Present Letters

Book Blurb Friday #52 One Year Anniversary!

2012-02-24T10:32:00.004-08:00

It’s Book Blurb Friday #52—one year since Lisa Ricard Claro (writinginthebuff) started BBF. I began playing from day one, was pretty gung-ho, but fizzled out and joined in sporadically.

Basically you write a book blurb based on the photo (that being the cover of the book) and you must do it in 150 words or less. This week’s photo is by your one and only—me! I had to play this one—after all Lisa was kind enough to use my photo and it’s the One Year Anniversary of BBF.

For anyone new to this blog and this meme, my character's name is always Obermoeller. It was too hard to compete with Lisa and the whopper names she created--pure genius.

Here’s my 74 words—

Vanished
Obermoeller unable to perform his disappearing act, fell into his desk, humiliated. How would he face his audience who paid big bucks for his out-of-this-world, one-of-a-kind magic show?

When Obermoeller looks up, he's astonished to find the entire audience had vanished. What would Obermoeller do to get them back? Could he?

Find out in this gripping true story whether the Great Magician Oberdope is a fraud or capable of performing what deemed the impossible.

FYI Note: This photo was taken in Maui and this man was a magician named Warren. For the life of me I can’t remember why his head was down. Anyone planning to go, you need to make reservations in advance and he’s definitely worth seeing.

A Month of Letters Week Three

2012-02-22T05:00:00.000-08:00

It’s Week Three of A Month of Letters. Who fizzled out? Who’s still going strong? Are you having fun?

You can view Week One and Week Two of my adventure if you missed it and that way Week Three will be clear.

Day Fifteen February 15th Wednesday
I mailed three letters and received two letters.

Stripes
I liked how these stripes looked on the tree.

Since I love rocks, I had to snap this one.

Day Sixteen February 16th Thursday
I mailed three letters and three birthday cards and received one letter.

Green
I loved how these little things were peeping out from under the leaves.

The wind was blowing when I tried taking this shot and the camera kept focusing on everything but the pine leaf, but I finally caught it!

Day Seventeen February 17th Friday
I mailed five letters and received two letters.

Holes
There were a lot more holes in things than I thought there would be, some not all that round. I liked this one in the tree.

One of my favorite rocks has this cool hole in it.

Day Eighteen February 18th Saturday
Since I’ve been at a seminar all weekend, I only wrote a letter and didn’t walk it down the driveway and so, no pictures either. Hey, this is my own personal challenge, so I can slack a day, maybe I’ll add an extra day at the end. :-0

Day Nineteen February 19th Sunday
No mailing of letters, however I did write one.

Day Twenty February 20th Monday
It was President’s Day and no mail coming or going. I did write a few.

Day Twenty One February 21st Tuesday
I mailed 10 pieces of mail. Three of which I walked down the driveway, but then later that day I took more to the post office. Two were packages that I had to have weighed. Remember some of these pieces that I mailed were written from previous days that I hadn’t mailed.

Vines
I didn't think there would be so many different kinds of vines. Some were thicker than the tree they were climbing on. Here's one that's green and thin.

Here's three knarly looking ones all on one tree. They look like they have hair.

Come back next Wednesday for the Fourth and Final Week of A Month of Letters.

And it’s still not too late if you want a letter from me. Just give me an address. Chances are good that even when the month of February is over, I’ll still write you a letter.

A Month of Letters Week Two

2012-02-15T10:23:00.000-08:00

It’s Week Two of A Month of Letters. I know three folks who are doing this challenge, is that it?

You can view Week One of my adventure if you missed it and that way Week Two will make sense.

Day Eight February 8th Wednesday
I mailed two letters, received one.

Black
Seems logical that I’d snap a picture of the black mailbox since I’m mailing letters.

Since the landscapers left their Bobcat until they could come back with a truck, I took advantage of capturing a photo that I wouldn’t normally get to take.

Day Nine February 9th Thursday
I mailed three letters and received two.

Rust
I knew my fake tree in the front garden would provide me with some rust shots, but I felt like that was cheating. I was surprised to find these. The water meter caught my eye.

Then I thought not only did the telephone pole have some rust looking color to it, but the little silver dot things did too.

Day Ten February 10th Friday
I mailed one letter and received two.

Trash
Since I’ve been going up and down the driveway with my eyes wide open, I’ve noticed the trash. I couldn’t stand it any longer, even if it would help with my picture themes, I had to pick it all up.

I bundled up, put some gloves and boots on, grabbed the trash bags and headed out. By the time I got close to the end, the trash bag was so heavy, I was practically dragging the thing. I didn’t finish the entire driveway. I found some trash for my daughter’s Egabrag. You do know she "turns your garbage around," right?

These two pieces of trash in the photos below surprised me the most. And after I thought about it, they kind of go hand in hand - ball and glove. I'm assuming it's a ball with all the covering removed.

Day Eleven February 11th Saturday
I mailed three letters and received one.

Contrast
I asked my husband for a theme suggestion for this day. At first he said snow because we received a few flakes the night before. What kind of challenge would that be? Although depending on how desperate I am, I may end up taking him up on that with the next snow. Here are my two favorites showing contrast:

Day Twelve February 12th Sunday
- no mailing of letters, however I did write one.

Day Thirteen February 13th Monday
I mailed three letters and received one.

Square
Once again it seemed fitting to take a picture of the mailbox.

It was harder than I thought to find square things. Lots of rectangles.

Day Fourteen February 14th Tuesday Happy Valentine’s Day!
I mailed one letter and two cards. One of the cards was a birthday card--and again, I would have mailed that regardless. I received five pieces of mail!

Heart
Since it was Valentine’s Day, what better shape to keep an eye out for but heart shapes. And because it had snowed, I cheated and made this heart fearing that I wouldn't find any hearts.

So if you use your creative imagination you can see the branches how they are shaped into a heart. Towards the right just above the telephone wire.

If you look at the leaf to your right, on the bottom, it's kind of heart shaped.

Then there's my little fake tree with the bird house in it and the opening is... a heart.

Hope everyone had a day filled with love of some kind.

Come back next Wednesday for Week Three of A Month of Letters.

And it’s not too late if you want a letter from me. Email me lober13@gmail.com and give me your address. I'd love to write you a letter.

A Month of Letters Challege

2012-02-08T11:00:00.000-08:00

It's been a week since the start of A Month of Letters. How's it going for anyone participating?

I wanted to give a daily log of what I've been doing, but between writing letters and the other writing I'm working on, it was hard to fit it all in. So I'm going to give you a week by week play. (This is late because blogger wouldn't allow me to post my photos.)

My mailbox is at the end of our driveway which is about 1,000 feet long. I decided I'd walk the letters to the mailbox each day and bring my camera with me. Along the way I'd snap some photos keeping my eye out on whatever "theme" I picked for that day. I'm going to include just one or two of my favorite shots. It's interesting each day looking for something different along the same route. It's also rather amazing how your awareness opens.

Day One February 1st
I mailed four letters. Received two letters. They weren't from this challenge, but letters received all the same.

Shadows
When I first saw that squiggly line I thought it was a crack in the driveway and then realized it was a shadow. I was looking up trying to figure out what it was and then I noticed the fence (to the right) and realized it was the line in the fence. I still don't get why the line isn't straight. The lines going the other way are straight.

This next shot of shadows I really liked and in case you are wondering - that short, wide fire hydrant looking shadow in the middle is not a fire hydrant. It's me!

Day Two February 2nd
I mailed three letters.

Rocks
Anyone who knows me knows I'm a lover of rocks. I spotted all kinds hiding underneath ivy and leaves. But these two were especially likeable.

Day Three February 3rd
I mailed four letters. Two of those were to the gals that had written me on Day One.

Red
Seeing the red flag on this mailbox was a no brainer as one of my favorites.

Since another one of my passions is gardening, I liked how the rose bushes were sprouting out some red.

Day Four February 4th
I mailed two letters. I also mailed two birthday cards. I know cards, postcards, and whatever else you mail to someone counts with this challenge, but I would have mailed these cards anyway.

Yellow
I didn't think I'd see anything yellow except this ball, but I was surprised at how many things I did shoot that were yellow.

I'm not sure what this is, but thought it was interesting in its fuzzy little way.

Day Five February 5th
Sunday - no mailing of letters, however I did write one.

Day Six February 6th
I mailed five letters. Included in the mailing was the one I wrote the day before.

Polka Dots
If my bff is reading this she'll know that I picked Polka Dots just for her. This was a challenge to find polka dots in the woods, but if you use your imagination like I did, you'll see the resemblance.

Day Seven February 7th
I mailed one letter and two cards. One of the cards was a birthday card--and again, I would have mailed them regardless.

Blue
When I stepped outside to mail my letters, I wondered how in the world I would find anything blue. The sky was gray. Since I had been keeping my eye out on various things that past six days--walking the same path every day--I didn't remember seeing anything blue. Ha, but when I stepped outside, this caught my eye. Even though it's still the winter season, with our unseasonable warm weather, the landscapers came to clean out our ponds and spruce up the yard. Imagine my surprise seeing this as I stepped out the back door.

Fearing I wouldn't see anything else blue, I snapped the envelopes that I was mailing. However, I did spot a lot more blue. Mostly trash though, so that's not too exciting. Not as exciting as a stamp!

Stay tuned for Week Two. And if you want a letter from me and I don't have your address, send it to me! I'd love to write you a letter.

In Honor of Maurine

2012-02-07T08:34:00.000-08:00

Dear Mom,

Seven years ago today I sat bedside next to my mother-in-law and watched her take her last breath. I don't know if anyone was there with you and I can only hope so.

Thinking of you both today with love.

And the Winner is...

2012-02-06T06:01:00.000-08:00

One lucky person had a chance to win a copy of Bylines 2012 - a great tool for writers. Last night before I went to bed I made sure all the names of those who left comments or signed up to follow my blog were entered into the magic bowl. I left it on my husband's dresser so when he got up in the morning, he could pull out a name.

I woke up this morning and felt like a little kid getting into something I wasn't supposed to, sneaking over to my husband's dresser to find out who was the winner. Only the magic bowl was gone. Again, I felt like a kid--what? Where is it? I spun around in circles. And there it was on my dresser with the name proudly propped up on top of the magic bowl. So are you ready... the winner is...

TAMMY

I wish everyone could have won. I also want to thank everyone for participating and I believe I made a few more friends... or at least I hope so.

Congratulations Tammy, you're going to love Bylines!

Last Chance!

2012-02-05T06:19:00.000-08:00

I wrote a post about Writing Inspiration and Give Away - and today is your last chance to comment to win a copy of Bylines 2012! You have until midnight... Missouri time. Winner will be announced tomorrow.

I'm also excited to be a participant of A Month of Letters - and if anyone would like a handwritten letter from me, send me your address!

Letter Writing Challenge

2012-02-01T05:00:00.000-08:00

Dear Mom,

I presented a challenge to those reading this blog—and today is the first day. I’ve made a list of all the people I’m going to write. My challenge is to write people that I don’t normally write to since I do write to a lot of people on a relatively regular basis.

Since I’m an introvert writing letters is a way for me to share without feeling awkward or self-conscious about anything. I remember after you died, too scared to talk to Dad (when it came to important stuff, like getting my ears pierced) I’d write him a letter.

I found a letter that I wrote to Dad telling him how sorry I was that some boys were over at the house. They didn’t come inside, but still… there was no supervision and I'm pretty sure the rule was not to have anyone over. I got “caught” by a neighbor. I didn’t do anything wrong, however, the shame of it all caused me to tell Dad that I’d leave if he didn’t want me around. I was 12 or 13. I begged him to trust me and love me and not to be mad. I was surprised to see Dad’s handwriting on a letter enclosed with my pleading. Here it is:

I still feared talking to Dad. I still wrote him letters. It also made me wonder why I felt he never really loved me and that perhaps my perception of what he felt was wrong... all these years.

I’d write my friends in grade school even though I saw them every day. I still have those letters. Stamps were six cents! I have a letter from your son-in-law (my brother-in-law) who wasn't at the time (he was dating Sue then) and they’ve been married for close to 40 years—egads).

I snagged my current husband because of a letter—too chicken to ask him out, I wrote him a letter. I figured this way he could have time to think of something good to say when “no thanks” would be his answer. It was sheer agony waiting for a response. I still write him letters.

I’m a letter writer through and through, so this isn’t a real challenge for me. But one I dearly love. If you can't handle writing a letter every day, what about just one? Who would you write to?

Writing Inspiration and Give Away!

2012-01-30T08:19:00.000-08:00

In my previous blog Informational Highway, I talked about a cool calendar notebook called Bylines created by Sylvia Forbes. I’m here to announce that anyone who leaves a comment or signs up to follow me (if you're too shy to comment) will have their names put in a drawing to receive a copy of this awesome writing tool—Bylines! Oh, and I'll keep this open until February 5 and I'll announce the winner on February 6.

I thought I’d share a few more of my favorite writing tools, starting with the one that inspired my creativity some 18 years ago—The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron. I’ve recently picked up this book since all three of my kids just finished it. (You don’t have to be a writer to enjoy the benefits of this book.)

Some of my other favorites that get my juices flowing:

Escaping into the Open: The Art of Writing True by Elizabeth Berg
Old Friend from Far Away by Natalie Goldberg
What It Is by Lynda Barry
Your Book Starts Here by Mary Carroll Moore (This is the one I’m working with now.)

Bylines will help me to keep it all organized, along with inspiration from writers all over. January is almost over, but there are 11 more months to keep track of your goals… 11 more months to be inspired... this year anyway.

And you can start by submitting to Bylines and have a chance of being published in the 2013 calendar. Now that Bylines 2012 is out, Bylines 2013 is currently open for submissions. Deadline is March 1, and complete guidelines are at www.bylinescalendar.com.

Do you have favorite books that inspire you? I’d love to hear about them—and slip your name into the drawing!

St. Louis Reflections

2012-01-28T05:00:00.000-08:00

I'm happy to share with you an article by Brad Cook. If you prefer, you can read this on the Writers Lens or SLWG Eliot Blog.

If You Love St. Louis, You’ll Love This Anthology
By Brad R. Cook, President of St. Louis Writers Guild

I remember when we first decided to create the anthology. St. Louis Writers Guild was about to celebrate its 90th Anniversary. We had planned the Year of Festivals, a time to celebrate the long history of the Writers Guild and all the amazing writers who were a part of the current organization. With well over 250 members there was a lot of talent in our midst. For every significant anniversary over the last 50 years or so, St. Louis Writers Guild (SLWG) had created a members’ booklet. Back in the day, it would have held addresses, phone numbers, publications, but in our ambition we decided to do an anthology. I must admit, the topic was never in doubt. To celebrate our 90th Anniversary we would honor the city that had been the home and inspiration to every member of SLWG since its founding.

