Dancing with the Popular Dancers

You knew a blog about competitive arts would eventually have to include Dancing with the Stars, or as I call it Dancing with the Popular Dancers.  You have to admit, after fourteen seasons, the dancers are a lot more famous than most of the stars.

At the start of this season, I didn’t know Donald Driver, this season’s winner.  To be fair, I only knew two of the contestants—Urkel, Gladys Knight, Martina, and Melissa Gilbert.  Perhaps that’s why I was somewhat ambivalent about this year’s winner.  Donald seems like a really nice man, but I could generate any enthusiasm for his personality and I certainly wasn’t wowed by his footwork.  If I were willing to pick up the phone, I wouldn’t have voted for him, but then, I wouldn’t have dialed the numbers for the blonde Brit either.  I admit, she certainly danced the best, but why travel to America to be on reality show if you’re England’s number one singer?  Likely, I would have voted William Levy.  Not sure that would have been appropriate, but hey, the show is truly a popularity contest and he’s downright sexy. 

It occurred to me that writing is a bit like DWTS.  One person’s literary champion is another person’s honorable mention.  Sometimes there’s a clear winner where most people can agree—like season ten’s winner Nicole Scherzinger, or in popular fiction, J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter .  Other times, there’s a winner who’s just popular, but not technically the most talented.  For instance, DTWS Champion Donnie Osmond.  In the fiction world, we’ve all bought books by popular authors—even when the reviews are bad and the books just don’t measure up to previous blockbusters. 

And other times, you just scratch your head until you realize—maybe it’s me?  Maybe I just have different taste.  From everyone else.

And you are absolutely correct.  Competitive arts are, after all, subjective.

What about you?  Did this years DWTS champion wow you?

Mutant X Cats

The Cornish Rex is a genetic mutant.
This unique breed came into being in Cornwall, England in 1950. A kitten with short, curly hair and a lean body was born to a barn cat. After the kitten, named Kallibunker, reached puberty it was re-mated with mom to see if anymore genetically-altered  kittens could be produced.--Yes, incestuous activities run rampant in the animal world.--More curly-haired kittens arrived  and the Cornish Rex came into being.
Seven years later they crossed the shores to America.
These kitties got their name because their coats resembled curly-haired rabbits called Astrex Rabbits. The fur has a soft suede-like feel to it. They have no guard hairs(outer), just tight curly downy fur. They don't shed and even though they aren't hypoallergenic, many folks with allergies can tolerate the breed. They are easy to bath and this also cuts down on allergens. With this short fur and lack of guard hairs Cornish Rex's should definitely be an indoor cat.
The cats have large ears and wedge-shaped heads. You can tell, just by looking at those eyes that they're active. These kitties are playful, intelligent and affectionate with their owners.
Good with kids and other pets? Average. They could be better, could be worse.
With their lean, bodies and long racy legs, the Cornish Rex is considered the greyhounds of the cat family. The average weight of the Cornish is between six and ten pounds.
The Cornish Rex doesn't do well with certain anesthetics so talk to your doctor before use. Other health issues to be considered are heart disease, thyroidism and easy loss of body heat.
The life span of this breed of feline is ten to fifteen years, though one purportedly lived to the mind-boggling age of thirty-three.
Interested in adding one of these fun loving creatures to your household? Please save a life and check for a Cornish Rex rescue.
~*~

On the home front:

This beautiful little family has taken sanctuary under a small church in my area. Rescues are filled to overflowing, but we're trying to find homes for them.

~*~

Blatant self-promotion:

Minder has been released at MuseItUpPublishing.com
To celebrate I'm running a contest at Sandra's Blog
For a chance to win:
Butterfly Pins
A Starbucks Gift Card
A book dedication
and 
A download of Minder, just stop by and leave a comment mentioning Minder and your email addie.

Featured Finds: Staring Into The Eyes Of Chance

Today I’d like to share something kind of new to me.  I’ve never been drawn to werewolf stories, envisioning the horror type stuff of instinct controlled monsters ripping apart unsuspecting families on camping vacations.  But, Kay Dee Royal introduced me to a different side of the shape-shifting scene in Staring Into the Eyes of Chance.

Staring Into the Eyes of Chance is an Erotic Paranormal Romance that takes you into the world of Olivia, a wildlife refuge owner, and Chance, the leader of a Lycan International Investigation Agency.  If you’re looking for a striking, sizzling hot read, take a run on the wild side with Chance’s pack.  I won't be shy to let you know this is a very erotic read.  It has a strong story with explicit scenes throughout. 

