Does it hurt to step out of our comfort zone?

I'm one of those people who likes to try new things even if I don't have the talent. I look at a display of homemade quilts, for example, and wonder if I could make one. I've sewn on a button or two in my time and sewn a hem, but something this intricate? No way. The person who labored over this design was a true artisan.

And speaking of artists, I think I'd love to sit under the sun in the middle of nature and paint. That's what en plein air artists do. Think van Gogh and his sunflowers. Ah...think talent, people. I don't have it.

The same can be said of my writing. I've written contemporary and historical. I've also tried my hand at romantic suspense. Now, I'm trying to write a paranormal. Emphasis on "trying." Is it wrong to step out of our comfort zones as writers? Do you think it puts a dash of freshness to our writings? Over the weekend when my head hit the proverbial "wall" so hard my cheeks still ache, I'd have told you it certainly does hurt to step out of our comfort zones--or our areas of expertise. I mean, what was I thinking?

I was thinking of the beauty and mystery of Scotland and shapeshifters and why there are no bears in that country. Oh, the possibilities....oh, the lack of talent. I felt like I was writing a children's X-rated fairy tale. I kept slapping my forehead, wondering if I was going to feel this silly the whole time I worked on the story. Still, I loved the characters. I loved the premise. I wasn't too thrilled with the pain of venturing into a new sub-genre. Insecure I suppose.

Were YOU to try it and falter, I'd be right there, extending a hand, offering a smile, whispering in your ear you can do this.

So why is it easier to encourage others more so than it is to encourage ourselves? Don't WE deserve to value ourselves as women, as artists, as writers?

We all have our own comfort zones. We've all worked hard to expand them. It's never an easy or painfree process. We flounder and are embarassed. Sometimes we stop trying. More often than not, we keep chipping away at that granite mountain obstacle until we achieve what we want. Our perserverence pays off. Our drive delivers. Our singlemindedness of purpose helps us excel. And we know our power, our real power comes from deep within.

So, will I finish that paranormal? You betcha. Will it be any good? Well, now, let's focus on one thing at a time, shall we. "Finish what you start" is a rule I live by.

What have you started lately? What outside of your comfort zone calls to you? Making a speech? Hiking the Appalachian Trail? Sewing a quilt? Painting a field of blossoms? Or writing an online workshop? I'm betting you can do it.

Deciding What Your Time Is Worth

Social media is fun, ubiquitous, and can even be educational. You know what else it is? A time suck. I constantly find myself asking, is this time I should spend writing or tweeting, facebooking, replying to forum posts etc.? Or, let's not forget, reading! Smart phones (and I'm assuming tablets though I do not have one yet and cannot speak from personal experience) make social networking a little easier by allowing you to multitask. You can send a tweet while you're waiting in line at the grocery store or commuting to or from work if you take the bus, train, or carpool or something.

Still, it's difficult to cram everything you want to do into one day, and social media is no exception to this. In fact, as I'm writing this post, I'm thinking of a thousand other things I need to be doing. One time-saving trick that I love is retweeting useful and/or entertaining information. Retweeting takes up less time than composing your own tweets, and everybody's happy. The original poster gets a retweet out of it (and retweets are always nice to see in your connections), your followers get a good tweet they might not have seen otherwise, and you get to tweet without doing the legwork, so to speak. Tweeting links to blog posts or articles or other useful info is also good and takes relatively little time. People seem to like this, too. I've even ended up in people's daily newsletters shared via twitter thanks to my tweeted links.

So that's one useful way to save time on Twitter. How about you? How do you tackle your internet v. daily life multitasking?

And in other news, I have recently discovered Pinterest thanks to my friends. I don't know if you've heard of this Pinterest, but if I am late to the party, blame the rock I live under. I need some more time to familiarize myself with it before I do a post about it, though. So next time, Pinterest!

“Oh, I could do with a good rest.”

The other day I was talking to a friend and happened to mention my interest in meditation.

“Oh,” she said, “a great excuse to have a nap.”

She couldn’t be more wrong, but sadly, this is a view shared by many people who know little or nothing about meditation, and even some who meditate regularly seem to think it is more about resting than stillness.

Yes, I hear you say, ‘You are still when you sleep.’

Actually, no you are not.  I’ve talked before about the tiny percentage of the brain given over to the conscious level of the mind.  Up to 10%, so what is happening with the rest of your brain and when, if you like, does it come out to play?

Yes, it does take over during sleep, that is where your dreams come from, but it also prevails during meditation.

Do you allow it to have a free rein while you meditate, well you should know the answer to that by now.  And of course the answer is ‘no’.  So what do you do?

In a limited amount of time you use it the same way you might when faced with a problem that appears to have no solution.  While your conscious level of your brain is working on whatever you are doing during the day, when you have a problem and give it time to ‘cook’, you often suddenly find the solution to your problems will ‘pop up out of nowhere’.  In reality that’s not true, while you have been concentrating on other matters, you’ve given your subliminal mind permission to work on the solution at a deeper level without the emotional baggage you might load it with at a conscious level.

Meditation is the deliberate calling upon the subliminal level of consciousness to work on the project you give it at a certain time and in a certain way, while you deliberately put your conscious level to one side.

You only have to remember how hard it was to remain focussed on counting your breaths to know how much effort goes into meditating, and striving for that inner stillness that grows within us until it becomes part-and-parcel of who we are.

So, next time someone says to you, “Oh, yes I could do with a good rest.” Just smile , or nod and encourage them to join their local meditation group.

Reckless: An American War Horse

I know I usually blog on cats, but going on the assumption that cat lovers are also horse lovers, I'm going to post an email and vid forwarded to me that I fell in love with. I saw War Horse and honestly it depressed me. This didn't. I found it uplifting. Hope you do too. Enjoy.

A true "War Horse"


This is the story of "Reckless," the mare.

"This horse was a pack horse during the Korean war, and she
carried recoil-less rifles, ammunition and supplies to
Marines. Nothing too unusual about that, lots of animals
got pressed into doing pack chores in many wars.

But this horse did something more. During the battle for
a location called Outpost Vegas, this mare made 51 trips
up and down the hill. On the way up she carried
ammunition, and on the way down she carried wounded
soldiers.

What was so amazing? Well, she made every one of those
trips without anyone leading her.

One can imagine a horse carrying a wounded soldier, being
smacked on the rump at the top of the hill, and heading
back to the "safety" of the rear. But to imagine the same
horse, loaded with ammunition, and trudging back to the
battle where artillery is going off, without anyone
leading her is unbelievable. To know that she would make
50 of those trips is unheard of. How many horses would
even make it back to the barn once, let alone return to
the soldiers in the field even a single time?

Here is a clip of her story and photos to prove where she
was and what she did.

