berry from 9 until almost noon.

I have to admit that one of the requirements of a community in my mind is a good, consistant radio station with a defined mission. So when we (Husband and I) were considering our move here, I liked WUOT -- granted, just for the snatches of classics we heard in the car.

But when we moved here, I instantly was impressed by Mr. Berry. Educated in vocal music but with encyclopedic command of mucial history, Mr. Berry makes every morning interesting. He also has a Monday evening program dedicated to playing rare recordings of operatic stars of many years ago, pointing out strengths and weaknesses and their historical places in the international world of opera. He has the bearing of a professional performer as much as a teacher--he was a stage actor in opera long before becoming a radio announcer--and nobody else in the mass media that we see or hear ever has as much fun with it as he seems to.

Last night just after the closing number - sung by bass Ezio Pinza, on of my favorites -- Mr. Berry announced that he will be retiring in two months to go in a different direction. Well, I almost cried.

Whatever Mr. Berry is planning, I know he will be a success. But how will the rest of us continue our musical eduations?

PS. Does the playing of Scheherazade signal the convening of a staff meeting?

Ohmigosh! Father's Day!

2010-06-18T10:05:00.000-04:00

Yep, it's come around again, that hidden holiday. It always sneaks up on me.

This year, I thought I'd outsmarted the hassle. When we were in Lowe's the other day, I spotted a rosebush Ken had been craving and bought it for him, stupidly thinking I had the Day covered. Silly me.

Yesterday, my daughter Lynnora announced on Facebook that she and her husband Steve were coming Sunday to visit us. Barely a nanosecond later, son Dana William announced he is planning to come tomorrow. I love all these people but -- I've been writing, gardening and sewing for months -- and I have not been cleaning. You may laugh. I am shaking my head.

When a Catagory IV like this happens, Marine-Corps trained DH jumps into action to "police the area." You may know the type. Mister Clean -- with white hair and no earring. So far he's scrubbed the kitchen floor, swept son Stephen's office, the furnace nook and the front hall. I sewed one seam on our granddaughter's graduation quilt (over a month overdue, BTW) and moved enough fabric so that I could get the fabric cupboard in the dining room closed. (Don't even think of opening it!)

I'm on tea break, and so is Ken. Oops, he's moved! He's about to start cleaning again -- and I know I'm just stupid enough to try to keep up with him.

It's going to be a long, hot day. And tomorrow we have to cook!

It's Going to be a Busy Summer!

2010-06-13T20:26:00.000-04:00

I was taking things slow. The garden needed serious work -- weeding, transplanting, compost pile maintenance -- and I have sewing to do -- a quilt for my granddaughter to commemerate her graduating from Warren Wilson College, and baby dresses for a crop of newborns among my acquaintences.

Then Donna Wright of Always Keepers (audio books) called to chat and asked me if she could take a look at the file for BLACK TIE AFFAIR, which Zebra published in 1998. Well, there is no file -- so I dug out a copy and started typing it again! If you have a copy of it. . . Personally I think it's a great summer read.

Then there is a matter of irises -- I've got too many. Fourteen different colors of them, spread over several gardens. One neighbor mention admiring them -- he's now a proud owner, as are a couple of sisters who have new houses and lots of land. (They think I know what I'm doing!)

This is all distracting me from the effects of aging on my body. It's hard to get to sleep at night with aches and pains -- but it's a good time to plot, Books and gardens and things the guys who live with me (Dear Husband and Dear Son) don 't need to hear about right now.

Time Passes!

2010-05-14T14:32:00.000-04:00

There is no truer saying that "Time passes," and it does so so quickly that we barely notice.

The Bierce family has a great event tomorrow. Geneva Bierce-Wilson , our granddaughter, will ge graduated from Warren Wilson College in Swannanoa, NC, tomorrow.

Geneva is a very accomplished young woman, and artist, a traveler and a really nice girl. She spent the second semester of her junior year in Belfast, getting a new perspective on art and life in general. Last spring she spent several days in Italy with other students, one highlight of the trip (at least, it would be for me!) was spending Easter in Rome.

Anyway, we see a bright future for her and wish her the best of luck.

The Search Is On!

2010-05-07T10:19:00.000-04:00

Very early on in the history of my electronic writing career, I had a Rocket e-Book Reader, and I loved it! It had its limitations, but I coped. It lost its integrity several years ago and sits in its case on the bottom shelf on this computer desk, a museum piece, still loved but a better doorstop than an e-book decoder.

Yesterday I went looking for a replacement, money in my purse to buy one. My son Stephen and I looked first at the I-Pad. Interesting, but expensive, and I would need to have my computer upgraded to accomodate it. So we kept looking.

At a Best Buy store, we saw three e-books in a display. The one that Stephen was most impressed with was the Nook -- it has a second screen that allows searching for other text, looking up a word or checking a fact -- without leaving the material being shown on the main screen. Now, for a writer, this could be neat! And -- it's a little over half the price of the I-Pad -- and when you figure in salestax -- I don't have Scots lineage in my background for nothing!

I haven't plunked down my money yet. I need to consult my computer guy about upgrades, and I may look into other devices. But as a writer and a reader, I need one of these things!

So Much For Writing!

2010-04-23T15:25:00.000-04:00

It's too nice a day to stay in the house, and the computer is too big to take outside.

I've weeded the flower garden -- sort of. I dedicated my efforts to weeding the grass out, but there were some little forget-me-nots that volunteered to be inthe same place the grass was. Since it is almost impossibl to dig some places in the garden -- I swear it used to be a parking lot -- I transplanted them to the garden right outside the kitchen door.

Later, Husband and I went to one of our favorite stores -- Lowe's -- to get some things for the house and garden. Sweet man, he got me a new pair of pliers to pull up the maple seedlings. Then we went to our more favorite store to get my favorite weedkiller.

Now I'm going to work on my granddaughter's graduation (college!) quilt.

But I promise you, I'm working out writing problems in my mind. Next rainy day -- back to my book!

It's Spring AGAIN!

2010-04-16T11:26:00.000-04:00

I love to garden, and I have about an acre to play around with. (We have another acre, but it's hayfield and "rock garden", which after thirteen years here we are just debating what to do with it.)

Husband and I have differing ideas of the proper way to garden. I pull weeds -- he mows over them.

We have a little tradition between us -- the Discovery of the Day. The first daffodill, the first -- whatever. Well, this year, we had a relative whopper. We've planted a lot of trees that Husband can't resist ordering. Some have grown. Well, he planted one hapless little twig near what I call my "driveway" garden about five years ago. It just seemed to grow into a taller and taller leafy twig. Then last Saturday, I was resting on my rake to catch a breath and looked at the thing. On the tops of the long upward-reaching branches, there were little reddish buds!

The next day, a few opened into pale pink blossoms, and now those parts of the tree are covered with white blossoms, so thick they look as though there are no leaves with them.

This qualifies as a Discovery of the Year -- and a lesson. Don't give up on something that is still healthy and green!

What is your Discovery of the Day today?

Remember Me?

2010-04-09T13:38:00.000-04:00

Whew! I've finally found a break in my writing schedule and have won a password battle with Google so I can come back here to blog!

My big news is that CRICKET'S MOON and THAT SPECIAL SOMEONE are available just about anywhere e-books are sold. I wish they were in print also, but that may come in due time if enough e-copies are sold.

I've invited several romance authors to stop by here to tell you about their books in reciprocation for their invitations to visit their blogs. I'm excited about this. You might find a new author you hadn't heard of before.

Spring has arrived with a vengence in Tennessee. We're past daffodils and hyacinths, into tulips, redbuds and almost into dogwood. Wish I could send you some of the sunshine -- I just hope you have your own.

New Review For That Special Someone!

2010-04-06T15:02:00.000-04:00

http://longandshortreviews.blogspot.com/2010/03/that-special-someone-by-jane-bierce.html

Well, isn't that lovely! I don't care about getting so many hearts or cups of coffee -- whatever. I care about the reviewer understanding what I was trying to convey in my book.

And I love secondary characters who are a little quirky when I need them to be. In THAT SPECIAL SOMEONE the hero and heroine have older brothers who met on a high school football field -- met being a bit mild for the incident -- and have never forgotten it. It's not a big thing in the story, just something that a reader may find amusing.

A comment I had from a reader or reviewer was that the setting was unusual. I never say what city the story happened in. It's afairly large industrial city with a university, a bus system and problems with their ancient sewer and water systems. The weather in winter can be brutal. I use all these ideas, hoping readers might think they know where it's set, the people and the issues.

Writing is fun -- if it weren't, I wouldn't do it.

Trouble with Endings!

2010-02-19T14:28:00.000-05:00

I'm in the process of finishing a book, the third one in the Hazlett Series -- Cleome's Garden. The problem is that I am trying to wrap up the whole series by the time I type THE END on this one.
I'm having trouble visualizing the ending. My characters keep moving around, saying things I don't want them to say. They aren't helping me!

It might be that I have just too many people involved, but the heroine and hero of the first book are getting married, so everyone -- or just about everyone -- has to be there. And then I have to say good-bye to all of them.

Maybe saying good-bye is what I'm having trouble with. I've created a town and a group of people who are very special, who in their own way are doing the best they can to make the world better -- or at least their own little corner of it.

Why would I want to say good-bye?

Cricket's cover a winner!

2010-01-08T13:53:00.000-05:00

Every Friday, I'm supposed to write a new blog entry. I usually don't remember it until Tuesday. Somehow, today is Friday and I'm writing a blog. Go figure!

Anyway, I need to tell everyone who reads my blog that the cover of CRICKET'S MOON won a cover contest on the Electronically Published Internet Connection site. About the only input I had on the cover was to point out that the first cover's figure was wrong for that particular book, but would be terrific for the last book in the series.

Well, I'm very proud for Jax Crane who won the award, and I hope I'll have the same artist for CASSIE'S FLAME and CLEOME'S GARDEN. Cassie is done and out of my hands at the moment, and Cleome is about 15,000 words from completion. I've got the whole thing thought our, and will be wrapping up the Hazlett Series with it. Another character wanted me to write her story, but I had to be firm with her. Hate to do it, but. . .

So if you need a good book that might whisk you off to nice, toasty Florida -- CRICKET'S MOON might be the answer.

If you don't mind cold toes and a warm romance, check out THAT SPECIAL SOMEONE. Go to www.awestruck.net/authors/jane_bierce.html

THAT SPECIAL SOMEONE is released!

2009-12-02T18:29:00.000-05:00

The saga of THAT SPECIAL SOMEONE is finally over!

Over a year ago, Kathryn Struck, the co-owner of Awe-Struck eBook at that time, announced that she was holding a contest for books under 60K words. I promptly pulled an idea out of hte back of my mind into the frontal lobes and worked my fingers to the bone getting it in on time. I was pleased that my project was among the books that were promised publication.

Then I sort of forgot about it, because Awe-Struck was sold to Mundania last summer, and I was on to other things.