Kay Dee has graciously allowed me to share part of the interview I held with her main characters, Olivia and Chance.  The full interview can be found at Charlene Blogs.

~ * ~

Charlene:    I’m sorry I’m not an expert, but, *leans her head and look at Chance* would you explain what a Lycan really is?

Chance: Lycan are shifters, wolf to human-form, and back again to our furry-form within seconds.  We have a few abilities different from humans, like injuries heal much, much faster, within hours most of the time.  We run at great speeds and have long endurance for going hundreds of miles in a day.  Our strength comes in pretty handy, as does our ability to jump over eight-foot fences.  *Chance winks at Olivia*  And, of course, we have enhanced senses, smell, taste, eye-sight, hearing…with the pack’s ability to telecommunicate with each other.

Charlene:  Wow.  That’s just phenomenal.  Did you have any idea Chance was one, Olivia? 

Olivia: Absolutely none.  I never considered the possibility…I mean, honestly, it was only in fiction.  *laughs out loud*  I’m still trying to wrap my brain around it.

Charlene:  Well, I’m just so thrilled you found each other.  *gives them a sidelong look knowing full well the answer to her next question*  You do get together, right?

Chance:  Charlene, dear, do you honestly need to ask that question?  *chuckles*

Charlene:  *grins big and indicates the blog readers with her glance*  Actually, yes I do, Chance.

 

Olivia:  Chance.  *blushes, then looks straight at Charlene*  I don’t think Kay Dee would want us chatting about the “us” in the story, but may I quickly add…it is an extremely graphic “us.”

Charlene:  *nods*  Ah, right.  Your story is an Erotic Romance.  Do you think you could share an excerpt with us?  A, um, pg13 rated one, that is. 

Staring Into the Eyes of Chance

Book 1 LIIA Series (Lycan International Investigation Agency)

Genre: Paranormal Erotica Romance – Explicit love scenes

Blurb:

Olivia endures a thirty-four year passionless marriage, discovering her dead husband’s philandering history at his funeral. She devotes her energy and life-long sensitivity with animals to her wildlife refuge and preserve.


Chance, a Lycan alpha and leader of the Lycan International Investigation Agency (LIIA) throws himself into his investigations. He chooses to neglect his duty of finding a primal-mate after watching his father become an empty shell over the loss of his.

A murderous rogue pack draws Chance onto Olivia’s wildlife preserve, sending Olivia’s animal sensitivities into overdrive. Chance and Olivia discover a sizzling force driving them together.

Will they succumb to its enticing tether, or fight to resume their loveless lives apart?

Staring Into the Eyes of Chance

Excerpt:

Olivia closed her eyes, calling up her animal sensitivity ability, while shoving down her own panic. After years of psychically working with animals, she knew they sensed panic and fear. Her breathing needed regulating.

Olivia relaxed as best she could and opened her mind. She sensed the wolf; masculine. He came across with an urgent need to protect, more like helping her feel safe. Another howl, with a deep and sinister timbre, shattered her concentration. A stab of electricity zipped through her, pumping adrenaline and tightening every muscle. This howl came from farther inside the forest than the first one. She sensed aggression in the wolves within the forest, ready for battle. Her heart drummed against her ribs in anticipation of an answering call, and she couldn’t stop the tremors running rampant in her belly.

Instead she saw the lights go out through her closed eyelids. She opened her eyes and saw nothing but blackness.

Nine o’clock on a September evening, what did she expect? Damn power company! Hopefully Lacey sat in the Jacuzzi and wouldn’t come running out.

She lay listening for any sound. Her own breath, the loudest panting she’d ever heard, came in at a close second to her heart banging against the walls of her chest. Slowly, she sat up. The back of her head throbbed, her spine hurt, and the front of her body ached, especially her breasts. She bent her legs to stand and in that same moment a jet of hot mist coated her face.

Wolf breath.

Olivia froze, tamping down the run-for-your-life urge. Her mind reached toward the beast beside her, searching his energy markers, his emotions, urges. She read him as curious, stimulated. Maybe a misread of…sexually stimulated? She sat back on her haunches, figuring if she stretched at least four feet of her five-foot ten frame, maybe she’d appear larger. His breath assailed her from above, she remained squatted.

Damn, this thing is huge!