Reckless was retired at the Marine Corps Base in Camp
Pendleton where a General issued the following order:
"She was never to carry any more weight on her back except
her own blankets." She died in 1968 at the age of 20.

P.S. How bad was the battle for Outpost Vegas? Artillery
rounds fell at the rate of 500 per hour, and only two men
made it out alive without wounds. Just two. And also a
horse, and she was wounded twice."

Reflecting on the Last Weeks of Winter

The winter has been unseasonably mild here in Northern Michigan. This was good for the hour's drive to work, but hard on my garden. Our usual two to three feet of snow helps protect the hundreds of perennial plants I have planted, some marginally hardy to this area. The snow helps hold the ground at a constant temperature, often at a higher temperature than if the top inches of ground were exposed to below zero air temperatures. It also prevents a cycle of thawing and freezing from happening, which can heave the plants right out of the ground. This is why I always have the plowman pile the snow over my flowerbeds; not much cover this year. 

As spring comes, I’m sure I’ll find a few that didn’t make it. Luckily, I’ve learned this lesson before, and now only plant perennials one zone hardier than the listed zone for my area. This listing seems to be inaccurate anyway. Another piece of information gardeners learn from their work—don’t believe all the charts.

While I wait out the winter, the mail has brought me dozens of nursery catalogs. I’ve looked through them all, highlighting with a bright orange marker the plants that interest me which brings on a bad case of spring angst. I’m like a kid in the toy aisles of a store with a bad case of ‘I want this, and this, and...’

This has prompted a reflective state. How many more plants does my garden really need? I swore my garden would not reach a size I could not handle. It is nearly there. Are some new cultivars really going to kick the desirability of my site to a new level? How many different varieties and colors of coneflower does my garden need? (My inner devil or angel, I’m not sure which, shouts at least the orange, oh, and the green one, maybe in both the single and the double, and certainly the frilly white one,  but the burgundy is so special.) The changes in this one plant over the last decade have been spectacular, and this is only one of a hundred different species.  However, nothing compares to the simple eyecatching charm of the wild purple coneflower. Am I dithering and indecisive? Lord, yes, and anxious to start. I must get something new!

If I were a hardy gardener, I’d not be worrying about this. Instead, I would be out pruning my apple trees right now; but I hate cold, and so I’m babysitting instead. It’s warm and my grandkids are so wonderful. I’m sure you would agree if you were here. We’ll take a walk a little later, an inch of snow fell overnight, and some chilly fresh air might be just what we all need. The garden will wait.

Vacation

I'm on vacation :) I will be back on March 8th. Hope everyone is doing good.
Jewel
www.hippiechicks68.com

Winter Weeding

We've had a uniquely mild winter thus far in Virginia. An inch of snow twice. No ice storms. It's got me thinking about preventative gardening on the surprise warm days before spring.

Did you rake leaves last fall? If not, you'd better do it soon or the hibernating grass underneath will die. And that means weeds will take root.

Did you pull up your dead annuals after the frost? If not, clean up your beds now. It won't take long. Really.

Did you do a final weeding last fall? Me too. But my mister has pointed out the miserable little minions are emerging again. Already! I need to get on top of this before I have a big job to put off.

Did you prune last fall? Trim the shrubs? If not do it soon. Except on the flowering bushes, like Rhododendrons, lest you cut off all the potential spring blooms inadvertantly.

A little effort here and there now and you yard will be beautiful soon.

Brain Change

Has our human brain been static since the rise of Homo sapiens 50,000 years ago, as suggested by one camp of scientists, which includes paleontologist Steven Jay Gould?  Or, conversely, are we in the midst of the greatest mutational change rates in the brain and adaptive human behavior ever seen? This argument is growing into a grand scientific showdown. Does evolution, fueled by natural and artificial selection, affect the human brain? Whichever side the answer falls, we must be careful how we handle these findings. The implications are far-reaching. The potential to abuse genetic information that reveals the strengths and weaknesses of a particular race in a particular environment make this argument a potentially controversial one. How does the brain evolve and how does it change?

Physical Changes: A Shrinking Brain

The human brain is shrinking.  How can that be? Aren’t we modern Homo sapiens supposed to be more advanced intellectually? How can that happen if our brain volume decreased? Cro-Magnon man was an early member of the Homo sapien family who lived in Europe 20-30 thousand years ago. Cro-Magnon had the highest measurement of the ratio of brain volume to body mass, a measurement called the encephalization quotient (EQ) of any of the Homo sapiens. These bigger brains are believed to have been associated with functioning in the tremendous physical demands placed upon the hunter-gatherer. They needed the brain power to stay alive in their harsh environment.  There appears to have been a downside of this brain power, though, as it carried with it an aggressive tendency.

Domestication and civilization are also believed to have played a role in the smaller brain. Animal studies show a domesticated animal has a smaller EQ than their wild counterparts.  Dogs, for example, have smaller brains than wolves. One theory suggests domesticated dogs have smaller brains because they rely on humans to provide many of their basic functions, while their wolf cousins are on their own to scrape and scratch out a survival in their environment, therefore needing a bigger brain.

Humans may have followed a similar path with self-domestication and smaller brains. As we became increasingly civilized and established agricultural-based societies, we became more specialized, more dependent on each other and the skill sets each person offers to our collective survival.

Genetic Brain Changes

When one domesticates animals, you also tend to change genes in that system. Genetic changes occurred when man went from hunter-gatherer to an agricultural based society. For example, 40% of neurotransmitter genes (genes responsible for nervous system function) found in humans have been selected in the last 50 thousand years, with a great majority happening within the past 10 thousand years. Genetic changes which resulted in markedly different ways that the brain processed information.

New advances in sequencing techniques have enabled researchers to advance the identification of new mutations and genetic changes. One of these techniques, called RNA transcriptome sequencing, captures, sequences and aligns every mRNA transcript in a particular snapshot of time, allowing for practically every piece of expressed genetic information to be analyzed. The technique has provided insight to show genetic processing complexity far beyond what was previously predicted, suggesting multiple genetic processing pathways and functions.  A complex processing system can accomplish more with less, perhaps leading to increased brain performance with less energy expenditure, which is almost always a favorable evolutionary selection.

Functional Brain Changes

Sequencing studies estimate the appearance of a mutation in a brain receptor, called DRD4, coincides fairly well with the appearance of our species 50,000 years ago.  The DRD4 mutation has been linked to attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).  In the modern world, the characteristic symptoms of ADHD, short attention span, impulsive behavior and hyperactivity, are deemed negative behaviors, especially in the young as they navigate the rigid environment of the school system.  As they mature into adults, though, most function successfully, a often excel, in environments where they have more choice over the controlling factors.

