#922 and Counting!

Can you believe this is blog #922? I am proud to celebrate three years with WordPress, and having a home for Kathy Raabe, Author. My electronic footprint, now well established, leaves me feeling enthused about whatever is ahead. Onward!

I ran out of time yesterday (again!), devoting time to the Income Tax return. Looks like I’ll learn something new there, too. The software is telling me something about one topic I’ve not seen before. More research is in order. Was hoping it would go easier. Another life lesson for me. This is the latest I’ve ever filed. I will not be recreating this form of tardiness!

Also, yesterday had all the hype of a terrible weather event brewing. The news and social media was all about it again all day long. So, we were at the ready to take the girls and adjourn to the basement. Never happened. Lexie hides in the master bedroom closet. Goldie sits by us and shakes. All good. Bad night’s sleep, but no tornadoes, large hail, or damaging wind. Color us happy after all the hype.

The temperature and humidity reminded me of a hot July day in Nebraska. Windows were open. The grit that blew in the windows remained on everything in the kitchen – the table, the countertops, the chairs. It covered every surface it met. Today will be a major cleanup. If you run your hand over the surfaces, you will feel the grit and see the dirt. It was crazy! I am ready for the winds to calm down forever. Yes, except for breezes. Breezes are good.

Grandma Babs is a 73-year-old woman who is now a TikTok goddess. She began two years ago, while living with her daughter during the pandemic. The daughter had two toddlers and was pregnant with the third child. It was her daughter’s suggestion she develop a persona on TikTok. Grandma balked at first. Then she tried it.

Grandma cooks and bakes, tells stories, and imparts a lot of wisdom with her demonstrations of all things wonderful in the kitchen. These are things our young people don’t learn. I watched my Grandma Jewell bake, cook, and all the things she did so well. Most people don’t live near their grandparents. I’ve thought about doing a podcast reading children’s books. Feedback? I’d love to know what you all think. Comment, please!

Today, I will resolve the problem of Income Taxes for 2021. I will file it, finished it, and forever banish it from my brain. Then on to the fun stuff. Getting ready for my kid book preview. It should happen early in May. I cannot wait to see what Jordan has dreamed up. She is a creative soul if I ever met one.

As I prepare to slay the dragon that is the IRS reporting, I feel confident by 1 p.m. I will slay the beast. Tuned in tomorrow for the next exciting installment! Have a beautiful day.

Peaceful Sunday

While some folks are out there shopping for Christmas, we are chilling at home. Our favorite place. Everything we need is right here. It’s great. Being at a point in life where you can be settled is the best. It’s nothing you can buy, it’s nothing you can order from Amazon; it is a feeling inside of you that grows and makes you feel as if things are perfect. They may not be, don’t get me wrong. I think it’s the feeling things are perfect, because you know God is right beside you, guiding you, if you’d just listen. It’s the feeling everything will be all right. Things will work out. You can get through this.

It has nothing to do with age. Watch a toddler. Their whole world may be right in front of them. Given time and example, their imagination can take them anywhere. Read to them, and they will soar. They will learn how it can be enough to sit and read a book on a cold, Sunday afternoon. And it is. That’s what I plan to do later.

My current read is The Sewing Machine. It’s a lovely book. I put it down during the prepping for Thanksgiving then picked it up again yesterday. I was comforted by it, and now I have the feeling I will read a bit today.

This is Where I’ll Be This Afternoon!

And of course, it’s Sunday, so Yellowstone is in our future. The marathons are good to watch to refresh your memory. Hard to remember from season to season what things are referred to later. They’re important to the plot. The writing and acting is superb, in my opinion. I read a story about Rip’s famous scene where he plows into a bunch of bikers motorcycles, all parked in a row. It wasn’t in the script, but he checked with the director, the bikes were not worth much, they were just for show, and would be disposed of later. The reaction of the “bikers” was genuine, they had no idea he was going to run the bikes down. It was a spectacular move, a real Rip moment. How creative and effective!

