Fabulous Friday

It is really a beautiful day outside. I swear God sends cold fronts through the humid and hot areas like Nebraska to give us a break and make us feel like living again. It improves the general feeling of your soul and gives your mind a break. Still, I like the four seasons. Four “alleged” seasons. It seems like we skip a lot of spring and a portion of fall many times. Hope there is comfort to deal with the rest of the pandemic we are having.

Where we live in Gretna, it is very close to Omaha. The VFW Post we attend is in Omaha. We have concerns about the possible mask ordinance Omaha was considering. It appears the health department has backed off from enacting one. I say it’s a shame, the legalities were questioned and they asked people to use their best judgment. With those rights comes responsibilities. To me, it makes sense to wear a mask. We do not often make the best judgments. Some use motorcycle helmets as an example. I favor helmets, seat belts, and wearing masks. Yes, it’s annoying. So are helmets and seatbelts. But I’m safer using them.

My asthma doc ordered me to have a COVID test before my appointment with her last week. I thought I would test negative and did. I believe curtailing my social activity and social distancing, which includes wearing a mask when shopping is helping. Please think long term on the outcome, it may make more sense.

Photo by Anna Shvets on Pexels.com

In addition to working on my Poppies Quilt, I’m devouring a couple more books for writers: Write Great Beginnings, and Point of View. It appears there is more competition than ever to attract a reader who will read a book. It also appears there are fewer who start a book who actually finish one. I have only quit reading maybe 4 books in the last ten years. When I buy them, I think it’s a terrible waste to not finish. One was borrowed from the library, a biography by Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys. Brian is a genius and has had mental illness for nearly his entire life. It’s a very sad story, and one that concludes well. There are better versions written, believe me.

In addition to having a hook to attract a reader, you have to do a lot to keep them reading. Each chapter ending should make them just want to keep reading. I love books that do that. They are easy to read and quick. No time wasted. Now to learn how to do exactly that.

I have some real characters to introduce once I build them. It is such fun to be able to do that. There is something I read to make sure to appeal to the theater of the reader’s mind. What does that mean? Simply put, have you ever enjoyed a book more than a movie? Yes, an author needs to write so well the images in our minds are vivid and our imaginations can take us through the story. That’s the challenge.

Conflict is the center of fiction. Intensifying the troubles that stand in a main characters way. The problems are big, and he or she drive the story with their decisions. Because they chose this, something else happens. I’m told it gets easier the more I understand it. I trust Sam Tyler, my writing coach. She has made this endeavor so good for me. I’m so lucky to know her from the Nebraska Writers Guild. She is a writer and coach. Very good with critique. Asks hard questions. All with good reason. If I can’t answer the questions, how can I write my answers to them?

AHA! There it is! This is also a great living example of why/how to outline everything (major events) in the story you want to tell. Sure, you have it all in your head, but trust me, your memory isn’t that great some (most) of the time. As I write, other ideas spill out and I can end up in a completely different area than I wanted to be. I’m learning to be a planner, not a pantster. A pantster is writing by the seat of your pants. When you think you have a great idea, it’s easy to think you don’t need to plan anything. I can be foolish at times!

Just as maps are not always up to date in Google, our outlines can leave a bit to be desired. We need to be open (always) to modifying the outline. Even if you’re well into the story. Lots to think about. Lots to wade through.

And There You GO!

Off to work on another unrelated issue. I’m helping get information together for the new VFW Post 2503 website. It should be a fun project. The one we have is pretty outdated and cumbersome to work on. I’ll be learning some WordPress tricks I don’t know and will benefit tremendously from it. Thank you for taking time to read the blog today. I appreciate it, and hope to see you tomorrow. Stay Safe, my friends. I want you all with me the rest of this journey. Be Kind. Be Courteous. Be Careful out There!

Taco Tuesday

It’s 3:30 p.m. and I’m just starting to write the blog for the day. It was a day to take Mom to the Cardiologist for an annual visit. She has an appointment for next year, July 20, 2021. She thought it was silly to make an appointment a year in advance at her age. I told her it was an optimistic way to look at it. It’ll be here before you know it, right?