The new management brought out CRICKET'S MOON in July, and scheduled THAT SPECIAL SOMEONE for two months later. All right, I thought, but the schedule slipped a little. That's not a bad thing -- it just happens when one publisher takes over another's processes. If you haven't caught up to Cricket yet, go to http://www.awe-struck.net/books/crickets_moon.html

Even so, I was shocked when I found out yesterday that THAT SPECIAL SOMEONE came out the night before. It's a Christmas/Valentine's Day story, about two family's actually. You know me, I write sweet romances -- you know there is a happy ever after, but the path might not be a straight line.

So, go to http://www.awe-struck.net/books/that_special_someone.html and admire the cover, read the first chapter, and maybe buy the ebook. The book should be out in print next year, too!

Reviews and Me

2009-11-13T18:45:00.000-05:00

Back when I was first published, series romances books weren't reviewed very often. I didn't think much about reviews -- I was too busy writing. Established authors were reviewed in Publishers' Weekly and that was about it.

I had one book, Come Home to Love, reviewed in Publishers' Weekly -- a really great review compared to the recommendations the other romances in that magazine got.

Along came Romantic Times and things changed. Now everybody reviews or gets reviewed. We get stars or hearts or something. Well, today I heard of a better-than-average review Cricket's Moon got. I'm happy!

See, I don't ever expect to be better than average in anything I do, but above average is good in my eyes.

I'm working on the third book in the series where Cricket is the trial balloon. The reviewer got the humor, liked the people, maybe enjoyed the book. So when I go back to work on Cleome's Garden, I'll keep those thoughts in mind and try not to disappoint. But then, I don't write to get good reviews -- I write to entertain readers -- and myself.

2009-10-23T20:04:00.000-04:00

I did not realize that it had been so long since I had blogged. Well, the reasons had been the usual ones -- working on my writing, going on a much-needed vacation with Husband and Son, and coming back to more work.

I was raised in a small but historically important town in Pennsylvania, and that it where we usually go on vacation. Usually? Always. It is where oil was first reached by drilling a well, back in 1859. I graduated from high school there in 1958, and worked on both the Centennial edition of the Titusville Herald and the First Day of Issue Petroleum Commemorative Postage Stamp. It was a 4-cent stamp -- what a concept.

Anyway, it was great to see that the 150th anniversary of Drake Well was having a lasting effect, even after the parade was long gone. Titusville has a marvelous architectural heritage of commercial and residential buildings, and they were feverishly being refurbished while we were there. Along Main Street, which is ironically not a commercial thoroughfare but lined with mansions and large houses from end to end, I felt a real connection. I walked that route to school in fifth, seventh, eighth and ninth grades. In rain, sunshine and snow. . .

What I came away with this trip is that the house that muck-raking journalist Ida Tarbell had been raised in was being given restorative attention. There is a plaque marking the house and when I walked alone past her house, I sometimes stopped and read the plaque. I thought to myself that if someone from such a small town could become an important writer, I could be a writer too. I don't look at myself as being important so far as depth of thought goes, but I am a pioneer in electronic publishing.

Now, I don't particularly want a plaque erected by my old home. People would have to make a real effort to find it. I'm just proud to have achieved what I started out to do, back in fifth grade.

2009-09-04T10:32:00.000-04:00

I'm looking at today's date and thinking: "Only two weeks!" Two weeks from today THAT SPECIAL SOMEONE will be released from Awe-Struck e-Books. What a thrill it is to see a book for the first time. This is #13! (And my father said I'd never be a writer!) Hitting the "unlucky number" must be lucky. But if I live long enough to see a twentieth or fiftieth book, it will still be a thrill, an accomplishment, a victory.

When I first began using a computer to write, someone suggested that I could have a format for a book, then just changes the names of the characters, the places, the little things like that, and sell the book again. All true writers cringe at the thought. We agonize over every twist and turn, every word.

And we care about every reader who drops by our blog, or FaceBook, or wherever they encounter us and says: "Read it! Loved it!" The's what makes us sit down and write the next one.

Now for Something Special

2009-08-28T15:36:00.000-04:00

I have another book coming out September 18. THAT SPECIAL SOMEONE was written for a contest Awe-Struck held last spring -- I'm fuzzy on the time-frame, as I am about more things these days. Once I've met a deadline, I move on.

THAT SPECIAL SOMEONE came from a few ideas I had floating in the back of my mind, and when I sat down to write, the characters popped up, assumed their places. Writers love this! We love to have characters sit on top of the monitor and tell us what to write.

The story starts on a Christmas morning, in the home of a family that owns a tool company.
A little girl who has been given a beautiful doll points out to one and all that the doll doesn't have enough clothes -- and focuses her complaints at her bachelor uncle.

By Valentine's Day, the search for doll clothes to appease his niece has turned his life and lives of several other people upside down -- for the better.

Stopping to Take a Breath

2009-08-19T14:12:00.000-04:00

The last six wweks have been a trial, both personally and professionally. I think I've survived.

On the Fourth of July, Husband's esophagus closed while we were eating dinner -- it is and old problem with him, dating back to late childhood, but this time it really was bad. He ending up in a hospital in Knoxville for three days as the VAH in Johnson City didn't have anyone available to take care of him over the holiday weekend. And now the VA doesn't want to pick up the tab even though my husband has "primary care" with them, and repeated treatments are indicated. Husband worked in VAHs for many years and this seems so doubly unfair.

Well, CRICKET'S MOON became available July 10th, but it was about a week until we agreed with the artists about the cover. It has a gorgeous cover. Now I am trying to put together promotional materials but have had trouble with my computer and printer -- and also along in here somewhere we had a service problem and I had to learn a whole new email system -- one I don't like! And two promotional services I had my eye on went out of business.

But CRICKET'S MOON got a good review from the one source that has come in.

THAT SPECIAL SOMEONE comes out September 18th and I am anxious to see the cover of that book.

The sequel to CRICKET'S MOON -- CASSIE'S FLAME -- is complete and has gone to the editor.

I'm hoping everything will calm down in the next little while, and that I'll be able to breathe again. I've got to say that I've gotten a lot of weeding done, but after seven years of draught, we have scads of rain this summer and those weeds have just been lying in wait!

A Bit More About My New Book

2009-07-23T08:21:00.000-04:00

I was running through the routine of checking places where my book CRICKET'S MOON is listed and noticed something you might be interested in. If you buy it soon, you save some money! Go to http://www.awe-struck.net/authors/jane_bierce.html and you can get the deal. Well, cheap as I am, fifty cents looks good!

I really am proud of this book, more than several of the others that I have written. Some were edited in ways I didn't like, and covers didn't come out the way I envisioned them, but CRICKET'S MOON was barely changed in the editing at all, and one place where the editor suggested a change worked out much better. The cover has to be the prettiest cover I've ever had.

Since this is the first book of a three-book series, I'm hoping my characters show through brilliant;y both in this book and the others. CASSIE'S FLAME has already been submitted, and CLEOME'S GARDEN is about to jump out of my head into my computer.

I just hope that my readers are willing to give me a break as I write not only in my heroine Cricket's point of view, but go into those of Cassie and Cleome -- young black women -- and their surrounding characters to show the effects of poverty and wealth in a community.

As always, my Christian values show through. I can't help it -- I can't write dirty books!

CRICKET'S MOON IS RELEASED!

2009-07-21T10:47:00.000-04:00

It's been a hard last few months. I wrote two whole books, on top of the two that had been accepted by Awe-Struck, and have another to finish.

But in the middle of all this, Mundania Publishing bought out first Awe-Struck eBooks, and the Hard Shell Word Factory -- both of whom published my ebooks. It was a surprise, but a good one. I've met the guys who own Mundania and have the utmost respect for them.

So when CRICKET'S MOON was released July 10 and the cover didn't quite fit the book, the editor and art director came up with a revised cover.

In the middle of all this the internet company that I have been subscribed to since April, 1997 (!) lost the server that I was on. In all the adjustments I had to go through, there were learning curves and a few words I don't usually use were muttered.

And during those two days, the Art Director was trying to get the revised cover to me. (I hope I have been forgiven for still being needlessly upset.)

The new cover is only GORGEOUS! Probably the best cover I've had so far, in my 26 years of being a published romance writer.

The book is about a heroine who spends her last dollar to buy a lottery ticket, fully knowing that her family frowns on gambling. I hope it makes readers think about what they would do -- and what they can do -- to change the world around them.

2009-06-25T16:30:00.000-04:00

Last week, I spent about two days (maybe more--it seemed like more) doing my semi-final edits on CRICKET'S MOON. They didn't want to leave the house -- we had to sent them three times before I was sure they were gone. But they finally got where they were going.

NOTE: Doing edits for an electronic publisher is much easier than doing them for a print publisher. Print publishers send a print-out on computer paper -- that l-o-n-g, connected paper, and you are supposed to make your corrections NEATLY, so there are no mistakes, and send the whole thing back intact! (At least that was the way it was when my last print project was in the works -- I barely remember.) Now, we do it on the file and that's pretty much it, very few ways for mistakes to sneak back in. Zap -- it's supposed to go back -- without costing $20 in postage, ot $30 for an ink cart to print out.

Anyway. In the middle of that, a dear writing friend who has an audio book company called and asked if I'd be interested in having ONCE AGAIN A PRINCESS produced as in audio book. That's interesting. That is a book that goes way back--I wrote while I was recovering from eye surgery just to amuse myself. It became my first ebook, and I love it for breaking every rule I thought I could get away with.

Anyway, this afternoon the editor from my epublisher emailed me that she needed a copy of THAT SPECIAL SOMEONE, my next ebook under contract, because she couldn't find it. No problem! The file has already been sent to her.

So -- CRICKET'S MOON comes out July 10 -- two weeks from tomorrow! (Mild panic.)
THAT SPECIAL SOMEONE comes out September 18.
And ONCE AGAIN A PRINCESS -- we're talking November.

I have a career again!

It's a Busy Time

2009-06-12T20:02:00.000-04:00

There's a lot of stress in the air. The whole Televison Issue is driving us nuts. Then there's the weather -- we've had rain and more rain, and an episode of 60-mph winds that -- well, it didn't do our garden any good. And I'm not making much headway with the garden this year anyway.

On top of that! Oh, yes -- this is where I'm going -- I have a book coming out in less than a month! I've picked what I want for the cover (a super luxury ebooks have over print!) and am waiting for the editor's version so that all the things I've thought that I should have done better can get changed -- or not. I've got a personal appearance lined up -- one of those things that makes me very nervous. And I have another book that is trying to make me sit here and write!

Someone once said that the act of writing is opening a vein and bleeding on the page. I'm a little too private for that. But this series that I'm working on has developed into a big challenge. I'm writing about social issues and groups of people I haven't heretofore addressed, though I've given them a lot of thought.

Writing "sweet" romances protects me from having to face issues that aren't neat and comfortable. The most difficult things I've addressed before were the political decentralization of Europe (Once Again a Princess), a heroine who was physically challenged (The Hardest Step) -- and my struggles with my vision (Come Home to Love). Now I'm dealing with poverty, interracial relations and some minor class differences.