I wrote some of my novel yesterday. 524 words, but it flowed freely. I was in a time crunch, so that’s all I did. I realized taking a couple weeks off was a good thing to do. Suspending my NaNoWriMo contest was a good thing to do. I needed the mental rest, not the mental fatigue. I’ve printed out all the chapters, and have them in a three ring binder, to begin editing later on. I have some more planning to do with subsequent chapters, and may do some of that later or tomorrow.

I plan to keep writing, counting the words. If I could get to 50K words by 12/31/2021, I’d consider it “won.” It’s just a guide, and I can keep going. We have some Christmas celebrations coming up, and I want to quilt a wall hanging to put up in the stairwell. No ladders will be involved, trust me! And I might start decorating little spaces in the house. It’ll be a good time to go through things again and donate anything I’m not in love with anymore. Great ideas! Slow and sure wins this Grandma’s race.

Have a beautiful day this sunny Sunday. Rest your mind and body. You’ll need it for the work ahead! See you tomorrow.

Snowy Saturday!

Snowy again as I sit in the Home Office at Gretna, Nebraska. I’m glad for the snow falling. That’s an unpopular position here in Nebraska during February. My attitude is the lawn and flowers need it a lot, and it’ll be fine. If it were October and snowing like this, it would be a different story. Just roll with it!

It’s been an interesting morning so far. The Babe is working with a group of people on a remodel project at the VFW Post. The building is old, and it’s been about ten years since they have done any painting inside. It’s time. They are going to replace all the ceiling tile first. I think they had quite a crew assembled as volunteers. It’s so nice we have some younger folks getting involved in a big way. That is so encouraging. Many Veteran organizations are hurting. Many have sold their buildings. Ours is doing well. The Babe is doing a stellar job at keeping track of the money that comes in and goes out. People trust him, and that’s huge.

The pups are both with me and are funny. How can someone not love this?

I’m still mulling over how to establish a powerful brand for each of my book genres. For today, I’d rather just write and read. Oh, and someone left an immense pile of laundry. Why don’t the dogs bark at them when that happens? No, the only interaction is when Goldie steals socks from the dirty laundry or even the clean laundry. It’s not a dryer that makes our socks mateless. It’s Goldie! I can’t speak to your house, but that’s what happens with ours.

I still haven’t heard from my attorney yet regarding the Nebraska Secretary of State approval or rejection of the name for my publishing company. It’s frustrating, I can’t introduce it or get business cards, or establish a bank account without the name and paperwork for the tax id #. Is all of government that slow?

All I can do is to be patient and work on some hanging-on projects from my list. There are many! I should skip any that have to do with cleaning, don’t you think? LOL. There will be plenty of opportunity for tax prep, cleaning out one troublesome kitchen cabinet, and maybe even working on a quilt. If I’m lucky. Yes, there is always something to do.

I signed up for a video class on Tuesday called, “How to Sell Your Book Without Feeling Icky.” Boy, could I use that! It should also help with branding, I think. More on that later! It appears there are more followers on this blog every day. I’m trying to appeal to a wide range and adding the Keto lifestyle helps a lot.

Speaking of Keto, I just about have a new wardrobe! My old jeans fit me again. With room to spare. That hasn’t happened in about nine years. Before Gavin was born, I slipped on the ice (President’s Day) and fell, breaking my ankle in three places. A year earlier, I had two surgeries on the same foot and didn’t gain a pound. It was different this third time, with the break. I got pretty depressed sitting around again. I gained about ten or fifteen pounds. Then more. I stopped caring.

I am definitely avoiding ice and black ice, and do not want to Yo-Yo again. I’d rather stay south of where I am now than deal with losing again. Keto has helped tremendously. The Babe is even glad we are doing it. We both feel better, too. Let’s hear it for regular sized clothes! YAY!