After the doctor, she “needed” to go to Hobby Lobby. She replaced some 30 year greenery in hanging baskets on the enclosed front porch. She gets her money’s worth out of stuff, for sure.

One of the best projects my folks did to their house was to enclose the front porch. It’s good sized, has combination windows, and has offered a nice place to sit in the evening without bugs of summer. It’s good for about three seasons if you push it. I spent hours playing on the open porch, and my kids all played there too. Although she lives in the house we all grew up in, it’s her home, not ours anymore. Our homes are where we live. Of the houses my kids were raised in, only one is still standing. They remember “the white house,” and talk about the neighborhood. The house was razed by the city for street improvement.

The home they left for adulthood is still standing. It’s the house I bought by myself and the house the Babe and I first lived in after we married. Home is wherever we live. Mom has only lived in probably two houses her entire life. I can’t imagine her moving to assisted living on her own. I think she’d be mad at us if we suggested it as a good idea. That big house just wears her out. Bathrooms are on second floor or in basement, there is nothing on the main level.

Considering my doctor advised us to get a ranch style house and forgo steps, I’m so glad we did. I’m looking at knee replacement whenever I decide I can’t take it anymore. I’m not ready yet. For all the surgeries I’ve survived, this one gives me the willies. I can’t see any of my major scars very well. A knee, well, it’s out there. I’m not vain about it, just gives me the creeps. And the creeps are not good.

My Memories of Summer Reading Club at the Omaha Public Library. Good Times!

Isn’t this little saying by Julia Donaldson just lovely? It reminds me of every summer, my brother and I raced to see who could read the first ten books. He usually beat me. He spent more time reading and just did it faster. That’s ok, I wasn’t a slouch at it. Almost all the kids in class received a bookmark as the award when we started back to school in September. The stories usually captivated me, and I loved the true to life stories.

Three of our grandkids say they don’t like to read. That makes me sad. I hope someday they change their minds. The two grandkids in Colorado are read to a lot, and chances are, they will read on their own when the time comes. Books are my favorite gift to give and receive. Gift cards to book stores are the best.

Now Here’s An Idea!

It’s just so easy to order books on Amazon for delivery. I do like bookstores, I just haven’t been out to one for a long time. It still feels weird to go out and get necessities. A friend of mine is releasing a children’s book. I’ll share a link when it’s available online. Shouldn’t be too long. I’m excited for her! She has a nice little family, a husband and two little boys. One was just born in the last couple months.

As I watch my mom toddle along, I wonder how long we’ll have her. She’ll be 91 next month, and still lives alone. It was old folks day at the cardiologist, and saw many “children” bring “Mom” or “Dad” to the clinic. Some couples were there, but not many. Although she complains about the cost of the blood thinner, I think it’s kept her from having any more strokes the past few years. And the Babe is on blood thinners, too. So two main people in my life are kind of living on the edge, either of them could have an event at any time. I’m not going to worry about it. It it occurs, we’ll deal with it. I’m just not ready to give anyone up yet. Prayers are always welcome.

For tonight? I’m going to read a book I’ve had going since pre-COVID. I just haven’t finished it. It’s my kind of story – former Navy Seal, Cop in Colorado, solves murder cases, etc. I just want to see if perhaps I can make good on the Goodreads estimate of number of books I may read in 2020. It’s not too exciting, but it’s an accomplishment. How about you?

Thank you for reading today. I appreciate your support so much. Wash up, Mask up, Be Kind, Be Tolerant, Be Courteous. We all need each other to treat each other well. This will pass much more easily if we do. Do what’s right. Do something your grandma could be proud of. See you tomorrow, be safe.

Happy 4th of July!

Happy 244th birthday to our great nation. While 244 is long in terms of human age, it’s relatively young for a country. We are an amazing country. We are a republic. A republic is a state in which supreme power is held by the people and their elected representatives, and which has an elected or nominated president rather than a monarch.

