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Saturday, February 20, 2021

Hanging on a Nail

 

Sometimes I wonder how I became me, but then I remind myself how I was raised by parents from two different worlds. My mother was raised on a small farm in a one-bedroom house, with five brothers & sisters. Her parent were Quakers. They were kind, quiet, and peaceful, with little motivation to succeed beyond survival.

On the other hand, my father was born in an apartment above a pool hall, bar, and liquor store his parents managed. My father's dad, Em, was an entrepreneur and an ass-kicker from the get-go. He was a wheeler-dealer and did well financially.

Gram was quieter and, unlike Em, refrained from profanities. However, it was best not to get in her way, especially if she was riding her horse.

And my young life was totally different from my three siblings due to Polio. I spent several years in hospitals and therapy, away from my family.

I will share a few life experiences in my blog, plus writing tips, short stories, photos of beautiful places, including Sedona, 


where I now live, and maybe share an easy recipe as I dislike cooking. Sorry, I feel it's a waste of time when I could be doing something more exciting and long-lasting.  

As a child, I loved to climb.  My first climbing memories were of circling all the rooms in a house without touching the floor.

 I climbed up the sides of doors by placing one foot on each side of the doorway and straddling upward.


Climbing Doors

 One would usually find me on top of cupboards, cabinets, and even refrigerators. In my mind, snakes, or alligators crawled in masses below. 


    A kind uncle once said to me, "You never learned to walk."

    Indignant, even at two, I said, "Es, I did."

    "Nope," he said. "You only learned to run or climb."

 

Thursday, April 28, 2016

An Underground City of Giants Discovered in the Grand Canyon?

An Underground City of Giants Discovered in the Grand Canyon?



This article probably is not true but what an interesting concept.

Take a few minutes and read.  My first thought was Why?

 Why in the bottom of the Grand Canyon?

Monday, October 28, 2013

I'm Ticked!

I’m ticked off.

I’m tired of people trying to control me. I'm angry at myself for allowing people to control me.

I’m sure that each of you can name 10 or more ways that you are being controlled right now. At first, you may disagree with that statement, but think about it. Can you do what you truly want to do? 
 Are you living through someone else’s life. Do you have to do what THEY want you to do or they won’t love you…be with you ... take care of you…etc?
 Does your hair/makeup/weight have to be perfect for someone to love you? If that’s true, they don’t love you…you are their controlled slave! Why do you allow them to control you? 
Are people around you critical of your behavior if you accidentally allow the REAL YOU to reveal itself.
 Do your "friends" expect you to be like them, do what they do, talk the way they do? Live where they do? 
Then, they are not your friends.

You are an individual. Be who you are! 

I’m ticked about the government controlling all of us like we are gnats on a string. Does the government control you? Do farm programs dictate what you may plant…does your organized religion dictate what you read, say & do? 
I could go on and on. In fact, this blog was 7 pages long, listing all the BS we allow ourselves to be controlled by. So, I had to cut out lots of things that tick me off!


And I’m tired of people treating me like I’m old woman. Yes, I may be 20-25 yrs older than some of you…but when you reach my age…(and it will happen in a flash)… you’ll not want to be treated that way either. I am a human being with intelligence, common sense, emotions, feelings, and I want to enjoy life just as any 30, 40, 50 year-old. 

And Surprise, surprise! I'm just as important as you. And You are just as important as me. We all have exactly 24 hours in each day. We all have responsibilities. No life is more important than another one's life.
 In fact, everyone puts their pants on the same way! Every single person breathes, eats & poops.

I understand that the more others can control me (or you), the less we may upset their schedules. They won't have to worry about us, include us, or heaven forbid...change their plans/important schedules, because of this OLD woman... or you!
Damn, I’m ticked!

I’m sick of white male politicians and/or organized religions trying to control my daughter's/grand's and other females rights to have an abortion. If they don’t want a female to have an abortion, then ALL males should practice abstinence or eliminate their junk. 

Don’t they realize that Vasectomies kill half of a fetus… female Sterilization, the other half… IUDs, Pills, Diaphragms, Male condoms, kill fetuses. What part of this do they not understand?

Wait! They do understand. Being against abortion (after THEY have impregnated someone) is another way to CONTROL women! It's a way to keep us in our place.

And I’m tired of  judgmental opinions on gay/lesbians. Leave them alone. Perhaps “normal” sex practice or breeding, is just as sickening to many. Oh, and by the way...I'm not gay.

I’m also ticked that they try to push their religion into our government. Most of that is once again to control us, especially women.
 Jesus, didn't belong to an organized religion. He didn't wear ridiculous hats & garments. He didn't hoard gold, riches and establish his own country.
He believed that we are all equal, men & women. Black, White, Brown, Yellow, Tall, Short, Fat, Thin...

One doesn't need to follow any particularly religion to do the right thing. It’s the NATURAL thing to do.

We allow ourselves to be Controlled! Why?

Is it easier to live under another person's/religion's or government's control... so we don't have to THINK on what is the right thing or what we want to do?

We are Slaves to other peoples opinions! 


I'm Ticked!


If this blog offends you, I apologize.