He sniffed the top of her head, down by her ear, licked the length of her neck and up the side of her face. Another howl close by, echoing near the tree-line, got the wolf’s attention. He raised his head from her and shoved her body back with his own. She went down on her butt, folding her legs sideways. Fur from his backside pressed into the front of her, including her face. Olivia turned her head away and took a breath. A shiver began in her belly and inched through her arms, legs, and up her neck. She sensed his urgency, he must move and his need…again, to keep her safe and again something else, another misread?

He moved back, his head next to hers. A growl vibrated, harsh and deep, beside her ear. Olivia jumped when he yipped instead of howled. He circled her, stopping behind her. A sudden scratch of claws and pebbles from rain washout near the barn pelted her. Air swirled around her as the wolf leaped over her head in the direction of the woods.

Olivia’s breath whooshed out like a balloon being released. Tears welled and trickled down her face. The wolf’s size was about as abnormal as it got. She’d never heard of any wolf being that large. She’d done plenty of research on the species, brushing up for the wolf pup she rehabilitated and released back into the wild years ago when Ray and she first opened the refuge, before they owned the preserve property.

Olivia pushed herself up onto wobbly legs, her stomach lurched, and before she could blink, vomit spewed. She retched hard, falling onto her hands and knees, weak and crying, something she hadn’t done since Ray’s funeral. As if on cue, all the lights popped on, illuminating her shadow against the barn wall.

Oh, that’s lovely. Damn power company.

Available at:

Muse It Hot Publishing 

Amazon

Coffee Time Romance 

All Romance ebooks

About Kay Dee:

Kay Dee Royal writes paranormal, fantasy, and contemporary erotic romance—maybe because it's also her favorite genres to read! She pens tales with wild, rugged heroes and confident, intelligent heroines. She'll give them both a few shadowy secrets, making her stories intriguing and fun. Blogging and promoting other authors feeds her passion and muse.

Kay Dee resides in Southern Michigan with her family (her dogs, her cats, her caged husband... you get the idea)

Where you can reach her:

Her Paranormal, Erotica, Romance blog

Ravencraft’s Romance Realm

MuseItHot

Twitter

Facebook

~ * ~ 



If you enjoyed this post, you might also like:

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Until next time, may your dreams be magical.  

      Charlene

~ * ~

Charlene A. Wilson is an author of paranormal suspenseful tales that take you to other dimensions. She weaves magic, lasting love, and intrigue into multi-layered story lines to immerse you into the lives of her characters.  

Daylilies

Hemerocallis 'Chris Salter' tetraploid with 6" flower

Daylilies form the backbone of summer flower gardens. Their large, bold flowers attract everyone's attention, even if each bloom only lasts a day.

Colors come in every hue between yellow and red from palest ivory to darkest burgundy. The only colors daylilies don't come in are pure white and pure blue, but breeders are getting closer to these elusive colors every year. A self colored daylily has all six petals (actually the under petals are technically sepals) in the same color, although the throat or slight tube at the base of the petals, may be a different color. From there, the flower may be classified as bicolors, blended, eyed, banded, edged, picoteed, tipped, dotted or dusted and the flowers come in triangular, circular, star, ruffled, flat, trumpet, spider, recurved and double forms. Thousands of cultivars have emerged from these genetic possibilities. You don't need to worry too much about this unless you plan to hybridize flowers; just pick the ones that appeal to you. Most daylilies are very reasonably priced, but newer cultivars, and those that have won awards, are usually more expensive.

Hermerocallis 'Eenie  Allegro' mini bicolor with 3" flowers

Besides their wide variety of color combinations and flower shapes, different cultivars extend the blooming season from early summer to first frost. They can withstand neglect and drought, grow in many different climates, soils, and light conditions and are almost insect and disease free, although grasshoppers are fond of them.

Originally daylilies, or Hemerocallis (Greek for day beauty), came from Asia and Eurasia. The common orange daylily, also called ditch lily, escaped from early gardens and often grows along roadsides, notably in ditches. The yellow 'lemon lily' is another daylily species that has escaped cultivation. Since hybridizers started working on daylilys in the 1930's, the many changes in color and form listed earlier have occurred, but changes also include the number of chromosomes in the plant's cells.

Daylilies come in diploid, or with the normal two sets of chromosomes, and now, tetraploid, which may have three or four sets of chromosomes. Tetraploids tend to have larger flowers, more intense colors, and heavier substance, or thickness of stem, leaf, and petal, than diploid daylilies.