Our unusual form of government has no equal. Our expectation has been we elect someone who represents our ideas of how the government should govern us. We cast our votes, and see who won. In my lifetime, it appears the quality of candidates has changed dramatically, and often, people are elected who may not do the best job. Without getting political, I want us to remember no president is right all the time nor wrong all the time. It’s the luck of the draw sometimes. We have to hope for the best when our candidate doesn’t get elected. We perhaps can make our opinion heard more loudly in Congress or the Senate, where we elect someone from our own state for a two year (Congress) or four year (Senate) term to more closely represent what we choose for our futures. Either way, there is always the next election, and we have to put up with an opposing candidate now and then. It’s part of being a grownup citizen who has the privilege of voting in our great country. Let’s be civil with each other when we don’t agree when the other guy (or woman) gets elected. We owe that civility to each other as citizens of this great nation. Let’s not ruin our unity by bickering anymore. Please.

Good Advice.

I heard this on Facebook this morning. Matthew McConaughey is really a pretty smart guy for an actor. Give him a listen here. We will always have work to do, as he says. There will always be someone or something we need to keep in check, aside from ourselves. But we can all work to keep ourselves where we need to be. We need to work together, whether it’s about COVID-19 or about social justice. Let’s breach the divide. Gather instead of scatter. We need to exchange intelligent ideas and proposals to cure what ails us. Reparations and tearing down statues does nothing in my opinion. It just makes one side more dug in with their opinions, and adds to the frustration of trying to find common ground.

With that said, has diversity gone so far where we honor this and that, and forget to honor what this country stands for? It does not stand for one group of citizens over another. We have equal rights, but now some groups have special favor. That is wrong. Have you ever studied the Constitution in school? I have to say I haven’t since high school. That’s my bad. You can pick up a copy at your Congressman’s office. Google it. Look it up at the library (my age is showing there!). Read it. Talk about it. Talk about the truths in it. Talk about the intent of it. Humans have just enough selfishness in every one of us, we’d love to have it favor us. Our group. Our Ethnicity. Our sex. Our sexual preference. Our religion. Our group of immigrants.

That is not how it works. It works by us listening and hearing each other. It works by us explaining patiently what is right and just and true. If we are wrong, we need to apologize. If we are right, we need to help teach the others what we know. Stop acting like spoiled brats. Be better than that.

Happy 4th of July!

I’m wearing a mask from now on when I shop. It’s about the only place I go unless it’s to the VFW. I feel safe there, as the volunteers work very hard to keep the place clean and sanitized. I’m mad as heck, we had a new grandchild in January, and have not been able to go meet him in Colorado yet. Colorado has stopped their re-opening. My daughter feels it’s too risky yet for us to come visit. I understand the risk. I’m not going to be careless so when she feels it is safe, we can go out there. I could be obstinate and balk about the masks, but I’m choosing to endure them so I can have the pleasure of meeting little Cody Wyatt. I want this pandemic to end so I can hold this little guy before he’s 25! Choose to endure rather than complain about your rights being violated.

The book, Personality Isn’t Permanent has a lot of insight for me. It talks of the past, and we often want to change it. (Kind of like removing statues, etc.) We need to see where we’ve been in order to not repeat the behavior. We also need to leave the past alone and learn how to react to it differently. That’s on us. Those past indiscretions are long gone and over, and we are grateful they no longer exist. We see our past and do not want to repeat it. We think of how we once behaved as we learned from others, not thinking of what we wanted for our goal.

We may not recognize the person we once were. A person petrified of public speaking can learn to speak in front of a crowd. When I was in high school, I did not participate in Drama, Speech, Debate, or try out for the plays we had simply because I was painfully shy and could not speak in front of people. As Club Presidents, we had to appear before the Freshman Class and talk about our clubs, in case someone wanted to join. I’ll never forget it. It was awful.

I stepped up, my heart pounding in my ears, my hands and knees shaking from fright. I opened my mouth, and nothing came out. Nothing at all. I swallowed hard and tried to speak again. Nothing. It felt like twenty minutes, but after a couple more tries, I just walked away. My eyes filled with tears, and my face burned. I wish they had prepared those of us who couldn’t speak in front of people before they threw us to the wolves. I remembered that for a long time.