So, the first book in the series is Cricket's Moon, coming out July 10. It wasn't hard to write, I just had to use my imagination. The second book, Cassie's Flame, was a bit more of a stretch, into social problems. It won't come out for a while, so I may be toning it down -- or not. The third book will be Cleome's Garden, and Cleome herself is a piece of work. I don't know where this one will end up -- except that there will be a happy ending.

I like happy endings. I've seen too many unhappy endings. If I can make my people on paper happy, I do.

It's Been a Long Time!

2009-05-21T16:39:00.000-04:00

So where have I been? I've been writing. I'm in a very productive phase, working on a three-book series and two stand-alone books, all romances, of course.

Finishing the second book of the series left me drained, but not as sad as I get when I've decided that I've said all there is to say about my main character. That is what makes it so hard to end a book -- that separation anxiety we feel at the end of a school year, the loss of a friend.

But with the series, I carry multiple characters in the books -- and they are lobbying for a fourth book already. I'm a tough task-master, though. I've been telling them three books and done -- I think.

Being drained of strength has another effect on me -- I get hungry for foods I can't have, not because of any health concerns, but because many of the foods I was raised on are no longer available -- at least on a budget. Today I am craving Neufchatel cheese with strawberries blended into it -- on hot buttered toast. Maybe that is why I insisted on getting pickle-loaf at the grocery store today -- it's not olive loaf, but it's okay.

One of the great treats of my childhood was toasted Hershey-bar sandwiches. Mom had a sandwich press long before they became the standard equipment they are in kitchens now. We got a whole box of Hershey bars just before Christmas every year, and on bitter cold days, the sandwiches would be waiting for us when we got home from sled-riding. Now, they are but a memory.

I wonder what my kids will jones for when I'm gone. My monkeybread? Maybe.

I think I'll add food in the questionneir I fill out for my characters.

Standing Wienie Roast

2009-03-13T17:03:00.000-04:00

Back when the kids were small (relatively), and I had to manage getting dinner around other things, one of the dishes they thought was special (sort of) and I thought was a great time saver was my Standing Wienie Roast.

I used a good sized Pyrex bowl (the curving sides was crucial to appearance) and doctored up a large can of baked beans with mustard, ketchup and brown sugar, then took hot dogs, cut them in half lengthwise and again in the middle, and inserted them in the bowl, flat side against the wall of the bowl, rounded end up, such a touch above the rim of the bowl. I put them in the over -- at about 300 for twenty minutes -- okay, I'm not real sure about that, but you get the idea.

At least that gave me time to get the rest of the dinner ready and maybe help with homework. Or make coleslaw.

Continuing on a Cooking Thread -- Pasta Salad

2009-02-23T13:24:00.000-05:00

For some reason, Husband and I make a lot of Pasta Salad. We have a friend who shows up with a couple bags of groceries now and again, puts them on the kitchen table and leaves for a while, long enough for us to turn them into a pasta salad.

What she brings is a box of Penni or Rotini, a green pepper (at least -- there have been times when she can't make up her mind and brings all three colors), a can of black olives, Parmesan cheese, shredded carrots, and a bottle of Italian dressing. She knows we always have tomatoes, celery, cucumber, an onion and herbs. I grow oregano, garlic chives, parsley, rosemary and mint, but I have back-ups of most of them dried and on my shelf.

This is a two-person job. We cook the pasta according to directions and while that's cooking, we wash and cut celery, cucumber, onion and black olives -- and I shred carrots if she forgot them -- I have a hand-crank machine I got at a yard sale. By then, the pasta has been lifted, and drained and covered again with cold water to wait to be drained again and go into the bowl.

We use the biggest bowl we have to collect the vegetables in. I go outside to pick reasonable amounts of oregano, garlic chives etc., knowing from experience how much I need. While I'm doing this, Husband pours about half a bottle of Italian dressing into the blender, throws in some Parmesan, maybe a little sharp cheddar or Colby-Jack, and stands there tapping a wooden spoon on the counter until I get the other herbs ready to throw in. Then he blends all that into a dressing that smells DEVINE!

I toss the pasta into the bowl with the veggies, Husband pours on the dressing and a few shakes of salt and pepper, and I steal his wooden spoon to stir with. It's best to go to the bottom of the bowl and lift upward, turning the bowl a little each time. Then I cover the salad with plastic wrap and put it into the refrigerator until our friend shows up .

This will serve us twice, with some for our friend to take home -- or one fairly large church dinner.

By Popular Demand! Macaroni & Cheese "The Hard Way"!

2009-02-14T14:02:00.000-05:00

I wrote this originally for my son's blog and we just copied it to here. (Don't you love computers?):

I use part cheddar cheese and part colby jack--about 1/3 of an 8-ounce package, grated or chopped in fairly small bits. If all you have is cheddar, it would probably be about 5 to 6 ounces.

In a big pot--a stock pot--I boil water, a healthy couple of shakes of salt, and a little bit of olive oil to keep the macaroni from sticking after it's drained. When the water is boiling briskly, put in two cups of elbow macaroni, or macaroni and other pasta of the same size--like the little shell or spiral macaroni. Boil about 10 minutes, and drain in a collander.

Spray oil into a two-quart size casserole dish--or coat the inside with shortening, margarine or butter.

Layer the drained macaroni--enough to cover the bottom of the casserole--then cheese, mac, cheese, etc, ending with the last little bits of cheese. Give it a good shake of pepper and two good shakes of salt. Pour about 3/4 cup of milk over all--this distributes the salt and pepper. Then sprinkle the top with seasoned breadcrumbs (or plain breadcrumbs with a couple shakes of dried parsley). If you don't have any breadcrumbs, mash some saltines for the top.

Cover with the casserole lid or aluminum foil, bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, let sit in the oven after you've turned it off until you need to serve.

There you have it!

The Angel is BACK!

2009-02-11T10:32:00.000-05:00

Husband's mother died several years ago, and since he would not be able to visit her grave often, and out church had decided to make a memorial garden for a deceased member at about that time, Husband sprung for an angel statue for the space beside the garden.

When little kids played outside, they clambered over the statue. The rest of us -- ourselves included, began to take the statue for granted. But shortly after Thanksgiving, a woman who lives nearby stopped Husband after church and told him it was missing. I think Husband was heartsick -- I know I was.

Well, one day we were driving along less than a mile from the church and I spotted, in a Christmas display our angel! I said to Husband, "That's our angel!" (our not in the sense of our ownership, but the church's). Very calmly Husband said, "Yes, I know. It's been there awhile."

He said he didn't know what to do about it. He was calm. I was -- well, I tend to brood.

Someone at church suggested he call the sherriff. Husband hesitated. He never rushes into anything. Someone handed him a phone number and gave him instructions. He called, was called back, then apparently allowed the mills of the gods to grind slowly.

On our rounds yesterday, lo and behold! There were two sherriff's cars at the location were the angel was. Last night , just before the women's group met, one of the women called to say the angel was in the parking lot!

We went up the morning to check. She was indeed in the parking lot, at some distance from her pedestal, painted with shiny paint, some of which didn't take the trip well. Husband moved her out of the way so she (nor an automobile) would not suffer more damage. She is a long way from her pedestal. But she is back HOME.

Such miscreants should make sure, when stealing something like that that the sherriff doesn't belong to the parsih they are stealing from!

'Tis the Season

2009-02-06T11:07:00.000-05:00

On January 18th, Husband and I intended to celebrate our 45th Wedding anniversary. Well, there was no celebrating that day. Husband got up that morning and discovered a massive plumbing disaster.

As you may know if you have followed this blog, we live in the country, in an old house, the newest part of which is the bathroom. Also the coldest part. It is nothing but misery. It was almost a week getting back to normal. Husband would think he had the problem solved, go out to the road to turn on the water and -- Oh, I can't bear to think of it!

A few days ago, it got even colder than it had been on the 18th of January. The pipe under the bathtub broke. It wasn't difficult to fix, but it was a concern.

Now every time I hear a strange sound, I have to go check it out.

And needless to day, I hope our 50th anniversary goes better.

Menu of Last Resort

2009-01-10T20:17:00.000-05:00

I've been working hard getting a book written -- because I have two more to write, and with other things happening -- like writing and sewing and Christmas -- well, some things had to slide.

In addition to keeping up my blog (sorry, friends), I have let other things slide -- like cooking.

Husband and Son know when I'm harried, I make macaroni and cheese. Not out of a box, but "The Hard Way," grating the cheese, boiling the macaroni, baking it for half an hour.

I didn't realize I'd made such an impression until yesterday. Son blogged about my mac and cheese. Someone asked for my recipe.

Okay, I'll take any appreciation I can get, but I'd rather it be for my writing -- or sewing -- or gardening -- than my cooking.

I just hope he doesn't start bragging about my dusting!

Just Before Christmas

2008-12-19T13:40:00.000-05:00

When I'm riding in the car, I look out at the rearview mirror and there is a warning at the bottom that says: "Objects in mirror are closer than they appear." Well, Christmas is closer than it appears, too. I still have things to make.

My daughter invited Husband, Son and I to her house for a Christmas Brunch. Sounds interesting. We're to take a gift from each person--okay, that's the theory!-- to exchange. So far, I've made a set of king-size pillow cases of a really nice flannel. (Do I really have to give them away?) I'm working on a set of placemats which will be machine quilted. And I'm planning to make a very nice chef's apron that a guy won't be ashamed to wear.

So most of Christmas is in the rearview mirror, so far as planning is concerned.

The Editted Life

2008-12-10T20:44:00.000-05:00

Son pointed out to me this evening that it had been way too long since I'd posted a blog. Well, I'd been busy!

Fall is always busy. It's a time when you have to button up the garden for the winter, plant things to come up in spring, rake leaves and stack them in the compost pile. I've been trying to finish a quilt. Every night when I go to bed, I promise myself I'll work on it the next day. But I'm so discouraged with it. It's beautiful -- ugly is not the problem. It's BIG -- my favorite colors, some of my favorite patterns -- but I have to give it away. Well, I'll have to finish it for Christmas.

I've been writing a book and it has fired my imagination, so I try to work on it every day -- or at least think about it until the scene is firm in my mind before I fire up the computer. That saves me a lot of editting.

It occurs to me that my favorite activities -- gardening, quilting and writing -- all involve as much destruction as construction. I have to pull weeds and plants that have run their season. I cut fabric -- choosing is easy, cutting into it is hard sometimes. And I have to edit what I write.

Sometime life edits me. I can't do what I used to do. physically. I find I don't want to do the things I used to. sometimes I want to do something and it just doesn't work. It's a lesson to be learned.

This is a Busy Time

2008-11-07T13:01:00.000-05:00

My years always seem to start playing Crack-the-Whip when we reach November. Holidays and birthdays run into each other, the weather gets frantic and people start acting funny. For instance, Husband got a package UPS today and wouldn't let me look inside it. He handed me the catalog on top to divert me -- then he showed me things that were in the box that weren't for me. He asked Son if he wanted his birthday present. Then he took the bbox and HID IT!