The DRD4 mutation is believed to be a contributing factor in Homo sapiens early survival and the migration of the species around the globe.  For a hunter gather, being mentally alert, and having the ability to focus on multiple stimuli was a definite plus. This ability and heightened state of awareness probably kept them alive on more than one occasion.   DRD4 has also been nicknamed the “migratory gene”.  The gene variant is found in 80% of some South American populations, people who migrated the furthest distances from man’s origins in Africa. But, it is found in only 40% of indigenous populations in North America and less than 20% of Europeans and Africans. Clinically, children with the DRD4 mutation exhibit increased restlessness and high risk-taking/novelty seeking behavior, traits which fit well to an exploration driven individual.

What’s Next?

Ironically, over the past 200 years, there seems to be a slight increase in human brain volume. Scientists attribute the majority of this increase to better nutrition. Some also propose the brain volume spike coincides with the radical change in selection forces by the infusion of technology and its importance in modern survival. A question arises though, if the brain continues to increase in volume, will it also eventually come with an increase in aggressive tendencies? 

Sacred Geometry - Not Your High School Math

“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new lands but seeing with new eyes.” Marcel Proust

Math was never one of my better subjects in school. Since then, I've learned to appreciate numbers thanks to esoteric studies. Sacred Geometry is one reason, and as I learn more about the topic, I realize that numbers are my friends. Well, that's my goal, anyway.

Simply explained, Sacred Geometry describes the universe's natural order mathematically. It is an ancient science and has been used for centuries to plan and build religious structures, and for religious art. Sacred meanings are assigned to certain geometric shapes and proportions. One of the most famous examples of this is Leonardo da Vinci's Vitruvian Man (above left).

Another example would be any of Palladio's architectural designs from the mid-1500's. His buildings incorporated the golden ratio, a concept that dates back to Indian, Egyptian, Greek and Roman architecture. And by the way, he used the Parthenon for inspiration.

Speaking of the Greeks (and getting back on track), 2500 years ago, they taught that there are five perfect 3-dimensional forms - the tetrahedron, hexahedron, octahedron, dodecahedron, and icosahedron ... collectively known as the Platonic Solids. They also taught that these forms are the foundation of everything in the physical world.

Their ideas developed from observation of the natural world. The chambered nautilus, sunflowers, passion flowers, snowflakes, honeycombs, are all examples of logarithmic spirals, as are low-pressure systems and spiral galaxies. The same geometric and mathematical patterns are apparent in all of these examples. Plato explained this by writing, “God geometrizes continually.”

Many scholars ridiculed the idea of Sacred Geometry until the 1980's, when Professor Robert Moon at the University of Chicago demonstrated that the entire Periodic Table of Elements is based on the five Platonic Solids. Modern physics, chemistry and biology are not immune to geometric patterns of creation, and additional proof is found daily.

Crop circles exhibit sacred geometrical shapes and mathematical ties to the golden ratio. So do labyrinths, Celtic art such as the Book of Kells and the aforementioned Parthenon. Monuments - Stonehenge and the Pyramid of Khufu at Giza - are based on these same principles. On a more personal basis, our DNA strands and eye corneas emerge from the timeless geometric codes known collectively as Sacred Geometry.

That understanding persuaded me that numbers are more than tortuous ideas designed to drive unwitting/unwilling youngsters to scholastic hell. Sacred Geometry shows us our connection to all that is. It proves we are One even in our diversity. We cannot separate ourselves from the whole when each of us is a puzzle piece making up the jigsaw of life. A study of Sacred Geometry makes clear there is no “us” versus “them.” We are all of one piece.

I invite you to learn more about Sacred Geometry and the unseen laws that govern our Universe. You may even learn to like math!

“Man is ill because he is never still.” & Other Herbal Quotes

“Every simple plant remedy is blessed and gifted by GOD and its Handmaiden nature to such an extent, that according to it’s own nature and way, it has the power to heal, strengthen, allay pain, cool, warm up, purge, and sweat.” ~Heironymus Bock, Kreuterbuch

*Image of St. John’s Wort~

“And because the Breath of Flowers is farre Sweeter in the Aire (where it comes and Gose, like the Warbling of Musick) than in the hand, therefore nothing is more fit for delight, than to know what be the Flowers and the Plants that doe best perfume the Aire.” ~Francis Bacon, 1625

“My gardens sweet, enclosed with walles strong, embarked with benches to sytt and take my rest. The Knotts so enknotted, it cannot be exprest. With arbours and alys so pleasant and so dulce, the pestylant ayers with flavours to repulse.” ~Thomas Cavendish, 1532

“When daisies pied and violets blue, and lady-smocks all silver white. And Cuckoo-buds of yellow hue, do paint the meadows with delight.” ~William Shakespeare, 1595

“Everyone in town and country had a garden, but all the more hardy plants grew in the field in rows, amidst the hills, as they were called, of Indian corn.” ~Anne Grant, 1700

*Image of Lavender~

“Here’s flowers for you; Hot lavender, mints, savoury, marjoram; The marigold, that goes to bed wi’ the sun, And with him rises weeping…” ~William Shakespeare, 1611

“Good morrow, good Yarrow, good morrow to thee. Send me this night my true love to see, The clothes that he’ll wear, the colour of his hair. And if he’ll wed me.” ~ Danaher, 1756

“Let your food be your medicine and your medicine your food.” ~Hippocrates, Greek father of natural medicine

“GOD made the earth yield healing herbs, which the prudent man should not neglect.” ~Ecclesiastes 38:4

“A man may esteem himself happy when that which is his food is also his medicine.” ~Henry David Thoreau

 “Man is ill because he is never still.” ~Paracelsus

*Shirley poppies in the forefront~

*Images of our garden taken by daughter Elise, summer 2011.  We shall see what delights 2012′s garden holds.

For more on me, please visit my blog at One Writer's Way:  http://bethtrissel.wordpress.com/

