Wintry Mix

The weatherman says it may snow or sleet or send freezing rain down upon us. One forecast calls for "freezing dribble" tomorrow and "freezing rain" on Wednesday.

I won't be driving in either if I can help it. I do not do ice very well.

I remember when we used to have real snow in this part of Virginia. Snow drifts climbed as high as the windows on the big yellow school bus.

We went to school while the dirt roads were still covered, with chains on the bus wheels knocking against the hub covers. The sound was ferocious, a horrid echo like gunfire inside the bus.

I guess that would never happen now; students no longer go to school with chains on the buses. One flake falls and the school doors close.

One year it snowed and we didn't leave the farm where I grew up for nearly a month. Schools were closed for a very long time. By the time we returned to class even the most school-hating bad boy was glad to get out of his house.

I remember one year the snow was about 16 inches deep. The moon came out bright and huge. The air snapped with cold. My parents and my brother and I, sleighs in tow, went traipsing across the fields and up into a new road that had been cut on the neighbor's property. When we could ride the sleighs downhill we did so; otherwise we took turns pulling one another (my father of course did most of the pulling).

I think I was 14.

Those deep snows left us in the late 1980s and except for an anomaly in about 1993 have not returned. We had about 24 inches in 1993; that snow knocked out our power for 10 days. My husband and I heated the house with the fireplace and when the roads cleared I drove to Salem to take a shower at my grandmother's house. That was the most welcome bath I ever had in my life, after having had sponge baths for a week.

Here is a Roanoke Times story about the winters we used to have.

There is something serene and compelling about snow. It makes the world pause and take a breath.

And I think right now a great many of us really do need to breathe.

Roanoke Writer's Conference

Last night and today I spent my time at Hollins University at the Roanoke Writer's Conference.

The evening session on Friday consisted of a welcome, lots of introductions, and a keynote speaker.

Liza Field, a columnist for The Roanoke Times whose work I have admired for a long time, gave a talk about fire. She never said the word "passion" but I took it as that.

I very much wanted to talk to her about Chinese Medicine and the elements because her talk reminded me of that but when I did get have a chance encounter with her in the ladies room I instead talked about planning commission and supervisor members who pay no attention to the people who actually live in a community because they heed the call of the dollar bill. Silly me.

The event was scheduled to run from 7 to 9 p.m. Friday; when 8:40 p.m. rolled around and it appeared they were only then starting to think about having the keynote speaker talk, I left. It had been a very long and not-so-good day and my husband and bed were both calling to me.

Saturday held a long line-up of events, starting at 9 p.m. and ending sometime after 5 p.m. I left at 3:30 p.m.; there were still other seminars I could have attended but again, other things called for my attention.

I saw many people whom I know and met others, always fun. Two of them were fellow bloggers: Becky at Peevish Pen and Debi at Greener Pastures. I have known Becky for quite some time; we are also in the Roanoke Pen Women together. It was a treat to meet Debi after reading her blog all this time.

I recognized her name on her tag and said, "Hey, you're Greener Pastures, aren't you? I'm Blue Country Magic." What a way to make an introduction, eh?

Becky introduced me to another blogger named Sally (I think) but I didn't get the link. I should have written it down. My apologies, new friend!

I saw a number of writers from The Roanoke Times, a couple of old classmates from Hollins, and numerous other folks I have worked with in the past and/or present. Definitely a good networking event.

I ate lunch with Gwen who writes for The New Castle Record, which used to be my beat in Craig County until 2004.

I did not get around to talking to as many people as I like; I generally don't at these things. I am, believe it or not, rather shy. I stay to myself far too much.

As for the seminars, I enjoyed the day but just like last year I did not come away feeling like I had learned much of anything new. I suppose that is because I have read practically every book on writing ever written and had lots of other courses over the years.

I did feel maybe a tiny bit inspired, so that was okay.

I was disappointed in one of the speakers. This was the fourth time I have heard her speak and I don't think I will go out of my way to hear her talk again. I was impressed the first times but today she left me feeling very flat. I got the impression of a prima donna and I confess I would rather have not had that in my head. I won't name names so don't ask.