We sent out the call, and went about celebrating the Year of Festivals. The anthology was always designed to come out after 2010. We wanted to include as many members as possible in the list and knew it would take some time to put the collection together. It was probably better we didn’t know what it would really take to bring this book to fruition – we might have faltered or maybe waivered, but that never happened. As historian of SLWG, I volunteered to spearhead this project – it was of historical significance and I wanted the experience of putting together an anthology. I wasn’t alone, Mary Menke, who was VP of Operations at the time, agreed to help. Ah, we were so naïve, the saying ‘ignorance is bliss’ had never been more true.

It took months to collect all the entries, and then even more months to collect all the electronic ones, some of which we never received, so Mary typed many from the hard copies. Then came the initial round of editing. Then another round of editing, and another.

I took on the task of arranging the stories in order. Some were easy; Pat Bubash wrote a great piece asking the one question that St. Louis is famous for, where’d you go to high school, so that seemed an appropriate way to start. I like numbers, so Dwight Bitikofer’s poignant Seven slid perfectly into the seventh slot, and I took the thirteenth slot with my ode to Clayton. For me it’s a lucky number, and I knew if I put anyone else there, I’d probably choose someone with latent triskaidekaphobia. I ended the anthology with Faye Adams’ poem to St. Louis Writers Guild which seemed a fitting way to close, but it took another month to get the order just right.

The front and back covers came easily, our webmaster took the image of the Arch, and David Lucas, VP of Membership, snapped the beautiful image of the sun while at the annual SLWG picnic. Once everything had been approved by the board we pushed forward with the assistance of StL Books. Erin Robbins and Robin Theiss did an amazing job with the cover and getting the actual book ready for printing. We couldn’t have done it without them.

We scheduled the book release party and waited for the books to roll in, but nothing about this anthology was simple. The first proof came in and was a little off, but that’s why you always order a proof. Fixing the issue caused a delay. It ended up being the most successful book release without the book I have ever been too. We sold over 50 copies and luckily the books came in a day or so later.

We ended up with an amazing anthology, one that has been described as a wonderful nostalgia trip through St. Louis memories. It was our love of St. Louis that brought this book into existence. It might have been a pleasant struggle, but that only mirrors the city we were trying to honor. St. Louis is a town of FAN-atics, the residents have a deep passion for this city. Founded on the banks the longest river in North America, it has gone from being the gateway of westward expansion, the home of ragtime, to the spirit that carried Lindbergh over the Atlantic, and raised the tallest arch in the world.

So now that you know why we put the anthology together, here are some of the contributors reasons for writing the amazing pieces found within.

I asked – What inspired your contribution to St. Louis Reflections? Was it the personal nature of your story or did you feel it was something St. Louis needed to hear?

Pat Bubash – Not being a St. Louisan by origin, when the topic for the anthology was given, immediately, instantaneously, the question, "where did you go to h.s. came to my mind". People from other cities often ask me, "why is this such an important question for St. Louisans"? I think it is a question unique to St. Louis. As I noted in my submission asking this question and receiving an answer, gives a wide variety of information about the person.

Linda O’Connell – I felt that my personal essay had a strong St. Louis connection as Chuck Berry is an icon, but also there was a take away message: greatness is not in a name.

Claire Applewhite – Perhaps the story was both personal as well as a reflection on St. Louis neighborhoods. My contribution followed a book signing in the south St. Louis neighborhood in which I was raised. I had not seen many of the people who attended for nearly forty years, and was genuinely touched by the emotional impact of our reunion. Memories rushed back so vividly, it was as if I had never left. The people who significantly influenced me in so many ways were still there, the way I remembered them. St. Louis is like that. Neighborhoods are such a big part of life here.

Marcel Toussaint – Saint Louis needs to know its own writers and poets. The best way to do it is to have an anthology that will have a media interest rather than promote each writer or poet individually. Or the media would choose its preferences and leave some of them in the darkness of the unknown.

Niki Nymark – "Mama Mississippi": Written to right a wrong. I always thought it was a mistake to call her "Ole Man River," when I saw her as a languorous, sexy lady. My family had a business close by the levee and as a tiny child; I often sat on the cobblestones to watch her flow by.

"The Body": On later reflection, it amazed me that adults would be so caught up in a murder that they wouldn't notice a four year-old spectator when the police brought the body out. This really happened during the Depression in a hotel next to my mother's coffee shop. It didn't seem troublesome at the time (1938), just fascinating.

Billy Adams – It was just an old memory stored away that I thought would be of interest.

Faye Adams – In writing my story, On the River's Edge, I simply wanted to express my reactions to the city of St. Louis. Having been raised on a farm, in a sparsely populated area, and moving to the city in my senior year of high school, I suffered major culture shock. I had to learn quickly how to function in a totally different environment than the one in which I was conversant or comfortable. Both the accent and the colloquialisms were foreign to me, but it didn't take long for me to fall in love with the city of St. Louis. Each day was a new discovery, and joy far outweighed frustration as I moved into the mainstream of the downtown work force.

In my story, A Small Slice of St. Louis History, I attempted to showcase the bank which played a major role in the St. Louis financial arena, holds the distinction of being the oldest bank west of the Mississippi river, boasts a connection to two U. S. Presidents, and was once pulled from the path of disaster by a bordello proprietress.

In the poem, St. Louis Writers Guild, my aim is to present a group of people who helped to establish the St. Louis literary community and have furnished much inspiration and encouragement for Bill and I in the past six years - writers of fiction, poetry, children's books, nonfiction, fantasy, memoirs, screenplays, and devotionals, who are not only great writers, but great people who overcome adversity in their own lives to reach out and help others.

Donna Springer – I sometimes write when stimulated by "prompts." I had submitted "Mid-time, 6 a.m. St. Louis, for a workshop at The Saint Louis Poetry Center," and had written about The Mississippi Mile for the Saint Louis Track Club's Track Time News in 2003. When The Saint Louis Writers Guild requested material about Saint Louis for its 90th Anniversary anthology, I felt a "prompt" to modify past writings to express my love and appreciation for Saint Louis, and for the Saint Louis Writers Guild. I continue to enjoy watching the day come in at six a.m. from a Saint Louis window, and have happy reflections about the runs across the Mississippi on the rehabilitated Old Chain of Rocks Bridge. Though I "went to high school" in Connecticut, I have lived in and enjoyed Saint Louis since 1975.

Jeanine Dahlberg – A nostalgic stroll back into time when St. Louis suffered under the Great Depression inspired me to write my story. The reader will learn the hardships imposed upon a very little girl and her family and how she coped with the experiences.

Lynn Obermoeller – I was inspired mostly by the personal nature of my story, "Hendel's Market." It was a huge part of my childhood. I feel not only did it reflect a part of St. Louis, but something that other communities in the U.S. or even around the world could relate to.

Debbie Fox – I enjoy a challenge in finding a story with a universal theme based on real events. I submitted my story because I am a part of the Guild and wanted to participate. Although my story was personal, it would appeal to a larger audience. It certainly wasn’t something St. Louis had to hear, but I believe people will remember the places I wrote about.

Ross Braught – I felt that "A Scent of Honeysuckle" was a story St. Louis needed to hear. St. Louis is the center of not just the United States, but of the world of nature and the world of medicine. I tried to blend the two in my story.

As for myself – I grew up on the not-so-mean streets of Clayton, I went to Clayton High School which answers Pat’s question and should tell you a thing or two about me. It became a way to honor the little metropolis that raised me. My piece about the history of SLWG came out of all the work I did for the Legacy Project which continues researching our rich history.

In reflection, we found this city that fostered the writers guild over 90 years ago is still thriving, still overflowing with literary talent, and still coming together to form not only St. Louis Writers Guild but a true community of writers.

Then I asked my favorite question – Which line did you struggle with more, the first or the last?

Linda O’Connell said, “Probably the first, it is not as attention-grabbing as I would have liked.” While Claire Applewhite had the opposite problem, “Probably the last, because I feel it needs to have the same emotional punch as the first line, and sometimes, it is hard to know where to stop to achieve that goal.” But my favorite comment was by Niki Nymark, “The endings of most of my poems have been re-written with a carving knife.”

Marcel Toussaint poignantly stated, “In Torn Flag in the Wind, the last line was the most difficult since it had to make an impact and still remain delicately graphic.” While Jeanine Dahlberg avoided any struggle, “I quoted from Charles Dicken's novel, A Tale of Two Cities, the last line of the story came easily.” Lynn Obermoeller also found it easy, “I can't say I struggled with either. Not with this piece anyway. I just wrote from the heart.” But Debbie Fox found another problem, “Actually, I struggled with the second sentence—”a backdrop for first love.” It still sounds ditzy to me, yet I put the “backdrop” word in the last sentence. I always try to wrap up a piece neatly, often going back to the opening. I don’t think it worked well, but that was how it stood because I didn’t have weeks to let it stew and morph into something better.”

I think Faye Adams captured it best when she said, “The hardest line to write in any poem is the last line. How do you end a story or poem with one line which "says it all?" Let the reader be the judge of whether or not we have failed to do so in this anthology.”

As for myself, “I struggled with the last line, the first came easily but the last was rewritten probably a dozen times.”

Now for a little something extra:

The Writers’ Lens is a resource blog for writers and readers and is featuring St. Louis Reflections in one of their regular giveaways. Comment on The Writers’ Lens blog for your chance to win one copy of St. Louis Reflections. See www.thewriterslens.com for details.

The Writers’ Lens is about bringing Fiction into Focus, so I asked the contributors what brought their writing into focus.

Pat Bubash – Personal situations, events. I am such a fan of Bill McClellan and Elaine Viets- their writing is the reality of what happens to people - I "know" these subjects because the situations they experience, I could or have experienced, These two authors have a way of bringing whatever point they are making come full circle as they finish the article. Absolutely am a fan of both!

Linda O’Connell – My personal essays are written with authenticity but they also have to be written with creativity. I do love crafting words.

Claire Applewhite – What brings my writing into focus, for me, is the interaction between and among the characters. The way that they interact and react to each other tells me who they are, where they're headed, whether they are growing and/or changing, and reveals plot points in the story. I have an outline, but sometimes, I suspect they do too!

Marcel Toussaint – Having been in Radio-Theater in my teens, I have been cast in interesting characters, stories as diverse as the writers’ imaginations, acting the crafted words that the authors excelled in using. So my answer must be all of the above.

Niki Nymark – I begin with a character, who tells me a story. Then I sample lots of words and use the ones that taste right.

Jeanine Dahlberg – I believe that the development of my characters to their potential to the plot enhances the story line forcing me to craft my love of words in a descriptive manner, which engages the reader.

Lynn Obermoeller – This was a hard one after I gave it more thought. My first thought was the love of crafting words--because without that, there wouldn't be any stories. But if you didn't have the idea or story in your head, it couldn't be written. And then without characters, there isn't much of a story either. Seems like they are all tied in together. But you have to love to write, so I'm sticking with the love of crafting words.

Debbie Fox – To me, writing creative nonfiction is like putting together a jigsaw puzzle. I have to be sure everything fits well together, that I didn’t leave out a piece or construct a fuzzy picture. I love finding the perfect metaphor, theme, and transitions and then find the perfect words to hold everything together. I love to describe things, take it slow, use specific terms rather than vague modifiers.

I thank all the contributors for their amazing stories, poems, essays, and memories – it truly is an amazing tribute to this city that we all love.

St. Louis Writers Guild will be having a book signing for the anthology on Saturday, February 18 at 6 North Café, 14438 Clayton Rd. in Ballwin from 10am to Noon, and you can order the anthology anytime at www.StLBooks.com or any major online retailer like www.Amazon.com or www.BarnesandNoble.com – find out more about St. Louis Writers Guild and the anthology at www.stlwritersguild.org

Also Don Corrigan wrote a great article about the anthology and the writers guild for the South County and Webster/Kirkwood Times, read more at http://www.websterkirkwoodtimes.com/hc.e.178697.lasso

The Writers’ Lens is giving away a free copy of St. Louis Reflections – comment on the St. Louis Reflections posts on www.thewriterslens.com until February 4th, 2012.

Thank you and everyone at St. Louis Writers Guild hopes you enjoy our 90th Anniversary Anthology!

*******

(Note by Lynn - you can also read articles about St. Louis Reflections by Linda Austin at The St. Louis Literature Examiner, A gathering of writers and memories in St. Louis. And by Diana Davis at Walrus Publishing, St. Louis Writers Guild Hosts Book Launch and Holiday Book Fair at Kirkwood Train Station.

Up for the Challenge?

2012-01-27T05:00:00.000-08:00

My son Casey sent me this article from BoingBoing - Mary Robinette Kowal challenges you to write a letter a day in February. Casey knew his momma would be up for the challenge. I mean really, how could I not do this? I love writing letters.

My friend Becky found the original blog of Mary Robinette Kowal, so I wanted to share it.

Any takers? Or, if you'd like a letter from me, send me your address.

Informational Highway

2012-01-24T05:00:00.000-08:00

I know I miss a lot even with the technology and everything we have at our disposal--the informational highway. People zooming down at record speeds. At times it feels like everything is a blur. My brain puts on the brakes, pulls over on the shoulder. I turn off the engine, hop out and investigate what I caught a glimpse of and most of the time, I'm glad I did (to stop and smell the roses).

Like reading about Sylvia Forbes 2012 Desk Calendar for Writers, Bylines. I hadn't gotten out of the car last year when I heard about this calendar, but I did this year. And I'm here to say, I'm not disappointed.

I'll admit part of the reason was to see and read about a friend, Pat Wahler of Critter Alley who is in the calendar this year.

If you're a writer and you need a tool to help you keep organized, you just might like this as much as I do.

Friends and Writing

2012-01-21T06:14:00.000-08:00

My husband brought home a Kindle for me. Not long after, I downloaded several free e-books, but I still have a hard time reading on a Kindle. I'd much rather touch and feel and smell the pages of a book.

Last week or so, several bloggers mentioned a free e-book Flashlight Memories (Silver Boomer Books) and knowing these gals, I charged up the Kindle, downloaded the e-book and thought I'd read it later--you know when I had some leisurely time. My curiosity got the best of me and I scrolled through looking for my blogger friends.

Cathy C. Hall's story, "A Pickle for a Nickle" made me want to run to the library to read that children's story that captivated her when she was a child.

Linda O'Connell's poem, "A Classic Tome" made me long for the years when my kids would snuggle up next to me so that I could read to them.

Donna Duly Volkenannt's story, "Read Away Vacation" made me think about my own shyness, however, I didn't have the same kind of smarts as Donna.

I still wonder why I was never read to or encouraged to read as a child. Sometimes it makes me feel like a fraud as a writer.

These three pieces touched my heart, each in a different way and that says something to me about the writing style and character of these gals.

Growing Up

2012-01-13T05:29:00.000-08:00

Dear Mom,

When the kids were in for Christmas, it's interesting to see how they mature a little more each year. This year it seemed like there was a bigger shift as I'd listen in on conversations. By the grace of God, all three are responsible, respectful, kind-hearted, and talented. They beat to their own drum and they're following their own dreams... despite obstacles. They're strong individuals, unique and full of love. I would assume most mother's say this about their children, but it's really true. I wish you all could've met and known each other this life.