Baby tears

I hope you will all bear with me on this post, its kind of sad. But I know, as I have seen several post on here about cats, that I am speaking to loving people who will understand. I have replied to some of those cat post with comments about my darling cat Baby. Well, last night I noticed that her breathing was labored and her stomach seemed tight. No other symptoms, no sign of any illness up until then. I took her to the vet this morning and she was diagnosed with advance stomach cancer. The vet said she could do some things to give her another week or so, but I made the agonizing decision to have her put to sleep today.
Can I tell you a little about her? She was very special to all of my family.
In 2002 I retired after thirty two years with the local school system. It was a wrenching decision. I wasn't old enough for full retirement, but petty politics had gotten to the point that I thought I might go postal. It was terribly stressful. I had a boyfriend, a wonderful, supportive man who told me over and over how much he loved me and how much he wanted us to be married. I had been divorced for a long time and just never expected to marry again. But he persuaded me to let him take care of me. After retiring in June, we flew to Las Vegas in July (honest, my sister lives there, we had a real wedding, no Elvis or aliens) got married and returned to Virginia to set up housekeeping. He had a tooth ache he had mentioned several times on the trip, and with my new wifely authority, I sent him off to the dentist. The toothache turned out to be a result of head and neck cancer and he died fifteen months later.
My whole world was turned upside down, so many changes in such a short time. From employed and comfortable financially, to married happily, to widowed and devastated. It was a terrible time.
Then one day while visiting my son and his family my granddaughter, Crystal, a nine year old little mother figure, took me out to see their new motherless kittens. She begged me to take one home. I declined. I didn't want a kitten. I didn't want the responsibility. I didn't want the expense. And truth be told, I didn't want anything to disrupt my grieving. I was quite settled in my little dark cave of anger and sadness.
The following week, same scenario. Crystal drags me out to see the kittens. Don't get me wrong. I love kittens. They are about as cute and sweet as it gets. But I didn't want to have the responsibility of a kitten. I just didn't! But Crystal is stubborn and amazingly perceptive. She looked me straight in the eye and said "Grandma, one of those kittens needs you as much as you need one of them."
Well, I chose two, so they could keep each other entertained. One was a male Tuxedo that I named Trouble, the other a silver gray tabby I named Baby.
I took them home and was forced to go out and get supplies, take them to the vet for shots and a few months later back to the vet to be spayed and neutered. I was also forced to get up in the morning and feed the little buggers. Else they climbed up on my bed and frolicked about, patting my face, chasing each other around, hiding under the covers and actually making me laugh as I watched the little lumps beneath my covers crisscross back and forth.
In the evenings I settled in my recliner and turned on the TV and reached for a book. Even then I was not given any peace. The both climbed up in the chair with me, and wrestled and played King Of The Mountain, climbing up my body to perch on the back of the chair to see who could knock the other down. When they tired of their play, they each took a shoulder and fell asleep wrapped around my neck.
Gradually my broken heart accepted that I must go on living. The healing was gradual and I hardly noticed it at first. But slowly, day by day, I found that I wanted to join the world again. My little companions made me smile, and when I couldn't smile, they cuddled up around my neck and their little coats soaked up more tears than I could ever count. I found myself holding them near and telling them how much I hurt and how much I loved them.
I think my grief today is all mixed up with the death of my husband and the way those two little babies lifted me out of the very depths of despair. That and the fact that they became such an important part of my entire family. Everyone loved them both so much. Trouble died about 3 years ago of fatty liver disease, something the vet told me that large cats are often stricken with. But I still had Baby, my ever present shadow, the warm body that greeted me when I got home and spent every moment I was in my recliner in my lap, just as she did as a kitten. Last night was like any other when I noticed she was having trouble breathing. She had not been at all sick or out of sorts. When the vet gave me the news, I called my family and they came and we all wept long and hard over a family member that gave us all so much joy and love. But she gave me the most. She gave me back my ability to love, and the desire to be a part of the world, with all its pain and sorrow. Kitty Heaven has a new angel.

"Bali Hai" MM Sikes

This is the time of year when I start longing for soft, gentle breezes and the perfumed air of a tropical destination. If you don't mind the long flight, The Hawaiian Islands are the perfect winter retreat.

 Kauai is my favorite island in the Hawaiian chain. The first time I saw Kauai, I felt a magic touch in the warm sweet air. From the Princeville Hotel, with its impressive golf course, the glorious mountain formation known as Bali Hai made famous in the musical production South Pacific rises up from a mysterious fog.

Kauai is truly a fantasy place. Not only does it have its own Grand Canyon, but the Na Pali can only be reached by boat. There are some trails to the other side of the island, and we started up one but found it pretty rugged. On Kauai, it was shocking to discover a Grand Canyon almost as awe-inspiring as the one in Arizona.

"Hawaii" - MM Sikes

Maui is another of the amazing and unforgettable Hawaiian Islands. Our most memorable adventure on that spectacular island was the journey on the Road to Hana.

We took the long scenic drive from Kapalua to Hana without realizing until we were well along the way how dangerous this little trail actually was. When we began to see white crosses by the path on which we had our car, it was already too late to turn back. I'm not sure that was even possible because the road was so narrow we wondered how any car traveling from the other direction would be able to pass us.

From seascapes to waterfalls to volcanic ash, Maui has it all. We enjoyed the visit to Hana but decided it would be a more pleasant trip to return a different way and visit the island's volcano.

Lahaina, full of upscale art galleries, was a special treat for me. For golf fans, there are 14 courses from which to choose.

Moana Surfrider MM Sikes

Oahu is another of the Hawaiian Islands we have visited. When we first arrived in Honolulu on Oahu, I was terribly disappointed because where we were booked to stay for a week overlooked the top of a Jack-in-the-Box. Although I have nothing against this fast food chain, it was certainly not the image I had for Hawaii. However, after contacting RCI they were able to relocate us on the top floor of a high rise with a view of the ocean.

Because the famous Waikiki Beach was overloaded with tourists, I was again disappointed. However, the Moana Surfrider, built in 1901, and the Royal Hawaiian, constructed in 1927, and both located on Wakiki made the trip to Oahu worthwhile. We spent several days in the Royal Hawaiian, affectionately called the "Pink Lady". I created paintings of both the Moana Surfrider and the Pink Lady and plan to include them in a future book.

"Pink Lady" MM Sikes

The Polynesian Cultural Center provided an outstanding side trip for us, and on another visit to Oahu we went out to see the USS Arizona Memorial on December 7. Oahu is a great beginning point for a visit to the Hawaiian Islands.

For those who love to travel, a visit to the Hawaiian Islands is a must. Plan ahead and be sure to see the things you find most attractive. For me, the spectacular scenery on Kauai was the most appealing. We have returned there twice since our original visit.

Social Media and the Grammys

I didn't watch most of the Grammys, but I don't feel like I needed to. I got enough information from Twitter. Some of the trending topics about the Grammys were hilarious last night on Twitter. Everybody was weighing in--from Billboard (I don't know how I feel about these promoted trending topics--kind of feels like cheating, but I guess Twitter has to monetize like everyone else; it's all about the money) to artists (or at least the official Twitter account of artists) to home viewers. So I got my fill and the rundown on the Grammys with very little effort. While I was critiquing for my critique partners as a matter of fact.

I'm glad Adele did so well. She has a beautiful voice, and she just went through vocal chord surgery as well. Good for her picking up all those Grammys. The Beach Boys reunion was good, too. I did happen to see that part. Right before I got on Twitter and saw Billboard's 140 character critique of Maroon 5 and Foster the People's intro for the Beach Boys. I wonder who tweets for Billboard. That seems like it would be a pretty sweet job.  And good job to Dave Grohl and the Foo Fighters, who recorded Grammy award-winning music in Grohl's garage. Way to stay true to their musical roots. Then again, as my roommate pointed out, his garage is probably loaded down with expensive, fancy recording equipment. Still, the idea of garage band music winning a Grammy is a nice one.