All in all, I think this conference is a good thing for the area's writing community. There are a few things I would like to see changed - the meal, for one, and some way to bring us shy folks out of our selves a little more for another - but I like the Hollins venue very much.

I will likely go back next year.

Books: Ain't She Sweet

Ain't She Sweet
By Susan Elizabeth Phillips
Audiobook performed by Melissa Leo
Copyright 2003
6 hours/abridged

This is not the kind of book I normally read but apparently I was hard up for good literature the day I was in the library looking for something to listen to in the car.

This is a chick lit southern style. Sugar Beth was a very popular and very nasty teenager. She's returned home after three marriages, two dead parents and numerous years to claim what little is left of her inheritance after her father left it all to his half sister by his mistress (complicated already, eh?)

Throw in a former high school teacher whom Sugar Beth accused of inappropriate fondling, and whose teaching career she ruined, and you have to wonder what kind of small town this is. Definitely not a very nice one, because the other characters in the book are shrewd and unforgiving. Some are even downright mean.

There is redemption and forgiveness, finally, and growth of character. This is a good thing.


3 stars for character building

Thursday Thirteen

1. Last night I dreamed I was in a room full of people. Someone was looking for a writer and he pointed out everyone but me.

2. I make my living writing, in case that point missed anyone.

3. On Sunday we went to Circuit City to see if there were really any deals as the store liquidates. We didn't see any but I did buy a few DVDs at 20 percent off, including an extended edition of The Fellowship of the Ring.

4. Circuit City is where I bought two laptops, the TV in the bedrooms, my Wii Fit and at least one dishwasher (we have very hard/lime water and go through a lot of dishwashers). I am sorry they are going out of business.

5. My acupuncturist told me yesterday that as an Earth girl I need a lot of nourishment. Physically and mentally. Anybody giving away hugs?

6. Writing is sometimes like trying to pull briers out of my skin after I've fallen into a rose bush. There is a lot of pain and even blood.

7. Other times writing is like gliding along on skates on unmarred ice that goes forever. I only stop when I'm worn out.

8. Facebook and similar social networking sites make a lot of people come to mind whom you may not really want to be thinking about at that particular time. I am not sure this is a good thing. My mind is already pretty full without the social status updates.

9. My brother told me this morning that only 25 of his 40 eggs he was trying to hatch actually made it. I was quite saddened by this.

10. Then my husband told me this morning that we have two new calves. That made me happy. Birth and death. Life on the farm. It ain't all laid back or even black and white.

11. I am going to the Roanoke Writer's Conference at Hollins this weekend. I know I will be there Saturday; I still haven't made up my mind about the speech/reception thing on Friday night. If you're interested in going, the link is here.

12. I think if I could stop eating chocolate I would be better off, but damn, it tastes good.

13. This is my 82nd Thursday Thirteen and my 843rd post on this blog. Whoo.





Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; you can learn more about it here. My other Thursday Thirteens are here.

Wii Fit

I received a Wii Fit for Christmas.

For those who don't know, this is a "game" with a balance board. You have to move around to play this. The balance board has a set of scales that measures how your weight shifts around as you play various games.

My favorite games are the balance games and aerobics.

In balance games, you have to do things like hit a soccer ball with your head, maneuver on skis, ride a bubble down a river without popping the bubble or maneuver balls into a hole.

Aerobics have a lot of step work. Up and down and side to side. I have nearly fallen several times. There is also a boxing routine that I enjoy and a hula hoop thing.

I like the yoga items, too. My least favorite are the strength training and those are probably the ones I need the most. All in good time, I tell myself.

So far I have only missed three days on the Wii since the day after Christmas. And I have done 30 minutes every day.

My other near-daily exercising consists of using a Dennis Austin tape, riding a stationary recumbent bike, walking on a treadmill, and Tai Chi. I also have one of those big balls.

You'd think with all that I would not be overweight, but there you go. I am.

I have lost four whole pounds. I was hoping it would all fall off overnight but apparently that is not the way it works.

Sigh.

The Coldest Night

Last Friday, January 16, the thermometer dipped and dropped to 2 degrees Fahrenheit.

As we readied for bed, the lights blinked.

"That can't be good," my husband said. He glanced out the window.