Here's a picture I took when my three children got together with their dad's other two children. Starting from the left and moving to the right:

My (oldest) son, Casey. He's 28. Ethan, 15. My (baby) daughter, Rita who's 24. Erik, 20. My (middle) daughter, Jessica, 26.

Here's a pic of just the boys:

And here's one of just my crew:

What Are You Staring At?

2012-01-11T05:24:00.000-08:00

Dear Mom,

The other day a deer came up pretty close to the window and started munching on the bush. He had been eating some liriope grass that I was hoping he'd continue grazing on because it's out of control. Hubby told the deer, "Hey go eat more of the grass." He didn't listen.

But then the deer noticed Smeagol, who had been staring at him the whole time he was chewing on the bush.

"Hey what are you staring at? Can't a guy eat in peace?"

Teeny Tiny Apple Surprise

2012-01-08T05:05:00.000-08:00

Dear Mom,

Over the holidays I was given a surprise and surprised by the visit of the friend who brought the surprise. No expecting anyone, I was in my pajama bottoms and a tshirt, wearing a baseball cap, no make-up, goofy socks and shoes along with an apron because I was baking. Certainly didn't want to mess up that classy outfit.

Ding-dong went the front door bell.

I couldn't see who it was and figured it was some delivery person which is the only people that normally come up to the house unannounced. But as I got close to the door, I gasped. I know one is not supposed to compare, but here is my gorgeous friend and here I am looking like a slug. Wait--slugs might even look better than I did that day.

My friend brought me a gift--a pretty box filled with delicious treats. One item caught my eye because it was the teeniest, tiniest apple I've ever seen. Almost too cute to eat. The picture doesn't do it justice and the apple that I have next to it (to also compare) is a small apple.

Let me just state for the record, the gift was exceptional. But what really made it special was the fact my friend took the time to come and present the gift in person. I was truly touched. Anytime I eat an apple, thoughts of my friend and the special surprise will warm my heart.

An Award

2012-01-07T14:00:00.000-08:00

Gotcha! It's a blogger award - The Versatile Blogger Award bestowed upon me by Marilyn from Things I Want to Tell My Mother. She writes letters to her (deceased) mother, just like I do. I was surprised to get the award since I've only recently met her/her blog and vice-a-versa. But I'm honored just the same.

As part of winning this award I'm to tell you seven things about myself that are not included in my blog. I've done this before, however, I'm taking Marilyn's lead and writing something similar that she did as I found her seven things to be very interesting since I didn't know much about her.

So here goes:

1) I grew up in Florissant, Missouri. I'm not sure if I'll have the facts correct, but back in the day this town was divided between the French and German. I asked one of my aunts why all the kids in the family went to Sacred Heart School (when she was telling me how they walked to school nearly every day) since St. Ferdinand School was closer. She said that St. Ferdinand was for French people and Sacred Heart was for German people. I was puzzled because they both were Catholic schools. I too went to Sacred Heart from 1st through 8th grade. I think by then the whole French and German thing didn't exist, however, when I was growing up there was a distinction between Catholic and "public" - if you didn't go to Catholic school, I didn't think you were Catholic. You were Public. DUR.

2) I stayed in the Florissant area until I married, then moved to Akron, Ohio and lived there for a year. We then moved to Corpus Christi, Texas and I was there for a year. When my marriage didn't work out, I came back to Missouri to live - not far from where I grew up. I'm now living in Manchester, Missouri (south of Florissant). Both Florissant and Manchester are suburbs of the big city, St. Louis. There are a lot of suburbs of St. Louis.

3) Like Marilyn, because of my blog, I have met a lot of wonderful people from all over the world. That is amazing.

4) I don't have as varied writing accomplishments as Marilyn, but I'll continue to work on the craft of writing. Most recently I've been accepted in two anthologies: Storm Country (and all proceeds go to the Joplin School District libraries due to the tornado that devastated Joplin - only $10 and you can still order them! My story is about my friend Geoffrey) and St. Louis Reflections (celebrating St. Louis Writers Guild's 100th Anniversary - my story is about Hendel's - a little market that used to be in Florissant - actually the original building is still there, but now it's a restaurant. You can purchase this book at StLBooks.com for $9.99. Okay didn't mean to turn this into a promo thingy.

5) I had to laugh at Marilyn's - "I have a short attention span..." Well, I too have a short attention span, but I always want to write in epistolary form. My goal for 2012 is to write a hand-written letter to someone once a week (or more). And did I mention that I put together three family newsletters (one for my mom's side of the family, one for my dad's side of the family and one for my husband's family). I do them quarterly but without information from the family, I've had to drop one to bi-annually and it's going to happen to another one soon!

6) I belong to the St. Louis Writers Guild and the Saturday Writers group, both of which are chapters of the Missouri Writers' Guild. (MWG is having their annual writing conference this April which I plan to attend.) I also belong to a wonderful critique group that one gal named the five of us: WWWP (Wild Women Wielding Pens).

7) Marilyn talked about her other "favorite" name. I have two other names that I'm called and I'm not so sure that either are my favorite! Ha. But my adult children - when they were younger - used to introduce me to their friends as Lynnard. They call me that now and then. My hubby calls me Lester. I have no idea where that came from, but it probably beats what I call him! He he he. Oh what do I call him? Willis. Really, that's his middle name. But Lester is not my middle name. Honest. It's Marie. And my nephew Josh named me LLL (Little Looney Lynn). Hmmm, wonder why that is? It might have something to do with the fact that I sang in the car for nearly eight hours when on a road trip. I made up words. I sang off key. Josh was in the back seat. Probably ruined him for life.

Okay, there it is. I'm now supposed to present this award to other great blogs. How can you do that? To me they're all great blogs, so I'll award four (like Marilyn did) and hopefully there's someone new out there reading this who will wonder who those WWWPs are... and since there are four besides me, here they are in alphabetical order by the name of their blog:

I Digress
Message in a Bloggle: The Art of Being Broken
Sioux's Page
Write from the Heart

Happy New Year!

2012-01-05T18:01:00.000-08:00

Dear Mom,

A little late, but Happy New Year! So much for being more on top of things for 2012. But hey, I've been busy. I had to make sure I ate the rest of those chocolate Santa heads. Waste not want not. How can you concentrate on goals, like watching your weight, when Santa heads are staring at you? They're not staring at me any more.

I had to make sure I started cleaning out my closet. How can I work on things if I can't find them? Part of it is finished, but now I have the clothes to go through, but at least I can walk in there now.

Next I'll be heading to the writing room, but once I'm in there it might be a long time before you hear from me again. My husband says, "You're the most disorganized organized person I know." That pretty much explain my writing room... a disorganized organized mess. I'm shooting for removing the disorganized part. Wish me luck. I'll need every bit of it.

Little Stinkers

2011-12-28T19:08:00.000-08:00

Dear Mom,

I know you were not much of a dog lover, but what's not to love looking at these two little stinkers? A friend of my daughter's found them--abandoned. She drove them in from Kentucky and the minute my other daughter saw them, she was hooked. The two pugs stick to each other like they're joined at the hip and they have the sweetest dispositions.

You can see how loved they'll be...

But you can also see how upset her other little baby is...

but no worries, he's equally loved.

O'Christmas Tree

2011-12-19T06:32:00.000-08:00

Dear Mom,

I showed you a few of my children's handmade ornaments when they were little and here are a few hand-made by others.

My cousin Peggy painted this:

My friend Michele made this star and you can check out her website at wildstarcreations. She makes beautiful earrings, necklaces and suncatchers.

This sled was made out of popcicle sticks by my sister's father-in-law:

When I did research on my great aunt who spent 30 years in Farmington State Hospital (it's now called Southeast Missouri Mental Health Center) there was a gift room where items made by patients were sold. I had to pick up these:
This snowman is made from an acorn. You might not be able to tell from the photo how big that acorn is, but it's bigger than any I've ever seen. There are trees on the property that have these huge acorns.

This Santa was made from the bark of a tree:

The following are my kids' ornamnents made by parents of the PTO or teachers. I'm sure they hang on a lot of trees.

As the holidays approach, my adult children in from out of town, and no baking done yet and a project I have to finish before the big day, I'll see you all after Christmas.

Merry Christmas to all! And to all, thanks for following me.

Hanging Out O'Christmas Tree

2011-12-17T16:00:00.000-08:00

Dear Mom,

A friend Tammy posted: Hangin' with my Uglies--about Christmas ornaments--the cherished ones. I love homemade ornaments from kids... from anyone actually. I'm stealing Tammy's idea and posting my own ornaments, but I think I'll call it, Hanging with my Beauties...

Here's the oldest ornament I have. I was 17 and worked at Ben-Franklin in downtown Ferguson. A co-worker made this for me. I feel terrible because I can't remember her name now. I can picture her face though.

Next are various handmade ornaments from my children. Casey's hand is the base for this Santa:

Jessica's thumbprint made this design:

Rita created this with an upside down heart. The pom-pom stuck on one of the eyes cracks me up:

I'm not sure which kid made this one and I'm surprised it hasn't turned moldy. I don't know what is inside all those cloves:

The next two are more of Jessica's:

Rita was a little crafter way back. She sewed this Santa by hand. You should check out her site on Etsy or her Egabrag Crafts blog.

HO HO HO, Merry Christmas!

Chicken Soup for the Soul, The Christmas Pageant, Birthday, Anniversary, St. Louis Reflections

2011-12-15T13:00:00.000-08:00

Dear Mom,

The holidays are a busy time of the year anyway, but then I added a few extra things into the mix. Saturday I went to old St. Charles (Main Street Books) to support a few writer friends who have stories published in Chicken Soup for the Soul books... as part of their book signing event, if you brought a canned good, you received 20% off your entire book purchase. The canned goods went to the food pantry, so the event was more than just supporting my friends. I also had the pleasure of seeing a few other writer buddies, Sioux and Dianna.

Chicken Soup for the Soul
Here are the lovely women from left to right, Cathi, Tammy, Linda, and Theresa:

Later that same day, Norm and I had a Christmas party to go to. The next day, we had another Christmas party to attend and followed that with a party at our house to celebrate my grade school friend's movie that he wrote...

The Christmas Pageant
There it is, Mark's name on the screen: Written by Mark Valenti

First we all ate:

Then we were all being silly acting as if the movie put us to sleep:

We're all really proud of Mark and had a great time celebrating his success.

Monday I visited with another friend, and finally did some Christmas shopping. I seriously don't know how some people are finished AND have it all wrapped at this point.

Tuesday I decided to take it easy, after all--I'm another year older. One year older than you when you died. Seems odd as I remember you as being old. I guess since I was 12 and you were 53, it'd make sense that I'd think you were old. Just like the grandkids think I'm old. There are days when I feel old, but for the most part I feel like I did when I was in my 20s. Is that weird? Then I look into the mirror...

Not only did I celebrate my birthday, but it's Norm's birthday. We're exactly 10 years apart. Him being older. Some may think otherwise... speaking of old. And we got married on our birthdays. Nine years. Definitely a record. Technically this year Norm is tied with all of my other (three) marriages added together. The little stinker sent me a dozen roses.

And check out his creative wording on the card...

We celebrated by having dinner and then I had to drag him to another book launch/reading/signing for St. Louis Reflections. It was the launch party for another anthology by St. Louis Writers Guild members. The books weren't ready, but the party went on.

St. Louis Writers Guild President, Brad Cook started things off explaining the history of the guild. He's also the historian of the guild and has done an exceptional job at that!

Here I am reading my story "Hendel's Market".

I had a few props with me: a picture of Hendel's that hubby made for me, along with a jar of penny candy (not really a penny any more) but I talked about the candy in my story. Sugar Shack, where I purchased the candy for the book launch, was sweet enough to give me some wooden quarters to pass out at the event--good for 25 cents worth of candy in the store.

In my story I mentioned one thing my little sister and I would do is pretend to give one another communion with the flying saucer candies, and here's my daughter giving communion to my two sisters after she heard my story.

It really was a lovely event and I felt honored to be among special writers and part of the anthology. I'd like to thank everyone who ventured out, and for those who made the event possible.

Linda Austin wrote a nice article about event, A Gathering of Writers and Memories of St. Louis.

And if you're interested in ordering a copy of St. Louis Reflections, visit StLBooks.com and they're only $9.99!

St. Louis Reflections

2011-12-12T17:03:00.000-08:00

St. Louis Reflections Book Release Party & Last-minute Holiday Book Fair
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
7-9pm at the Kirkwood Train Station
101 W. Argonne Dr. Kirkwood, MO 63122

There will be readings by the anthology authors. They'll be serving wine and cheese. Of course there will be books for sale for $9.99. And other books written by St. Louis Writers Guild members will be for sale also.

If you can't make the event, you can order the book from StLBooks.com

And for more details, you can read my previous post.

More on The Christmas Pageant

2011-12-10T05:00:00.000-08:00

Dear Mom,

Remember me telling you about my friend Mark and that he had written the story that was made into a Hallmark movie, The Christmas Pageant? Gail Pennington, of stltoday.com wrote an article about Mark and the movie.

I'm having some grade school friends over on Sunday so that we can watch the movie and celebrate! It should be pretty fun. A few of these friends are the same one's I'd have pajama parties with back in grade school. How funny is that? Here we are forty years later--it's not "pretend" any more.

Another Book Launch!

2011-12-09T05:00:00.000-08:00

Dear Mom,

Remember that good news I said I had in my previous letter to you? I almost can’t believe this, but I just found out that another story that I wrote will be in another anthology. How cool is that?

St. Louis Reflections Book Release Party & Last-minute Holiday Book Fair
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
7-9pm at the Kirkwood Train Station
101 W. Argonne Dr. Kirkwood, MO 63122

There will be readings by the anthology authors. They'll be serving wine and cheese. Of course there will be books for sale for $9.99. And other books written by St. Louis Writers Guild members will be for sale also.

St. Louis Reflections anthology was created to commemorate the 90th Anniversary of the St. Louis Writers Guild. Written by members of St. Louis Writers Guild, there are 45 pieces in the anthology, a mix of poetry, prose, and personal essays. It also includes a list of every member in 2010.

My piece is written about Hendel’s Market (titled “Hendel’s Market” pretty creative, huh?) and of course, you know where that was in Florissant, just two blocks away from where we lived when I was a kid. I hope I did it justice—there were a lot of us Sacred Heart school kids, and others who frequented Hendel’s. But what a place, that's for sure.

Some Friends and Chicken Soup for the Soul

2011-12-08T12:40:00.000-08:00

Dear Mom,

I'm pretty sure if you were alive, you'd like Chicken Soup for the Soul books. Although I can't remember you ever reading. Maybe I never paid any attention when I was a kid. Or maybe you didn't like to read.

I have some friends who are doing a book signing of various Chicken Soup books, where they have their stories published.