About twelve years later, I was taking classes from UNOs College of Continuing Education, and a required class was “Public Speaking.” I already changed personality wise and finally had the confidence to take the class. I did well. Then I joined Toastmasters. It was a group of business people who met over lunch downtown. People were from Union Pacific, State of Nebraska, The Courthouse, First National Bank, and me from ConAgra. It was the best thing I ever did.

Now, I’m hoping when my books are launched, I’ll be able to talk with different groups at bookstores, libraries, and anyone who may be interested. Your goals are the key for how your personality changes. Your personality is shaped by your purpose. At one time, my purpose was a stay at home mom. I lived and breathed that. Then it changed to that of a business woman. I became that woman during a time when women could be openly discriminated against. It appeared to some people I had no kids because they didn’t call me with trivial issues and I didn’t talk about them all the time. I didn’t have time, I had so much to learn! Things are not that harsh now. I was lucky to study programming and analysis, so I became a technical person. My pay was strictly based on performance and tech knowledge. I could compete and earn a good living. I’m grateful for that.

The best job is a retired Grandma! I’m rocking that every chance I get. I enjoy a lot of things, and writing is now at the top of the list, even ahead of quilting. I didn’t think I’d ever let that drop out of first place. I hope to have it off the back burner once I’m published. Thanks for spending time with me today. I appreciate it, and look forward to seeing you again tomorrow. Be safe. Wear a mask. Wash your hands. I’ll be doing that, too.

Beautiful Sunday

It’s a banner day in Gretna, NE today. Cool enough for a jacket, but not in the sunshine. We took a little drive earlier and saw a lot of people out at trails in Sarpy County and just hope they socially distance as is advised. Reinfection in Round 2 will probably be bad. Let’s try and prevent doing that.

The Facebook Live event Jimmy Weber did last night was top shelf. So many good songs. So many good new songs. It was a delightful way to spend a Saturday night. The only way to top it would be in person. Soon, my friends, soon. Here is a link if you either missed it or would like to watch again. I’m sure I’ll watch again. Enjoy!

The masks are ready to be shipped out. We stopped by my mom’s while we were out and dropped her mask off. She has talked it up to some folks and asked if I had enough fabric to make a few more. What a question for a quilter! Don’t quite have the time. On a mission! Needing to complete my book and a couple other projects. Time’s a wastin’!

Our Goldie has discovered her voice. Oh my, can she bark. She is alerting the Babe to the fact he needs to toss her rope and ball toy off the upper deck. She runs down the steps, grabs it, and runs back up the steps. Wears her out! She has strongly suggested a couple times a day that it’s play time. And walk time. And food time. We cut her back to just one cup of food twice a day. She was getting a little plump. She has filled out too nicely. She should thin down during the nice weather. She loves to run in her yard. We have a big lot, and I laughingly refer to it as “Raabe Ranch”. I’ve even listed it as a place I check into. It’s kind of fun. Yes, I’m easily entertained.

One thing I’ve noticed since this quarantine has started is The Babe and I seem to talk some smack to each other. He has a great sense of humor. I’ve always loved it if I can make him laugh. He’s laughing with me a lot lately. (or is it at me-hmmm)? Any other empty nesters notice that? Despite being married for twenty two years, we still can make each other laugh. I love that about us. Hope it never stops. Laughter helps a lot of things go better. And, love cures people. Both the one who gives love and the one who receives love. It’s a win/win when you look at it. And it’s not just the physical attraction part of love. It’s the deep, respectful, spiritual kind of love when your soul is involved with theirs. It’s the best. I wish it for all of you.