"The hayfield's on fire!" he cried. He grabbed his britches while I went to the window.

A long line of fire covered the field in front of my in-law's house. I saw car headlights. "I think someone must have hit a light pole," my husband said as he raced for his pick up truck.

"Call Mom and Dad and make sure they're alright."

My in-laws are both 75 years old; my father-in-law is on oxygen. I made the call and my father-in-law answered; he was so agitated and excited that we had little coherent conversation. He did tell me their power was out and he couldn't find a flashlight. Ultimately he hung up on me.

Then our power went out. I hunted up my cell phone and called my husband to tell him he needed to go check on his parents. I couldn't get the car through because by this time the road was blocked with my husband's pick up and a few other vehicles.

There had not been a wreck; instead a power line had snapped. The electricity set the field afire.

I watched out the window as fire trucks arrived; not long after there was no blaze.

My husband powered up a generator for his folks so that his father's oxygen machine could run.

We heat with electricity but do have a fireplace. We don't burn it very much because the smoke from it upsets my allergies. We debated on whether or not to start a fire but decided to wait and see if the power was still out come morning.

We snuggled in for a cold night's sleep. Around 2 a.m., the doorbell rang, the phones went off and a light came on.

The power was back, although it blinked a lot and did not remain on solidly for the next 12 hours

The phones were another story. They were out and nothing I did on my end made them return. The phone company called Saturday night around 6:30 p.m. to say they had a dial tone at their end now and if I didn't have service, there was something wrong in my house.

When I tried to plug in a phone, it rang and rang, with no dial tone, just a buzz.

I had unplugged the computer and all the phones. I finally remembered that the box for the DirecTV plugs into a phone jack so you can order up pay-per-view movies.

I unplugged that, and lo, I had telephone service. However, I still did not have an Internet connection.

I called the phone company to tell them I had a dial tone, and at that time they said it would be Monday before my Internet came back.

And that is why I haven't been posting on my blog!

A Big Day

I simply could not let this day go by without acknowledging it on my blog.

A new day.

A new hope.

A new President of the United States.

I am not as enamoured of soon-to-be President Obama as some; I made no secret that I preferred Hillary Clinton, who will instead by the new Secretary of State. But Mr. Obama will be my president and as such I will give him my support until such time as he proves himself unworthy of it.

I pray that this does bring about a new dawn for this country, and that the many problems we have will begin to be addressed.

Thursday Thirteen

I swiped these questions from Becky over at Peevish Pen.

I broke them up and didn't answer all of them; just up to 13.

1. If you’re a writer, what do you write?

I write nonfiction newspaper articles. I average over 30 a month; lately it's been more like 40, leaving little time for anything else.

Writing for me means doing interviews, taking photos, making lots of phone calls. Gathering the information is an important part of the process.

I also have a few novels in the drawer, one finished, several started but not complete. I am also working on a nonfiction history book.

I also sometimes write poetry.

I have a terrible tendency to put my own projects last; hence they don't get done.

2. What do you do when you’re not writing?

I play the guitar. I exercise. I read a lot at night; I average about 50 books annually, mostly fiction at this stage in my life. I also am a wife so there is always cooking, cleaning and laundry. Not to mention going to the market.

3. Are you published? Agented? Hopeful?

My nonfiction has been and continues to be published in many local newspapers (The Fincastle Herald, the Vinton Messenger, the Cave Spring Connection, The Roanoke Times, The Salem-Times Register, The New Castle Record, etc., ); a couple of local magazines - The Roanoker (a very long time ago) and OurHealth. I was also published several times in a statewide magazine called Cooperative Living, and a few other places.

I once had a fiction story published in a Christmas story anthology printed by The Roanoke Times. I've also had some poetry published. All of that was in the 1990s, though. I guess it still counts.

I've been publishing since 1985 when my first piece, entitled "Making Shiloh Apple Butter" appeared in The Fincastle Herald.

I don't have an agent because nothing I've written is at that point.


4. What do you love about books?

I don't understand people who don't love books. They are full of words and ideas and images and they bring entire worlds to your doorstep. All you have to do is read them. They are portable, small, fit well in my hands. They smell good, too, when they're brand new. They have colorful covers and intriguing pictures sometimes.