Linda and Tammy will be at Main Street Books, 307 S. Main Street in St. Charles on Saturday, December 10 from 1-3pm. If you bring a canned good, you get 20% off your entire purchase.

It's the 2nd Annual Chicken Soup for the Soul book signing/ Canned Soup for the Body food drive to benefit the local food pantry.

Storm Country: The Anthology Book Launch in Joplin!

2011-12-06T15:00:00.000-08:00

Dear Mom,

The launch party, reading and signing of the book, Storm Country: The Anthology held in Joplin on Sunday was a huge success. I’m not sure where to start.

It was held at the at the Spiva Center for the Arts. Slowly but surely people trickled in and before I knew it, it was a packed room.

Deb Marshall, President of the Missouri Writers Guild started things off by introducing the youth that were part of the book. She presented each one with a certificate.

They had also received a copy of the book and they had been busy signing their names to everyone’s copy.

Deb then presented the librarians with a check for $3,000! (Money raised from the sale of Storm Country—and there’s more to come.)

The youth then read their poems. After that, other contributors could read their story or poem.

Rosalie Carol Linda Bonnie (I forgot to snap her picture while she read)

Here’s the President of the Joplin Writers Guild, Clauida, who came up with the idea to create the book. Yay Claudia!

I read part of my story—starting from the part when I had finally heard Geoffrey was alive because Gwen had seen him and called her sister, who posted it on Facebook. Both Geoffrey and Gwen were at the event! Here we are (Gwen to the left):

After the event was over we went out to eat and that's when I had the honor of meeting the family that had picked up Geoffrey and took him in after the tornado hit. After dinner, Geoffrey showed us some of the devastation and holy cow, it’s really hard to wrap my head around what I was viewing. Unbelievable—and I’m sure what I saw wasn’t anything like it was when it first hit.

It was a long day, but worth every minute.

Again, I can’t thank everyone enough for all their efforts in making this possible. And Susan and Rita, thank you for riding with me and helping at the event.

Storm Country: The Anthology

2011-12-03T06:05:00.001-08:00

Dear Mom,

I leave tomorrow for Joplin for another launch party, reading and signing of the book, Storm Country: The Anthology which has a story of mine in it about Geoffrey. I'm so excited because I will get to see Geoffrey too!

The details? Oh, well, it's Sunday, December 4 from 1-4 pm. It's at the Spiva Center for the Arts located at 222 West 3rd Street in Joplin of course! The books sell for $10 and all proceeds go to the Joplin school libraries. There are more details too.

I'm truly honored to be a part of this anthology and am so grateful for all the people involved that made it happen; starting with the idea to the actual (beautiful) book.

When it was announced that you could pre-order books, I ordered 50 and am happy to say that I've sold all 50 of them. I'm grateful too for all those who have shown their support to me as a writer and to Joplin--where the real support is needed.

I have some other good news too but I'll have to save that for later. Watch over me, as I'll surely need it.

The Christmas Pageant

2011-12-01T05:00:00.000-08:00

Check out The Christmas Pageant presented by the Hallmark Channel and written by a good friend of mine, Mark Valenti! I went to grade school with Mark. There were certain kids that I felt I knew what they were designed to do. Even back then, I knew Mark would be into movies in some way, shape, or form.

I hope you'll all support my friend by sitting down, turning on the Hallmark Channel on Sunday, December 11, 8:00 pm Eastern and 7:00 pm Central and watch The Christmas Pageant. Who doesn't love a feel good movie? You know what I'll be doing on December 11th!

Congratulations Mark!

Christmas with Mom Contest

2011-11-29T19:19:00.000-08:00

I've read about this contest on several blogger friends I follow who have entered: Linda, Kim, Claudia. I wanted to write something, but seemed a bit pointless as I could only remember one Christmas. But then since my blog is about writing to my mom, it seemed like a no brainer.

So in 100 words or less, you're to write your Christmas memory with your mom. Things I Want To Tell My Mother blog is holding the contest.

Here are my 89 words:

Dear Mom,

Since you passed away shortly after my 12th birthday, I know it wasn’t that Christmas that I remember, since you were in the hospital. The last Christmas I remember was the year I worried if Santa Claus was real. When I opened the door into the living room, lights sparkled on the presents under the tree. I smiled with relief. I glanced over at you on the couch and saw relief on your face too. I wish I had more memories of Christmas with you.

Love, Lynn

Storm Country: The Anthology

2011-11-28T05:00:00.000-08:00

A Launch Party in Joplin!
Sunday, December 4, 2011, 1-4 p.m.
For more details check out the Storm Country blogsite.

If anyone is interested in purchasing a book and unable to head to Joplin, please let me know as I will be happy to get one when I go! They're $10 and all proceeds go to the Joplin School District libraries!

It's Official

2011-11-27T10:42:00.001-08:00

And NaNo's official word count:

NaNoWriMo Day 26

2011-11-26T11:23:00.000-08:00

Woot! Woot! I crossed the finish line.

Total word count: 50,340

I'm not an official winner yet until I turn in the novel, but unofficially I've done it!

Whew... and now I'll have energy to cheer on my other writing buddies--you go peeps! I know you can do it!

Book Blurb Friday #39

2011-11-25T16:01:00.000-08:00

It’s Book Blurb Friday #39. Check out Lisa Ricard Claro’s blog to play BBF in which Lisa is the Master. Basically you write a book blurb based on the photo (that being the cover of the book) and you must do it in 150 words or less. This week’s photo is by your one and only—me! Don't let Lisa fool you, she'll knock out those 50,000 NaNo words too!

I can sure babble when it comes to NaNo, but these book blurbs are killer. Here’s my 59 words—

Nine.Thousand.Feet.
By the time Obermoeller hiked to the 9,000 feet elevation she gasped, but not for air. The site she saw was something out of a Stephen King book, and not in a gruesome way. Sit on the edge of your chair as you follow along the climb. Then if you can handle it, experience what Obermoeller witnessed at Nine.Thousand.Feet.

NaNoWriMo Day 25

2011-11-25T15:57:00.000-08:00

Word count today: 1,434
Total: 47,263
Left: 2,737

Getting closer...

Thankful

2011-11-24T06:18:00.000-08:00

Dear Mom,

Someone blogged about remembering Thanksgiving holidays when they were young. I've racked my brain and I can't think of a single Thanksgiving spent when you were alive. My siblings can remember, but I'm blank.

I can't thank you in person, but I can in spirit for all you have done as you--wife, mother, sister, in-law, friend--all your roles. No doubt there are countless things I'm unaware of--I can only imagine. At sixteen and losing your mother, with eight siblings under you--I'm sure you had your work cut out for you.

Every day I count my blessings--not just on Thanksgiving. I'm blessed with a wonderful family, relatives, and friends. The love I have in my life is abundant and I'm truly blessed. I remember someone said to me, "You're rich!" and this was during a period in my life when I was living below poverty level. I turned around and smiled, "I know."

So mom, thanks for all you've done and all you've taught me.

With all my love.

NaNoWriMo Day 23

2011-11-23T08:23:00.000-08:00

Wishing everyone a Happy Thanksgiving and sending love your way! Words can't express my gratefulness.

I managed to squeeze in some words today: 1518, bringing my total word count to: 45,829.

Now on to make pies, dressing, and all that stuff one gobbles up on Turkey Day.

NaNoWriMo Day 22

2011-11-22T10:14:00.000-08:00

I've been cleaning today--figured I'd better do something about those dust bunnies so they don't eat all the turkey come Thursday. But I wanted to get some NaNo writing in as tomorrow and Thursday I'll probably have to skip writing... maybe. I figured that in when I was doing the math for my daily word count goal, but because I'm getting so close, I'm wanting to be finished. Last year during NaNo, I had my 50,000 words before I sat down and gobbled up turkey. I don't think it's going to happen this year, but I could try.

Today's count: 1,71
Grand total: 44,311
Words to go: 5,689

NaNoWriMo Day 21 and Storm Country

2011-11-21T09:51:00.000-08:00

How are all you Be Creative creatures doing? It's hard to believe it's the 21st of November. Do we seriously only have nine days left before December arrives? When it's put that way, it's kind of scary. But have no fear... whatever you don't finish in November, you can bring along with you in December, and January, and... you get the idea. You have a start and that's what counts!

My word count today is 1,953 and that leaves me with 7,399 words to go.

And just when you thought the launch of Storm Country was over... there will be another in December, but this time in Joplin! Check out this site for details. And yes, I plan on being there!

Since I sold all of my pre-ordered copies (thank you everyone!), if you'd still like a copy, I'll be happy to pick up one for you while in Joplin. Just let me know. They're only $10 and all the moolah goes to the Joplin School District libraries!

NaNoWriMo Day 20

2011-11-20T13:43:00.000-08:00

Sioux, it seems that little violin playing worked wonders for my NaNo writing because my word count today is: 2,531

My grand total: 40,648 and that leaves 9,352 left.

So Sioux, will you play that violin a wee bit louder please? All of you other NaNo writing buddies, do you want me to ask Sioux to play for you too? I'm pretty sure she is really good at it.

NaNoWriMo Day 19 and Art Attack

2011-11-19T10:54:00.001-08:00

I must have done a little too much hooping and hollering at last night's Art Attack 3 (see yesterday's post) event applauding for my daughters' friend Carrie and her piece of art work, which by the way--the event needs to have their applause meter fixed. I'm not just saying this because of Carrie. It happened with other paintings too. The one's that got cheered the loudest sometimes didn't make it.

However, it goes to show how karma works--Carrie's piece didn't make the round even though her applaud/cheering was loudest. Carrie's piece was then auctioned off and the high bidder of $450 went home with her painting. The person/painting Carrie competed against made it to the third round, however, when it went for bid (and there were minimums to keep it from being destroyed) it didn't make it. The "Missouri Chainsaw Massacre Man" sawed it in pieces. And not that I wanted to see anyone's work demolished, but I found this interesting.

So Carrie's piece tied as the highest bidding piece--even the winning piece didn't hit the highest bid. Bravo to all the artists and especially Carrie!

No NaNoWriMo today--feeling a little under the weather and the need to rest. There is that whole Thanksgiving thing coming up.

NaNoWriMo Day 18

2011-11-18T13:40:00.000-08:00

Today's word count: 1,381

Grand total: 38,117

Left to tackle: 11,883

I'll be applauding for my daughters' friend Carrie Gillen tonight at the following event:

Book Blurb Friday #38

2011-11-17T13:43:00.000-08:00

It’s Book Blurb Friday #38. Check out Book Blurb Guru Lisa Ricard Claro’s blog to play BBF. Basically you write a book blurb based on the photo (that being the cover of the book) and you must do it in 150 words or less. This week’s beautiful photo cover is by Lisa’s husband, Joseph. (Ooops, I think the last photo taken by Joseph, I called him Lisa's son!)

And in 91 words—

Why Can’t I Remember?
Obermoeller struggles daily trying to remember even the simplest things, but she won’t forget the day she competed in the 2007 Waikiki Surfers Annual Crazy Board contest. She fought for her life when a white killer shark attacked her board. Now bound to a wheel chair, read the true story of Obermoeller beating the odds to place third in the 2010 Waikiki’s Crazy Board competition and overcoming… uh… um…

“Seeing Obermoeller, it’s clear all things are possible. But man, hang ten baby with that whole memory thing.” Champion Surfer Sonny Beachwalk

NaNoWriMo Day 17

2011-11-17T13:34:00.000-08:00

Watching my cat eye two squirrels munch on acorns is kind of funny. I wonder if he thinks they are over-sized chipmunks. Those squirrels devour nuts faster than my brother-in-law shovels down his dinner.

Oh yeah... NaNo writing for the day, 2,233. Total word count: 36,736. Can I really babble for another 13,264 words? I'm sure hubby will have to say yes to that one.

Did I mention I shot off an article for submission, thanks to my writing buds.

NaNoWriMo Day 16

2011-11-16T10:25:00.000-08:00

I feel exhausted today and plus my wrist went out again. I know Sioux, you'll be pleased to hear AND that my word count is not that high again, although it is more than I thought I'd accomplish--1,417.

That brings my total to: 34,503 with 15,497 to go!

Now on to the next project for the WWWPCG.

NaNoWriMo Day 15

2011-11-15T09:43:00.001-08:00

Word count for the day: 2,328

I had a little more time to write, but stopped. It feels like I've developed this rhythm of some sort at keeping around 2,000 words. Maybe to keep from feeling overwhelmed or something. Not sure.

Total: 33,086

NaNoWriMo Day 14, Another Birthday, Storm Country Success

2011-11-14T11:51:00.000-08:00

Another birthday - Happy Birthday to my older sister, Suzanne! I sang Happy Birthday to her first thing this morning. I'm sure that just made her day. She did giggle though so maybe I didn't sound too bad. The giggle sounded like a sincere sweet giggle, not a oh-my-god-you-really-can't-sing-giggle. Because, really, I can't sing.

Storm Country's release and launch party that I've been advertising on this blog happened last night. I felt it was a huge success. (Thank you Linda for keeping me calm.) I didn't fumble and get all tongue-tied while reading my piece or so I was told. I'm pretty sure I was out of my body during the entire-however-many-minutes I stood up there because I can only recall one word, "Geoffrey!" when I screeched in a fairly high voice as I read the part when I did exactly that when Geoffrey phoned me (after the tornado and he finally contacted me).

So I would like to give my sincere thanks for everyone's support who either purchased a book, came to the event, helped me in some way with a pat on the back--it all means a lot, and like Geoffrey said, "I'm so blessed."

Truly, I am.

And if you're interested in purchasing a book for $10 (all proceeds go to Joplin School District libraries), they're still available.

And now the dreaded news Sioux, my daily word count for NaNoWriMo: 2,118. That brings my total to 30,758 and if my math is any good, that leaves me with 19,242 words. Really? I think I might make it. I have to laugh because when I thought about a new part to write, I couldn't remember if I had written that already. Good grief, my entire story could be nothing but me repeating myself... see Sioux, menopause has its benefits.

NaNoWriMo Day 13, Birthday, Storm Country

2011-11-13T09:30:00.000-08:00

First I just want to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY LOGAN! Grandma and Grandpa love you and miss you!

You can see a picture of her here, with her cousin Lily. Or you can see Logan here on this post, where she's collecting money for Joplin.

And speaking of Joplin, tonight is the release/launch party for Storm Country.

And as far as NaNoWriMo goes, this will make Sioux happy that my word count for today is at an all time low: 967. Unless you want to count the notes of 200 words I jotted down for the story because I was afraid I'd forget.

Every little bit helps--you hear me Sioux? You can do it! You too Beth! And Lisa! And Kim! And the other Kim aka June! And for all you other's who are "unofficially" doing NaNo or some creative thing! Woot! Woot! for us all!

Total for me: 28,640

Quotes

2011-11-13T07:17:00.000-08:00

Just a little break today, so you should check out Becky Povich's blog. She always has some cool quotes and so it's fitting that she should talk about another blog that's all about quotes. I'm spending more time on blogs right now when I should be NaNoWriMo-ing. Ack.