We are going to be in this quarantine/social distancing for quite a while I believe. I want to be sure it’s safe before I venture out too much. I’ll wear a mask. We might have to do that for a while, too. What we need to try not to do is worry. More time has been spent worrying than anything. More sleep has been lost that way. My mom worries incessantly. Maybe it is a badge from that generation of Mom’s. I didn’t worry. I’d be concerned about some things my kids were doing, but I didn’t lose sleep over it. Maybe I’m not a good Mom. My dad always told me not to worry until I get all the information about a situation. Then I could act on the information and would not need to waste the time and energy on worry. I’m so glad I learned that from him. Try and practice it. Your anxiety will reduce. Your rest will be better. Your outlook will improve. Most really awful things we fear never happen, do you know that? Worry doesn’t prevent the loss of anything but our peace of mind. Incessant worry is a learned behavior. It would be great to unlearn it. You will feel so much better.

Have faith. Have hope. Love your people. Appreciate everything. Thank you for reading today, I hope it finds you well. Let’s all stay that way. I’ll be here again tomorrow, hope to see you then! Hang in there and hang on.

Superb Saturday

The Sweatshop shut down early today. Now it’s up to the shipping department!

I’m sitting outside in the sunshine where the temperature is about sixty degrees, according to my Google Pixel phone. Except for a bit too much breeze, the day is perfect. That’s Nebraska in the Spring, boarders on bipolar many years. I do miss some of the flower garden I used to have. Peonies and beautiful Iris, the first flowers of my garden. I’d take them to my dad’s grave on my birthday, before the Memorial Day grave decorators are out.

It’s too beautiful to stay inside. After a false start a couple weeks ago here we are again. The dogs love it, we love it, it’s out happy place, either on the deck or patio. Right now it’s the patio, more sun is present at this hour. I’m so grateful to be here for another day of life. I finished a bunch of facemasks today. The sweatshop is closed. The shipping department will do it’s thing later today, and the Babe will mail the packages on Monday. Funny thing. The IT Department in Sioux Falls notified me they actually DO need the power cord for the backup hard drive they need to troubleshoot. I just have to laugh. We humans make funny boo boos, don’t we? So it will be mailed to the IT Department in South Dakota. Probably not until Monday. Neither of us are going anywhere anytime soon, you know?

I’m looking forward to watching my friend, Jimmy Weber, sing tonight and play some of his new songs. Folks, I’m making a public confession here. I was not a great country fan until I heard Jimmy perform alone and with friends. He can play like nobody’s business, sing with heartfelt emotion, and make it entertaining and fun. I’m a fan, and have been introduced to other performers through him. I appreciate his expert guitar playing on any genre. And he’s a great human being. He will go live tonight from 8 – 9:30 p.m. CDT. You will be amazed at this talent. He will be assisted by his manager, (Handsome Jake Meyer), tech guy, songwriter, and moral support division. He’s a good guy, too.

The incomparable Jimmy Weber.
7 – 8:30 Tonight, on Facebook Live, Jimmy Weber’s Page.

There are quite a few things to do before I settle in to watch and listen to Jimmy Weber tonight. Finish my Intake Q & A for my Book Coach, submit it and the first ten pages of my manuscript (I get goosebumps when I say that word), edit some more with Pro Writing Aid, and do those meals we need. Probably a late lunch/early dinner. The Chicken Chimichanga’s were awesome! We had pineapple and peach salsa, so it covered all the food groups, folks. Leftovers today and one more meal (frozen).

Cooking fiasco. I couldn’t believe it. On Easter Sunday, the bread was baking in the oven. All of a sudden, black smoke came rolling out of the top vent, and filled the kitchen, living room, and everywhere. The butter on top of the bread melted and fell to the bottom of the oven. Right on the hot metal that covers the flame in the newer gas stove we have. Wow. It was really something. We got it cleared out pretty quickly, but it was pretty amazing. I have not done anything like that ever. I do actually know how to cook, bake, and a few other things. It troubled me, the smoke detectors never went off. Never. They are hard wired into the electrical system, so even if the batteries were dead, they should work. Hmmmm. After watching Tiger King on Netflix, maybe my suspicions are aroused. I’ll have to check it out. Damn that Carole Baskin person!

Thanks for reading today. Listen to Jimmy Weber tonight, you’ll be glad you did. It’s like you’re sitting down with him talking over a beverage and he’s playing just for you. Enjoy! I’ll see you again tomorrow. Be Safe. Be Kind. Be Informed.