What's not to love, as Mrs. B. says over at Peevish Pen.

5. What drives you crazy about books?

I can't think of anything that drives me crazy about books. The publishing industry might be something else again - I wish publishers would take more risks with new writers.

6. Starbucks, Peets, or Folger’s Crystals?

I don't drink coffee much. I occasionally have a French Vanilla decaf but not very often.


7. The beach, the mountains, or completely lost and without a map?

I am actually pretty happy on my own little farm, looking out my window and watching the clouds roll by. Last night I saw 17 deer in the front yard. And I do mean the front yard.


8. Are you excited about the new seasons of “Lost” and “American Idol”? If not, what’s wrong with you?

I have never watched either of these shows. See the notation above about reading a book. I would much rather be lost in a book than lost in a show called "Lost". As for American Idol, I stopped watching anything on FOX about 10 years ago.


9. Here’s a $25,000 advance. How will you spend it?

I'd bank it and possibly take six months off from the newspaper (or at least slow down the volume a little) so I could finish whatever the advance was for and start on a new personal project.


10. Kindle: Useful reading device or harbinger of the literary apocalypse?

I am intrigued by these but I can't seem them ever replacing a book or a real newspaper for me. I am old fashioned that way. Let's face it, new media is interesting but ... acid free paper has shown it will lay around for several hundred years. A CD Rom won't last 20. I predict that this era will have few records because the new media isn't going to last to give an historical accounting.


11. If a picture paints a thousand words, how many pictures do 80,000 words paint?

If they are good words, they might paint an entire movie, which would be an awful lot of pictures.

Bad words might not paint anything at all.


12. What book do you wish you had written? Why didn’t you?

Pretty much any book published, although I have read some rather bad books that I am grateful I didn't write. I always wanted to write something like Nancy Drew books. Or Little House on the Prairie Books. Or Phyllis Whitney Books. Or Victoria Holt books. Or Janet Evanovich books. etc. etc. etc.

As to why didn't I, I seem to have a problem with large projects and finishing things. Short articles seem to be what works best for me. It's a kick in the pants but there you go.


13.What part of the world do you live in? And how bothered are you by sentences that end in a preposition?

I live in Virginia. Sentence that end in prepositions do not overtly bother me but I have been known to revise something from time to time to make sure the preposition has been removed. And then I've revised it back because it sounded funny.


Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; you can learn more about it here. My other Thursday Thirteens are here.

The 4th Picture

Kristin at Hello Sweet World tagged me for a photo meme.

Here’s how it works:

1) Choose the 4th folder where you store your pictures on your computer
2) Select the 4th picture in the folder
3) Explain the picture
4) Tag 4 people to do the same

I lucked out and have this shot of greenery. Doesn't it make you miss spring? This is from my 2007 folder. Taken in April.

Won't be long before we have this lovely color back!

I'm not going to tag anyone per se, but I hope that June at Spatter, Becky at Peevish Pen, Ms. E. at Roanoke RNR and Beth at Blue Ridge Blue Collar Girl decide they want to do this.

Books: The Sharing Knife

The Sharing Knife
by Lois McMaster Bujold
Copyright 2006
361 pages

This is a good fantasy! I am very pleased to have found another fantasy author.

Fawn has run away from home because she is pregnant. Along the way she sees a band of Lakewalkers. These are magic folks who protect the farmers from a Malice, which is a creature that rises from the ground and takes animals and people and turns them into zombie-like creatures.

Dag is patroller among the Lakewalkers. He saves Fawn from a mud-man (a creature made by the Malice) and together they kill the Malice.

But in so doing, Fawn loses her child. Her baby's essence is now trapped in a magical knife that belongs to Dag.

With this bond, the two eventually fall in love. Dag returns Fawn to her family. They are not bad people but they do not value Fawn very much.

In the end, Dag and Fawn end up together. The story continues in Book 2, which I suppose will deal with the essence trapped in the knife, since that was left unfinished in Book 1.

These books are very much like Tamaro Pierce's young adult works, except with subject matter that is more suited for older readers. Some violence but not too much. Very well-wrought characters, interesting magics.