But I really liked this quote:

"You never get people's fuller attention than when you're listening to them."
Robert Brault.

Okay, now on to NaNo!

Storm Country and NaNoWriMo Day 12

2011-11-12T07:20:00.001-08:00

Just another gentle reminder that this event takes place TOMORROW!

You can purchase a book for only $10 and ALL proceeds benefit the Joplin School District libraries to restore what they lost in the devastating EF5 tornado.

And for the lesser news of the day, my NaNoWriMo word count for today is 2,411.

Had to get my writing in as I want to head to Firecracker Press for a poetry reading... and they print live (on a letterpress) a piece of the poetry that the poet is reading. Totally worth the price of admission - $5. Starts at 2:00! Oh, and if you're into pastries, there's this awesome bakery right across the street!

My grand total for NaNo is 27,673. Don't be discouraged. A participant who has been doing this every year since NaNo started, some 12 or 13 years is always behind at this point, but keeps on writing. Says the end is easier (that's for you Sioux).

Keep on writing, it'll be more than you had the day before.

NaNoWriMo Day 11

2011-11-11T11:51:00.000-08:00

Today was a different kind of day for me. Feels like I did everything backwards. My writing didn't come first like it usually does and it was in chunks, but I'm pleased that the word count for the day came to: 2,411 bringing my grand total to 25,262 and that means I'm halfway there! Woot! Woot! for me. But I think the first half is always easier than the last half.

Book Blurb Friday #37

2011-11-11T07:29:00.000-08:00

It’s Book Blurb Friday #37. Check out Book Blurb Guru Lisa Ricard Claro’s blog to play BBF. Basically you write a book blurb based on the photo (that being the cover of the book) and you must do it in 150 words or less. This week’s beautiful photo cover is by Kathy Matthews.

Wasn’t sure I’d fit this in with NaNo chomping at my heels, but here it is in 105 words.

Impossible?
Obermoeller recognizes the gentle current of Sunshine River. Everyone thought—impossible. Just three years old when she nearly drowned, no one can believe that she knew the exact spot and every detail where it occurred. Her mother never forgot.

Fifty-three years later after never having been told what happened or where, Obermoeller discovers she remembers it all the instant she sees the scene at Sunshine River. Follow Obermoeller on her incredible journey as she relives exact details of that fateful day.

Obermoeller’s mother was quoted, “I’ll never forget my daughter’s words after they pulled her from the river five miles down, ‘Momma, God carried me.’”

NaNoWriMo Day 10

2011-11-10T06:16:00.000-08:00

I have a busy day ahead of me, so I made sure I got my NaNo writing in and I guess early morning serves me well as my word count for the day is 2,767. That brings my total to: 22,851.

Hope everyone that is on their creative endeavor is doing something. Doesn't matter what or how much. My little sister Ruthie is doing NaNo, but not officially. She told me the other day she's up to 6,000 words. She said it wasn't near where she should be, but I told her that it was 6,000 more words than before she started! Woot! Woot! for Ruthie!

NaNoWriMo Day 9

2011-11-09T09:08:00.000-08:00

Today's word count a bit short of my daily goal: 1,816 and that brings my total to: 20,084

Sold four more Storm Country books - thank you! And if you're looking for something to do on Sunday, November 13, head on over to the Regional Art Commission to hear some of the contributors read their piece in Storm Country. Books are $10 and all proceeds benefit the Joplin School District libraries!

NaNoWriMo Day 8

2011-11-08T11:40:00.001-08:00

Total for the day: 2,408 and that makes my grand total: 18,268

Sold three more books of Storm Country today. Thank you everyone.

NaNoWriMo Day 7

2011-11-07T12:09:00.001-08:00

As you know from my previous post, I had to skip NaNoWriMo Day 5 and 6 for an out-of-town conference. But here I am, dragging a bit I might add. I had some things to take care of first thing this morning, so I wrote this afternoon. I made good progress, but I like writing in the morning much better.

Word count for today: 2,677 and that brings my total to: 15,860. Only 34,140 to go.

Hope everyone else is doing well with their Be Creative adventures. I hope to get around soon and see what's happening.

PS - I don't have many Storm Country books left that I pre-ordered, so if you haven't asked me for one, you're not on the list. If you want one, let me know... otherwise try and make the event and pick up one there or let me know and I'll pick up one for you! The books are only $10 and all proceeds from the sale of the book are for Joplin School District libraries to restore what was lost from the devastating tornado. And thank you again for all who have supported this endeavor!

NaNoWriMo Day 4

2011-11-04T08:41:00.000-07:00

Another crazy morning with various interruptions, but I kept at it until I had my minimum goal met (1,950). Word count today: 2,303 bringing my total to 13,183. If I can do math correctly, that leaves 39,120 words to go. I won't be posting or writing the next two days (will be out of town), but I'll see you back here bright and early Monday! Woot! Woot!

Here's what I wish I was doing...

That little stinker has the life.

Book Blurb Friday #36

2011-11-03T19:16:00.000-07:00

It’s Book Blurb Friday #36. Check out the fabulous and lovely Lisa Ricard Claro’s blog to play BBF. Basically you write a book blurb based on the photo (that being the cover of the book) and you must do it in 150 words or less.

This week’s photo was taken by Lisa’s daughter, Christina. I thought it was cool and the other morning something popped in my head about it. Didn’t think I’d have anything left up there while doing NaNo, but here it is, coming in at 56 words.

The Obernique
Photographer Obermoeller’s unique ability to angle the camera from the perspective of a chipmunk brings a fresh eye to viewing photographs. In this full color, 213 page table top picturesque book, you’ll dazzle friends and relatives with these unusual and engaging shots that evoke powerful emotion. Surprises abound. Check it out and feel your inner chipmunk.

NaNoWriMo Day 3

2011-11-03T08:48:00.001-07:00

I got a late start today because I went to bed so late last night--after the critique group meeting, I stayed up. Remember the last time I told myself if I was all buzzed with energy, I wasn't going to waste it. I didn't get any additional writing done, but I did catch up on a few other things.

There were several interruptions while doing my NaNo writing this morning, but all in all it was productive with a word count of: 2,786. For those of you out there that think, WOW impressive. I wouldn't be that impressed. After all, I can ramble like no one's business. Besides, I think my Aunt Rose's hat must have some magic ju-ju in it.

Don't be discouraged. Keep at it. Even if it's 50 words a day. That's more than zero, right?

Oh and my pre-order of books, Storm Country came in yesterday. My daughter Rita took my picture. Out of 33 shots, here's 3 that are okay. I'm not photogenic and don't care for pictures of myself, but... well..., it's all for Joplin and my friend Geoffrey!

I've sold 38 of the 50 books that I ordered which makes me unbelievably happy and touched to have such supportive folks helping me with this cause. Remember, all proceeds go to the Joplin School District libraries to restore what they lost in the EF5 tornado. And the books are only $10. Thank you everyone! Don't forget about the event.

And 39,120 words to go! Woot! Woot!

NaNoWriMo Day 2

2011-11-02T11:14:00.001-07:00

Woot!Woot! Another day down! Today's word count isn't as much as yesterday's, but my day is pretty packed.

I wrote 2,403 words, bringing my total to about 8094. Leaving 41,906 to go!

Just wanted to clarify a few things for you creative folks out there who may have read my Be Creative blogpost. I'm not trying to put any pressure on anyone. It's all about challenging yourself to do something fun and creative. NaNoWriMo doesn't work for everyone. And that's okay. Do what works for you.

You may have read some of the comments--how one young lady is going to do something creative every day: draw, play guitar, bake, etc. Another person has to use time slots to work in her creative time.

I came up with another idea if you're stuck. Write each creative thing you want to do or work on and put them in a hat. Pull one out each day. If you don't like what you pulled and don't feel enthused, put it back in and pull out another. Be creative!

NaNoWriMo Day 1

2011-11-01T08:05:00.001-07:00

Got up at 5AM, yes really. By the time I sat down to actually start writing, it was nearly 7AM. I wrote a good chunk, nearly beating my record of Day One of last year's NaNoWriMo, but not quite. Took a little break in between: ate a little breakfast, cleaned up cat puke, did some stretching. Decided to call it a day. Don't want my enthusiasm to come to a halt, plus I have an article to work on--perhaps the ball of rolling enthuz will build momentum to write other things too.

Oh and what did I do those first few hours? Talked to hubby who called to wake me. I journaled: Wrote my dreams down. Did my spiritual writing exercise. Did my daily morning pages (minimum of three) where I blab and blab senselessly. All handwriting. I set up my little NaNo shrine where I light a candle, have some totems to keep me focused. This year I decided to wear a hat of my late Aunt Rose. No doubt it was stunning on her, but I look like a crazy lady, but hey, I'm having fun. And wow, it's only 10 AM as I post this.

I don't hand write when I NaNoWriMo my story. That's different for me since I'm always a hand writer first.

Word count day one: 5,735 and only 44,265 to go. Think I'll make it? Woot! Woot!

Let me know how all you creative peeps are doing on your journey of creativity! Woot! Woot! to you too!

NaNoWriMo Here I Come! Storm Country Here I Come!

2011-10-31T11:29:00.001-07:00

Tomorrow starts NaNoWriMo and I'm so excited. As you know from my previous blogpost, Be Creative, I've been trying to entice others to join me on this adventure.

My niece, Victoria created a blog: creative academic pursuits. Take a look. And while you're at it, take a look at Victoria's partner, Kate's new blog: A Curious Endeavor. Their creativity is inspiring! Yippee!

Who else out there has started something they'd like to share? Bring it on!

I also want to share the news about my story being published in the Storm Country anthology and the event for the release of the book:

Be Creative!

2011-10-27T10:27:00.000-07:00

Dear Mom,

I’m back from my trip and totally inspired.

After toying with the idea of doing NaNoWriMo again, which begins November 1st, I decided to go ahead and do it. NaNoWriMo is National Novel Writing Month. It happens during the month of November. You write 50,000 words in 30 days.

I came up with an idea inspired by my niece’s partner who is into photography.

“Hey, why don’t you take 50,000 pictures in 30 days? And call it NaPhoTaMo!” (National Photo Taking Month).

I know lots of creative folks. After a lot of brainstorming I thought of a fun idea.

Calling All Creative Peeps Out There!

Here’s my plan:

For those of you who don’t write, but want to be part of a creative endeavor, here’s what I came up with that could fall under many creative things: NaBeCreMo - National Be Creative Month (photography, composing, musicians, sewing, crafters, quilters, knitters—the list is endless). You can think of your own acronym, for example: Artists could be: NaArDraMo (National Art Drawing Month) or Singer/Song Writers: NaSoWriMo (National Song Writing Month) – you get the idea.

Don’t think you’re creative? Oh, but you are.

Think of something you’d love to do and give it shot. Be creative with me. Plan out a goal, but then push yourself just a bit. It’s not about having the perfect finished project at the end of the month (but if you did, Woot! Woot! as they say in NaNo), but it’s about doing what you love and taking the time to do it.

I’m signing up for NaNoWriMo. I’ll be accountable to the organization with my daily word count. I’ll also post my progress here on my blog.

Put your own spin on your creativity, and if you need someone to hold you accountable and encourage you, check in with me. Or find another creative partner that will do the same or who will do something creative along with you.

Just think what creative beauty we’ll be bringing to the world and how much happier we will all feel—who knows what doors will open.

Share your goals so that other creative peeps will have an idea on how to go about setting creative goals. With photography for example: If you could easily take 100 pictures a day, then up it to 200 or even 300. Times that amount by 30 days and you have your grand total. If I used all 30 days for my 50,000 words in writing, I’d have to write 1,667 words a day. However, I know four days this month where I will not be able to write, so my daily goal will need to be 1,950 in order to reach my 50,000 words.

Hey, but remember, this can’t be a stressful thing. Have fun. Enjoy the journey. And I really want to know what you all are doing!

BE CREATIVE!!!!

P.S. If you plan to do NaNoWriMo, look me up on the site as oberwriter, and be my friend.

Craft Fair

2011-10-20T05:00:00.000-07:00

Here's the scoop on my daughter Rita's craft fair that she will be participating in:

Good luck Rita, John and Julie--the Toe Jam crew!

Chicka Peeps aka WWWP

2011-10-19T05:00:00.000-07:00

Dear Mom,

I meet with four incredibly talented writers. I've heard us called Chicka Peeps or WWWP (Wild Women Wielding Pens). Don’t you just love either name? I’m going to miss the next meeting (tonight, if I have managed to post this ahead of time and correctly) and it makes me sad. I don’t really know them all that well yet but I feel a kinship with them that opens my heart… and inspires me to write (better). Guess that’s what a good critique group does.

Here’s a few general things that I took away from the last meeting—first of all, I will never go straight to bed. I will stay up and write until I can’t hold the pen any longer. (I will be a real WWWP.) I tossed and turned so much when I went to bed after the last meeting and I didn’t even drink any caffeine. I must have been on a high of writing. My brain was like a runaway train. It jumped track, collided with other trains, chugged along processing information. I wanted to beat myself up for not taking advantage of this excess energy, however, there’s no more of that—beating myself up!

Linda inspired me to be more disciplined.
Sioux inspired me to change my attitude.
Tammy inspired me to use humor.
Beth inspired me to market myself.

All of these things are going to take some work on my part. These women have inspired me to have a more relaxed frame of mind. They have inspired me in more ways than I've expressed or that I can imagine. I will miss those WWWPCPs!

Exciting News about Creative Peeps and Me

2011-10-15T14:59:00.000-07:00

Dear Mom,

I have so many things to share with you, I don’t know where to start. I’m preparing to leave for a trip to Minnesota for a spiritual seminar and to visit my niece and her partner. I’m so excited.

Now for my other exciting news to share.

• Storm Country: A Tribute to Joplin anthology will be out pretty soon. This is the book that published my story “Geoffrey” and I’m pretty sure you remember how worried I was about Geoffrey when that tornado hit. I pre-ordered 50 copies with the hopes that my family and friends will want to support this awesome project. All proceeds go to the Joplin School District libraries to replace books that were lost due to the devastating tornado that hit Joplin last May. The book is $10. I plan to do some book signings with some other authors (Linda O'Connell, Pat Wahler and Donna Volkennant), so stay tuned.

• My daughter Rita is going to be in a craft show on Saturday, October 22nd from 10am-4pm. I’m a little bummed because I won’t be able to make it as I’ll be out of town. However, I get to see all the cute, snazzy things she creates. I hope it’s a success. Her and her two friends have been working hard. They’re calling their table: Toe Jam. You can also check out Rita's blog that shows some of her crafts.

Home Schooler Craft Fair
West County Assembly of God
13431 N. Outer 40 Road
Chesterfield, MO 63017

• My friend Sioux’s story has been accepted in Chicken Soup for the Soul, The Magic of Mothers & Daughters. I can’t wait to read her story.