The daylily flower opens for a day, and most are diurnal, or opening in the morning and closing at night. There are also nocturnal blooming daylilies where the flower opens in the late afternoon and closes early the next morning.

Hemerocallis 'Ruby Throat' red self color

Once you've purchased a daylily, or received one from a friend, plant it in rich, well-drained soil where it will receive at least six hours of sun. While daylilies can withstand drought and neglect, they bloom more profusely when adequately watered and fertilized once or twice during the summer growing season.
Of all the plants a gardener can grow, daylilies are one of the easiest to grow and give rich rewards for many years. They forgive common gardening mistakes and take little care, demanding only to be divided about once every five years. During those five trouble-free summers, each bloom's day of beauty is a sight to treasure.

Time Travel Romance History and Research

Some people may think that because a Time Travel Romance combines paranormal with historic romance that you don't need to research, wrong. Research is a very important aspect of a Time Travel.
Once you have the era that your character lands in it is vital to get out those history books and see what was going on back then. You will want to discover what the politics were at this time. When I say politics I mean just that. Say your heroine lands in Kansas, you would need to discover the year and then look up and see what is happening. Current events of say 1867 would do. The Civil War would probably play a part in your story, maybe the hero was a soldier. Once you establish the time frame you need to know what the ladies were wearing. Check out the fashion for the era for both your characters.
Fashion then leads to lifestyles, what kind of furniture, curtains, house styles and appliances (non-electric). 
As you can see the list can grow very quickly and it doesn't stop 
Once you gather all the information you think you will need, then you can weave these little tidbits into the story. The word "weave" is the trick, you want the history to blend into the story, not become the focus.
I hope you were able to get DREAM LOVER this weekend at Kindle for FREE and when you are reading it pay attention to how the history weaves throughout the story.
If you have any questions ask away, I'm will check back later today.
Jewel

Rediscovering Comfort Food

As my brain is rewiring midlife, I decided a few months ago that I would stop dieting. It wasn't working like it used to and my taste buds were no longer enthused nor cooperative. And, btw, I've also been reading up on women's health, both how women's bodies respond to exercise (I joined a gym and am LOVING group exercise classes of all varieties) and books exploring the pre-menopause and perimenopause phases we all experience between 35 and 50. Apparently our brains rewire, and we transform from peacemaking nurturers to empowered creators who no longer put up with stuff and finally find our voices to speak out and change.

Having been on the low carb high protein, fat is okay bandwagon since the 90's, it's been physically and mentally difficult to embrace all of the whole, yummy foods I used to love. White rice. Skim milk. Bread. Fruit! Nothing is off limits now.

I don't cook often these days because, well, my husband is a chef, and my kids love cooking too. So I got lazy and handed the responsibilites over to them. Last week I cooked two meals. I hadn't had them since the 90's! Stuffed bell peppers and Chicken and dumplings. I'm drinking skim milk with my meals again. Yum. And I'm also drinking skim milk after I do weight training. There was a study that concluded women who drank two glasses of skim milk after weight bearing exercise lost twice as much fat as those who didn't.

I'm trying to reset my metabolism by building muscle and am patiently embracing this new lifestyle. The weight loss has been slow, but my clothes fit again and I'm only a couple pounds over a healthy BMI. I have stopped gaining weight, which is the biggest comfort of all.

Are there any comfort foods you adored as a child or younger adult that you haven't eaten lately?

The Graduation

High school graduation was yesterday. The twins, my youngest children, are now out of high school and ready to tackle the world (I suggested they start by tackling their rooms to clean them). They are good kids, all three of my kids are great people. They are better human beings than I will ever be, something their mother and I are most proud of as their parents.
We live in a small town. Our town has its share of problems, but there is a wonderful network of people who helped our kids grow up to be the fine people they are today. I grew up in an large urban metroplex where few people actually gave a rat's behind about you, so I appreciate this aspect of my town more than most. Graduation in a small town is a major social event. Ours is on a Sunday afternoon at the high school football stadium. Graduation Sunday morning finds most of the churches celebrating a special service for their graduates. The ceremony is at 2:00 PM and afterward families host a reception party in their homes. Like I said, it is a major social event in our town.
At our house, we had a come & go snack and desert reception from 3:30-6:30. Among the attendees throughout the course of the day were grandmas and grandpas, aunts and uncles, cousins, family friends, teachers, coaches, classmates, bosses, co-workers, priest, youth ministers, neighbors, etc. It was a blast. While moving around the house, patio and yard greeting and meeting folks, I stopped to have a look around to drink in the scene. It dawned on me then why my kids turned out to be pretty darn good young adults; because of all these people who showed up to offer congratulations, gifts, jokes and well wishes. Each of these wonderful people played a part, no matter how large or small, in helping my wife and me raise our kids. There was no need for any of these people to bring gifts as they had already given so much of themselves to help mold our family.
It is a wonderful thing to be so fortunate and blessed.