Wonderful Wednesday

When my kids were younger, we had one bathroom for the four of us. That meant I got up at 5:30 a.m., and everyone else got up and we left the house by 7 a.m. All had breakfast, too. It helped to be young, and the goal of getting to work on time. For a couple of those years, I dropped kids off at three different places. That was a little complicated! So glad we lived through those stressful days and years.

Now, it’s been awhile. Last night, Gavin didn’t want to go to the rally for President Trump in Omaha. He came to stay with us, and the Babe (a/k/a Grandpa) took him to school earlier. Like most eight-year-olds, he is a wealth of information. We don’t know the characters in Minecraft, but we heard all about them. Like his sister, Gavin is a wealth of information. Never stops talking. That’s ok. I love some topics we cover. It is pretty informative on some levels, and on others, we laugh to ourselves at some conclusions Gavin arrives at. Those are the stories we love to tell our friends, and they share their stories along the same lines.

When the Babe came over to me to kiss me goodbye and take Gavin to school, I asked him, “Do you feel as if you’re herding cats this morning?” He smiled that dimpled smile and said, “Yes, I do.” We had a pleasant laugh, and off the boys went. What a great way to start the day. Once in a while.

Aside from a nap later, I’m also going to accomplish some more writing today, and reading the book about Ellen Foster. I’m also intrigued about a new Facebook Group called “The Creatives.” Our local cartoonist, Jeffrey Koterba, and his son, Joshua Koterba, started it. I see it as a great resource for everyone involved. It tickled me when I received an invitation to join. Many, many people are members so far. I know I’ll learn much about being creative and living a creative life.

What have you accomplished this year, that you thought you would? I truly pictured myself at a book launch or two by this time of the year. I probably am closer to finishing than giving up, and it’s sad knowing the Pandemic hasn’t been friendly to some authors’ release parties. Maybe it’s a blessing for me, otherwise I might have published something that wasn’t ready yet.

I’d better get to working on another chapter plan now. It’ll make tomorrow go better when I have more time to write. Hope to see you tomorrow. I think we can have another pleasant morning together. Thanks for reading. Be Kind. Be Safe out there. Be Happy. It’s a state of mind everyone should adopt. Thanks for reading.

Monday Morning

What a beautiful sight outside! I still love fluffy snow. It looks wonderful, magical, and almost romantic. The wonders of nature amaze me every day. Every day I live, I try to find something that is wondrous, beautiful, and majestic. My God is that way.

Later today, we’re going to our daughter’s home for dinner with family. Our son from DC will be in town, it’ll be nice to see him. It’s been over a year since we saw him and his family. They will remain home, quarantining and distance learning. President Trump will do a stopover at the airport tomorrow, so they must prepare things for him. He won’t stay long, just speak and leave. That’s fine. Unsure if Blake will leave tomorrow or Wednesday. Family is everything, and we make the most of the times like these. Sending hugs to those who couldn’t be here.

I’m really dug into reading Kaye Gibbons’ book, Emma Foster. It’s a sad but very good story. A young girl overcomes terrible circumstances to rise above her plight in life. Her father, a terrible alcoholic, her mother dies, the estranged grandmother interferes every way she can, and the little girl, Emma, matter-of-factly handles everything. She is brutally honest. It is amazing how mature she is. She has to be. It speaks to how people can rise above their circumstances. Something told this little girl how to stay safe from her father. He was a beast. She often wished him dead. She thought of killing him, as if that were her only way out of this terrible situation. It resolved itself, thanks to her teachers noticing how Emma came to school after her mother’s death. She had bruises on her, and she told exactly how they happened. She hid from her father often and had little to eat.

The story takes place in the South, and the usual white attitudes exist in her mind about “colored” people. She questions the segregation, as her best friend is a black girl. The girls’ family is kind to her. She wonders why she shouldn’t “mix” with them. They are good people. I hope to finish it this afternoon and start its sequel, “All the Life Around Me, by Ellen Foster.” The writing takes you away. I want to learn how to do that. Excellent advice from Sam, my writing coach.