• My friend Mark (an old grade school friend) wrote a movie called “The Christmas Pageant” starring Melissa Gilbert and Edward Hermann. It airs on the Hallmark Channel on Sunday, December 11, 8:00 pm. Eastern and 7:00 pm Central. I’m really excited for Mark and can’t wait to get cozy on the couch and watch it. He told me one of the character’s names is Vera! Your name! He needed something old fashioned and liked your name. How about that?

• Another friend, Dianna has launched her new business, 2 Rivers Communications & Design. I just love it when people follow their calling and go for it! I have no doubt Dianna will be a huge success.

• I also won two books via other blogs. The first one (and it was the first time I ever won anything on a blog) was from Donna Volkenannt. I received Cup of Comfort for Breast Cancer Survivors. The book was donated by Alice Muschany. She had written a piece that's in the book, and well that put a lump in my throat and caused crocodile tears to run down my cheeks. The second book I won came from the Missouri Writers Guild Conference blog—they’ve been interviewing key authors that will be part of the conference coming up in April. I’ll be anxious to read Best Staged Plans by Claire Cook. So a big thank you to Donna and MWG!

I feel like I am so lucky to be surrounded by such talented, creative people and these are just a few of the many creative peeps I know. These are things that have just recently happened. I'm sure I've missed something. I will have to write you again with more.

I’ll be gone for a while, but know I love you always!

Book Blurb Friday #33

2011-10-14T05:43:00.000-07:00

It’s Book Blurb Friday #33. Check out the fabulous and lovely Lisa Ricard Claro’s blog to play BBF. Basically you write a book blurb based on the photo (that being the cover of the book) and you must do it in 150 words or less. This week’s photo taken by yours truly!

Just a reminder for any of you out there. I had stopped playing for a while as I stressed out so much wanting my blurb to be the best. I compared myself to others and my Inner Critic shut me down. Recently I told the Inner Critic to go on a little vacation – that and the help of my critique group (thanks guys!), I decided to play again – FOR FUN! Fun, you hear me? It gets the creative juices flowing and well, I’m not going to worry about being good enough. So, want to have FUN? Play along or just play and be creative! Oh and you can read Mary Carroll Moore’s book, Your Book Starts Here to learn more about this Inner Critic.

Now on with BBF – here it is in 57 words.
.

Revealing Stone
Hidden in the hills of the ancient Red Stone people that once housed a thriving, peaceful community is a stone. This is no ordinary stone. Obermoeller’s discovery reveals the mysterious answer to what happened to this loving group that vanished without a trace thousands of years ago. And that’s not all that Obermoeller discovered about this stone…

More on Writing

2011-10-11T05:00:00.000-07:00

Dear Mom,

I write two food blogs—one for dinner (Lynn, What’s for Dinner?) and one for dessert (Lynn, What’s for Dessert?). Every time I cook or bake something, the camera follows—unless I have one of those menopausal moments, then I probably shouldn’t even be in the kitchen. Cooking and baking takes more time to stop for pictures, but I really love it.

Husband Willis has a sweet tooth. Okay, so do I, but I mostly bake the goodies for him or guests. This menopausal beast who never worried or had issues with weight, sees her belly expand. And expand. Some days I am a good disciplinarian and can resist anything put in front of me. Other days, I act as if it’s my last day on earth and I’ll never savor another sweet again—only to wake up, still here, with a few extra pounds. There seems to be no middle road, just my larger middle. I struggle with this daily.

And so I bake. Can't beat 'em, join 'em. Since ripened bananas sat on the counter, I tried a different kind of Banana Bread, that you can read about that fiasco on the dessert blog.

When Willis bit into the bread, I asked, “So whaddya think?”

“It’s chewy.”

I tore off a small piece and it nearly flung back and hit me in the face. I didn’t want to believe it was that chewy and stuffed it into my mouth. “Yeah, it is.” I love chewy anything, but this really didn’t seem right.

Willis gave his critique and I felt insulted and said to him, “You better be careful if you want me to continue baking for you.” I thought I’d get him where it hurts.

“Do you want me to be honest or lie?”

“Honest.” I sulked. “But you could have had a little more tact.”

“Just telling it like it is.”

I mulled this over for a while. Okay, longer than a while. It takes time for me to process things.

I’ve decided that baking and cooking—like writing—have a lot in common for me. I put forth effort—lots of effort—into creating something that I want people to gobble up. But I also want honest feedback so the next time I can make, bake or write it better.

My cooking and writing are like my babies. I give them attention and care. I want them to be perfect. When someone says, “It’s chewy” or “You need to show, not tell” my heart winces a bit. The ole critic steps in, “Bad cook. Bad writer.”

I regroup and realize I don’t want to be one of those cooks or writers who goes along thinking that her creations are yummy and juicy, interesting and intriguing while in reality people ditch the remainder of the food into the garbage or after they’ve read your piece, they have a crinkled smile, “Yeah, that’s good.” And inside their eyes are rolling around in their head or they want to explode into a nice belly laugh.

I have to have heart for both—pour in the love and do the best I can. But I have to have courage to accept that there’s room for improvement, all the time. When I will master either is anyone’s guess, but I have to keep on trying no matter what.

PS I may take a hiatus on the food blogs as the next few months are going to be extremely busy. I’m heading into the zone for my story and don’t want to be distracted, so… one blog will be enough for now.

Hey Ya!

2011-10-08T04:00:00.000-07:00

Dear Mom,

My friend Becky sent this link to me because we are Outkast's "Hey Ya!" fans. Look at these little cuties. The little stinker on the right with the brown pants has some moves, doesn't he? The other little stinker is the singer of the two! If I'm feeling a little blue, I watch this video. I do want to give credit to the original creator of this video, however, I couldn't link directly to the blog where I originally saw it. Not sure if they're the creators, but it's from funnyandspicy.com

Now doesn't that make you want to get up and shake your booty?

Book Blurb Friday #32

2011-10-06T08:22:00.000-07:00

It’s Book Blurb Friday #32. Holy Moly, I haven’t played since #20. So the idea, for anyone new, is to write a book blurb based on the photo (that being the cover of the book) and you must do it in 150 words or less. Check out Lisa Ricard Claro’s blog for more details on BBF. This week’s photo is by Kathy Matthews.

My attempt at 68 words!

Forestry Fantasy?

Forest Ranger Obermoeller knew every tree in Pine Valley like her father, grandfather and generations before them. Forestry ran through their blood. But that’s not all that ran through their veins. Obermoeller openly shares the magic that took place in the forest just before sunset. Can trees communicate? Truth or fantasy? You'll also find out what world-renowned horticulturist and naturalist Rich Green had to say about Obermoeller’s claim.

Oh Deer

2011-10-06T07:23:00.001-07:00

Dear Mom,

Okay, so I wrote this in August and now the weather is cooler...

The weather has been crazy hot here. I’m glad we have a water feature in our backyard. I spied this deer actually in the upper portion of the pond chewing on the leaves of the daisies I had plucked about a month ago for you. I was glad the deer found some relief.

The other day I posed a question (to God) regarding a difficulty I was having. I needed confirmation and I asked for a sign to my question. Since there are days I see deer and days that I don’t, I stated that if I see a deer, the answer is yes. If I don’t, then the answer is no. And it would have to happen on that day only. (Sometimes I’m a little dense and having clear answers work for me.)

No sooner had I posed my question, I got up to get something and I viewed a brown spot in my peripheral vision. I wondered what had died in the garden. But here’s what I saw.

I laughed and grabbed my camera. I’m not sure if it was the same deer that I had seen the week prior in the water, but it sure had a nice time munching on my lilac bush. I had a nice time getting confirmation on my question.

Introvert or Extrovert?

2011-09-27T05:00:00.000-07:00

Dear Mom,

My habit in the morning is to call my husband when I get up. We have a little game we play (that we do with the grandkids too) to say, “I love you the mostest.” Whoever says it first is the person who really does love the person the mostest. Well, not really, but in the game that’s how it works.

We had some laughs one morning and I told him I’d be blogging about him. He laughed some more and said, “Just make sure it’s the truth.” Unlike when he tells a story about me. He’ll say, “My wife was screaming at me….” when all I did was up the volume on my vocal cords—just enough to be heard over the television. In my head I picture his friend thinking of me as some ole hag, scowl on my face, shouting, pointing my finger, “Willis!” (That’s my pet name to husband—and it’s his middle name.)

I was telling Willis this morning, “… as an introvert—“

Willis interrupts. “You’re not an introvert.”

I wondered who I was talking to. Is this Willis? Did aliens take over? “Are you serious? Do you even know me?”

“There’s no way you can be an introvert if you give a talk in front of a crowd or if ….”

I quit listening because I realized he really was clueless. He really didn’t think I was an introvert. Willis thinks I’m a social butterfly. Obviously he has no idea that I force myself to go out into the world. Because my mouth runs nonstop the minute Willis walks into the door, I decided to cut him a little slack. I suppose from his point of view, I may look like an extrovert. If he only knew.

I've recently read The Introvert Advantage by Marti Laney Olson, Psy. D. There’s a true and false quiz one can take if you’re unsure what you are. We’re all born with one temperament or another—it’s not something we can change (temperament-wise), but we can learn to deal with and use other means to our advantage.

Back to Willis… I’m always amazed at the new discoveries of this man. I would’ve thought after 15 years, I’d know it all. Remember, 15 years for me is an eternity in terms of being with the same husband. He’s number four. Do all long-term couples discover new things after years and years? I’m just grateful not to discover he’s the new Ted Bundy. I can deal with the fact that he doesn’t think I’m an introvert.

I’m proud to be an introvert, now that I have a clearer understanding, and know that I’m not “weird” and it's part of who I am.

Mom, I’d say you were probably an introvert. What about you?

Little Birdie

2011-09-20T05:00:00.000-07:00

Dear Mom,

My daughter Jessica hollered for me to come quick and to bring my camera. I grabbed the camera and ran downstairs, and out the door where she stood. In her hand was a little bird she found.

“What should we do?”

“I’m not sure."

We tried to figure out where and how it fell out of its nest. I thought once you touched animals in the wild, then the mother/father wouldn’t have anything to do with them. I’m not sure if that’s true or not, but I didn’t want to say anything to Jessica and make her feel bad. She petted the little bird as if she were the mother.

As she held it, the little bird jumped out of her hand and tried to fly, bobbing up and down like a tiny airplane making an emergency landing. It landed near a rock.

Jessica ran inside and looked on the Internet on what to do. It said if the bird tries to fly out of your hand, leave it be and the mother will come rescue it. Guess what I thought wasn’t true. I told Jessica that we should go inside as the mother is not going to come out with us hovering over the little birdie. We went inside and hoped for the best.

The next morning I saw some larger birds dance around where the little bird had been and I hoped they weren’t conducting a funeral. Later I went out and didn’t see any sign of a little bird, dead or alive. I figured the mother rescued her baby and everyone lived happily ever after.

Kind of a Confession

2011-09-15T06:22:00.000-07:00

Dear Mom,

Last night I went to Chesterfield Arts to listen to the winners of a writing contest that I had entered. I didn’t make the cut. After submitting, I had used an attitude of being positive, but I’m thinking my ego was so inflated that it ruptured something in my brain. Not only was I sure I was going to win first place, but I had submitted two pieces, and figured I would win second place as well. Just ask any of my friends and family, they’ll tell you. My stomach churns thinking about it.

The folks that read and won deserved to win. No doubt about it. I left humbled. I also left with that silly critic in my head that tells me (most of the time) to give it up—writing.

I know this voice, and struggle constantly to shoo it away. I tell myself, no, you have to keep trying, keep working at it, keep moving forward. I have to remind myself that on the day I was notified that I didn’t place in the contest, I was also notified that my piece, “Geoffrey” was accepted for publication in Storm Country Anthology. I tell myself, it’s okay.

I write because (as all writers know) I can’t NOT write.

The nonsense that rolls around in my head can cause me to cease showing anyone any writing.

After losing you 40 years ago, a piece of me fell off the planet. That missing piece keeps me grounded in a weird sort of way. For whatever reason I know it’s to help me—to always move forward, never give up, know that something good is around the corner no matter what kind of situation I’m in that causes me to change or my situation to change. Just like my friend Peat. Just like the ton of other people I read about. People I know, some I just know of. People I’m inspired by.

What would the world be like if every one gave up?

I’ll win some and I’ll lose some. I’ll struggle and it’ll flow. I'll think it's good and I'll think it stinks. But give up? Never. I'll die trying.

Writing News

2011-09-08T10:41:00.000-07:00

Dear Mom,

For some reason, I wouldn’t allow myself to jump up and down when I received the news. Perhaps I was in shock—that and the fact I have a bum foot right now. No worries though, when the reality of it sets in, I’m sure you’ll hear me shouting all the way to heaven.

My story “Geoffrey” was accepted for publication in the Storm Country Anthology. You probably remember my worry over Geoffrey when that massive tornado hit Joplin.

I'm extremely grateful and honored to have my story included in this worthy cause (all proceeds from the anthology go toward buying books for the Joplin School District libraries to replace books lost by the tornado) and to be among top notch writers; friends and those I know of—Donna being one. You can check Donna’s blog that gives more details about this project and the other writers.

Just like Donna stated: special thanks to everyone involved in this awesome project!

Next Batch of Postcards

2011-08-30T14:23:00.000-07:00

Dear Mom,

It’s so much fun receiving postcards in the mail. Folks I’d least expect a postcard surprise me, and it makes my day. Postcards that I receive through postcrossing surprises me too as I never know where the postcard will be coming from.

My friend Michelle traveled with her family and one of their stops was Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado. This is Cliff Palace, an ancestral Pueblo culture site.

My niece’s partner Kate sent me this postcard from Les Deux Magots (on the right) in Paris. Apparently a hang out of Hemingway. You gotta love it. Oh and Kate was writing the postcard while at Les Deux Magots.

Grace, who introduced me to postcrossing took a trip to Malaysia and sent these to me.

Grace also sent this cute postcard.

A lot of times when I receive postcards with a message, I like to think of it as a waking dream.

This postcard came from Taiwan. Shei-Pa Leisure Farm is the only place in Taiwan that grows blueberries.

Munich is the most recent postcard I have received. I love the back because of the way she wrote all over it. It’s the most writing I have seen on a postcard yet!

Here are the stamps:
US (Colorado)

France

Malaysia

Singapore

Taiwan

Germany

Flower of the Week – Black Eyed Susan

2011-08-16T05:00:00.000-07:00

Dear Mom,

Now for my favorite flower! Black Eyed Susan’s. I suppose they are similar to the Daisy which are your favorite.

I can’t remember if I told you the story about my attempt at growing these. Before I moved in with Norm, I had Black Eyed Susan’s in my yard growing like crazy. I figured I’d be able to plant them in Norm’s yard as there were plenty of sunny areas in the front. I tried year after year and they never came back. I gave up. I decided I’d enjoy all the other flowers.