Cathie Dunn writes...: Author Beth Trissel at My Place

Cathie Dunn writes...: Author Beth Trissel at My Place: Today, I'm delighted to welcome  Beth Trissel , author of historical and light paranormal romance. Having enjoyed reading a number of her no...

$14 Millon Dollar Book

The earliest intact European book, completed in the seventh century, was bought by the British Library in London for fourteen million dollars. The palm-sized red leather bound book was hand-written. Click on the link and check out the gallery. There are at least two pictures showing the incredibly even lettering.

Saint Cuthbert's Gospel

Is calligraphy relevant today? I don't know. But what will libraries be paying that price for in another fourteen centuries? Will our documents engender comparative awe? It's a beautiful book. Check it out.

anny

Ring of Fire Sparks A New Start

The first solar eclipse of 2012 tomorrow is hot stuff – and not solely because the sun will look like a ring of fire.  Depending upon your birth chart’s aspects, the strength of the upcoming solar eclipse will vary.  Regardless of personal aspects, this eclipse brings the life experiences needed to grow and evolve.

A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth, partially or totally obscuring the image of the sun from Earth’s viewers.  Metaphysically, eclipses remove what you don’t need from your life.  In some cases, the change is dramatic and immediate.  Other times, a big transition may not occur until the corresponding lunar eclipse occurs in several weeks (sorry, I said months originally).

Either way, solar eclipses are known for creating new beginnings.  Often the change includes a twist or surprise.  This celestial event works from the outside in, kicking us from our ruts.  Eclipses also assist in overcoming the fear generated with giving up a known pattern while acting as great reminders that we can’t control life.  

With all this etheric energy flying around us, news of life-changing events may come your way soon.  But don’t jump into action just yet!  Consider ideas and transitions carefully before taking action.  A week or so after the eclipse is a safe waiting period.  Solar eclipses accent the start of new projects and ways of being in the world.  Enjoy your ring of fire tomorrow!

  

"Lavender is for Lovers True"~

“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.

“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

“Lavender is for lovers true, Which evermore be faine; Desiring always for to have Some pleasure for their paine: And when that they obtained have The love that they require, Then have they all their perfect joie, And quenched is the fire.” 

~Lavender and Turner (Herbal, 1545)

“There’s rosemary and rue. These keep
Seeming and savor all the winter long.
Grace and remembrance be to you.”
- William Shakespeare

I know a bank where the wild thyme blows,
Where oxlips and the nodding violet grows,
Quite over-canopied with luscious woodbine,
With sweet musk-roses and with eglantine:
There sleeps Titania sometime of the night,
Lull’d in these flowers with dances and delight. ~A Midsummer Night’s Dream

 "When daisies pied and violets blue
And lady-smocks all silver-white
And cuckoo-buds of yellow hue
Do paint the meadows with delight."
Love’s Labours Lost

 

“ladies fair, I bring to you
lavender with spikes of blue;
sweeter plant was never found
growing on our English ground.”

~Caryl Battersby

“And lavender, whose spikes of azure bloom
shall be, ere-while, in arid bundles bound
to lurk admist the labours of her loom,
and crown her kerchiefs witl mickle rare perfume.” ~William Shenstone The School Mistress 1742

“Much Virtue in Herbs, little in Men.”
- Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) Poor Richard’s Almanac

 

“Those herbs which perfume the air most delightfully, not passed by as the rest, but, being trodden upon and crushed, are three; that is, burnet, wild thyme and watermints.  Therefore, you are to set whole alleys of them, to have the pleasure when you walk or tread.”
-  Frances Bacon

“How could such sweet and wholesome hours
Be reckoned but with herbs and flowers?”
-  Andrew Marvel

*Royalty free images

Wild Hyacinth is Great for Your Garden

The native wild hyacinth, the Camassia (ka-ma-see-a) or quamash, comes from the Northwestern states of the United States. The flowers bloom in late May and early June in my area, emerge on long spikes rising eighteen inches or more above the grass-like foliage.