Only one of my to be read piles

Over the winter, I hope to find some bookcases I like for our family room. I have not unpacked my books from the move four years ago. I will donate many, such as quilt books I’ll never use, novels I doubt I’d read again. Even donating things like these will free up space and make me more settled. We rarely use the boxes of toys for the grandkids. They’re all outgrown.

I have a mat for the floor, which looks like a little town. Kayla will receive that, and I’ll probably send her a few little cars for it. Gavin used to set it on our coffee table, and pay with it. Roxie used to steal a car from it and run. Gavin called her SWIPER. He laughed once he decided he couldn’t get her to stop. She let him have the car. She just wanted a little adventure, I guess.

Yes, time is fleeing too quickly. One personal mission is for me to make more time in the day. I need to find time to get more things accomplished. Most people waste some time. The mindset is, “I can do whatever I want, I’m retired.” True, but will you finish things you want to? Will you explore all the nooks and crannies of the earth you want to see? If not, better get started. I’d hate to have you miss it, too. Let’s move forward, even if we are retired!

Thank you for reading today. There will be more tales tomorrow, and I hope to see you here then. Don’t eat any yellow snow! Just be careful out there. Don’t break anything. Please. Be Kind. Be Safe. Be Thoughtful.

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Simple Saturday

Many things are swirling around in my head this morning. Lots has occurred in the last 24 hours. First thing I’m thinking of my cousin Mike and how grateful they must be to have pulled off two wedding receptions in August and early September now that COVID is peaking again in Nebraska. Rules for bars are again, mask to enter building and leave, and mask to walk around in building.No more standing room only events. Events must drop to below 50% capacity. I would not be surprised if the bars and schools be closed again before Thanksgiving to slow the spread again. Our hospitals are nearing a much higher capacity than they want. I just pray to God we can get the election done, in the books, and move on to whatever is next.

Photo by Annie D on Pexels.com

Second, I’m thinking about Estes Park. It is one of our favorite places to make a destination. We love the nature, beauty, scenery, and people. Always something interesting going on. Flood visited there a few years ago, and now a two month old wildfire is calling for evacuations. Prayers for those folks, their families, property, and the wildlife. It all suffers during events like this.

Third, we had a great Post and Auxiliary meeting last week. Ron Hernandez, the founder of Moving Veterans Forward in the Omaha/Papillion area spoke to us about the Victory Apartments, and the other opportunities that are available for the Post to help him get off the ground that will serve Veterans locally. I see a lot of opportunity here for us and I’m excited about it.

I have some things to update for our Post website, and need some lessons from our Web Host, Image Masters. Luckily, the host with the most is my brother in law, Brad Shuck, and he’s always willing to teach me more about how the website works and can work. Great guy. Great photographer, too. He’s in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Check out his work.

Today is the day to make good on my intentions to bring in any plant that will perish with a frost. We’re due anytime, and I have some succulents that will be great inside the house. I don’t want to lose them. That’s for a little later on, and I might let them sit after spraying them for bugs to see what comes out, if anything. Then the transplanting can happen.

Even if we’re quarantined again it won’t be so bad. I’m already looking at grocery delivery, that’s the one thing I’m no longer crazy about doing. It’s kind of a hassle, and hard for me to carry a lot in from the car, after picking it up to put it in the cart, unloading cart, reloading cart with bags, putting bags in the car, that’s a lot of lifting and moving the same stuff to get home. I need to consult with our daughter Tracy to see how we can get started. She’s on to all the shopping stuff. Bless her!

Gavin Has Been Such a Blessing For Our Pups. And Organic Bones.

I’m organizing all my social media marketing information today, too. Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook are both used by the Post and by me as an Author. I’m starting up on both of them, so I figure planning them side by side should work. They are both meant to give exposure to the target audience. The Facebook is pretty well established for the Post, and my author page could use some boosting. I still have some online training to review and add to the plans, so that will be some good stuff to sit by the fire and do while the Babe watches football. This is what life is meant for. Being together and getting things accomplished. I’m grateful.