It was nice to see LL Cool J hosting. I haven't seen him in a while--doing anything at all. I didn't see any tweets about him, but I'm sure they were out there. I'm kind of surprised he wasn't a trending topic, considering he was the host, but you never know about these trending topics. They can be unpredictable.

Anyway, that's my Twitter experience "watching" the Grammys. Did you watch them/read them/Tweet, Facebook, etc. about them? What did you think?

To Chip or Not To Chip

What exactly is a microchip?
Good question. Its a tiny implant, no larger than a grain of rice, that is placed between the cat's shoulder blades by use of a syringe.
Each microchip contains an identification number. These numbers can be read with a scanner. Most veterinarians and shelters today have scanners. So if you've lost Mittens and he ends up at a shelter or veterinarian's office that has a scanner, odds are you'll get him back.
If your kitty ends up in a shelter without a chip, there's a very real chance he'll be put down.
Cats with chips have been lost and found years later. One cat had been gone for thirteen years when he was picked up and taken to an animal shelter. Since he wasn't in great shape and was a senior, if he hadn't been chipped, he would have no doubt been euthanized instead of reunited with his joyful family.
Another lost kitty was found over 1800 miles away. As you can see, chipping dramatically ups your lost pet's chances of recovery.
How much does it cost to microchip your pet?
Approximately $45. It's not a painful procedure and doesn't even require anesthesia.
Once your pet is chipped, you'll need to register it with a national recovery database. If your pet is lost, found, and scanned, the recovery database is called and they in turn call the owner.
Phone numbers should always be kept updated in the system.
How long is a chip good for? A lifetime.

Quad Conflict

In the Figure Skating world, a “Quad” isn’t something you flip over while racing through the boonies after too many beers. We’re talking skating here, so a quad means the quadruple jump, the most difficult element in figure skating. The skater vaults into the air, makes four full revolutions and lands cleanly on a blade about 1/10th of an inch wide.

The quad is also at the core of the most discussed and debated topic in the figure skating world. Why? To understand, you’ll need a little history.

Prior to 2004, skating competitions were scored on a 6.0 ordinal process, with 6.0 being absolute perfection—Michelle Kwan got the Heinz 57 of perfect 6.0s. Still, as you can imagine, a zero-to-six scale with vague guidelines made the sport very subjective. You may also remember the French Judge drama from the 2002 Olympics.

In an attempt to make scoring more consistent (and fair), the International Skating Union decided to incorporate the "Code of Points". This new system assigns a value to every element executed by a skater during the performance. To get full credit, the skater must execute the jump/spin/footwork sequence/etc. without error, otherwise there are mandated deductions. There are also limitations on the number of things a skater can do (for example, only seven jump elements are allowed). To win, the athlete attempts to do as many elements as possible with the highest degree of difficulty for each element. At the end of the performance, all element scores get totaled.


Sounds reasonable, right? So what’s stoked the big quad controversy?
The results of the 2010 Olympics. America’s Evan Lysacek kicked Russian Evgeni (pronounced like New Guinea with a “U” or in slang terms, “pompous jerk-wad”) Plushenko’s well-toned buttocks.

At the heart of this controversy—you guessed it—was the quad. Evan didn’t execute one. Evgeni landed two.

Experts are like opinions, everyone has their butt-hole. Oops, got that backwards, didn’t I? Anyway, as television’s Monk would say, here’s what happened:
Lysacek, the reigning 2009 world champion finshed ahead of Plushenko by 1.31 points, becoming the first man since 1994 to win the Olympic title without a quad. Prickly Plushenko pouted, calling the results an embarrassment and “not in keeping with the established practice.” (Do I sound a bit biased?) Well, neiner-neiner, Plushenko was the one who said the judging was unfair. Duh, Eastern Block calling the West square?

The results of that competition were analyzed, over-analyzed, and bitched about some more. Both men scored the same for program components, but Lysacek got more points for the execution of such technical elements as spins and footwork. Yikes, I am starting to sound like the French judge, oui?

Jacues Rogge, the president of the IOC, said, “Plushenko may have done the quad, but the overall quality of Lysacek’s program was better.” Guinea Pig supporters disagreed and Lysacek’s win unleashed a wave of whining. Many insisted that more difficult routines should earn the title, thus once again igniting the artistic quality versus difficult jumps controversy.


What do you think? Should skaters who are able to do the hardest elements the best win? Or should the system remain as is, rewarding the overall performance?

Copyright © 2012 by Robin Weaver

Keeping Imagination Alive at Home

I have a special treat today. I've asked Anastasia V. Pergakis, an energy-ball-of-a-friend, to guest post. Her imagination never ends. Seriously, it spans the spectrum.  And with all her obligations, she always finds room to help people.  

Among her activities is the Kinir Elite website—where the characters do the blogging (not to mention her own blog at her author website), Anastasia Creatives—for website and book design, and the Beyond Worlds and SciYourFi—blogs that review and interview authors of the Sci-fi/Fantasy genres.

And she’s written in the neighborhood of 12 books.  Her novel Cleanse Fire, book one in the Kinir Elite series, just released a couple months ago and she’s in the process of writing the second book in that series, Blood Trade, alongside a YA Fantasy novel, Ryan’s Quest (which has a hyperactive pink dragon—too cute!).  

All of this while she holds down the home front with the duties of wife and mother.

So today I’m asking Anastasia how she does it—keeps that imagination and inspiration going while she handles her daily/family life.

  

Keeping Imagination Alive at Home

Charlene asked me to write a post about how I keep my inspiration for writing going strong while caring for my family. I'm happily married - coming up on 3 years next month! My husband and I have a three year old son together, and my husband has two teenage girls that live with their mother.

For those who have kids, it is probably obvious how I keep my inspiration alive. Kids are a great source! They have wild, unhindered imaginations that literally can go anywhere. They have no sense of time, rules, or anything that often times trap adults. That is why my tagline is "Enchanting adults to remember that magic can still be real."

Do you remember being a kid and how magical everything in the world was?

A lot of adults don't, unfortunately. Balancing work, bills, housework, and more can suck the magic right out of life. One of the things I've learned though is that the magic is still there. You just have to stop for a second, and as the saying goes, smell the roses. Or in this case, find the magic.

As I said, my son is three. A while back he first discovered his shadow. What an amazing day that was! He thought it was the coolest thing in the world that he had a shadow - and that it sometimes disappeared! Do you ever think about your shadow anymore? That day, my son and I spent the good portion of the afternoon playing with our shadows, watching them stretch as the sun sank lower in the sky. It was great fun.

This episode into my three year old's mind spurred a story idea! What if there was a planet where everyone had lost their shadows? This of course turned into a roller coaster of ideas, Why did they lose them? Where did they go? Can they get them back? How? I'm sure you all have come up with 100's of different answers to these questions already. And yes, I'm working up and outline for the story, as once it's in my head, I can't get it out!