I read this book in two nights. I really hated to put it down to go to bed!

I'm looking forward to Book 2.

5 stars

Shooting the Moon

Orange moon on Saturday, January 10, 2009, at about 7:15 a.m.



Full moon on January 11, 2009, as it peaked through the clouds.



Nearly full moon taken in December.



Full moon on Sunday, January 11, 2009, at about 6:50 a.m. as it peaked through the clouds.

Growing Old

I had a visit to my doctor today. I have now officially been diagnosed with high blood pressure or hypertension.

It's been high for a while. This past week, perhaps because I was recovering from a cold, it seemed to be higher than usual. At my doctor's urging in October I had purchased an automatic blood pressure machine but I wasn't using it much.

However, I could feel that something wasn't right. I was a little lightheaded. I could feel my pulse in my ears when I lay down at night. My temples throbbed.

On January 2 I started checking my blood pressure. The readings were not great. Definitely pre-hypertension at best.

Most of the readings averaged about 130/104. The top number is not so bad but apparently the bottom one needs to be below 90.

At one point I got a reading of 160/128. That was definitely high.

That wasn't helped by a phone conversation with my aunt, who is a nurse at Lewis Gale. I told her my numbers and she went nuts.

"You're going to have a heart attack or a stroke!" she said. "You need to get to the doctor as soon as you can."

After that conversation, my blood pressure went up to those very high numbers. I hardly slept Wednesday night for fear I might not wake up the next morning.

The doctor this morning gave me a diuretic. These are supposed to help lower your blood pressure.

Every single one of my uncles and my aunt on my mother's side of the family has high blood pressure, so this is not a surprise.

My brother has high blood pressure too (which I just found out) and he says he isn't taking any medication for it. He is three years younger than I.

I am also overweight and of course this adds to it. I have tried lots of diets and failed at all of them, so I suppose this is not something I am successful at.

I hate taking medication, too. Here I am, growing old.

Old age is not a nice reward for a life well-lived.

Thursday Thirteen

Knock-knock jokes. Love em or not...

1. Knock Knock! Who's there?
Ray. Ray who?
Ray-ders of the Lost Ark.

2. Knock Knock! Who's there?
Falafel. Falafel who?
Falafel off his bike and hurt his knee!

3. Knock Knock! Who's there?
Centipede. Centipede who?
Centipede on the Christmas tree.

4. Knock Knock! Who's there?
Madam. Madam who?
Madam, my finger is stuck in the door!

5. Knock Knock! Who's there?
Mae. Mae who?
Mae be I'll tell you or Mae be I won't...

6. Knock Knock! Who's there?
Andy Green. Andy Green, who?
Andy Green grass grows all around, all around. Andy Green grass grows all around.

7. Knock Knock! Who's there?
Rather. Rather who?
Rather not come in...

8. Knock Knock! Who's there?
Chimney. Chimney who?
Chimney cricket! Have you seen Pinocchio?

9. Knock Knock! Who's there?
Norway.Norway who?
Norway will I leave till you open this door!

10. Knock Knock! Who's there?
Utica. Utica who?
Utica the high road and I'll take the low road.

11. Knock Knock! Who's there?
UCI. UCI who?
UCI had to ring because you didn't answer when I knocked.

12. Knock Knock! Who's there?
Ed. Ed who?
Ed-vanced pain medicine.

13. And last but not least, my favorite dirty joke: White horse fell in the mud hole!


Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; you can learn more about it here. My other Thursday Thirteens are here.**

**Apparently there is a change in the Thursday Thirteen website. The above has been changed for the new address.

The Rose

Last night I watched the movie "The Rose" with Bette Midler. I had not planned to watch it but was too tired to read.

We have over 100 channels and there never seems to be anything on.

I saw The Rose in the theater in 1979. I went with my friends. We played together in a Top 40 cover band at that time and this seemed like a good movie for a bunch of wanna-be musicians to take in.

The movie is about a young rocker who just wants her life back but her agent/manager/producer wants her to keep working to make him money.

She does drugs and at the end, dies. Or at least the movie implies she does. I prefer to think she went into a coma and eventually woke up and went on to live a quiet life.