The second chapter seems to be pretty good so far. It’s about 1900 words, which is pretty fair. I don’t want to get hung up on word count, so I’m planning a little ahead. I don’t want to go much further than Chapter 3 before next Sunday night when I send Sam Tyler, my Book Coach, the updated versions for her feedback. I’ve mentioned before, if I’m way off track, I’d rather have just a chapter or two to rewrite than the whole book. Makes sense.

The Babe made some stellar Beef Vegetable Soup late yesterday. It’s reheating now in a great big soup pan. Tis the season for good stuff like that. It’ll be ready after a bit, and will be a welcome break from the morning. Of course, now that it’s afternoon, it’s time to get those plants inside. Life can be mundane, yet accomplishing those tasks gets things done, and you can move on to other tasks and relax. Ahhh. Saturdays. Even retired Saturdays are good.

Thank you for reading, it’s something else I’m eternally grateful for. We’ll meet you again tomorrow, with more tales of marketing myself, the Post, and being an author. Be Safe. Be Courteous. Be Patient. I’ll try to be, too.

Suddenly It’s Sunday Again!

Wow! What a week! It’s been the longest short week I’ve had for quite a long time. It was a great one, though. How about for all of you? I hope you’re all well and able to enjoy this beautiful Sunday, wherever you are.

The Babe and I had a big list of stuff to do this week. Probably 75% of it was done. But even at that, washing windows was not in the cards with all the much needed rain. Probably this week. I once had a house with 36 windows. They were old, cheap combination windows I cleaned twice a year. What a job! Now, instead of having to take the parts out, I can take out the screens, and use a product that hooks to your garden hose. You can clean the window, switch the product off, then rinse. Five minutes, then give the screen a shot of suds and rinsing, it’s all clean and ready to put back in when dry. Since we have a ranch style home, you can squeedge the water off or dry with a cloth. You can see again!

We went to the Post this morning for the first Sunday breakfast in a long time, and we enjoyed a good meal for $8. They did well, and it shuts down at Noon. We had breakfasts once a month for quite awhile, then stopped because not a lot of people were coming up, and that was before COVID. Good call to start them again. A new group of helpers makes the work go well.

Today, I will put the finishing touches on my stories of origin. It’s been a fun project and I’ve learned a lot. This has also been the week to unveil the new VFW Post 2503 website. The Babe’s brother in law Brad is a web designer, among other things, and he put it together for us. I’ve learned a lot more about WordPress this week, so that time has been so worth it. It’s been a fun as well as frustrating week. My stubbornness has kept me from calling him for help in figuring things out. Some things I still needed help with, but it took me back to my working days and the triumph of trouble shooting problems. A victory when you figure stuff out, for sure.

There will be a learning curve to keep going, and it’s ok. I’ve actually improved my website too, in case you didn’t notice. The new “Home” page has a bit about me and my headshot. I’ll need a new one since my COVID hair has grown almost shoulder length. I decided to keep the hair. I’ve missed it. I’ve had long hair most of my life, it’s sort of a signature. So what if it’s gray. No one cares anymore. Part of my brand, actually. “It’s Not Too Late, and I’m Not Too Old.”

The newest blog for the day is under “Today’s Blog” and a collection of all my blogs is available on the “Blogs at a Glance” page. There is a page to “Contact” me, and I’d sure like my followers to fill that out. I’ll keep e-mails to a minimum when they start, trust me! I haven’t published yet, but I’ll have your contact information for when I need it. I’d appreciate your help with that.

The other thing you could do under comments, is suggest a topic for the daily blog. If there is some part of writing you have questions about, I’d be glad to try and answer them. You’ll be helping me a great deal.

Photo by Suzy Hazelwood on Pexels.com

I have to say, I’m scouring the free photo sites and looking for typewriter photos. I marvel at how big they are now. I hated typing on an old manual typewriter, the very old kind, because I had to address envelopes for advertising. The darned shift hold wasn’t in too good of shape, so it would type off center of the line. Arghhh! Had to throw them away, the boss wouldn’t let me erase it and white out hadn’t been invented yet. It was embarrassing!