Harruphf!

Yesterday the sun was warm, not a cloud in the sky -- and the trees were beautiful, all colors against a blue sky. Today it's colder, cloudier, windier -- I'm not ready for it. The furnace kicks on more often.

I'm trying to write a book -- about 20,000 words to go. That might seem a lot to a non-writer, but to me -- well, I could finish it by the end of the month if I can just string all my ideas together. So I have to get my mind off the holidays and birthdays, the weather, the furnace -- all those distractions -- and get to work. Winter is on the way.

It's My Birthday!

2008-10-28T12:37:00.000-04:00

I am 68 years old today. It's a sobering thought. I have officially lived longer than my mother or my father did. Mum lived to be 67 and five months before cancer won out over her strong spirit.

I have not, however, lived longer than my grandmothers. My mother's mother lived to be 75 and was quite vigorous until about a week before pneumonia did her in. The pneumonia hit her when she was cleaning the basement, fell and hit her head, and lay on the cold floor for several hours before she was found.

My father's mother lived to be 96, and was in a nursing home, blind, diabetic and crippled for 23 years. She had a hard life, born in a Conestoga wagon in which she and her family lived for many years. The first time she slept in a house was when at the age of 14, she was sent to work in the home of a grocer.

My great grandmother, her mother, lived to be 97. One would think that she probably passed away in a rocking chair. No, not her! She was out in her garden, wedding curcumbers when she tripped over a cucumber vine, broke her hip and died of shock.

That would be my preferred way of going. So I am working on the next 29 years, writing, quilting, gardening and going to church, hoping for the best and taking what life doles out.

Busy Autumn

2008-10-23T13:31:00.000-04:00

This is a busy time of year here. We've torn out the vegetable garden, a little disappointed that we didn't get more out of it -- than many lessons learned, of course. We are going to move the garden next year, to a place where it will get the morning sun for about six hours, then dappled afternoon sun. Maybe I won't have to haul water so much.

One of the small victories from the greenhouse was a batch of purple millet seedlings. Their purple seed heads were a very pleasant surprise. We transplanted them to garden on the other side of the driveway, down by the purple butterfly bush. I can see them down there in several years, growing and spreading, their reddish-purple plumes waving in the breeze.

Then the walnuts began to drop off the trees. And limbs began to fall. And we have had to pick up nuts and limbs. I had a fleeting thought that I try to teach Cat to pick them up or roll them toward the pile we build every year. Alas, Cat is not trainable.

I've been working very happily on another book. This one is a little edgier than I usually write, but I'm probably the only one who can see that. I'm usually about as edgy as a down pillow.
I have two other books percolating in my mind, the sequels to CRICKET'S MOON, which will be published late next year, about the same time as the unrelated short book THAT SPECIAL SOMEONE.

I wish I were too busy to worry, but there is so much exterior tension at the moment, I guess there is no way to avoid worrying about the economy, the election, and winter coming on. I knew a woman once who used to say that she refused to worry. "I do think about things, though," she would say.

. . .'Takes a Computer

2008-10-02T20:26:00.000-04:00

Okay, you know what I'm referring to -- to really mess up takes a computer. Well, Son and I have taken two days of our lives (and an unexpected chunk of money) to take care of glitches in his computer.

Yesterday, we had to take Son's computer into Knoxville to the guy we use as a guru because "The RAM has burnt out." (You know I'm a lousy cook -- I have no recipe for lamb, let alone RAM. Then the guru decided that we needed to clean something out. That took up a very boring hour.

When we got back home, all anxious to see how the computer would do -- the modem was dead. Son had to search through he room to find the disk for it, but it still wouldn't work.

We went back to Knoxville today, back to the guru to have a sub-guru fix it. Luckily it didn't take long. We spent more time talking about wireless and other goodies we'd like to have -- and I sneaked a couple long peeks at laptops. This time, we could easily do the West Town Mall and still avoid school buses.

I love computers -- except when they have little glitches that end us as charges on the charge card. But then again, if nothing ever happened, I'd never get to go to Knoxville.

It's Fall

2008-09-24T16:31:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I put up a new banner on the back door. My banners are usually quilt blocks that went awry that I make into banners to jazz up the back door. Remember, I live in the country and the front door is only for show. So I had a block that was fallish but didn't come up to my standards -- and the pattern would have driven me NUTS if I'd made a whole quilt with it.

It's a new season. Cool. Sunny. Lumpy underfoot. One of these days I'm going to break an ankle stepping on a walnut or a chesnut. But I love crunching maple seeds. My mother never let me do that when I was a kid. Now that I'm a grandmother, I feel entitled. Crunch those seeds! Kick those leaves! I'm the one who has to wash my socks.

My trees aren't turning color yet, but I expect any day to look up over the back part of the house and see that the maple that changes first every year will be turning yellow, then orange then go bare. It happens so fast!

I hope I can take a ride in the hills this fall, that it won't cost an arm and a leg. Just going to the grocery store this time of year can be terribly exciting. I love the colors, the flowers, the displays people put in their yards.

I just realized, I haven't grown up!

Try, Try Again

2008-09-11T10:53:00.000-04:00

We have a spider in residence on our front door -- the glass pane of what would be the screen door if we ever got around to changing the panes. I have a mild interest in spiders, and a particular interest in this one.

For those of you who are familiar with these guys (or gals), this one is black with white spots, has an interesting configuration of legs, and doesn't seem to mind being observed, albeit through two panes of glass. What fascinated me most is his/her pattern of making a web. I have yet to be able to watch the whole process, but he makes what appears to be a vertical zigzag stitch, then keeps filling it in until it is almost a satin stitch. In the center, he spins a sort of fuzzy mass, where he waits -- possibly bones up on culinary techniques until another spider comes by.

In the ensuing process, the web is destroyed -- and the next morning the spider starts all over again.

Do you think Mr. Singer studied such a creature to come up with the zigzag? This may take some thought. . .

13 Is NOT Unlucky

2008-09-10T08:03:00.000-04:00

With my new writing project, I took a huge leap into the unknown. Oh, sure, it's a romance -- of sorts, but it is more Women's Fiction. Yes, COME HOME TO LOVE was a more serious book than my usual romances, but it lies forgotten in the usual stream of romance. But I've taken a leap --

-- And have landed! Last night I got an email from KD Struck, the publisher of Awe-Struck e-Books, saying that she was accepting CRICKET'S MOON for publication late next year. Whoo-hoo!

What's different about Cricket and her moon? Well, Cricket has a social conscience. She wins a huge -- HUGE lottery prize and is moved to use it to advance the condition of the underprivileged people in her county in northern Florida -- most of whom are black. Some people approve -- some don't.

When I was working on this idea, I realized that it is too big for one book. Some of the stories the characters have whispered in my ears are too big for one book. So as it stands now, Cricket is just the first book in a series.

So I've smashed the jinx of being a one-book writer -- or a twelve-book writer. I'm stoked. I'm thrilled. I'm concerned -- because I want to get these books right. I'm -- getting back to work...

Finally -- Rain

2008-08-25T21:22:00.000-04:00

This morning when I trudged out to water the surviving plants, I felt a bit of moisture -- then another. The fine mist that was falling was too weak to cause any sound, but within a few minutes, it was rustling on the dry leaves, darkening the pavement and steppingstones.

We needed rain, a good rain. Not only had we not had a drop for many, many days, but there is a forest fire about thirty miles away which has been burning for about four days, and the air has been full of smoke, not to mention the "particulate matter."

Unfortunately, we got only about a tenth of an inch, but there is hope that we'll get more through the night, the remnants of Tropical Storm Fay. I'll probably still have to haul water to my plants.

I discovered something rather interesting this evening, however, along the lines of "it's an ill wind that doesn't blow some good." I was walking around the yard, looking at this and that, and I noticed that the sassafrass tree is fuller than usual. The leaves are bigger and there are more of them than in a typical year. Maybe it likes this weather!

How Soon We Forget

2008-08-22T13:18:00.000-04:00

Now, I'm in the throes of finishing a book. Generally, since I'm electronically published, I just zap the finished MS to my publisher and go on to my next book. This time, I want someone with more specialized knowledge than mine to check over the manuscript, tell me what is wrong and comment in general. It meant -- horrors! -- turning on the printer, loading it up with paper, and for economy's sake, printing on both sides of the paper.

I'd forgotten how to do it! I enlisted Son's help. We divided the chore into three segments and started off, more or less confident. Then -- of course -- we made an error in judgement and had to go back and figure out -- well, to err is human, as they say. But we did get it done -- and in less time than we thought it would take.

Three pages from the end -- the computer said we were running out of ink. Ah, well!

My first printer was a dot-matrix monster that was slow, almost unreadable -- and weighed a ton. It would take two days to print out a MS -- and then I had to tear the pages apart and be sure they were in order. Back before that, I had a Smith-Corona Office Selectric. Both heavy and noisey. When I finished my first book, it took a month to produce a presentable manuscript to submit to a publisher.

I much prefer sending the MS to the editor as an attachment to an email -- which reminds me -- I have to get back to work!

Memory Lane --Lunch Break

2008-08-19T11:59:00.001-04:00

Son reminded me that I had not blogged since I got home from my class reunion. So much happened, we had so much fun, how can I focus on one thing to tell you about?

I guess I need to tell you one thing I may not have mentioned before. I met Husband working in his family's restaurant. We were the trial case -- his mom married off all four sons to waitresses. Not that I was any good at being a waitress.

Husband's brother 1 and brother 3 were in Titusville -- or its vicinity -- while we were there, so we all met to have lunch in what was the restaurant. It's much nicer now, and the food might be better. (Truth is, I never ate anything there when I was working. )

But the sils and I enlightened the waitress on the history of the place. She was very entertained.

And the Ruben was very good.

Yesterday Didn't Start Well

2008-07-31T20:14:00.000-04:00

When the propane truck arrives at your house before you've finished breakfast, you suspect the day will not go well. Even just getting two hundred gallons of propane can wreck the budget these days. We're hoping for a warm winter, little snow, not much wind.

The second caller of the day was the man who lives to the east of us, a Baptist preacher who is about the nicest guy you;d ever meet. He had a five-gallon "mud bucket" full to within about four inches of the rim with ripe tomatoes. I knew better than to tell him that our tomatoes are producing more than enough.

Husband was doing an errand and when he got home, he carried the bucket into the sun porch, as nonplussed as I over what we would do with them.

Then our friend Jessica, who is sharing our garden patch with us came along to get some squash. We prevailed upon her and her husband to have lunch with us -- and to take the excess of tomatoes home with her. She has close neighbors who aren't gardening.

That took a little of the sting out of having to pay for the propane -- not much, but some.