And yes, while I'm on the topic of family, my husband does lend his share of inspiration too. Ever have a really good fight with your spouse/significant other? Of course you have. Why not turn that into a scene in your story (if the situation warrants of course)? Had a really awesome date or conversation with them? Again, see if you can use it as a scene in your story. For those that are lucky enough to have their significant others also be writers or artists of some type, that opens up an entire new avenue for inspiration.

The major plot twist in my story, actually was my husband's idea. I was stuck and couldn't get past one part to make it to the end of the story. I was pacing around my living room, talking out loud as I'm wont to do when I'm stuck with a scene. My husband, whose eyes often glaze over when I do this, popped up with the spark of the century! I wrote some notes down, slept on the idea over night, and the next day, I wrote over 10,000 words!

Now, for those that don't have kids or are single, never fear. There is plenty of inspiration around you, if you just know how to look for it. One of my favorite things to do is people watch. And yes, I'll eavesdrop on occasion too. Why is that couple fighting? *spur story idea* Why is that guy standing all by himself in the shadow of that tree? *spur story idea* Why is that one child crying in the sandbox, alone? *spur story idea* See where I'm going with this?

The common theme in all of this is to ask those "What if" types of questions. And ask them about anything, even if it seems trivial and silly. Some of my best book ideas and scene ideas have come from something that at first seemed silly! Turn everyday conversations, situations, events, etc into What if questions - and lo and behold, you'll have more ideas than you know what to do with!

About Anastasia

Anastasia knew she always wanted to write. She began at a young age, writing those little stories about the apple tree in the yard. Though her love of stories stayed with her through her poetry stage in high school, she didn’t begin writing novels until she was almost an adult. That’s where she found her true passion.

Her characters visit her dreams – and sometimes during the day – to share their stories with her. Anastasia is merely the writer, but the characters are really the storytellers.

Anastasia lives in Columbus, Georgia with her husband and son. A stay at home Mom, she loves spending time with her son during the day, then writing furiously at night.

Facebook, Author Page: http://www.facebook.com/AuthorAVPergakis

Author Website: http://avpergakis.com

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/AVPergakis

Cleanse Fire Blurb

**Portions of profits for this book are given to the Wounded Warrior Project**

Complete the mission, no matter what…

Captain Derac Vidor has served Kinir for nearly twenty years. It’s his life, his blood. And then his Commander betrays everything Derac holds dear. Now he has to focus on his own life and his team instead of saving the citizens of Kinir.

Treason is only the beginning…

Fueled by rage, the team chases the source to their Commander’s betrayal – a powerful wizard bent on revenge. The wizard seeks to destroy the Kinir Elite, in both mind and body. No place is safe, even among their allies.

The past holds the key…

Derac’s tragic past may be the key to saving the team. But can he face the gruesome nightmare in time?

Facebook, Kinir Elite Page: http://www.facebook.com/TheKinirElite

Kinir Elite Website: http://kinirelite.com

Purchase Cleanse Fire

• for your Kindle at Amazon
• for your Nook at Barnes & Noble
• for your other E-Readers at Smashwords
• in paperback at Amazon
• in paperback at Barnes & Noble
• in hardback at Kinir Elite Website

THE EDITOR HAT = READER HAT

THE EDITOR HAT = READER HAT

I thought this would be a helpful guide for you during the editing phase of your book. As an author you have to become an editor of your work in order to have a presentable product. It is not an easy task, rather a cold look upon your heart’s work. Once you have matured in your writing to take an honest evaluation of your work you will gain insight and a polished product for publication.

The editor hat will force you to examine the work from a new perspective. Your work is no longer just your book, but the potential product that a reader is going buy and read. You must now become that reader and look upon the work from a new angle. One way to gain the reader’s viewpoint is to let the work rest for a few months. Put it away, move on to a new project. The time frame away from the work is up to you, but take at least a month, personally, two months is better. You want the work to be fresh when you start your editing process.

To begin the edit you have to understand this is so much more than a spell check and the normal grammar snafus. Yes, we want the book to be grammatically correct, but we also need to hear your author voice/style and character voices. Without these elements the story will never reach the reader.

Don’t make the mistake that your book is perfect, it won’t be. You will miss things such as pacing, plot, character development and many other aspects. To begin we will look into the major areas that an editor should examine.

In the Romance Genres there are specialties within the whole. We have the regular romance with love scenes from sweet to sensual and hot, without being erotic romance. Then of course we have all the same romance in the erotic, which can also range from sensual to extreme heat levels. But what we never want is sex for sex without a story or love interest, there doesn’t have to be a happy-ever-after ending in some romance genres, but it is still a romance—a love story.

Many times we will get carried away with this new found freedom in erotic romance. It is still a romance that just uses the real words instead of purple prose and adds intense detail. And sometimes we need to rein it in a bit or we’ll step over the line and into the porn area. Believe it or not the readers love it, but we still have to be careful. Keep this in mind as you edit your love scenes, be aware of the boundaries.

That said, shall we begin J One note, the areas covered here are in more detail in the Words of Love – How To Write a Romance Novel. The gloves are off during editing and if you find you are having difficulty in a specific area please refer to this or another source that covers it in detail. More research into a writing technique can only help your style.

The main areas besides the basic grammar problems begin with…

1.  The Setting – The setting of the story is not just a place, city or town, it is the era or existence where the character’s story takes place. The physical part of the setting in a contemporary romance is usually a base setting like the place they work in or home and then the story revolves around this location. The historical romance setting could be mobile like a wagon train, then progress to a new destination. Regardless of the time frame, present/future/past/imaginary, the political atmosphere is a very essential part of any setting. Outside influences always affect the story and people in ways of beliefs, clothes, food, desires, housing, jobs, the list is endless. Settings will change throughout any story, they become scenes within the story and can affect the characters.

Historic or scientific information can play a key role in the story, but we don’t want it take over. Era settings and technical information need to be woven into the story, not become the focus. Make sure that you have done your research concerning outside influences of the plot. Readers are very intelligent and if you slip up they will also be very critical.

The readers only need to know enough to make the characters’ actions believable or warranted. The author needs to bring out the events and/or place surrounding their main characters without going into long dissertations. Romance is the key factor in our stories and in turn your characters are your main concern.

2.  Scene transitions – can be one of the hardest areas for some authors. You cannot just jump into a new scene or place without any warning for the readers. Many times you won’t know how to start the next scene. Action in any form is always a good tool. Jumping into an action area maybe a couple paragraphs down might be a better starting point. To help the transition we can use the scene breaks ~*~, a new chapter or a transitional paragraph.