 After a couple glasses of wine, I might run out into the middle of the street and scream, "I'm Ticked!"      :-)


Then I'll get busy writing, Visions of Pearl and try not to be so ticked. 


Visions of Evil is available on Amazon.com in both paperback and as an eBook. Enjoy!









Monday, August 19, 2013

Screaming Boy, Peace at Last


A most trusted friend of mine died about two months ago. RIP Jerry Lee York. I miss you terribly, but am filled with gratitude for the many wonderful times/experiences we had together. I hope to share some of them on my blog someday, but for now, it's too painful.

So today, I want to share a short-story based on a saga told in our neighborhood, about Mrs. Perkins & Timmy.

Screaming Boy
Humming my favorite hymn, ‘Amazing Grace,’ I stand at my kitchen sink washing my few lunch dishes.
Below me in the small ravine, I see a bunch of neighborhood boys splashing in the small pond. One in particular has an ear piercing scream that annoys me. His mother defends him by stating Timmy is autistic, but I've observed this wild child from the age of five, when I first moved to northwest Michigan. I don’t think there is anything wrong with this boy that direction and a strict set of rules wouldn't cure.
Now, one of the older boys is climbing out of the muddy water. He laughs as he slips and slides back in. Two others join him and all climb out at the same time. They turn toward Timmy and wave goodbye. He shrieks something in return. I don’t blame them for getting away from this annoying animal.
I turn to the utility closet and grab a broom. The floor isn't dirty, but I sweep it every day, no matter what. I’ll not be a dirty pig like, so many of the scum in this neighborhood.
Timmy in the pond below, continues to utter his monkey-sounds. What kind of parents would allow any child to swim in this disgusting water, anyway? 
Once, I climbed down the embankment. It wasn't easy for this 60-year-old body, especially with my bum knees. I’d gained a few pounds during the winter, which didn't help matters either. When I reached the pond’s edge, I observed water snakes and turtles poking their heads out of the surface. It was a mosquito haven, so I didn't last long. I soon labored up the steep incline, grabbing at the thick bushes and tree roots, to facilitate my ascent.

Washing my hands at the sink now, I see Timmy attempting to climb out the slick muddy edge of the pond. He slips and tries again. Then again. He’s yelling so loud you’d think someone would check up on him, but since he screams all the time, no one probably thinks he’s in need of help.
I hasten out of the kitchen and into my living room. Clicking on the TV to block out Timmy’s incessant shrieks. FOX news has two talking heads, arguing about gun control. It’s more than I can handle and click it off.
It’s quiet. Very quiet. I hurry to the kitchen window and stare down at the pond. The water is still. Timmy must have climbed out, but I don’t hear him yelling at his parents’ home across the street.

I bow my head and thank God for this peacefulness. Timmy is quiet. 
                                                                               ###

My book signing at a gallery here, was wonderful. Wish you could all have been here to share this experience with me. Jerry would have been so proud. 

Visions of Evil is available both in paperback and Kindle at Amazon.com. 

And remember, to help any author...please leave a review.

Until next time...

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Coincidence, Miracle or an Entities Assistance?

Do miracles surround us every moment, and yet remain invisible.
     I recently read about a man who purchased a 1950's camera at a garage sale. He paid one dollar. In the camera was undeveloped film. 
     The man thought it would be fun to develop the film. Who knew what interesting scenes might be revealed?
     But he was disappointed when the images were only of strangers & a few snapshots of San Francisco taken long ago.
     He placed the photos on a coffee stand, planning to throw them away. His grandmother came for a surprise visit. She glanced at the photos and recognized her son, the young man’s uncle, who disappeared after a family argument. He’d swore he never wanted to see his parents again.
     In the photos, he appeared to be in his 40’s. Another photo had been shot in San Francisco during the '50’s.
     The grandmother and her grandson hurried to the house where he'd purchased the camera, only to learn the family didn't know anything about the camera. It was just an old camera that a cousin found twenty years ago, lying beside a roadside park over a thousand miles away.
     The grandmother was both saddened and elated. Saddened, since she hadn't seen her son since he was 18, but elated that he was still alive in his 40’s.
     Of course, we can call this a mere coincidence. A coincidence that someone took that photo of her son. A coincidence that the film had never been developed or removed from the camera. A coincidence that the camera had been picked up at that park, and then stored for all those years. A coincidence that the young man had purchased the camera, then on a whim, developed the old film. A coincidence that the grandmother had come to visit her grandson and found the photos of her son, the young man’s uncle.
     Could it be that “coincidences” like this surround us every moment, and remain invisible until we open our minds and listen to the voices of other entities around us? 
     Telling us to stop a the garage sale, buy an old camera, develop the film, place it on a table and then give a gentle nudge to the grandmother to visit.
     How many “coincidences” occur before we are willing to consider the possibility that there might be some kind of force at work within them?
     How statistically improbable must a chain of events be before we’re willing to consider the events a miracle or revealed by another type of entity, an angel or a spirit?
     Or what does it mean to explain things in the first place? Does explaining how these things can happen make them a coincidence, not a miracle?
     I’m certain that each of us have had a “coincidence,” a “miracle,” revealed to us during our lives. How many have we just taken for granted, not realizing the magnitude/complexity of the event. I can list hundreds. I'm certain that Angels surround all of us, waiting for us to recognize their presence.

