“The Enlightenment of Iris”

I just finished a long, relaxing weekend with Joshua Berkov’s latest book, “The Enlightenment of Iris.” It was great! Talk about surprises and plot twists. It had it all. Laughing, crying, and lots of actual characters. I imagine these characters as having some root in life, maybe a family member or two. Joshua, could this be a little true? I imagine a family reunion of yours. If Iris, Angeline, and Esther were sisters, I bet they’d be a hoot on Thanksgiving or Passover. Angeline and Esther had an Enlightenment book of their own, too. They were what got me hooked. I’m still reeling from your plot twist, Joshua. You are a master!

And don’t get me started on “Adulting at the Moto Lodge.” If you all want some fun stuff to read, and good writing, get some of Joshua Berkov’s books. You won’t be sorry. There are a couple other books by Joshua, I’ll probably order those too, next Amazon order.

It was a relaxing, wonderful weekend for the Babe, me, and the dogs. Colder than heck outside, but we had lots of comfort food the past two days, and enough down time to have a nap each day. And now, it’s Monday again. Another week to have a great start and finish. Let’s do this!

Want to hear the funniest thing I can think of right now?

The Babe always teases me about all the fabrics, quilt kits, notions, patterns, etc. I have. And yes, I have a wonderful collection. I bought ahead for when I’d be retired. And so here we are.

The irony in this situation is this:

For all the kidding I’ve endured, today, I was working on Cody’s quilt, and stitching the eyes on for the dogs. They’re simple white outer circles, and black inner circles. Huh. For all the boxes of threads I have; sewing, embroidery, quilting, and serger, guess what? I have not one spool of white sewing thread. To make matters worse, the local quilt shop in Gretna, The Quilted Moose, is closed on Sunday and Monday. Wow. I think I’ll have to make a trip into Omaha or just wait until Tuesday. That might be what I do. I have other parts of the appliqued dogs I can work on. Just thought it was quite ironic.

Have you ever had something like that happen to you? Share it. Life is just this ironic, isn’t it?

Maybe this will be a week of irony. Irony can be good, too, can’t it? I’d settle for funny. Even if I’m the butt of the joke, it’s ok. We can’t take ourselves too seriously. It’ll be a busy week, so let’s get started. The new month will be here in a couple days, so let’s get it started off on a positive note. See you tomorrow.

Wow! Wow. New Goals 2023.

This is a Wow Sunday. Yes Wow.

The first thing I saw this morning while WORDPRESS was opening were the current stats. I know stats can be boring, but these things struck me as kind of a big deal. Here they are:

I’ve published 1200 blogs as of yesterday!

I have 1032 Followers. 16 from e-mail; 511 from Word Press sign up; and 505 from Social Media likes.

I have written and published a blog 194 days in a row. I want to extend that to 365 consecutive blogs in a row. I need you all to continue reading and recommending. I’m aware not every blog is an out-of-the-park home run. But some days the effort is important. This is the stuff that’s important to me, on that day. And some days work extremely well, some days don’t. Doing the best for each day is all we can do. Some days, it’s 100%, other days it’s 80%

Under All-Time Stats? 39.7K Views, 17.4K Visitors, 517 Best Views Ever. What was it about? My best guess is it was about Billy McGuigan and his brothers performing at a local show. I usually do a review of what we’ve seen, and it’s a dominant topic for Omaha, Nebraska. We love them. When I isolate it, I’ll let you know.

The reason stats are booming is because of all the followers, their friends and family. And for that, I thank you all.

Let’s try for 2000 followers by the end of the year. We can do it.

Grandma Kathy will publish her first book. I will dive back into it in February. We can do it.

The header photo has nothing to do with our WordPress stats. It has everything to do with the lesson in humility I’m experiencing this week. I’m a good quilter. I have over 20 years experience quilting, and over 50 years sewing clothing. What I’ve run into after a year of not sewing or quilting at all is a lot of issues. Issues with a new machine, some learning curve with appliqueing, and general frustration. That was just with Kayla’s quilt!

I thought Cody’s quilt would be easy. It has been, until doing the pieced border. Those are the piles you see in the header. All the blocks were to be sewn the same. 38 of them. I complied. The top boarder was fine. The very bottom will be the same. There will be two inner top borders, two inner side borders. All the pieces going the correct direction. I’ve torn pieces apart, resewn, and torn apart again.

I rearrange them, wonder if I’ve lost my touch, and get a little fretful. Am I too boastful about my skills? No, not really. It is a good thing to talk about what you’re good at entitled. We are not boasting when we’re stating facts. We’re also expressing gratitude for the gifts we’re given.

I’m giving it one more try this afternoon before the next football game comes on. Then I’ll probably pick up the latest Joshua Berkov book; “The Enlightenment of Iris.” More on her later this week. Have a great Sunday. See you tomorrow.

New Releases in Books

In the past few years I’ve come to meet many authors through Facebook. I have not met most of them in person. I may read their book, then see they have a Facebook page. I follow or like their page, then comment here and there, just as I’ve done with my sewing and quilting friends. When they release new books, I will buy them.

One author I’ve never met in person but whose writing I love is Joshua Berkov. His books always make me smile, chuckle, and laugh out loud. He writes so well about older Jewish ladies from New York, I can hear their accents as I read the words. They are books I’ll keep to re-read when I need a good laugh. His latest is “The Enlightenment of Iris.” Joshua, you have a gift, and I thank you for sharing it with the world. We love you!