One terrible error that can occur is for an author to suddenly rely on the Omniscient POV to explain what is happening to their characters. This is wrong and can’t be allowed, the “god” voice won’t save you. It may seem like an easy way to explain a hop in time or to tell about the new setting, but one thing you never want them to do is mix Point Of View methods. Use your characters for this, see-think-remember, through their eyes and thoughts.

Another error is to use the scene break to show a different voice in dialogue. This is not a scene change, but a crutch for a poor character voice and use of dialogue. And, if you think you can use this to avoid the Omniscient POV you are sadly mistaken. A strong character voice and developing smooth scene transitions will achieve a polished product.

3.  Pacing – How a story progresses plays a huge role in the success of any storyline. Whether the characters are jumping around in time or just moving from one day to the next, it all has to be perfectly clear to the reader. The storyline needs to progress towards the conclusion and along the journey all of the internal and external conflicts, of main and secondary characters, must be resolved. If it doesn’t make sense—question it. If something you are reading triggers a question about an event, trait or action, taken in the past, then there is a problem.

You can have a very difficult time moving the story forward. Action can help progress a scene and it can come in many shapes and sizes. Main characters should not be apart for too long or let their internal conflicts rear up so many times that it prevents the romance from blooming. External conflict will keep the two apart without a whole lot of help from themselves. The external conflict should never be the main focus in a romance. It is a factor, but the romance development between your characters is what the story should focus on.

Characters, especially a very strong secondary character, can steal the storyline away from the main characters and take it off in an entirely unexpected direction. Control over the characters is vital. Secondary characters are fantastic tools to help guide a story along or direct the characters in certain direction, implant information or fill in a time gap. But they are just that—a tool. If you feel they need to be pulled back, take the time to correct their direction and get the pacing back on track.

4.  Character Development – One of the main problem areas in most stories begins right up front. The first couple chapters are usually the worse in the whole book. This happens because you are actually using these pages to get to know the characters and the storyline. So we have all this information that most likely only the author needs to know; the readers will find it all out during the story. The result is that too much detail rushes in about their characters along with the whole “Show not Tell” problem. Instead of weaving in the traits of the characters into the story, utilizing “others” view of them or their own actions, you blurt everything out like a list. Many authors need to realize the value of “Showing” the reader through actions and thoughts. 

You can also make a huge mistake in stating traits that a person wouldn’t say about themselves. “My blue eyes looked at him with naughty thoughts.” A character wouldn’t mention what color their eyes were unless they were looking in a mirror and in love with themselves, someone else might but not them.

Names may also be a huge problem in a story. They say so much about a character and all these unusual names are great, but if they make the reader stumble it should be dealt with. Of course, even if you admit the problem this is one area that you probably won’t listen to, regrettably, and the odd name will not be changed.

The reader’s problem with a name is usually in the pronunciation of the name. You can fix this by using your characters to set it straight for them. Such as Gillian, can you hear your lady set our hero straight, “No, it is not like a fish, you oaf, you must pronounce the ‘G’!”  So use the problem to your benefit.

During the course of the story the character must remain true to itself. You need to watch that a character will not do or say something “out of character”. When this misstep occurs the character will fall out of grace with the reader. Say a spinster type heroine suddenly lusts after the hero, all good of course, but if the heroine never gives any indication that she would do something so bold than it can come across as shocking rather than sensual and loving. Now, if the author builds up the heroine’s confidence as the story and relationship progresses, then such a giant step would be acceptable and endearing to the reader.

Traits need to be exposed and grow over the course of the story for certain character actions to take place. The development of the character is an ongoing adventure for the reader, it can be bumpy even dangerous, but it has to be believable.

    

5.  Head Hopping and Dialogue – Perfecting the use of multiple voices is a hard lesson to learn. Talk about jarring a reader out of the story—changing from one voice to the other must be obvious and smooth. Most of the time all it takes is a little clue like naming the voice that will speak. The development of a strong voice for the characters should prevent heading hopping. A reader should instinctively know who is talking. The safe thing to do is to keep the same POV for a scene.

Dialogue tags can be another problem, “he said, she said”—not happening. Once in a while it can be fine to say, Jane said or Harry spoke, but very dull and really lacks in skill. There are endless ways to let the reader know which voice is speaking, most of it through the use of action and internal thought by the character voice. Dialogue needs to be natural and flow as if the reader were a part of the conversation. Dialogue tags are an excellent tool and can appear before the dialogue Shyne gave herself a shimmer… leads into her dialogue giving the reader a very good picture of the heroine’s nervous state. You must think beyond just the words being spoken to the emotions going through the characters. When the reader sees this scene in their minds they will be using all their senses to feel what the characters are going through. If it takes a rewrite, so be it, dialogue and voice are essential for any story, in the romance genre it is a must.

6.  Repetitive Descriptions – Saying the same thing in a different way. We all do it. We say one thing in one paragraph and the same thought written a different way in a couple lines down. Watch for this and make yourself pick the best and delete the rest.

Repeat words fall into this area. It is odd how one word can be misspelled throughout the book. It can also be over used like a scratch on a record, repeating again and again. I am always doing this. If you find one word popping up here and there, do a find for the word search, it will probably shock you. Use your thesaurus mix it up by changing it.

7.  Passive Voice – Get rid of the “was, had, should have, has, has been…” they are a killer. Most can be replaced with verbs and adverbs that take out the passive voice. Do not rely on the grammar check for fixing the problem. When you fall into passive voice it will usually affect the sentence/paragraph tense as well. Make sure to correct all words affected by the tense change. Most of the time you should be writing in the present tense voice not past tense.

8.  Internal Thought – Internal thoughts need to be in italics, no quote marks. They should be used to bring alive the senses through thought to the readers. Internal thought can be used during a scene to give the readers insight to the true reaction of the character. It should not be over used and it can also be very difficult to hear. Your reader hat needs to be alert for internal thoughts. One way to see internal thought is when you are reading the character’s thoughts if she were speaking to herself or someone it would be in quotes.

9.  The Ending – Great story, bad ending. It makes my teeth grit when it happens and it will. Ending a story can be very difficult. Not only, do you need to tie up those loose ends, but they need to satisfy the reader. When a story doesn’t end right it needs work. The end should make the reader feel a burst of emotion, the best being they won’t forget the story and wish it could go on forever. Not all the endings will be great, but, they do need to be acceptable.

One thing that you should look for is that you have given the reader closure of each main character. Don’t be afraid to end with a love scene. Do what your characters want to consummate their love; a love discovered and saved above all obstacles.

These areas should help you get a good grip on being your own editor. Remember, if you find you need more help in an area do the research. Rewrites might feel like you failed but it is not so. You wrote this story and edit is to polish it into a book.