One of my sons had an imaginary friend, "Feeny," as a child. Other adults teased him about his constant companion. I never did, as I believed my son that "Feeny," was there.

I believe that children's minds are open to other entities on this earth. When I was two, I spoke of my “other grandparents.”  I can still see their faces, their smiles and feel their love. Slowly they disappeared, or was I taught that they weren't really there.

I’m sure a few people who read this post will shake their heads in disbelief.  But perhaps one or two, will open their minds to the wonders/miracles around them. 

My WIP novel, "Visions of Pearl," is the introduction to Aureles. An entity that I’m certain exists to those with open minds. I can’t wait to finish this novel and share it with you all.


In the meantime, if you have not read "Visions of Evil," please do.


We are at our Writer’s Cottage, on Lake Michigan. Gentle rain falling. All is well.

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

OZ, Dreams, Nightmares & Mayday!

Many authors will tell you that some of their inspirations for stories and novels originate from nightmares or dreams.
That is often true with me & when I write them down, the premise of a story jumps out of my written words. 
                  Some are very scary!  
The Scarecrow in "Wizard of Oz," was based on L. Frank Baum's recurring nightmare where he was being chased by a scarecrow. And with Baum's vivid imagination that Scarecrow led to a great character in the "Wizard of Oz." 

Later he wrote six children's books, 55 novels and 82 short stories. Groups of children, including Baum's four sons, regularly gathered in his office and listened to his imaginative tales of Dorothy and her friends in the magical Land of Oz. It is said that Dorothy was invented as the courageous daughter he always wanted, but never had. She magically maneuvers through unfamiliar and unpredictable situations in the Land of Oz. The Scarecrow becomes her friend.

I belong to a Dreamer's Group that meets once a month. Our leader, Cynthia Richmond, is a dream expert. We share our dreams with her & “Zing”… we learn what they mean in our regular life. Our dreams, or nightmares, explain what our sub-conscious is mulling around.

Often, thankfully, they reveal a complete scene or plot for me.

I often dream about a dog named "Somewhere." I have never had a dog, or even knew a dog with that name.  But this wonderful animal, a golden retriever, often comes to me during a dream, standing protectively besides me. In my next novel, "Somewhere," is there. 
What are your dreams telling you? If you need help in interpreting them, Cynthia Richmond’s books on Amazon are very helpful.
Fact of the month: Why do ships & aircraft use 'mayday' as their call word for help?
It's because the French word for 'help me' is m'aidez and is pronounced, 'mayday.'

So now you know!
Please download or order my novel, "Visions of Evil," on Amazon.com and then leave me a great review!

Sunday, January 13, 2013

Crappy People - Stay Out of Their Mud!

I recently read an article by James Altucher, "How To Deal With Crappy People."
In it he writes that there are 4 types of people. Here's my take.

     *Happy People
       These People are happy in their world. Yes, they have times of suffering, but they always find the bright side of any situation. Often, we resent them.  Practice being happy for these Happy people. And try to surround yourself with them. Click this link to see  Happy People 
Not only are these babies happy, but their parents are as well.

     *People in Pain
       Sometimes we are all unhappy & in pain. Things don't work out. Friends or family members die. But there are People who are always unhappy. They only see the negative side of life. Try to be compassionate, but DON'T drain yourself.  People who are always Unhappy can turn into "Crappy People."
Be kind to them, but always with boundaries.

     *Good People
       This is different from "Happy." Good people are just Good. They don't have ulterior motives. Sometimes we suspect they do & we resent them. Perhaps even envy them. I know a lot of Good People. What a blessing to have them in my life. I'm sure you know many too. Be grateful for the people who are good to you and to others.


   *Crappy People
       These people will do you harm, no matter what you do, for no reason at all. They will say & do things that are hurtful & hateful. We all have these Crappy people in our lives. They might be former friends, relatives, neighbors, or bureaucrats. They swoop down on your life to try to make you as unhappy as they are. They will torture you & try to destroy you with their hate & arrogance. Plus they'll slice the creative & positive thoughts out of your mind. It's difficult not to want to run over them with a dump truck, smash a glass over their head or other horrible things. Stop! 
      They aren't worth the time & effort, let alone the ramifications of any such act.
There is only ONE way to deal with Crappy people.  Ignore Them. Don't give them advice. Try not to talk to them. Don't think about them. Stay away from them. It isn't easy, as they will try to annoy you and creep back into your life & consciousness
Remember: When you get in the mud with a pig, you get dirty and the pig gets happy. 
                          Don't do it!

A writing quote from Stephen King:           

      “…you may make revelations that cost you dearly only to have people look at you in a funny way, not understanding what you've said at all, or why you thought it was so important that you almost cried while you were saying it. That's the worst, I think. When the secret stays locked within not for want of a teller but for want of an understanding ear.” ― Stephen KingDifferent Seasons



2013 is starting out great. Spent New Year's Day at a friend's party in a beautiful home overlooking the red rocks of Sedona. And they are "Happy People." :-)