One day as I went into the back yard, which was all shady at the time, I saw a patch of something unrecognizable. I wondered what it was. I remembered Ruthie telling me if I liked it to let it grow, but if I didn’t to pull it. A weed was only a weed if you wanted it to be. I liked how the clump of green filled up the bare area, so I left it. Some weeks later I noticed buds on it and I got really excited. I couldn’t imagine what it could be that was wild and was going to bloom.

The next thing I know, the Black Eyed Susan popped out. I did my little happy dance and I thanked God for the gift. We lost many trees in the back and my shady area turned sunny—perfect for the Black Eyed Susan’s. They’ve multiplied as you can see.

Norm keeps telling me to quit planting them because we have enough. I keep trying to tell him I’m not doing a thing. He doesn’t believe me. But it’s true. I’ve never planted one Black Eyed Susan in the back yard.

Each year I’m given more gifts. I had been pulling them out of some areas, but I think I’m just going to let them take over. Why not? How beautiful would that be?

And More Postcards

2011-08-12T05:00:00.000-07:00

Dear Mom,

Even though I can send postcards on my own time frame through postcrossing, it seems like I’m always behind. What? Doesn’t make sense.

As soon as I receive a postcard, I need to log it on the postcrossing website, which I do. I just have a hard time sharing them with you. You can see the first, second, third, and fourth one I previously posted, if you want.

Maya, who I met through postcrossing sent this one (not through postcrossing – we are sharing postcards outside of the postcrossing site). This is a traditional funeral ceremony of Hindu people in Bali, called Ngaben.

Next Victoria (your granddaughter) sent this from St. Paul, MN where she and her partner recently moved.

This card is a beaut (I’m partial to clouds) and comes all the way from Finland. I recently seen a cloud just like this and was in awe.

A card from Holland and the person wrote I should try a typical Dutch snack: treacle wafer. Anyone know where I can pick up one of those?

A card from Germany, showing Schlüchtern.

The next card that was sent to me is from China and on the back of the card it says: Wuyuan Scenery.

I have found that since I’ve started this, I get random postcards from people that have no idea I do this, like this card from a youth that my husband and I sponsored to go to Camp Wyman, although I think it’s now called Wyman’s Teen Leadership Program.

This exceptional card I received from Victoria. She thought it was beautiful and I have to agree, it is. Love Who You Are. Isn’t that something we should all do?

Now here are the stamps on the back:

Bali

St. Paul, MN (I was kind of excited because I thought this stamp was a watermelon, but it's not, but it sort of looks like one!)

Finland (that top stamp reminds me of any one of my friends and me.)

Holland

Germany

China

Part of the back of Love Who You Are

Yes, don’t forget, Love Who You Are.

Birthday Wishes Bro!

2011-08-10T05:00:00.000-07:00

Dear Mom,

Yesterday was Ruthie’s birthday and today it is Warren’s. When I was little I could never figure out how Warren was older when Ruthie’s birthday came before Warren’s. My little child’s brain… sometimes it’s still a little child’s brain!

In a nutshell, Warren has multiple families. There's quite a gap between his oldest and youngest. Three times the gap you experienced between Warren and myself.

I told you about Warren’s first born Amy in another letter to you.

And here’s a picture of Zack (from Warren’s second wife).

And now his latest family with his current wife.

Warren says the little ones keep him young. They’d make me old. They are cute little stinkers though.

Birthday wishes to Warren and yes, I know he's older than Ruthie!

Flower of the Week – Wildflowers and Birthday Wishes Ruthie!

2011-08-09T05:00:00.000-07:00

Dear Mom,

Flowers for you and Ruthie! The timing is perfect in that it is Ruthie’s birthday, but I also think that she’d like wildflowers. Honestly, I’m not sure what her favorite flower is, so hopefully she’ll enjoy these.

And of course, the Smeagol and Kitty have to get in there and tear them up faster than I can enjoy them. I’m surprised I was able to shoot a picture.

I didn’t take any outside pictures of the wild flowers because for one, the pink phlox were all chewed off and the other areas didn’t look so hot. And I wonder why.

I can't remember any tales of when you gave birth to Ruthie. I'm sure she was a more welcomed surprise than I was. If you're going to have one accident, you might as well have two to entertain the first one. And I'm sure glad it happened that way. Even though Ruthie and I fought a lot when we were younger, life would not have been the same without her. We are the best of buds now and she's my sweet 'lil di-di. You'd be so proud of her.

Wishing Ruthie happy days, hopefully on the cooler side. Love you.

Jennifer

2011-08-06T05:00:00.000-07:00

Dear Mom,

I suppose you don’t know that my children have an older half sister, Jennifer. Although now that she’s older, I think she prefers Jenn. I met Jennifer when she was nine years old. Here’s a picture of her back then. What I love most about Jenn is her infectious laugh and smile—apparent as she is jumping on her pogo stick! And I said what I love most, but there's everything to love about Jenn.

She was a sweet girl and I’ve kept some things she has made for me. I wasn’t married to her dad all that long (5 years), but Jenn and I have kept in touch through the years. Now she’s a sweet woman!

Jenn’s married and has children of her own. This past Christmas she was able to get together with all her siblings—my children and her other half siblings.

Here’s a picture of all of them, including Jenn’s daughter, Alex. Erik and Ethan (the blonde headed boys) are children from their dad’s last marriage. Jennifer is on the far left. To Jenn's right is my Jessica. Below Jessica is my Rita (the one with the glasses). Ethan is in the front middle with Erik behind him. To the far right in the back is my Casey. In front of Casey is Alex.

The Happy Mother’s Day card Jenn made is nearly 28 years old! Time sure flies.

And here are some other things she made me.

I treasure the friendship I have with Jenn.

Family of Five Fox

2011-08-04T05:00:00.000-07:00

Dear Mom,

Occasionally I’d see a red fox in the yard. They are rather sly. One I believed I told you about had jumped to the island in the middle of our pond, snatched a duck egg, leaped back and ran into the woods—all in the matter of seconds. Really, seconds. The graceful creature didn’t miss a beat.

I don’t know if the fox was male or female. Who could tell with the quick movements, but I gather it was one of the parents to the five young fox I saw the other day.

Writing in my bed—my favorite most producing place to write, my cat Smeagol jumped up from a deep catnap and stared out the window from the headboard. Curious, I looked. Holy cow. One, two, three fox. No, four. Wait, five. I watched as intently as Smeagol… for different reasons.

One fox lay on the driveway not moving. I wondered what was wrong with him. His siblings would take turns checking on him. Sniffing. Giving him a little tap. Making him roll over. Jumping over him.

When one was on duty, the others would frolic in my garden. Bouncing into the grassy bushes, leaping over the Knock Out Roses, chasing one another. They dashed about playing, and keeping an eye out for Mr. Something’s Wrong Fox.

I finally grabbed my camera. I didn’t think the pictures would come out very good because I had to shoot them through the window with a screen. However, they weren’t too bad.

I worried about Mr. Something’s Wrong Fox until he eventually jumped up and started mingling with the others.

Mr. Hunter Fox had something dangling from his mouth, dropped it and snarled at the other two who were looking for a handout. “No way! Get your own. This one’s mine!”

The other two went off and told secrets about Mr. Greedy Hunter Fox.

He didn’t eat whatever it was, and when they all trotted off down the driveway, I went outside to examine the catch that Mr. Hunter Fox left on the rock.

I think it’s a mole, and well I’m glad Mr. Hunter Fox nabbed it, although I’m sure there’s plenty more where Mr. Mole came from. But that’s life in the woods.

Tired after all the playing, they headed home.

Flower of the Week – A White Flower off a Bush

2011-08-02T07:27:00.000-07:00

Dear Mom,

Just like my previous letter to you on the Blue Flower, I have no idea what kind of bush this is that produces these white flowers. It was one of the first bushes I planted in the back where it likes complete shade.

Every time I bring in a different flower, the cats jump up and start to eat it. Here they are munching on this one.

And here’s a shot outside.

That tree trunk is a Mimosa tree that popped up from a seedling. Seems like in five years that thing grew from a tiny twig to a full grown tree. The hummingbirds love the flowers on the tree.

Flower of the Week – Blue Something Or Another

2011-07-26T05:00:00.000-07:00

Dear Mom,

When I first started planting flowers and plants in the backyard, I tagged them all with these cute little metal tags similar to the Missouri Botanical Gardens, only mine weren’t quite as fancy as theirs. I also drew my own little maps of where each flower and plant resided, like a blueprint of the backyard only mine were pretty cheesy since I can’t draw. That worked well for the first few years and then I became overwhelmed. It still didn’t help me with remembering the names of the plants and flowers, although I can rattle off a few. Very few.

This Blue Something is one of those I can’t remember and my tags have long since faded or are totally gone. Now I just enjoy the flowers and forget who resides where, if they make it, what plant replaced it. I no longer dig out the drawings and add to or take away.

Here’s the Blue Something in the yard.

And another shot in the vase, but outside.

Oh, and the vase came from Jessica when she was over in Thailand for school some years ago. This vase may have come from Vietnam.

Flower of the Week - Yarrow

2011-07-19T05:00:00.000-07:00

Dear Mom,

For you and all—another flower from my garden—yarrow. The botanical name is: Achillea millefolium. Apparently this plant has herbal medicinal purposes as well. But that’s not why I grow it. I see something I like and plant it in the ground. Usually.

I love the feathery, almost fern like leaves on this flower.

Here are some shots outside in my backyard.

The black eyed susan’s are starting to crowd out the yarrow in this one spot, but I like the mixture of the two. Why not?

Oh and I found out from your oldest daughter Suzanne that daisies were your favorite flower. Suzanne asked me if I knew that and well… I didn’t. She said they are her’s too because they were your favorite. I don’t ever remember daisies in our yard, so I would have guessed roses were your favorite. Learn something new every day.

Writing and Cats

2011-07-17T12:48:00.000-07:00

Dear Mom,

Trying to write, but I guess the cats missed me since I was gone all day yesterday. Sibling Day—at least that’s what we siblings call it. All four of your kids (Suzanne, Warren, Ruth and myself) get together once a year—just the four of us—and spend the day with one another.

I wrote about it on our ‘sibling blog’ (siblingdays.blogspot.com) also called Delights and Disasters of the Day. We didn’t start documenting it from the first year—what we had christened Sibling Day—when we made plans to do it every year. It started when Suzanne invited us to the ballgame. That was our unofficial, official first Sibling Day. I have it written down somewhere when and where we went every year since. Maybe it’s on the blog.

At any rate, it’s hard to write with cats sitting on your lap!

Book Blurb Friday #20

2011-07-14T19:03:00.000-07:00

It’s Book Blurb Friday #20. Hosted by Lisa of Writing in the Buff. Head to Lisa Ricard Claro’s blog for BBF directions. Write a book blurb jacket in 150 words based on the photo—this one provided by her daughter, Christina Claro.

Now can I just mention that Lisa's directions say, "Write a book jacket blurb (150 words or less) so enticing that potential readers would feel compelled to buy the book." I'm sure that I haven't written a blurb so enticing yet, but it is all in good fun.

Since I’m a sucker for bridges, I had to go ahead and play/write this one.

In 99 words…
The Other Side

Obermoeller knew she could make it to the other side. It was just a matter of time. It had been 13 years since her first love drowned while saving her life. He heaved her up onto the bank of the Spring River and when she turned around, he was gone. Vanished. They never found his body. Obermoeller spent the last 13 years in Spring River’s County Jail for a crime she never committed. Find out the compelling story of Obermoeller’s quest in finding the painful truth of her first and only love once she heads to the other side.

The Flower of the Week - Ms. Daisy

2011-07-12T10:59:00.000-07:00

Dear Mom,

This is for you and all my friends, family, fellow bloggers and blogger followers—daisies from my garden.

Flower arranger I am not, but they’re still pretty darn cute. Ole Smeagol had to get in the picture.

After some of the daisies wilted, I rearranged and here they are again.

Here's some shots in their natural environment in my backyard.

Any daisy stories comes to mind? When you were a kid, did you pluck the petals one by one saying, “he loves, he loves me not,” to be surprised at the end with disappointment or joy? Do they remind you of summer rain? Or grandma’s house?

My Two Nieces - Amy and Victoria

2011-07-08T08:32:00.000-07:00

Dear Mom,

Your two granddaughters—my two nieces—are grown women now. You never did get to see them, did you?

Warren’s daughter, Amy is a counselor at an elementary school in the Montgomery City, Missouri area.

Suzanne’s daughter, Victoria is an Assistant Professor of Music at Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota.

I find it interesting that they both are in school environments. To me, they’re both as different as night and day. Amy lives in the country and Victoria in the city. Although I could see either of them living the other way, I don’t think they’d be as content. They both have the sweetest disposition. I suppose that is a prerequisite when dealing with children or young adults in a school setting. Anyone having the good fortune to be around these ladies are darn lucky, if you ask me.

I recently came across some old memorabilia from them when they were really little. The letter is from Amy and the drawing is from Victoria. Are they the cutest things ever?

Who could tell from the things they did when they were little how they’d grow up to become who they are—you just never know. They are strong women and you’d be as proud of them as I am. I’m happy that I’m their Aunt Lynn.

Book Blurb Friday #19

2011-07-07T17:25:00.001-07:00

It’s Book Blurb Friday #19. Hosted by Lisa of Writing in the Buff. Head to Lisa Ricard Claro’s blog for BBF directions. Write a book blurb jacket in 150 words based on the photo. Yours truly provided this photo. I’ve been out of the Book Blurb Friday meme for a while, but had to give this one a shot, after all this photo is one of my favorites.

And in 102 words… unless you add the review: 124

Ole TypeO

Obermoeller remembered the day she chucked Ole TypeO—what she named that beast back in the day when she was known as the fastest typist in the West… and without errors.

All but that one error in Obermoeller’s past, and her son demanded to know after he hauled out the wretched typewriter from the attic. “Why did you stop writing?” Obermoeller shook, then collapsed into a coma. How could her son have known what memory lived beneath those keys? Would Obermoeller wake up? Would her son find out the truth or would it remain stuck as the keys in Ole TypeO?

“Aww shoot, this here book Ole TypeO is a fast read even though you want to linger around, by golly." -John Wayne

Postcard from Sweden

2011-07-03T05:00:00.000-07:00

Dear Mom,

Here’s another one of my postcards—this one from Sweden. And it has a recipe on it. I was told to translate this language via Google translator and voila—here’s the recipe too!

The only thing, reindeer is not something I can find around here, but I may try it with a piece of beef, what do you think?

And you can see the stamps on the side with the recipe instructions.

Here’s what the recipe translated to be although I don't know that all of it translated properly.

The recipe directions on the back (after translation):

Brown the one half of the butter in a skillet. Add to otinat reindeer (or algskav). Share probes with fork and let it be evenly browned. Being shifted to the plate. Peel and slice the onion as Brown in the remaining butter. Accomplished sponge (can also be mushrooms or funnel chanterelle mushrooms), cut into pieces. Let the mixture simmer a few minutes so the liquid boils up. Mix renskavet. Season with salt and pepper. Hall on cremem fraiche flavored with chili sauce. Boil a few minutes and serve straight from the pan with, for example, pressed potatoes and Brussels sprouts.