Summer Menu Planning

2008-07-29T13:45:00.000-04:00

Our tomatoes are finally starting to ripen. Sure, we've been feasting on the little ones -- the ones that you need four slices of to make a decent sandwich -- but the big ones that just one slice will hang over the the edge of the bread and the juice runs down your arm or drips off your chin -- ah! That's what I'm talking about! That's what I start dreaming about when the seed catalogs show up in January.

Our corn isn't doing very well. It's in too much shade. This lot has more trees than any acre should be allowed. I think the county should have tree police go around and count trees. ("Sorry, ma'am -- only two producing black walnuts per acre are allowed in this neighborhood!" Well, that would be one way to get rid of the squirrels.)

Now, there is a really nice fellow who lives across the road from us. He plants a garden every year -- then leaves town for five days every other week or so to drive produce cross-country. He generously offers us the privilege of raiding his garden when he's gone. We use his offer sparingly, but this year I think I'll talk Husband into -- well, a sweet-corn raid. I've had my heart set on corn for months. Look at it this way -- we'd be protecting it for the crows.

We got a plant catalog today -- talk about vicious cycles!

Knowing My Own Strength

2008-07-23T10:54:00.000-04:00

It has been so hot and dry here in Tennessee that I've gotten tired of hauling water from the rain barrels to the tomatoes and lettuce and herbs. It sometimes takes three watering cans full, twice a day to keep things green. Yesterday, I'd had enough!

There were weather reports on the radio saying that there might be rain in the afternoon or evening, but the rains had been skipping our county -- when we need it so badly. So at noon I did a rain dance. Not my usual one -- but an extended one. Then I did some errands with Son --his car has good AC, but still -- it wasn't what I'd call comfortable. The skies were clear to wispy contrail-type clouds. It didn't look like rain.

After dinner, Husband and I had to go take some things to a friend -- and as we headed west, the sky had that changing look. When we got home, the wind had picked up and up! Just as the rain was starting, we heard a crack and thump.

A limb on the walnut tree near our porch had split, but not fallen free, the leaves at the end of its branches just grazing the porch roof.

Son gave me a high-five said: "You've done it again!"

I don't know if I'll ever do that dance again. These powers are better left unused. But it's good to know that I've still got 'em.

Marge Was Here!

2008-07-19T20:13:00.000-04:00

Those of us who have a passion -- as I do for quilting and writing -- are brave about meeting face-to-face with those of like mind whom we've met on the Internet. That's how I met Marge about eleven or twelve years ago, early one morning -- in a chat room.

Marge has gone on to build herself a nice little business doing quilt retreats. She started her vacation today, and stopped by with her husband to visit Husband and Son and I this evening. It's only the second time we've had the joy of meeting face-to-face, but it is like we are old friends -- who still have a lot to talk about.

We both wore purple!

Trusting Lables

2008-07-08T20:01:00.000-04:00

I was raised in a period when you couldn't buy the same toothpaste twice in a row, and boxes were reused many times to contain birthday and Christmas presents, so I learned not to trust, not to count on anything.

We buy plants from a number of places, sometimes through the mail. We have about seven butterfly bushes, have had them for several years, time enough for them to "volunteer" some extra bushes in the driveway garden. Little did I know that several of the plants and herbs I grow are favorites of butterflies. Next-generation butterflies love my parsley, and some little lavender-blue guys are crazy about the basil.

The butterfly bushes are living up to their names, attracting species big and little, white and brown and all sorts of colors and sizes. While I was weeding tonight, I paused to take a breath and saw six black-and-yellow butterflies on the blue butterfly bush beside me. When I took a step toward them, they spooked and fluttered up into the air, then settled again on different spokes of blossoms.

So butterfly bushes live up to their billing. The flowers smell like honey -- and the butterflies love them. I guess I can count on something after all.

"Criminal' Buys Over-the-Counter Drug

2008-07-03T20:10:00.000-04:00

I woke up this morning in dire need of my breathing medicine. I got through all last summer without using it, so it got pushed to the back of the kitchen drawer where be keep medicine. (When the kids were small, I decided to keep the medicine in the kitchen where I could keep an eye on it and them -- worked great!) When I caught up to the medicine this time, there were only six pills left, and this morning after I took what I needed, there were only three.

So Husband took me to the drug store on the way home from getting groceries. I looked hard just to find the aisle where the stuff is kept -- reminded once again of Granny Clampett calling the drug store a "whatnot shop." I finally found the brand name way at the bottom of a counter -- just little cards to take to the window in the back to get the real package. HUH!

I had to produce my driver's license and sign my name to purchase the product, my signature meaning that I was not planning to use the medicine illegally. "It's just to save my life," I told the clerk.

Now, I know we have to protect little kids and idiots from taking the stuff "accidentally," but have you seen how it's packaged? I usually break a fingernail opening the box, then I scream . . . How's that for doing something clandestine?

Well, Husband sat patiently in the car. I'm glad he kept the AC running, 'cause I was a little hot by the time I got back to the car.

Hair Today, Gone to Someone!

2008-07-01T20:46:00.000-04:00

About thirty years ago, my mother died of brain cancer. Her recently permed white hair had to be shaved off for surgery, and every time is started to grow back, she had another round of chemo and it fell out. When she died, there was a thought to have the wig she'd been given by a friend put on her, but we opted for a white pique scarf she liked to wear. It was fitting for her to have a hat on -- she was always ready to go somewhere.

Well, Sunday morning one of the cute little girls who go to our church showed up with her hair recently cut very short -- it had been down past her waist -- and when I heard that she had of her own volition donated her hair to Locks of Love, I decided that I would do the same.

Today Husband took me to the shop that does cuts for Locks of Love and I had my hair cut. It qualified, it hadn't been cut in four years, and it reached below my waist.

Mum, I wish someone had been able to do that for you. As it is, I said a prayer that the person who gets my hair finds comfort.

How the Garden Grows

2008-06-30T21:18:00.000-04:00

Don't you just love home grown lettuce? It reminds me of the Victory Gardens we had when I was little. Store-bought white bread, half a dozen leaves of Black Seed Simpson, a single slice of big juicy tomato that may even hang over the side of the bread, slathered with Miracle Whip --my idea of Lunch Heaven!

Well, I've broken out of my comfort zone gardening this year. I'm trying lettuce mixes -- something that tastes a little like water cress, another that looks innocent but wakes up the mouth. I've got herbs and more herbs. I've got last year's plants and this year's plants -- and the new craze grape tomatoes. They are in the flowering stage. We'll have to wait and see.

And weeds -- plenty of weeds.

We have four rain barrels. There is one that has a resident salamander. We wouldn't have so many salamanders if Husband didn't make little houses for them. I guess they like to eat bugs, god bless 'em.

Anyway, we have our first ripe tomato on one of our bushes. I sure hope something doesn't come along to take a bite out of it before I get to it! That just wouldn't be fair.

A Glimpse Into the Future

2008-06-24T20:35:00.000-04:00

Today I went with a friend to celebrate her mother's 99th birthday in a nursing home. It wasn't a unique experience. I have visited many similar places over the years, so nice, some not. This place was very nice -- for being a nursing home.

The help was friendly and attentive. The accommodations were nice, clean and cheerful. There were no awful smells. The patients seemed to be well cared for.

But I never want to have to live in a place like that. I have to face the fact that I don't really want to get old. I don't want to lose my teeth and hair and hearing and eyesight.

Then again, I don't suppose any of us really look forward to the birthdays beyond where we are now. I've got more gardens to plant, more books to write, maybe even a few more quilts in me.

None of us is guaranteed tomorrow -- but darn it, I'm going to work darn hard at keeping on keeping on. I don't really think much of the alternative.

I LOVE GOLF!

2008-06-15T21:07:00.000-04:00

I've never really played golf. I can't even remember if I've ever played Putt-Putt. In college phys. ed. we were supposed to learn how, but that particular spring it snowed or rained almost every time we were supposed to go outside.

There was one time, though, we were practicing hitting the ball -- probably driving it. I had my allotted three balls lined up to hit, and was just starting a stoke when the teacher called my name -- loudly. As it happened, she wasn't even calling me but another girl named Jane. But I finished my swing, totally missed the ball I was aimed at, hit the ball beside it a ton! We looked and looked, but we never found that ball!

Okay, so I love Tiger Woods. I've agonized with him this whole Open, knowing he's hurting from this knee operation. At one point, I would not have blamed him if he'd called it quits. But he stuck it out to birdy the last hole and get in a play-off with Rocco Mediate tomorrow.

There's one other connection I have to golf. I began knitting when I was very young, and when I was about 12, I drew my Uncle Art's name for Christmas. He played golf, so I knit him a pair of Argyle socks -- they were quite a production -- red and black with yellow and green intersecting lines, if I recall correctly. He wore them. They were his "lucky socks." My aunt Ruth had to darn the heels twice. At least -- that's what she told me.

Off-road Thoughts

2008-06-04T14:41:00.000-04:00

We haven't been traveling much. Oh, we went to Asheville for our daughter's wedding a week ago Saturday, but even then we remarked that there doesn't seem to be as much traffic as in the past. I guess the oil crunch is having an effect in East Tennessee. We're seeing about a third less traffic past the house, and when we are out and about, fewer cars and trucks pass us. We live close to I-40 which is usually jam-packed with semis and pickups this time of year, there too -- traffic is down.

I was born in Oil City, Pa., and raised in Titusville -- famous for being the birthplace of the oil industry. The refineries are long gone and the area is depressed -- and depressing, but not as back at the coal fields I've seen in my travels -- so it's all relative.

Personally, I'm planning one last trip up to my old stomping grounds for my class reunion in August, then I plan to stay close to home -- no air flights, long trips, jaunts which involve less than two reasons to fire up the car. I'll let someone else run up the price of gas. I've got enough to do around here.

The "Granny Piney"

2008-05-23T14:21:00.000-04:00

Our house -- which dates back to at least 1870 -- is renowned for the peonies that bloom along the road, an old Indian trail that is now a well-trailed secondary road. The peonies have been here a long time, probably fifty years at least.

First the white ones bloom, then the pink ones and rose colored ones. I love the scent of them when I cut them and bring them into the house. This year they are particularly pretty. All we do for them is trim back the foliage when it starts to look bad in the heat of August and they are good for another year.

The niece of the last member of the settlers who owned this place told me about a "granny piney" that had been dug up and carried away, and was growing fairly well. For several years I didn't fret over its absence, then I began to notice every spring there was first one sprig of leaves and then another at the end of one of the rows, slightly out of line. Then more of a peony plant appeared but didn't bloom for several years. I blamed bad spring weather -- and the absence of its allotment of the big black ants that peonies need to bloom.

Then when it did bloom for the first time about four years ago -- just one half-hearted flower, I was impressed by the deep bright red but it took another year before I realized why someone would go to the trouble of carrying off the "granny piney." It blooms after all the others have come out, and holds the petals tight and high and very full, longer than other peonies do. And the scent is just as intoxicating. This year it had sixteen blooms. Worth waiting for!