____________________

Jewel Adams

Words of Love – How to Write a Romance

© 2012

Saving Money on Auto Insurance

Six months ago, I shopped around and switched my auto insurance carrier. I saved money, and gained unlimited small accident forgiveness. Pretty handy when you have an unmarried male under age 25 on your policy. The one gimmick was we would save an extra $50 on the first six month premium for being new policy holders. The premium would go up $50 at renewal.  Guess what? Instead of our premium being $50 more, it went down $138, and the explanation was due to our credit score.

We don't carry a credit card balance, we always paid the monthly charges in full when the bill arrived, saving all interest charges and fees. I recently heard Clark Howard, then others, say you should pay your credit card off before your monthly statement. So you have a zero balance. When someone, like your auto insurance company, checks your credit report, the creditors report your last monthly balance. Ours could have been anywhere from $3,000 to $8,000 depending on Christmas, vacations or just regular budget months. Well, for the last few months, I've stopped charging two business days before the statement closes, and paying off the balance before we are billed. So now when the auto insurance company checked our credit report, it saw zero balances for the credit cards which upped our excellent FICO score even higher. And lowered our premium!

The Dingo Ate The Bingo

The Dingo Ate The Bingo

by Mike Hays

Here is a story about fatherhood and family.  It is a story from the dining room table, the greatest parenting tool in existence. The dining room table is the place to meet, the place to talk, the place to laugh, the place to cry, the place to game, the place to argue and the place to learn from each other. To warn you, though, it runs a bit to the smartass/amusing side, as many things do around our dining room table.  In fact, this story made the Mom expel her lime green jello from mouth to plate during the dinner where the tale was first told.  For the record, that hasn't occurred in a LONG time.  (Don't say anything to the Mom about the lime green jello incident, though. Some things are better kept between us.)

 Son, age 17, and father, age 47, went to a doctor's appointment in another town.  While on the hour-long drive, son periodically shouts "Bingo" and tallies a count.

Finally, as they hit the highway stretch, the dad says,  "Bingo?  What the heck is that?"

 "You say 'Bingo' when you see a yellow vehicle."

Okay, easy enough.  So we travel a few miles ahead, the ultra-observant dad sees a school bus. "Bingo!"

"That doesn't count." Says passive-competitive son. "Buses don't count."

Next, the dad sees a Catepillar bulldozer in a construction zone.  As "Bin..." begins to slip out of dad's mouth.

Teenage son says, "Neither do construction vehicles."

"Are you making the rules up as we go?" Dad asks.

In that wonderful teenage tone comes the answer, "No."

So teenage son runs the score up through the city on the way to the doctor's office.  Apparently, not only are yellow buses and construction vehicles not legal fare in this game of Bingo, but about every yellow vehicle the dad points out lies outside the rules.  

"Too orange-ish" 

"No delivery vans"

"No 1972 Coup de villes", etc., etc. etc...

After the appointment, a trip to exchange some clothes at the mall, which feels like sticking pins into the eyes, we stop by the McD's for a quick lunch and hit the road back toward home.

Son continues Bingo game, every yellow vehicle he points out is acceptable within the rules of the Bingo Society of North America and every yellow-ish vehicle the dad points out gets negated.  Back on the interstate, the dad has just about had enough of the game of Bingo.

Ahead, as if sent by God himself, the dad sees a tandem Fed-Ex tractor-trailer in the westbound lane. 

"DINGO!" The dad shouts.

Teenage son, 'What are you talking about?  Dingo?"

"Yeah, I am now playing Dingo.  Delivery truck Bingo...Dingo.  Get it?"  The dad, using superior evasive strategy, completely dumbfounds teenage son.

"Dingo!" He shouts out at a passing Old Dominion trailer.

"Doesn't count."

"What???"

"It's Monday, isn't it?"

"Yeah.  So..." His mind is racing trying to figure what is coming next.

The dad chuckles, "Son, Monday is Fed-Ex Dingo Day. I am up by one."

On the east side of town, another tandem Fed-Ex trailer. "DINGO!  Up 2-Zip"

About a mile or so down the highway we see a mid-size Fed-Ex delivery van.  The son points and just about jumps out of his seat.

"DINGO!" He shouts.

"Sorry",  says the dad.  "That's a van, not a delivery TRUCK."  The laughter from one half of the car is uncontrollable as the car veers slightly in the lane.

(Note: This is where the start of the green jello incident commences on the retelling of the story later that evening.)

"That is NOT funny!" Teenage son is not happy as the tables turn in old papa's direction.

You know sometimes you just can't script real life any more funnier than it turns out.  There is truly a God and God has a great sense of humor.  For just at that moment, as the teenage son turns around and is complaining and pointing at the Fed Ex delivery van that did not count as a legal hit in the game of Dingo,  four or five Fed-Ex tandem delivery tractor-trailers, a virtual convoy, rise up over the ridge in the opposite lane.  As son is still lamenting about his lack of a score, the dad, who is laughing so hard he doesn't really remember if it was actually four or five trucks in the convoy, says, "Dingo, Dingo, Dingo, Dingo and Dingo!"

(Herein lies the actual point that the Mom expelled the lime green jello from her mouth.  3 family members at the dinner table are laughing so hard they can hardly breath, while one stays absolutely silent.)

Teenage son sits in stunned silence.  About 30 minutes down the road, he's still silent.  The dad sees a yellow trash truck down the road where they are at a stop sign.  Just to rub it in, the dad calmly says, "Bingo."

Teenage son's head snaps up, returns to straight ahead stare position then deadpans, "Nope, that's gold."

The Beautiful Hand

Back when I was a girl, penmanship was an important subject. An individual was judged on how legible their handwriting was. One of the highest compliments someone could pay a woman or man was to pronounce they had a "beautiful hand".

One of the most beautiful was known as copperplate or round hand. It was so called because the penmanship pattern books were printed using copper plates. This is the elaborate, most recognizable calligraphic hand today--the one many people envision when someone mentions calligraphy. It was highly popular from the mid-eighteenth century until well into the early twentieth century. By the time I was in school in the mid twentieth century, most of the flourishes had disappeared, but the sloping, beautifully formed letters still remained.

In many school districts, "handwriting" is no longer taught. Between texting on cellphones and the computers in most American homes, handwriting is no longer considered a necessity. I confess this makes me sad.

Yes, I know many people have nearly illegible handwriting. But I have to wonder what would happen in another generation if the entire electronic industry came to a screaming halt. How would people communicate? Will it all come down to the few survivors who know how to write?

I have spent years working on my genealogy. There's nothing quite like reading a diary or a census record written by hand. There's an immediacy that isn't present in the printed transcribed records. Reading a court record in long hand where some fellow is arguing about paying child support (yep, even in the eighteenth century there were dead-beat dads) is an experience not to be missed.

Wills, land records, letters and diaries--all written by those individuals long ago--offer an opportunity to meet them first hand through their handwriting. And a surprising number of them did indeed have a "beautiful hand".

anny
www.annycook.com