I have to say, owning one of these typewriters would be fun for messing around, but I’m personally very happy with the ease of computer software. It’s awesome. Easy to correct. I don’t know how many words I can type, but wow, it’s way better than the hunt and peck method most people seem to use now. I cannot imagine typing an entire 80K novel using the hunt and peck method!

Photo by Logan Fisher on Pexels.com

I love these Aspen trees in Colorado. This is the perfect time of year out there. Well, summer can be, too. I have never been there in the snow, or a blizzard, so I can’t speak to that. Our daughter Becky moved there in 2001, and it’s our favorite place to go, even before she lived there.

This afternoon will be spent re-reading my character origin stories, and maybe actually reading a book for pleasure. The deck is just perfect right now, so I plan to enjoy it. How will you spend your day?

Thank you for spending part of it with me. I’ll be here again tomorrow, and I hope to see you, too. Have hope in your hearts, we all need it now more than ever. Be Kind. Be Courteous. Be Safe. And definitely, Be Aware of all around you.

Woo Hoo, Time Crunch!

First, I need to make a correction. Yesterday I mentioned Detective Herrera was to be buried at the Omaha National Cemetery, I was wrong. He will be buried in Lincoln. He is not only a Lincoln, Nebraska Police Officer, he is also an Army Veteran. This man served us well in many, many ways. Sorry for the confusion on my part.

Today is another rainy, dreary day. I’m starting to get a little down in the dumps, but will make a comeback. It’s going to be better, I just have to make up for lost time and get a some writing done. I’m still working on character origin stories, and so far have Katie’s husband John, her dad, and her mother. In between learning some new things with Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and WordPress.

Photo by Ludvig Hedenborg on Pexels.com

Now, it’s time to finish homework today and tomorrow. This work is fun, assigning character traits that are negative yet also thinking of how they could be good under the not so good. People are the model for these behaviors. And we all know how interesting they are!

Photo by Coco Championship on Pexels.com

Do you ever people watch? The Babe does a lot. Sometimes I don’t even notice that he is. He watches interactions between people and is especially honed in on older people and little children. He is always the first one to jump up and help hold the door or otherwise help an older person. He was like this with his mom who had MS. Watching that made me know he’d always look out for me. And he does.

Photo by Brett Sayles on Pexels.com

When he watches little children, babies play hide and seek with him, they smile and wave at him, and play hard to get. Kind of like I did. Haha! They are a joy to watch, and you just hope they have a happy and safe environment to grow up in. Such sweetness is missed when you don’t have babies in close contact with you anymore.

Photo by Josh Willink on Pexels.com

There is nothing so sweet as a baby just learning to smile and respond to you. The whole world usually takes notice. There are, however, some people who don’t stop and gush (like we do) over a stranger’s baby. And that’s ok. Some people may mistake our interest in a bad way. I usually try to tell them our youngest grandkids live far away, and we just have to share the love. We don’t touch or bother them. It’s pretty sweet, really. Most young parents are open to it. Who doesn’t thing their baby is the cutest, smartest, and best?

I’m going to dig in and accomplish a lot today, not just writing, but around the house too. I plan to spend as much time as possible outside next week. The forecast appears to have every day with a sun icon on it. What IS that strange ball of fire in the sky, anyway? It’s going to be great to see it again.

Take care! Be safe. Let’s do this Saturday up right. I appreciate you spending time with me, and I’ll see you tomorrow! Thanks, let’s go do this!

#Three Hundred Fifty!!!!

I am so proud to share with you, this is #350 of the posted blog pages. It is an accomplishment, a routine to establish, a goal met. I write every day, and I have proof. I know some days have been better than others, and that is normal. The days I have a block, I concentrate on beauty around me. The Babe, Our dogs, nature, my flowers, whatever sticks in my mind. For instance, yesterday I did not set out to talk about my history of Presidential Voting. It just flowed there. It seemed to come from the place of my heart that knows arguing will not solve this issue with people. I wasn’t looking to lose readers, friends, or anything. I don’t think that happened. Thank you.