Hoping for Salad Days

2008-05-15T13:51:00.000-04:00

We have had some ugly weather around here. Okay, so it is nothing like tornadoes or Tsunamis, so I really shouldn't complain -- but I'm going to anyway. We're still behind on rainfall -- the weather man on the TV says we still are owed over 16 inches from last year -- but the guy who is in charge of the rain this year seems to be trying to make up for the deficit.

We had wind Sunday morning. In church, the windows were rattling, and I was afraid one of the old pine trees would topple over on the building. We'd like to have a new building, but not instead of the old one.

The dampness is making things grow -- mostly the grass and weeds. Actually, the herb garden seems to like cold, damp, gray days. I endure the weeding by thinking what nice salads I'm going to have later.

If you haven't started a garden yet, and don't think you want to commit to tilling and all that, consider getting a good sized pot or two, a bag of potting mix, and some lettuce, parsley and chive seeds. And maybe a packet of grape tomato seeds. You can have a little garden on a sunny doorstep.

Lettuce is really easy to grow. Some seeds went astray into my flower beds and are growing beautifully. . . Gee, I hope I didn't forget the Ranch dressing. . .

Think the Rain Will Hurt the Rhubarb?

2008-05-09T14:40:00.000-04:00

We're gardening this year like never before -- but kinda close to once.

Last year we had our first garden where the chicken coop used to be, and it was fair. This year, a friend has gone in with us. She didn't want to garden where she's living because she's renting. I totally understand that sentiment.

She's from the same latitude we are living in -- just over in Virginia. We're from northen Pennsylvania originally, although we lived in Florida prior to moving here, and gardening there was -- well, not very productive if you don't have a ton of money for irrigation. Anyway, she got some rhubarb plants, which she and Husband put in a few days ago and they seem to like it where they are.

Now, I don't know that I've ever had rhubarb and strawberry pie, but I like rhubarb sauce, which is boiled with just enough water to keep it from scorching and just enough sugar so your teeth don't pucker up when it's in your mouth. My favorite way of eating it is on bread and butter -- messy but good for what ails a body.

It rained last night -- just a little -- and the weatherman promises more rain through Monday. From what I've seen of the little plants today, they're saying: "Bring it on! We like it here!"

Dog Day Afternoon

2008-05-02T16:54:00.000-04:00

At lunch time, we had a mail delivery -- an order of seeds plus a planting tray with lots of little tiny pot-lets in it. My imagination started going wild, but -- I had no potting soil. I expected to twist Husband's arm to take me to Leeper's or Lowe's, but he wanted to check out the new VA Outpatient Clinic in Morristown. Okay -- a ride on a spring day can be nice. I can sit in the car and come up with ideas for my work-in-progress.

He headed for the truck. O found out that on the way to find the clinic, he wanted to drop by a place that could stick some detailing stripes on the truck -- after they cut them out of sticky red paper. I sat in the truck. It was hot. It took time.

Again on the road -- street -- er, Morris Blvd, we were looking for street numbers. You know how hard it is to find street numbers in a commercial section, where all the buildings are back from the road? And small? Well, we overshot -- how we overshot. Well, the Blvd goes up to about 1200 then skips to 3000! So we turned about and went back.

No wonder we missed it.! The sign was small -- white lettering on dark brown, facing the street instead of at an angle. The for Department of Veteran's Affairs were small. And there was no American flag flying! Well, we told them! The girl to whom we suggested a HUGE flag and flags for the five services thought that it was a good idea. I hope they act on it. It would be a lot easier to tell people to look for the flags than the Sunoco station across the street.

By then, I was willing to forget about the potting soil. Husband turned the opposite direction.
I questioned his move and he said he wanted to go to the mall. Actually, he wanted to go to one of the recruiting offices to get a Marine Corps sticker for on the back of the truck. "You are not going to enlist again!" I said firmly.

Luckily all the recruiting offices were closed. (Is that any way to run a war?)

Finally, we went to Lowe's and got my potting soil. It's the good stuff. But it wasn't worth putting that many miles on in the truck.

SPAMMERS BEWARE!

2008-04-14T11:38:00.000-04:00

I generally try to keep this blog on a cheerful note, but something happened today that got me started off on the wrong foot.

Every single fresh post in my inbox was SPAM! The kind that a writer of sweet romances doesn't want, doesn't like -- and can't use, if you know what I mean. I'm tempted to throw one of my gypsy curses on the lot of the perpetrators, whether they have ever sent me a spam or not.

Now, my ability to cast curses may not extend to transmitting them electronicly, but I did one once that got immediate results.

The teenaged boys who lived next to us in one place were nasty -- shouted insults at us, left a dead possum in our yard, etc. One evening I was out in the yard with my children and they drove by, being their usual vocal selves. I, to my shame, let out my frustration. I don't remember the wording -- but that car came back on the end of a tow-rope and never moved on its own power again.

I sure would like something similar to happen to spammers -- but something as powerful as that curse, well, it's just not advisable to let it loose indiscriminately.

He's a Sweetie!

2008-03-30T16:08:00.000-04:00

It's been a hard past few weeks. Loved having my grandson Egan here all last week. He's almost eleven and has developed a sense of humor. But he also has developed a deep and abiding love for his Wii. Hm.

The weather has been more dreary than fits my mood. I needed sunny. I was dealing with two flats of pansies -- and sore knees.

But the hardest part of the recent past is getting the news that Husband is diabetic. He's the last person you'd think would have the problem. He's the first person you'd think might ignore it.
Ah, but that Marine training kicked in full force. He is revamping our diet -- reading all the books, the ingredients. . .making sure I eat all the things he can't have anymore. I suspect they will never cross the doorstep again.

He started with a reading of 421, and ten days later, he's down to 112. I'm proud of him. But I've lost two pounds on his diet.

His new recipe for chocolate chip cookies rocks!

For Those Holding Their Breath . . .

2008-03-24T15:36:00.000-04:00

About the outcome of the contest at Awe-Struck, THAT SPECIAL SOMEONE took second place in the short novel contest. No we all can get back to work.

There Are Some Situations. . .

2008-03-04T14:45:00.000-05:00

. . .When you take a breath and say: "There's a blog in here somewhere!" Yep, friends, there is!

There I was, holding the ladder to Husband so he could finish taking the eave trough off the front of the house. Lovely day, crocuses and daffodils all over the place, beautiful blue sky, which Son had just told me will be changing to possible tornado - force winds within the hour.

"Just another minute," Husband reassures me -- he thinks -- by now, I know better. There is the aluminum-screeching sound and YIKES! The sludge of wet, moldy decomposing leaves slithers out of the trough and downspout landing where, students? Not on a decrepit old flannel jacket that would have been thrown out years ago if I had not been swayed by promises of it not being worn anywhere that a stranger might have seen it. NO! On the helper's off-white, bulky sweater, with the zipper that goes from the neck line halfway down the front, so the sweater has to be removed over the head.

The noise you hear in the background (over the gnashing of teeth) is the washing machine.

Husband is reclining in the living room. It is so hard to get kids to take their naps. . .

A Disappointment

2008-02-29T11:28:00.000-05:00

I was asked by a couple of loyal readers to update you on my results with trying to root a rose cutting. Well, the heading says it all. At first, things were going well, but I took the pot out to the greenhouse and we got some cooler temperatures than I would have liked. I brought it back into the house -- so my thinking is that it might have done better if I had just left it in the house the whole time. My second thought is that it might have suffered from an uneven moisture level.

I am not deterred! I'm going to try rooting some other plants -- namely rosemary, which I understand roots easily. I probably should have started with something that was more of a sure thing from the beginning, but that's just me!

My seeds are sprouting yet, but again, cooler temps in the greenhouse, maybe even the uneven watering. . . I did make one discovery, though! Some time ago, we splurged on getting a barbequed chicken from the supermarket, and the container it was in make a spiffy starter container for seeds. It has a high enough clear dome with holes in it, and the tray is big enough for an 8-pack of peat pots.

I may develop a craving for barbequed chicken. . .

There's Hope for College Food!

2008-02-20T12:32:00.000-05:00

Every once in a while I actually read my college newsletter. It's easier now that it comes via the Internet, pictures and all. One came yesterday -- I recognized names, some faces, but to say good ol' Edinboro State College, now a University in northwestern Pennsylvania, has changed is an understatement.

A change many might overlook got a lot of coverage -- and it is about time. It was past time back in 1962, the last time I ate in the college dining hall. The chef of Edinboro's food service won first place in Souper Bowl X, which was held on the appropriate day in Erie, PA.

The winning dish was Hungarian Mushroom soup, served not in bowls but in rolls! The guy has imagination! Exactly what was missing when I was queing up for tuna subs and potato chips in Heather Hall's dining room those many years ago.

Big Day Is Finally Here

2008-02-15T15:01:00.000-05:00

Okay, so yesterday was Valentine's Day, and Husband shelled out for four bags of chocolate candy and a card --but I was waiting for today. Candy is good, but planting seeds is better!

We went to Lowe's so I could get some peat pots, and when I came home I got right to work planting basil, parsely, sage and mint seeds. It was rather warm today, compared to what we have been seeing -- 58 degrees -- and more like 68 in the greenhouse.

I mixed garden soil, sifted composted soil from the pile we've been building for several years, and play sand in more or less equal parts, filled the peat pots (8 for each type of seed), watered lightly and will stand back and let them grow.

Husband is cheering on the basil. He loved fresh basil in his pasta salad dressing.

I've got plenty more seeds to work with. I see us going back to Lowe's pretty often. There were some lovely plants that almost reached out an grabbed me, but I called on my will power. No blueberries --yet!

Man and Washing Machine vs. Wife

2008-02-12T08:28:00.001-05:00

Lest anyone think Husband is a saint, I need to expose to the public that there is a major bone of contention in our marriage -- he likes to do laundry. "Heaven!" you say? Well, it took me many years to train him to sort.

I should have known. While he was still in the USMC, he came home one weekend wearing an attractive gold knit shirt. When I complimented, he said, "Oh, it's the green swearter I wore home last month." Ahem!

We now have trouble with red -- dark red. He bought me a dark red dress a few years ago -- at a flea market. Lovely thing, but from a country that is known for bleeding colors. I loaned it to a friend of ours, and she wanted to send it to the cleaners before returning it, But he said he'd take care of it. He did! By putting it in with my whites. I have the only pink EPIC 2003 T-shirt in captivity -- yes, my favorite T- shirt, where the lizard looks like he's smoking a cigar.

Then he blithely bought me kitchen towels, which we needed. Some were acceptable, some were dark red. Son asked where we got the pink washclothes. The dark red towels disappeared, so when I needed to have more towels on hand, I asked where they had gone.

"They're down in the bottom of the sink, pushed back in the corner," Husband confessed. So he took them out and washed them by themsselves -- and they still bled.

How my good white sweater got dark red lint on it, I haven't a clue.

2008-02-12T08:28:00.000-05:00

Lucky Sundays!