Another author I feel lucky to know is Tammy Marshall. She is a Nebraska author, and such a nice person to know. Tammy has written five books, with her latest being, “Ticker Tape,” “State of Georgia and Other Writings,” “Clearwater House,” “Twinges,” and her latest, “Trouble on Tybee.” Tammy’s books are found in many libraries in cities and towns in Nebraska. I plan on learning how she becomes featured in libraries, it’s inexpensive but a smart thing to do in your home state. Tammy will share her secrets at the Nebraska Writers Guild in the spring. I’m looking forward to it.

There is another book release that most likely garnered the most intention this month, perhaps for the year. “Spare,” by Prince Harry Duke of Essex. How do they alphabetize by his last name? What IS his last name? Does he even HAVE a last name?

On a more serious note, I feel badly for Harry. He had his mother taken from him in a horrible way, his father and other family members were ill equipped to help the youngster deal with the grief he was experiencing. He tried to deal with it publicly all through his late teens, twenties, and early thirties. I’m glad he decided his mental health needed help, which he sought out on his own. I think I would read the book based on this struggle, and his victories in his fight.

Harry is a champion for veterans everywhere. His involvement in the creation of the Invictus Games Foundation has done much good for many wounded warriors. Harry will continue to do good throughout his life because it’s one way he can honor his late mother, Diana.

I do not care about the fights among the royals. The monarchy may be so out of touch with reality it may be time for it to change dramatically. I hope Harry continues to care for his mental health, and he remains vigilant in continued care. It’s critical for his future. He is a brave young man to bring his PTSD out in the open. No longer should it be hidden away.

For the rest of the winter, make sure you have some books on hand to help pass the time. We’ll need it, since February and March can be brutal in Nebraska. You’ll be glad you did. I hope you have a wonderful Thursday. See you tomorrow.

But WAIT! There’s MORE . . .

Snow in the forecast today, Thursday, and Sunday. That’s as of this minute. It’ll do what it does. No need to fret about it. Isn’t fret a fabulous word? (My guitar playing friends won’t like this definition of the word.) To fret is to worry.

In contrast, Wikipedia defines it as a guitarist would. Fretting is wear and sometimes corrosion damage at the asperities of contact surfaces. (Yes, that’s what HE said). But to use the old definition of it, worry (fretting) erodes at your happiness and mental health if it goes long enough. I get it. People don’t like the snow, and I’m getting a little tired of it myself. It is a part of our lives in Nebraska. I prefer to concentrate on the beauty rather than the bother involved with it.

Yes, I have shoveled mountains of snow when I was a single mom. We lived on a busy corner, with a bus stop at our front sidewalk. It required extra care. The City trucks always buried us when they went by. I have done my fair share of removal. When my back went bad, the kids were great at helping. Of course we lived at the top of a hill with little snow removal. It made for all kinds of fun. At least my kids all learned a vital skill – driving in snowy Nebraska winters.

I didn’t even notice until this morning yesterday’s blog didn’t publish. I forgot I had to change my Facebook password yesterday. I share the blog to Facebook upon publishing. It didn’t work and held the whole deal up. Sorry about my inattention.

Yesterday about noon my good day derailed, and the result was a poor attitude. I try extra hard when that happens to not be b*% ^. I think I succeeded. And then the e-mail I’ve been waiting for arrived. It’s all good now. I need to remember sooner when I get overwhelmed (and I do it to myself!) with too much to do, too little time, too much to learn, I get stressed. The best cure it to stop working and do something you need. I took a nap. Then I read.

Later in the day, I looked at the reading material I keep next to my recliner. It was all books for learning – there was not one there to read for “fun.” I gathered them all up and put them on my desk extension for later. My brain is tired. It wants to have some fun. So it will have some fun. Timing was right for my latest Amazon order – in the blizzard like conditions of yesterday, they delivered three separate packages!

What a Haul from Amazon Yesterday!

Besides another copy of Corgi’s in the Wild, a children’s book by my friend author Gabbie Weick; Rachael Ray’s small grater; a cheat sheet for using Publisher with a small book of “How to Learn Microsoft Publisher QUICKLY!” (I’ve used Publisher before, but need a refresher and reference); I received new author Joshua Berkov’s two books; The Enlightenment of Angeline, and The Enlightenment of Esther.

Joshua Berkov is a Librarian by day. The rest of his author blurb from the back cover tells of his education, his life with his partner and two cats, and how he loves to make people laugh. Because of the making people laugh, I ordered both books. It’s the balance I need right now. I’ll let you know how they were. I love the description of the principal character; “Angeline Sims is no shrinking violet. She’s tough, opinionated, and bossy, and she’s got a bone to pick with nearly everyone in her life.” She sounds like my mom! And HER Mom! Uh-oh. Don’t let me use that phrase, ever. OK? If you don’t, we can’t be friends.

I Think We’ve All Known Ladies Like These!

With a renewed confidence and a surprise announcement to make soon, I’m going to write in my novel right now. Katie Fitzgibbons has been busy; therefore, I have been, too! I’ll get a good writing session in today. Then, time to watch Patrick Mahomes and his KC Chiefs annihilate Tom Brady and crew. In between, I’ll read about Angeline’s enlightenment. It’s going to be a wonderful Sunday with the Babe and our pups.

Hope your day is fabulous, too. Cozy up with a beverage and snack, it’s that kind of day. Thank you for reading. I welcome you back tomorrow, too. Be Safe. Take Care.