There are three species sold as garden plants, Camassia cusickii, C. leichtlinii, and C. quamash which puts together two of the plant’s common names, so really means quamash quamash.

Meriwether Clark of Lewis and Clark fame mentions Camassia in his journal. He describes a marsh thick with blooming Camassia as “a lake of fine clear water, socomplete is this deception that on first sight I could have sworn it waswater.”  

The bulb of the Quamash plant was an important food source for the Cree, Nez Pierce and Blackfoot tribes. Indian women partially cultivated Camassia, clearing the growing sites of Death Camas, the look-alike white-blossomed Zigadenus species that grew with their Quamash. They slowly roasted the Quamash bulbs in fire pits over a period of two days, until the bulbs turned black and sweet. Those not eaten were dried and pulverized for later use. Boiling the bulbs produced a molasses like syrup. (Information from Wikipedia.)

Camassia bulbs contain inulin, a hard to digest starch. Cooking slowly breaks the inulin down into fructose sugar. The Europeans found the bulbs very hard to digest since they didn’t know the native’s cooking secrets. Because of this, they disliked the Indian treat considered a food gift from their great spirit.

Like the onion and lily, Camassia is a member of the Liliaceae family. The blossom’s one to two inch diameter star-shaped flowers bloom in groups on stems up to four feet in height. Blooms vary by species and cultivar from light blue through dark purple, with a few white cultivars available. They grow well in almost any soil, but the soil must be damp during their spring growth period. Their natural habitat is a meadow damp in spring but dry in summer. They prefer full sun, but grow in dappled shade. Like daffodils, Camassia foliage dies back and the bulbs go dormant in mid summer. They thrive in ordinary garden soils and are very hardy, slowly colonizing an area. Some sources report Camassi leichtlinii hardy only to zone 5, but probably due to our winter’s continuous snow cover, mine grow fine in zone 4. The other two species are hardy to zone 4.

Camassia grow easily from seed, which can be collected by tying a bag over the maturing seed heads so the released seed falls into the bag when ripe. The resulting plants take three to four years to bloom.

Most nurseries have Camassia available with their fall bulb selections. Plant the bulbs about three times deeper than the bulb’s diameter. My initial three bulbs turned into twelve plants in three years. During that time I learned they are best massed together, so for the most effective display, get ten or more bulbs.

They are good garden plants, excellent cut flowers, and look stunning when naturalized in a wild area.

Hi friends, Sorry I didn't post today. I am headed for some more surgery from my accident. Grrrrr... Not feeling real well but hopefully this will take care of what ails me. Maybe next time I will blog about my close relationship to the medical profession! Spending a lot of time in their company. Say a little prayer for me and I'll be back for the second of June. Have a great May!

Life of Historic Buildings--Should They Be Saved?

In the little community where I live, we haven’t saved many of our old historic buildings. Some of that loss is due to turn-of-the-century fires that destroyed many of the structures in the old downtown.

A while back, we had a chance to rescue an important aged building that over the years has served a huge number of people in our little town.

But we didn’t.

Those involved said it would be far too expensive to renovate this big old brick building that in recent years has housed a medical center. They simply did not have the funds to fix it up.

Sad.

This building once served as a community center for our town. Clubs met there. Dinners and luncheons were served. Children took dancing classes. Before the days of kindergarten in the public schools, a private kindergarten was taught there. Later, when there were public school kindergartens, the community center class became a nursery school. And there was a teen club with Friday evening dances. Perhaps most memorable of all, art classes were taught on the upper floor in a flood of light beneath the skylights.

Lots of memories for lots of people.

Bulldozing equipment wiped those memories away. Now a grassy lawn has replaced them.

Ours in a truly historic town. Soon after the settling of the first permanent English colony at Jamestown, Captain John Smith explored our rivers—we sit on three—and our creeks. The Indian tribes were here long before that and two reservations--the Mattaponi and the Pamunkey--remain nearby.

In other places we dig ruins from the jungle. Maybe these memories are not old enough.

Does your community save its historic buildings?


My series of 12 large Maya Ruins paintings are on view through July 10 at Crossroads Art Center, 2016 Staples Mill Road in Richmond. The public is invited to an opening reception, Friday, May 18 from 6 to 9 p.m. The event will include a book signing for my adventure novel, Jungle Jeopardy. Inspired by my travels to the Maya Ruins and by Indiana Jones-type perils, this book finds a perfect setting among my paintings located in Gallery One at the Art Center.