2008-02-03T15:44:00.000-05:00

About two months ago, I had to stay home from church because I had what I call an "active cough" -- one of those that you know you can pass germs along to someone else. That morning in my email I got a general notice from one of my publishers that she needed a book for late '08, and a Christmas/winter story for late '09. Since I'll have two books coming off contract this year, I emailed her and told her that they would be available and I'd like to do a winter book.

She emailed back that she'd filled the space she had, but she wants those two that are coming off contract and I could do the winter book. A few days later, she announced a contest for short books, so I got busy and started writing -- and the story just sort-of evolved around a winter theme. Well, today she acknowledged that she got the story --THAT SPECIAL SOMEONE --and she would be publishing it late in '09! Not sure how it will fair in the contest, but I wish good luck to anyone else that entered -- I'll just take being published! This will be book # 12!

A Rose is a Rose -- Maybe

2008-02-03T09:03:00.001-05:00

January 18 was Husband's and my 44th wedding anniversary. On our anniversary tour of the local Food City, he bought me a pink rose out of the cooler. Gorgeous thing! Well, by nipping the end off the stem every day and filling the budvase with the hottest water out of the tap, I got it to last until yesterday. And it was still beautiful.

Now, it might have lasted another day, but I wanted to try something more with it -- now that I have the greenhouse. I'd bought some rooting compound to start clippings of rosemary and thyme, and I thought I'd try it on the rose. When I had taken leaves from the rose as they shriveled, I'd noticed that the buds at the nodes were bright green, and they continued to grow a bit every day.

So yesterday I took a tall -- maybe 6 inches -- plastic flower pot from the greenhouse into the house, washed it thoroughly, adding a little bleach to used dishwater -- nothing much gets wasted here -- trimmed the stem to the three nodes it still had, nipped a bit off the bottom of the stem, dipped it in the rooting compound to cover the bottom node and planted it in the pot. The pot had a quarter of an old dish rag in the bottom to insure that the dirt didn't fall out the drainage holes, then a layer of mulch, and some garden soil mixed with play sand so that it would be light but still hold moisture. AND I had to cut off the blossom.....(sigh)

But I hope it will root and I'll have a rose bush in a few months.

PS--I love comments from my friends....and stangers if they are nice.

Coming Back Strong!

2008-01-26T14:06:00.000-05:00

It's been nearly two months since I've contributed anything to my blog -- because I accepted a challenge to write a book in two months and two people --hi, Stephen and Lavinia -- have nudged me to get back to blogging. The first draft of the book was completed yesterday, so I'm taking a break before revising it this coming week.

It is amazing to me that not only has the Greenhouse survived two bouts of 40 mph winds, but the few plants that are in it are surviving also. We have a thermometer in there -- we see that the temp is usually 10 to 15 degrees warmer than outside.

Last summer, I took a long plastic planter box and devoted equal sections of it to parsley, sage and oregano. They did well outside last summer, although I had to do some emergency watering -- didn't we all! I took them into the Greenhouse and they are doing well. The parsley has actually greened up pretty well. The sage, being a shrub actually, has lost leaves and started new ones. The oregano -- well, it's hanging in there.

The first year I lived in this house (1996), I noticed a strange plant growing out by the shed. It took me a while to realize that it was liriope, and I wanted to move it to a place where it didn't get trampled. Husband kept mowing it down -- until (after three years) I laid some law on him. I transplanted it and it grew and was divided, and divided again. Last summer I dug up three clumps to transplant yet again, but didn't get it further than into a large urn we salvaged from somewhere. It is in the Greenhouse waiting for me to deal with it. NOTE: Liriope is a great plant investment -- you can't kill it without a blow torch -- probably. But you need a sharp knife to divide it. I can't wait.

I'm counting the days until February 15, when I plan to go out and start planting seeds in flats. I have lettuce (check WalMart for Burpee's five lettuce sp.s in one pack -- I had good luck with it last year and have some left over for this year -- it was 10 cents!), and herbs like lavender, basil, dill, etc., that I'll start to move outside in early April. I want to make some cuttings from the thyme and rosemary I already have growing in the herb garden, as well as three kinds of mint that my sister-in-law and daughter have given me.

So far, Husband has put less that $50 into the Greenhouse, but we've bought potting soil, sand, rooting compound and fertilizer to get started. We've salvaged shelving, pots and tools along the way to be used, and I bought my own hoe! Can't wait to do some serious weed control.

Until February 15th, it's back to writing!

What a Man Does for Love

2007-11-30T13:25:00.000-05:00

Husband started with some landscaping logs -- you know, the ones that are rounded on two sides and flat on the other two -- and made them into a square in the yard, in line with the windows over the kitchen sink but out by the leaf bin.

Then he disappeared into the shop for another day, eventually to bring out something that looked like a table without a top, which he put in the middle of the structure. When he does weird things. I usually don't ask him what he's doing -- try to let him think it either doesn't matter, or that I know exactly what he's thinking. He doesn't mention it to me because he thinks I don't care, or I know exactly what he's doing. (We've been married too long!)

He put a wall frame up on the far side, square to the first wall. I finally decided I'd let him know I'd noticed when he asked me to help him nail the second wall. "What is it?" I asked.

"A greenhouse," he said. "The table is too big to go through the door that's going on." So now there are four walls framed, a gable over it, bracing, and Visqueen -- that heavy clear plastic -- up over it. Son helped with that. Today Husband got screen for the door, and hinges. Using scraps and things on hand, he's up to $40 in cash outlay.

"It's your Christmas present."

I CAN'T wait! It's going to have a door, gable vents -- dirt! Everything I need to start gardening early this year. February 15 won't come soon enough.

I've wanted a greenhouse ever since I was 9. There was a greenhouse in the next block and I had to walk by it every day on the way to school. The kids in the neighborhood were tolerated to walk through it so long as they never harmed anything. I LOVED walking by in the middle of winter and seeing scads of carnations, sometimes even being able to smell them.

So there it is. . .a little more work and I can start making it livable, for plants at least.

A handknitted scarf isn't going to do it this Christmas.

Thanksgiving Report

2007-11-21T17:04:00.001-05:00

I've mentioned in other years that our little country church has managed to feed an increasing number of people every year since someone got the great idea about seven years ago. We all pitch in and cook and deliver about two hundred meals the Saturday before Thanksgiving, then all go back to the church and eat together, with some people who would rather eat with us than have us deliver to them.

We've finally gotten organized. In our church program last Sunday, there was a schedule of who was doing what and when. I was down to cut and pack desserts, along with two other women. At the allotted time, however, they were busy elsewhere, so three other people pitched in. I consider cutting desserts a plum of a job. Sure there is pressure to cut and box and count groups of desserts for the different delivery people -- but within reason, I get to sniff and appraise the desserts. I've been known to say -- "I think this cake ought to go in the dessert room." No one argues with me.

This year, the cars lined up at the kitchen door and we loaded in order. We had more people to deliver to, but that was no problem -- most were on the road we live on. And when we got back to the church, it was time for the serving line to open to serves us.

It went like clockwork for the most part. But you know what? It was TOO organized, TOO well-run. It wasn't as much fun as it has been before.

Oh, well, next year or the year after, we may have a new meeting hall/kitchen to work from. We'll have to develop a whole new system. No more steep steps down to the kitchen to deal with, no bottlenecks and traffic jams.

Oh, well, it was the REAL Thanksgiving for me.

The First Real Signs

2007-11-16T16:31:00.000-05:00

Winter is really going to come this year. There's always a thought in the back of my head that something will happen and the seasons will take a U-turn -- that never happens.

But yesterday afternoon, Husband and I did a little tour of the town we live near -- gas station, bank, Post Office -- and while I was waiting for him to finish one of his errands, I saw two bits of snow hit the windshield. Darn! We're going to have winter again this year!

I was spoiled those seventeen winters we lived in Florida, far enough south that we didn't have any snow to contend with. Our well-housing froze and split when the temp got down to eight above, and we had water spouting ten feet in the air and forming an ice sculpture, but that was the worst it got.

Anyone want this winter? Make a bid on it? I don't plan to use it very heavily. Sigh -- I guess I'm going to be stuck with it, anyway.

Mr. Fribble's Plan for World Peace

2007-11-14T13:44:00.001-05:00

Husband took up baking when he retired. He specializes in chocolate chip cookies and apple-pecan bread. There is a reason why we are not each bigger than a house -- he gives a lot of what he bakes away. I sometimes get a bit peeved, but I'll get over it -- if I try real hard.

Of course, he gives cookies to the girl who runs the "used bread store" and some others. But now he is giving cookies and bread to the girls at the bank branches we frequent. He's gone so far as to shove some cookies at Son to take on his infrequent runs to the bank.

The payoff has been that when our birthdays come up, we get birthday cards from the banks -- not the run-of-the-mill ones, either -- the gals all sign them.

Well, one day he came home from running an errand without his gloves. He explained to me that he had gone by a place where a water crew was putting in a new pipe, and the man holding the traffic sign was barehanded. So he gave him a pair of gloves. He looked high and low for another pair, and insisted that I go out with him -- to give that pair to the fellow controlling the traffic in the other direction. Believe me, I didn't have to talk the other young man into taking them.

Now when we have passed that way, we hardly ever have to wait! They smile. They wave. They've moved on now, but I'll bet if Husband sees them out on the highway again any time soon, he'll start baking cookies!

I guess it's little enough to sacrifice -- a few cookies there, some bread, a couple of pairs of gloves -- in the interest of brightening up someone else's life.

The Hibiscus In the Hallway

2007-10-29T12:58:00.000-04:00

Back in 1963, when I had my first eye surgery, my dear friend Ann brought me one of her hibiscus plants. She had lived on St. Croix for many years, and having a heavy scientific background, took up breeding hibiscuses. The one she brought me was one that had survived both hurricane Hugo and the move to Florida. We were going to dye fabric the day it was about to open its first bloom at my house. We sat on the patio and watched it for the ten or fifteen minutes it took to unfurl its five golden petals and expose its deep deep red throat and long gold pistil.

Since then, I've moved to Tennessee and lost touch with Ann -- and since she was about ten years older than I, I've been afraid to ask old friends about her. But yesterday the hibiscus bloomed again -- a glorious flower, better than any in recent memory. It was my birthday -- and I was too busy to notice it. But the bloom reopened this morning. After all these years, it still cheers me on.

It's All Over But the Coughing

2007-10-16T14:37:00.001-04:00

I've had bronchitis. I hate to be sick, especially with breathing difficulties. I had asthma as a kid. I hated the stuff that my mother burned at the side of the bed. It was supposed to help -- I don't think it ever did. I take Vicks -- in any form. But I use it.

When I was a kid, everyone heated with coal -- and probably the worst offender was the school I went to. We walked a mile down hill to school, back up hill for lunch, back down after lunch, back home after school. It was a strain on our lungs.

The coal furnaces are gone, replaced with whatever -- things that definitely don't pollute the home quite as much, even though they my pollute somewhere else. Where the breathing problems come from as anyone's guess. A vile germ, a dumb food allergy -- whatever.