THIS is what yesterday’s post was.

The flooring guys finished up yesterday, and had to come back today for 1/2 hour to finish up setting the toilet in the guest bath upstairs. No big deal. The dogs, bless them, are so worn out from not being able to nap on their respective couch spots, that they will probably sleep until it’s time for us to go to the Post later for Hamburger Night.

We’ve been helping Tracy get Addison to and from school this week since Dad’s out of town for work. Grandpa takes the responsibility seriously. He missed out on school stuff with his kids, so this is an eye opener. Granted, it’s totally different than back in our day, but it’s even so different than when my kids were in school. Addison and Gavin are happy to be back at the school. It’s built just outside their fence. What a great thing! The lot was empty when they moved in, and suddenly, there was a school.

I received my first two chapters of “The Freeing of Katie Fitzgibbons” back from my writing coach, Sam Tyler, and they’re coming along nicely. I have some homework for today, and we’ll have a conference tomorrow. I am so excited about this whole process. I’m learning, my brain is engaging, and I’m telling a story that’s been on my heart for a lot of years. Yes, it takes a long time, but nothing good is easy. Hard work yields great things. Sam is teaching me how to pull good stuff from myself. It’s amazing.

Yes, It Is!

So my workshop class yesterday was pretty flat. She had us read the first thirty pages of three different “Literary Fiction” novels. One was a Pulitzer Prize Winner. I’m quite open minded. One was total garbage. Almost pornographic. It should have had a warning. Anyone who knows me knows I am pretty accepting of most things. This book was not steamy in a good way, it was full of shock value, nothing of substance. And a third one, I couldn’t take seriously because a gay writer was the narrator about his life and loves, and I pictured this guy talking through the story.

Remember that voice? It’s all I could hear reading the first 30 pages of “Less.”

Ever since I was a kid, I have always pictured the characters in books as a tv or movie star. Or a real person, if I know one who fits the description. The voice always mimics a character I have heard. It’s imagination, at work. And I’ve always had an active one.

As my work on storytelling continues, it is exciting and a little intimidating at the same time. It definitely stretches you as a human, so you notice more things, wonder how to describe situations and people, and search for words you may not have used in an eternity. Sometimes, when writing about an era 50 years ago (after my high school graduation in 1970, for example), it’s a challenge to remember clothing styles, manners of speech, and even what the laws were back then. Some things we take for granted now were not possible in the 1960s and early 1970. Equality for women. Establishing credit in a woman’s own name. Having a bank account if you’re a female. Seriously, it was that bad. This is what feminists really did for us as women. Basic rights, equality in the eyes of the law.

As you ponder that fact, just remember how fortunate we are, as women and men, to be free to live as we do. It is a precious commodity. Let’s protect it. Let’s revere it. Let’s remember how it came to be. Thank you for reading today, I appreciate it a lot. Be safe out there. Be cautious, courteous, and caring. Wash Up, Mask Up, Let’s get rid of the COVID-19 Blues. See you again tomorrow.

Summery Saturday

Back in the day, when I was in my 20’s and we first bought a house, washer and dryer, the yard had a clothesline to dry laundry. I loved hanging clothes on the line. Of course, the jeans were stiff, the towels weren’t very soft, and I resorted to drying them for comfort. When our second son was born, I was back out in the spring, hanging diapers to dry in the sun. There was a time in life when a woman’s “worth” was determined by the laundry she hung to dry. I suppose if it was orderly, hung out early, and taken in before dark, you were viewed as orderly, industrious, and efficient. My great aunt once said, “Oh, that Kathy Jewell hangs our a fine wash.” Aunt Anna, you were such a dear, and you were not overly fussy with compliments, so I’m going to take that as the compliment it was meant to be. And I’m proud to have received it.