Thursday, May 17, my art show and book signing will be featured in a segment on Virginia This Morning, CBS Channel 6 Richmond, between 9 and 10 a.m.


Mary Montague Sikes

The Beauty of Acceptence...The Ugliness of Bullies

I've never been a morning person. I just can't see the sense of it. Perhaps because I worked night work for nearly twenty years, going home to a waiting bed while grumpy, bleary-eyed people were on their way to their day jobs.

Others enjoy watching the sunrise. Mug of coffee in hand, they're eager to start the day. For them, their energy levels run highest at that time of the day. Mine run highest in the afternoons. Some of us require nine hours of sleep. Some can operate quite well on four or five. Isn't it wonderful how we're all different?

Talents and abilities come in different amounts and areas, too. How many of you have heard piano players who've never taken a lesson. They just have an ear for music. Some people are natural athletes. In some cases, they can play multiple sports and excel at each. How do you cook? I can make a meal with no recipes. Perhaps because I've been cooking so long. Others couldn't follow a recipe if their lives depended on it. Yet I can't dance a single step with grace, while others move nimbly as if they were made of jello molds.

I like to celebrate our differences. I believe in the beauty of diversity. Do I want everyone to think like me? Heaven's no! Do I want everyone to behave as I do? Goodness, what if they did? Who would greet the sun to hear the birds chirp their morning songs if everyone slept in like me?

There is a serene beauty in accepting the differences within humanity. Is the person with the gloomy personality less important than a person who sports a perpetual smile? Is a person with blue eyes more beautiful than a person with brown? Is a child with a handicap worth less than a physically perfect child? If you don't think the same way I do about politics, does that make you less patriotic? Please say it isn't so!

Yet bullies zero in on those with differences.

Overweight kids, poorly dressed kids, shy kids and those thought to be weak in any way are targeted by bullies. These bullies have progressed from the playgrounds to the school buses to the Internet. Sadly, bullies grow up and become adult bullies. Often with power. As adults in power, they bully and putdown anyone who does't think, act, talk, and walk the way they do. They see no beauty in diversity, no acceptance of the uniqueness of the individual. They live in the ugly world of "Bully-ism."

I much prefer the beautiful world of love and acceptance.

Would you like to join me?

Meditation - Contentment v happiness

Happiness v Contentment.

Are they the same?  Does it matter if they’re not?  And most importantly what do they mean to you?

Meditation is all about finding that inner point of ‘self’, but what does that mean?  So often during the past months I’ve constantly reminded of the need not to stress about achievement, and that in trying too hard, you’ll probably block the one thing you want from coming into your life.

So, what is the difference between happiness and contentment?  While the answer should be generically similar for everyone, upon reflection it’s easy to see how impossible that is.  Individually while we may all strive for the same goal, no one person will travel precisely the same route to achieve it.

Is contentment a lesser goal than happiness?  Or is it more real, and less transient? And what of happiness?  Is it an emotion that takes you to such heights staying there permanently could even be dangerous?

Checks and balances.  It seems this old chestnut appears very frequently when discussing meditation, but stop for a moment and think about it, life IS all about checks and balances.  Some imposed form outside and others from self – from within. 

So, contentment v happiness.  Does it have to be an ‘either/or’ situation or can it become a case of graduation?

If you are looking to me to give you the answer today, then I’m sorry, you’re in for a disappointment.  Only you can decide what gives you contentment, and what gives you happiness.  Only you can decide whether happiness is a constant state of being or not, and only you can decide whether striving for contentment means you lessen your chances of being happy.

How can you do that? 

By meditating on them both.  Perhaps one at a time.  Instead of concentrating on breathing – remember one of the first meditations I offered? -  concentrate on the single word ‘contentment’.  Next time you meditate, concentrate on the word ‘happiness’, note the differences, jot them dot if you want to, and then if you still need more answers, meditate on both words at once and see what you come up with.

If nothing appears to happen, don’t make the mistake of dismissing the experience out of hand.  The very act of meditating on ‘contentment’ and ‘happiness’ will give your subconscious and subliminal mind permission to keep working on the conundrum while you go about your daily routines.  Results are rarely instantaneous when meditating on specifics, but be assured, the changes will come, your awareness will sharpen, your focus, on what is important to you, will shift, and in doing so will alter the balance you have with people in your life.   Maybe for the better, maybe not.  Change brings challenges, but if you know what gives you contentment and happiness you will find it easier to continue to strive, and meditate on those things that matter most to you. 