But I've miss three Sunday's of church services. If there is anything I hate, it's to hear someone coughing up a lung during a church service, so I stay home out of respect for other people.

But I'm better now -- just short of breath now and then, and I try not to cough when anyone else is around. Another few weeks and cold season starts! I can't wait!

And Not a Drop To Drink!

2007-10-08T15:56:00.000-04:00

When I got up this morning at 5:15, I discovered we didn't have any water. We determined that our pipes were not at fault. In this dry spell, there have been several water main failures in the neighborhood. When I called our water company, I found out that they knew all-l-l-l about it -- most of the county is without water, some since Saturday morning. They thought they had fixed the problem, only to have it blow again.

We had an ace in the whole -- three rain barrels that had some water in them. They also had walnut leaves in them, so the water was a suspicious shade of brown, good enough to flush with.

Son went to a place where we can get spring water for a small fee -- they were doing a brisk business. We just saw on the television that the schools will be closed again tomorrow. When we open a tap, it just growls.

Hold on! Update to report! We now have a product that can best be described as a substantial dribble.

I'll keep you posted. (At least my my steam iron is loaded!)

The Dull Thud

2007-10-03T16:49:00.000-04:00

Fall is not going to be beautiful this year. At least, I don't hold much hope for it. It's been too dry. We thought the drought was over, but we had about three showers, and three more weeks of dry weather.

The grass is all dried up, broken, blown away. I'm carrying water here and there, trying to keep the perennials going so next year won't be a total loss.

Husband has, after ten years of listening to me, decided that I am right -- we should not have any lawn next year. Much as I am thankful that he has finally seen the light, I am dubious. I wonder if we will encounter as much neighborhood resistance to this idea as I got the year when the kids were tiny that we didn't have a Christmas tree. I'll never forget that one!

We have a big front yard, about 70 feet from the driveway to the line of trees that temporarily forms the western boundary, and about 60 feet from the road to the house. We have some big trees, some little trees, shrubs, peonies, irises -- and a lot of weeds. We looking at hardy, drought-tolerant willing-to-spread plants -- carefree is a plus.

I have few illusions that we can accomplish our dream in one year. It might take time, because, there is a lot more yard than what I have described -- side yards, back yard and the part of the hayfield that will be turned over to us in about three years. We own it, but a farmer hays it.

Hm -- turn it all into hayfield? Sorry. The drought must be getting to me.

Fall Chores

2007-09-27T15:46:00.000-04:00

Yesterday Husband and I had a brilliant idea at the same time. (Actually, he told me that he'd had the idea a day earlier -- I wondered why he was so cooperative.) We have a large forsythia bush (you know, those yellow bushes that come out early in the spring) that is overgrown, a tangle of stems and branches. Since there is a walnut tree across the walk from it. it collects walnuts -- which may or may not sprout in spring. One thing we don't need is another walnut tree. I suggested pruning the forsythia -- Husband grabbed the pruners. I manned the extra large wheel barrel.

He whacked -- I collected the whackings.

Now, the people who had lived here for many years, perhaps back as far as 1840, had a rather strange philosophy. They returned everything to earth. metal especially. Look under any bush and you are libel to find strange things. We long ago discovered that there was a long piece of iron under the forsythia. Long, complicated, obviously heavy. Roots had ground around it, through it. What a mess! It's heavy. It's rusty. And we have no idea what it is. It looks at one end as though it is a vice.

So it's lying in the yard, waiting for the roots and dirt wedged into its gaps, nooks and crannies to dry out so we can get a better look -- which may or may not tell us what it is. We may just put it in a prominent place as lawn art.

It'll Take a Miracle!

2007-09-20T13:47:00.000-04:00

Each of the eleven summers I have lived here, there has been a surprise in the garden -- I think I've had enough surprises, but they keep coming.

Last summer, or perhaps the one before, I spotted a pink lily down by the road, and subsequently found it in a plant catalog, listed as a Miracle Lily, I spotted some on the road to the bread store -- yep! Same thing.

Well, when it finished blooming, I marked the place where it was, and today I went looking for a bulb. It's under a low-hanging branch of a tree slated for removal, and surrounded by English ivy, a wild grape vine, grass and bugs.

I have a short-handled shovel for such tasks, but I had to go back to the shed to get a heavy-duty pruner to take care of the grape vines, both above and below ground level. I had to press Husband into service -- but he's given up on it for the time being. I'm pooped.

Wonder if I have enough energy to find that plant catalog. . .

Golf, Not Politics

2007-09-18T14:41:00.000-04:00

I am no good at golf. I took about four PE sessions of golf back in college -- I'm not telling how long ago that was -- and I was dreadful.

I'm a huge fan of Tiger Woods -- even considering his occasional deletable expletives. There's good, and there's "how the heck did he do that?"

I watched every bit of the Fed Ex Cup matches that I could. Watched the scoreboard -- used the colors to mark the players I was really interested in. Aside from Tiger, I watched Rich Beem -- who lasted only two rounds, but he was worth watching. Where other golfers have stern faces, dog-eat-dog attitudes, Rich Beem is just so darn happy to be where he is, he sparkles. Love the ad where he won a car for getting a hole-in-one. He climbs up the back of the car, hugs it, then sits there laughing. He has a great laugh.

Now, Tiger has a great sense of humor, has a winning smile. He might chuckle. He rarely laughs on camera so we can hear it -- but I bet he has a great laugh when he cuts loose.

Still Political -- BUY AMERICAN!

2007-09-12T12:39:00.000-04:00

Mr. Fribble was trying to do me a favor, I know, but he ordered some dish towels and tea towels from a catalog. Twenty-five pieces for less than seven dollars. Ah, you're already nodding, huh?

If they had all been white, I would have been happy. Some were white, some were beige and some were -- dark red! I washed them all together. Some are now beige, dark red and PINK. They bleed pink into the dishwater. The fabric isn't all that great. They were made in Pakistan.

I told him I would rather spend three times as much for fewer AMERICAN towels. Why? Because so many jobs have gone overseas. Around Knoxville, there used to be a place called American Knitting Mills -- long gone. A Levi factory -- gone. A sock mill --gone to Mexico. The list could go on and on. The farms around here used to produce some cotton, but other states depended on it. The working mills in the South are now few and far between.

I'm a quilter, and in the past I've used a lot of bleached and unbleached muslin. Roclon was my favorite brand, and I got it by the bolt at Jo-Anne's. The last bolt I bought was labeled in very small type "Made in China" and it was not up to my standards. But there is NOTHING else available!

I'm going to be looking long and hard at labels from now on. I'm going to think many times before buying goods from other countries. I want our jobs back! I want our quality back! I don't care if it costs more, I'll just do with less.

Fribble Gets Political

2007-09-10T21:16:00.000-04:00

I've been holding my breath on several subjects for many years, and I just have to break my silence about one of them -- the No Child Left Behind program.

I was trained to be a teacher. I never taught school except as a substitute, and I didn't do much of that. The event that turned me against substituting was having an explosive device thrown into my classroom. The less I remember about that, the better. We'll move on to topic.

I have three children, all of whom are bright, personable and good citizens. But the brightest had trouble with school. Not that he couldn't learn, but that he was way ahead in so many ways. He taught himself to read before the age of three.

He scared teachers. He scared other kids. He got picked on, sabotaged, shifted off into corners, ignored when he wanted to learn something. In many ways, he was left behind. In retrospect, I wish I could have home-schooled him, but school districts hated that idea at the time.

I think No Child Left Behind suffers from the name of the program. I think the name should have been Every Child Can Learn. Lumping all kids together into a rigid, standardized-test aimed program is as big a mistake as not helping the very bright or the handicapped to reach their individual potential.

Taking the individuality out of our teachers and their students is a huge mistake, and I'm glad I'm not involved in it.

Thinking back to the kid who tried to shatter the eardrums of all the people in my classroom, I wonder how his individuality was compromised in that classroom by his regular teacher. This is the first time I've ever asked myself that question. I'll never know. But we'll get nowhere trying to fit square pegs into round holes. We need the oval pegs, the round pegs, the eccentric pegs, because we do have holes for all of them.

2007-09-06T16:50:00.000-04:00

One of the great treats I had when I was a kid was soda pop. There was a bottler in my hometown -- Oil City, PA -- named Gowdy's. Once in a while, my father would get a case of soda pop -- 24 glass bottles in a rough wooden case, all which would be returned for deposit (a concept long lost, to society's detriment) . Father always insisted on an assortment of sodas -- Cola, of course, grape, root beer, ginger ale, orange and my favorite, the very rare birch beer. Sometimes where would be a substitutions -- soda that was red or green or yellow.

We never took the last of any one flavor without asking permission. And if the last one was cream soda, I suddenly wasn't all that thirsty.

But Gowdy's set the benchmark against which I have judged all other sodas in my life. Now we get soda from a cut-rate grocery store, twelve flimsy aluminum cans, all the same flavor, no exotic choices except diet or "high test." My favorite now is root beer. It compares favorably with Gowdy's -- good color, good flavor, nice froth when poured over ice. It wins my seal of approval.

Finally, RAIN!

2007-08-30T13:05:00.000-04:00

It was unusually dark when the radio woke me up this morning. A car on the road went by and left a slight shushing sound -- a low volume of moisture on the road. There were no drops beating on the metal roof. The rain, as I peered out the studio window -- which is about where I am when my eyes focus -- was more of a heavy mist, sifting over the hayfield. Ah -- a gentle rain -- much better than a heavy beating, wind-assisted draught-breaker that runs off into gutters and gullies, making things worse instead of better.

When we drove into town to get groceries, we encountered heavier rain on the mountain, but it was still not awful, not a toad-strangler rain.

We had thirty days when the temps in the city were above 90 with about three days over 100. Here in the boonies, we hit 86 degrees consistently -- that's hot for here. The gardens have taken the weather hard -- but somewhere in my wandering outside, I heard little sighs of relief from the seedling trees and the herbs close to the house.

We're going to recover!

Fair Exchange

2007-08-20T09:38:00.000-04:00

Anyone who has ever grown tomatoes knows that you never grow "just enough" -- you either don't grow enough -- or you grow too many. Usually too many! We bought nine plants, all of which have survived the drought through the diligent application of water from the hose and the watering can.

So every day I go out and pick the ones that are on their way to ripening, thinking that if I pick them, the plant will be strained a little less than it would be if I insisted on leaving them a day or two more. They ripen fine in the house.

Every day there are more to pick than the day before, so yesterday I took a grocery bag with me and picked about a dozen, only one or two of which was close to sandwich consistency. Having something else to do, I just put the bag on the kitchen floor, just inside the door.

A short time later, Son yelled out that we had company. It was our friend Jexxica who helped out at church last fall with the Thanksgiving dinner. I was really happy to see her as she had been on my mind. She carried a bag which she gave me.

"Pears," she said. "I got them from a trucker who had to empty his truck before his next run."

I LOVE pears! They were not all dead ripe. I picked up the bag of tomatoes and handed them to her.

I'll have more to pick today. See how God's bounty works?