She was such a fine lady, classy, and the unmarried aunt who lived with Grandma and Grandpa. She worked nearly 50 years at the “phone company,” (boys and girls, back then, there was only ONE phone company!). She could have been a very successful female in the 1990s or 2000s, if she were born 30 years later. Even though she was a supervisor and great employee, there were not the kudos paid to women who worked in the 1950s and 60s as there are now. There was no equality. Women who became pregnant even if married, were fired.

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Can you believe it? THIS is the closest Pexels.com could come to “baby diapers hanging on line to dry.” Cute baby, but kind of misses the point.

As I’m thinking back to days I willingly hung diapers out on the line, I’m wondering what Aunt Anna would have to say about my writing. She would insist on truth, I believe. And perfect grammar. And being dignified. That I be a complete lady. And that I thank God for the gifts He’s given me. The being a complete lady may not ring entirely true, I mean, the language could be unladylike at times. Sorry, Auntie. But I do thank God. Frequently. Often. Every day.

And the next thing, aside from having my own website, blog, and Author Facebook page, is I’m starting up pages on Twitter and Instagram for my Author news. There may be a little personal news on there, where it’s pertinent to my writing. I’m glad to take the leap into the exposure needed now to make a bigger impact on the world, so more may find my musings, books, articles, and photos. Of course, I know not a damned thing I’m doing. (Sorry, Aunt Anna. Yes, I’ll light a candle in Church).

The idea is, not only will a newly posted blog create a post on my author page (Kathy Raabe, Author), it will also post on Twitter and Instagram. Here’s crossing my fingers, making the magic happen yet again, and making the post available on two more platforms. Yay!

Yes, Doubters, Haters, and Critics Need Not Pay Attention

And it’s kind of fun working with it until it might make some sense. I need to do the same for the VFW Post once we establish a new website. That’s another project, I’m working on with my brother in law, Brad, from Image Masters. (Think, “Jake, from State Farm.”)

Hopefully, there will be time to work out my Chapter 2 of “The Freeing of Katie Fitzgibbons” today and tomorrow. It’s time to send more work to my Book Coach Sam Tyler. We will continue our working relationship on a month to month until we agree I can go it alone. Right now, I need guidance. It’s good I found it early, rather than have to scrap 80K words.

Besides writing, I’d like to accomplish more on that quilt I’ve been working on forever. Next week will be more workers in the house, we’re having LVT flooring (Laminate Vinyl Tile) laid in the kitchen, entry, and two upstairs bathrooms. Assembling strong young men to move the marble topped huge kitchen table AND the matching marble topped server from the kitchen to the living room. Same strong young men welcomed a couple days later to move very heavy furniture back in place. Photos to follow of finished projects. The Babe is really happy beautifying our space, and it’s so nice. Partners, it’s what we are. Blessed.

The Babe. Most Thoughtful Guy.

So yesterday, the Babe stopped at the store after I met him for lunch. He bought my favorite guilty pleasure, a Midnight Milky Way. The dark chocolate really makes this taste delicious. It was such a sweet surprise. Thanks, Babe! Be thoughtful. Be Courteous. Be Kind. Be Safe. We need to treat each other well, even strangers. Wash up and Wear your mask.

I watched the interview Matthew McConaughey did with Dr. Fauci yesterday. It was very well done. Thoughtful and full of good information. Rumors put to rest, and common sense in the house. They said what I have been saying. Yes, we need to wear masks. To get the spread under control, and to stop having peaks and valleys in numbers. It does no good if we keep peaking. We need to keep falling to get to a safe place. The temporary inconvenience will be worth it, once we can open everything for good. We’ll never get there if we don’t all pay attention. Complying is something Americans don’t like to do. But I don’t want to spread illness to a cancer patient, grandma, my grandbabies, or young parent either. Think beyond yourself. Watch the video here.

Thank you for reading today. I’ll see you all tomorrow, and please share with a friend, won’t you? Or share on your Twitter or Instagram. I appreciate it.