Contentment and happiness.

Colorpoint Shorthair

If it walks like a Siamese, talks like a Siamese, looks and acts like a Siamese....it may be a Colorpoint Shorthair. Basically the only difference in these two breeds is that the Colorpoint Shorthair has many more point colors that the four that are recognized by Siamese breeders: seal, chocolate, blue and lilac.
Their points can include: lynx, red, chocolate tortie, chocolate-tortie lynx, blue cream, lilac cream and cream to name a few.
The Shorthairs came into being in the 1940s when breeders decided to develop other colorpoints by  breeding Siamese, Abyssinians and Reds.
Like their counterpoints the Siamese, they have outgoing personalities and love to chat with people. Their coats are short and glossy. Also like the Siamese, Colorpoint Shorthairs have a long tapering body and a wedge head. They have exotic almond-shaped eyes that are a deep, startling blue.
They're highly-intelligent cats and like all active, smart pets need plenty of attention to keep them out of trouble.
Other than having hip dysplatia and breathing problems if they are short muzzled, this is a healthy cat. It doesn't require a lot of grooming. Its average life span is eighteen years old but its not uncommon for the Colorpoint Shorthair to live to twenty-three.

If you're interested in making a home for one of these great kitties, please check out rescue before going to a breeder. If you're looking for a couch potato. This one is probably not for you.

Featured Finds: Fantasy Artist Elin Petterson

As I mentioned when I began Charlene's Featured Finds, I have the opportunity to work with fantastic authors, artists, and musicians.  I've introduced to you some great authors, but today I have a real treat.  

Elin Pettersson is a freelancer fantasy artist from Skellaftea, Sweden.  I ran across her portfolio on devianART last year where she goes by Frostnight.  I loved her style and when I noticed she did commissioned work, I contacted her to see if she’d be willing to do sketches of the Shilo brothers from my series, Chronicles of Shilo Manor.  She decided to give it a go.

Now, I have to say that I put her through the wringer.  Lol.  Bless her.  She specializes in fantasy characters, such as elves and dragons.  Human wizards of the Shilo kind were new to her.  But, she endeavored to make my sketches just the way I wanted them.  And she did a wonderful job.  She was delightful to work with. 

Not only does Elin bring to life characters through sketch, she creates custom cover art with her drawing and digital design talents.  The books of The Kinir Elite Chronicles are a prime example.  I had to share her with you on Charlene’s Featured Finds.

*You can click on any of her images to view them larger.*

I'm pleased to present Elin Petterssen.

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Besides drawing and painting I’ve recently started writing my own fantasy stories. The characters and places that I will be writing about have long been present in my art. But through writing, I can squeeze in so much more information about my world and the people in it!

When I was a child, I drew big dinosaurs on the walls and scribbled Pokémon and animals on papers all day. In school it was mostly dragons and horses until I started role playing and playing pc games, then I fell deadly in love with elves and the world of fantasy.

I had always been a dreamer living more in my head than in the “real life”.  And ever since I played my first pen and paper rpg, I’ve been interested in writing and world building.  I always said when I was growing up that I would work with something art related, and I was told many times that It was impossible, that I could never make a living out of something like that.

I knew what I wanted to do, I knew that my dream job would be to work as a freelance fantasy artist, and I would not give up on that dream no matter what I was told.  Not until I had at least tried.

Even though my art is mainly based on my own imagination, I started this company, Frostnight Illustrations, so that I could help other artists or writers to bring their fantasies to life!

Few things make me happier than when I’ve successfully portrayed a character that so far only existed as a thought in someone’s head or as a description on a piece of paper.

The joy people express when they can finally see their character’s face with their own eyes inspirers me to keep going and to constantly improve in my work.

  

Here’s where you can find her:

Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/pages/Frostnight-illustrations/179332748799599

Blog:  http://frostnightstories.wordpress.com/

devianART:  http://frostnight.deviantart.com/

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If you enjoyed this post, you might also like:

Featured Finds: Author Marsha A. Moore
Featured Finds: Dark Heirloom by J.D. Brown

Featured Finds: Exile by Toni V. Sweeney

Featured Finds: The Redemption of Lord Rawlings by Rachael Van Dyken

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Until next time, may your dreams be magical.  

      Charlene

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Charlene A. Wilson is an author of paranormal suspenseful tales that take you to other dimensions. She weaves magic, lasting love, and intrigue into multi-layered story lines to immerse you into the lives of her characters.

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