From the front of the card (after translation):

Gold pan
1 packet of reindeer
2 tablespoons butter
2 yellow onions
about 200 g chanterelles
1 teaspoon salt
ground black pepper
2 cups sour cream
3 tablespoons chili sauce

I plan to make this dish substituting the deer with another meat. I'll post it some time on my Lynn, What's for Dinner? blog. Until then, enjoy the postcard!

Poison Ivy

2011-06-30T17:20:00.000-07:00

Dear Mom,

I wasn’t able to make it to DeeJay Jay’s fundraiser for Joplin nor to the family reunion as I have a severe case of poison ivy or poison something. (Sorry Jason, hope you had a good turnout.)

I know I’m allergic to something in the garden and I normally wear long pants and a long sleeve shirt and gloves. I'd come in and immediately shower and for the most part contain any little spot.

Lately I’ve been having to wear my wrist support to keep from twisting my wrist the wrong way since that seems to go out more than I care. So this last time I went out to work in the garden, I remembered the wrist support but completely spaced out on the long pants and sleeves. That should teach me.

My initial remedy failed and this stuff spread like a wild fire in a dried up forest. Have you ever tried to keep yourself from scratching something that fiercely itches?

After five days of no signs of it letting up or feeling even slightly relieved, I made an appointment with a dermatologist—a sweet lady doctor that I’ve been to before for various moles and growths. It just so happened that someone cancelled that morning I called. Lucky me.

The doctor prescribed some meds and an expensive cream that I almost didn’t purchase because $65 seemed a bit steep for something I wasn’t sure was going to work—and that was after insurance paid its part. The pharmacist said they might have a smaller tube and maybe it’ll be less—would she like me to check?

“Please.”

“Yes, we have a smaller tube that’ll cost you $20.”

“Okay, I’ll do that.”

Even when I’m in the utmost irritable situation, I still hesitate when it comes to spending money (unless I’ve lost my mind completely and buy stuffed bunnies). With the way I felt, I wondered why I didn’t say, “Can I have two tubes?”

I’m using the small tube sparingly and it does work. After using Ivy Dry, Lemon Juice, Cutex Nail Polish Remover, Preparation H, Hydrogen Peroxide, Gold Bond, Cortisone Cream, Oatmeal paste, Echinacea and Calamine Lotion, I don’t understand why I hesitated because all that stuff probably added up to more than $65, although I had most of it already in the cabinet.

Guess the rest of the weeds will remain in the garden because I’m not likely to go through this again.

Here's a shot of one arm.

And then the arm with my - what I thought was going to be my cure - with the oatmeal paste. I think if anyone was just getting into theatrics, this would be a good way to make fake puke or if you let it dry (without the actual oatmeal flakes) makes it look like... well, something.

I did learn something from the doctor—although maybe you know this already. I thought I could spread this poison ivy—for instance, if I had some on one arm and touched my other arm, then boom, there it is. I was told that wherever that residue had touched my skin, it will appear at some point, sooner or later. It can’t be transferred once it’s been washed off with plain soap and water. That’s my understanding anyway. Made me feel better, and saved me from doing extra wash as I was changing the bedding every morning thinking I contaminated the sheets.

Chances are I could be allergic to something else. The doctor said she’s allergic to geranium leaves. When I told my husband this, who has felt I was allergic to something else besides poison ivy, I’m sure he wanted to say, “See I told ya!” But instead he suggested after this clears up, I should go out in the garden and pull a leaf from a plant, rub it on myself and wait to see if anything develops. And keep doing that until I find out what I might be allergic to. Do you know what I say to that brainy idea?

Joplin Adoptathon

2011-06-23T17:15:00.000-07:00

My blogger friend over at Critter Alley just posted information about a Joplin Adoptathon. Check it out, especially if you are an animal lover. Look at that sweet little pup on the blog...

If you can't make the Joplin Adoptathon this weekend, don't forget the other event on Saturday I posted earlier to raise funds for the Joplin tornado recovery. Get the details here.

Take a Look at these Postcards

2011-06-23T05:00:00.000-07:00

Dear Mom,

I'm having a hard time keeping up with stuff. It sure seems crazy.

I joined Postcrossing via my blogger friend Grace at Liberal Sprinkles where I first discovered such a thing. I've only sent out 8 postcards and you'd think that wouldn't be so challenging, but it is for some reason. I'm allowed to send 5 more, but I'm trying to catch up posting my cards on my blog. You can read about the first postcards I blogged about if you missed it.

So here they are... my friend Grace from Singapore and my friend Maya from Indonesia have sent additional postcards, not through Postcrossing, but just for fun. I'm grouping them by the country, not in the order I've received them.

We'll start off with Singapore. I'm getting the information from the back of the postcard.

This is a postcard from the Singapore Art Museum (an illustration of Walter at SAM by Dawn Ng).

The following postcards are from a series: ART POWER - to benefit the Substation. This one is by Siak Fahn-ein (Feeding the Ever Starving Anticipation, 1994, watercolour on paper).

This one is by Susie Wong (Bali Store, 1992, oil on canvas).

This one is by Tiong Tian Tong (Ann Siang Hill, 1996, watercolour on paper).

This one is by Ming Wong (The Green Singer, 1995, monotype).

And the last one from Singapore is homemade and is my favorite since it's made by Grace. The photo doesn't do it justice.

Here are the cool stamps that were on the various envelopes.

And here are postcards from Indonesia. Maya blogs about her postcards, so you can check it out at Postcards, Stamps, Covers, FDCs and Anything Related to Postal Stationery.

After each postcard, the stamps will follow. This is of the Borobudur Temple situated in Magelang, Central Java, Indonesia.

This is of Mt. Bromo in East Java, Indonesia.

And the following are from other Postcrossing members:

From Canterbury in the United Kingdom.

From Taipei in Taiwan.

From Saxon, capital Dresden, East of Germany. (I hope I have that right.)

This one is from Europe - Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

This one is from the Netherlands also, but I’m not sure of the exact location. If they don’t put it on the postcard, I’m totally clueless. Never was any good at geography. The map on the Postcrossing site gives you an idea, but not exactly.

And the final one from Russia (St. Petersberg), showing Hermitage (a museum).

Now I guess I better get some more Postcrossing addresses and send out some more postcards. Thanks everyone for taking the time to send the postcards and a special thanks to Grace and Maya for all the extras!

Another Joplin Fundraiser

2011-06-21T12:50:00.000-07:00

Dear Mom,

Your grandson (my nephew) Jason is a DJ. He goes by the name Deejay Jay, but I'll always call him Jason.

Jason, aka Deejay Jay organized this event—a fundraiser for the people of Joplin. Hosted by the living legend Bobby Plager (Bobby’s Place). For any of my non-sports fans, Bobby is a famous hockey player. All proceeds will go to Joplin tornado recovery.

I received the information from your other daughter, Suzanne (Jason’s mom).

Here’s the scoop:

Where:
Bobby’s Place
108 Meramec Valley Plaza
(near I-44 and Highway 141)
Valley Park, MO 63088
636-225-2627
http://www.riverfronttimes.com/locations/bobbys-place-653777/

When:
Saturday, June 25
11:00 AM

What:
Food, Music, Car Wash, Tank Dunk

Everyone working the fundraiser is a volunteer!

Come join the fun and help out Joplin!

I'm just amazed at all the people who are stepping up to the plate in order to help out others in times of need. Every time I turn around, I hear about an event or how an individual has done something special. It truly warms my heart.

********

Oh, and I sent off my submission for the Storm Country Anthology. Click on the link and read more details about submitting your story—you have until July 15th!

Also, let's not forget about our friends in Japan. See fellow blogger Liberal Sprinkles for details about ordering the book, Quakebook 2:46: Aftershocks: Stories from the Japan Earthquake.

Book Blurb Friday #14, #15 and #16

2011-06-17T05:00:00.000-07:00

As some of you followers know, I had opted out for a while on doing the Book Blurb Friday's, however, I kept track of each week's even though I didn't participate. Today I wrote various things and one of which... previous BBFs. So if you want to skip over the old ones and read the latest, scroll on down.

It’s Book Blurb Friday #14. Hosted by the Lisa of Writing in the Buff. Head to Lisa Ricard Claro’s blog for BBF directions. Write a book blurb jacket in 150 words based on the photo provided that was provided that week by Kay Davies.

86 words.

Check Out Hotel

The hotel was noted for guests checking out early—hence it’s name Check Out Hotel. But why? No one would ever say after they checked out. Their lips were sealed. Like most folks who are inquisitive, they’d hear the rumors and decide for themselves. But every time, every person, checked out early. Or checked out completely. Obermoeller decided to break the silence and share her insight about Check Out Hotel. Read the tales of mystery… or if you’re brave enough check in at Check Out Hotel.

****

It’s Book Blurb Friday #15 based on the photo provided by Lisa’s son, Joey Claro.

101 words.

Beer Cans

Every time Obermoeller walked down the street, she’d see Beer Cans. Every time. She began to wonder what it meant. Was it a sign for her to quit? It began to haunt her. Soon she began to see Beer Cans not just on the street, but they’d show up in her yard, on her office desk, sitting on her kitchen counter. It didn’t matter where, there’d be Beer Cans. In her dreams the Beer Cans became alive and would chase her. Would Obermoeller finally get the hint and quit? Find out what happens when Obermoeller’s world is invaded with Beer Cans.

****

It’s Book Blurb Friday #16, based on the photo provided this week by Sioux Roslawski.

70 words.

100 Ways to Enrich your Life with Chocolate

Obermoeller’s big winnings at the Noir Menthe Casino was chocolate for life. A delivery showed up every week—100 bars of velvety rich minty chocolate. By law she was not allowed to sell it. Read Obermoeller’s 100 Ways to Enrich your Life with Chocolate and find out the unique and clever ways in which Obermoeller creatively disposes of her chocolate bars. A must read book for all the finest Chocolateries.

Awarded Again

2011-06-16T08:14:00.000-07:00

My friend Linda O’Connell, Write from the Heart and who I call The Chicken Soup Queen awarded me with the Versatile Blogger Award. I’ve received this award before and shared music related things—an idea I stole from Becky. I made up my own theme this time in order to participate again. It’s hard trying to rattle off seven things about yourself.

I’m calling this theme: Body Parts

1) I went to an image consultant to learn about my colors and what kind of clothing is right for me after a complete melt down trying to find something to wear in my closet. Fashion Queen I am not. Still no Fashion Queen at least I know what colors to avoid and what styles to steer clear. The consultant asked me a question phrased in a certain way as if it were vital for my image and it was something like, “Did you ever have any plastic surgery?”
I wasn’t sure how to take it—if she was thinking I had or thinking I should.
“No.”
“Really? Nothing? No implants?”
“No, really. Nothing fake on this ole body.” Now I was guessing she wondered if my girls were real. If I wasn’t so shy, I probably would’ve pulled her aside, whipped off my shirt, and unhooked my bra. When those girls drooped, she would’ve rest assured those things were the real deal.
No botox, no liposuction, no drugs. All natch-er-el.
Okay, the only thing “false” on me is my hair color and a few capped teeth. The color of my hair is as close to what would be my natural hair color, if the gray hadn’t butted in. How rude. I’m not ready to be gray.

2) Never was a fan of my nose. When I was little, I’d take my mother’s hand mirror and stand in front of her full length mirror which hung on the closet door and view my profile, wishing for my nose to be different. I did this regularly. Maybe I hoped God would realize the importance and miraculously smooth out that bump. Guess it’s not important. No miracle. Still have bump.

3) When I was little, I stood at the bathroom door watching my mother put on lipstick. I told her I didn’t like my lips because they were too red. And I didn’t like my eyebrows because they were black and didn’t match my hair. She told me to be grateful because as I got older, I would love those features. She was right.

4) As I grew older, a unibrow formed over my eyes. When I discovered tweezers, I plucked away until I had two separate skinny lines for eyebrows. I also discovered a mole hid underneath all that hair. As a teen, seeing that mole bummed me out a bit, but it was better than a bush sitting above my eyes.

5) I don’t know about you, but when you’re complimented on certain parts of your body, you tend to believe it. People have said I have nice legs. I don’t really understand it. Legs are legs. But if anyone asks, “What are you most happy about with your body?” I’ll say my legs.

6) Someone at some time must have told me I had big upper arms. That’s the other thing, I believe untruths as well, only I don’t really consider it an untruth because after all, I do have big upper arms. It takes a lot for me to wear anything sleeveless. When I do, I’m so uncomfortable I feel like everyone is staring at my big upper arms. Writing this makes it seem ridiculous. Probably because it is.

7) My right tooth that sits next to my two front teeth was turned almost sideways… for nearly 50 years. My husband who’s into straight pearly whites would suggest now and then for me to have that tooth fixed. Why? Who cares? It’s been this way all my life. It’s part of me. (I have, sort of, come to terms with most of my imperfections.) I had a dentist appointment. Seems that crooked little tooth had a cavity but was also a problem child because of its crookedness. The dentist suggested for just another x amount of bucks, he could cap it, make it look nice and straight, saving not only money in the long run, but avoid any future issues with the tooth. Inside I was whining. But it’s me. My crooked little tooth. I felt like I was giving up my first born. Even though I knew the answer, I called my husband to see if he’d be okay with spending the money. Of course there was no hesitation. I could hear the excitement in his voice. He’d been wanting this. I had my crooked little tooth fixed only to avoid future issues because the dentist is one of my least favorite places to visit.

I’m going to pass this award on to the last 7 followers to my blog—and if they want to participate, all well and good. And if not, all well and good. You can use a theme like I did, or you can give 7 facts about yourself and pass it on to 7 others.

Nelliciouss
The Old Geezer
Liberal Sprinkles
Arkansas Patti
September Mom
Tony Benson
Ellie

LOVE ALL YOUR BODY PARTS—THEY MAKE YOU, YOU!

Just for Joplin

2011-06-13T17:20:00.000-07:00

Dear Mom,

Our granddaughter Logan (your step-great-granddaughter -- I think that's what Logan would be to you if you were alive) was out one day at the local grocery store to collect money for Joplin.

Isn't she a cutie? She made her own sign.

I thought this was a sweet picture of the little toddler putting money in the bucket.

Logan always said thank you and explained to people why she was collecting money. She was out there for an hour but it was a really hot day. I was told she collected around $85! I thought that was great and was amazed at the generosity of folks.

I've been working on an article for the Storm Country Anthology that I posted. I'm excited to do this because of, and for my friend, Geoffrey. I asked him if he'd write part of the piece in his own words and he's already sent it back to me. Now I have to do some more work before it's ready for submission.

Mom, I know not everyone can donate money, so I hope all the Midwest writers or those who have a storm story to tell (even if they're not writers), to turn something in--it goes to a good cause! Read the details for this anthology submission.