I suppose it is a thinly-veiled Janis Joplin movie.

Bette Midler does a great job in this movie. The song "The Rose" brings tears to my eyes nearly every time I hear it.

I remember when I saw the movie in the theater, us girls in the band were bawling when we left.

I did not cry last night when I watched it but it sure made me feel kind of sad.

Books: The Sunflower

The Sunflower
Richard Paul Evans
Audio Book read by Campbell Scott
Copyright 2005
6.5 hours

I don't know what is wrong with me lately. I seem to be reading and listening to syrupy and sappy books these days.

Must be something in the air.

Anyway, this book brings together two people who have not had easy lives. Paul is a doctor who had a very bad emergency room experience, so bad that he fled to Peru. There he ended up running an orphanage called the Sunflower.

Christine was jilted by her fiance a few days before the wedding she'd dreamed of since she was a little girl. Her friend Jessica insists they go to Peru to get away from it all.

Christine and Paul meet, sparks fly, they separate, get back together, separate again. Typical romance-type stuff.

I had a difficult time getting into the book at the beginning but after a while I settled into it. Not a bad book if you like this kind of thing.

I received an award!

Kristin at Hello Sweet World tagged me for a blog award. I am very grateful and happy to receive it.

It is always nice to be acknowledged. Next time I work on my blog sidebar, which I hope to do soon, I will add it permanently.

I'm not sure what the criteria for this award is, but I will pass it along to some of my favorite reads.

So in the spirit of the new year, I pass this along to:

Becky at Peevish Pen

June at Spatter

Debi at Greener Pastures

Amy at The Virginia Scribe

Ginger at landuvmilknhoney

RoanokeRnR

Many thanks again to Kristin for the award!

Repeat

I was over my cold and cough for about a day.

One trip into Roanoke and poof, it's back.

And that's all I have to say about that.

A Green 2009*

Once again, it’s that time for resolutions and resolve. What will it be this year? Lose weight? Climb a mountain? Buy a new car to help out the ailing auto industry? Save money by driving around the clunker for another year?

This year I want to concentrate on being “green.”

I want to help save the world, of course, but I also want to save a little bit of my own “green” and maybe put it in a savings account in the bank.

I already recycle my paper, which helps with the landfill fee, but I think there is more to do.

• Recycle plastics. I try not to buy things in plastic but of course there are many items that are plastic. I have a hard time with the #1 and #2 pete. My county only accepts those two classifications of plastic.

As best I can tell, #1 items would be soda and water bottles, salad dressing bottles and peanut butter plastic jars. Those #2 items would be milk bottles, detergent containers, and those plastic bags you get from Kroger.

My county says on its website that it does not accept the trash bags you buy.

• Save gasoline. Even though the price of gas is below $2 as I write this, I think this is an anomaly and higher prices will be something we will live with. Since I am a bit of a lead foot, I need to change my driving habits. It’s not like there is a bus out here.

Apparently I need to keep a clean air filter. Okay, that’s a husband chore. Other helpful things include proper tire alignment and tire inflation, a tune up (whatever that entails – better leave that one to the husband, too!), slowing down (every 5 mph slower saves gas), smoothly accelerating and decelerating (no more stop and jerk for me!), and not having long idle periods.

I think of those tips, slowing down and accelerating are the ones that are most applicable to me. So in the new year I will practice driving the speed limit instead of going 5-10 mph over and hoping I don’t get a ticket.

• Use less electricity. We heat and cool with electricity, which makes us high electricity users. Even so, a $300 light bill for a 1,700 square feet house seems like a lot.

I already have some items on smart strips, which allow you to completely turn off appliances. I also have compact fluorescent bulbs in many of my lights, but not all. My house is 20 years old and some of my ceiling light fixtures simply won’t work with those CFLs. My husband a few months ago actually broke a CFL trying to get it to fit in the hallway fixture.

I’ve read I should unplug appliances. However, many things take a very long time to power up if they’re completely unplugged. Who wants to miss the first five minutes of a show every evening because you have to wait for the DirecTV to do its count down and reset? Does leaving the TV on all day on the vampire juice setting use more power than if you cut the set on five minutes early? I don’t know and I can’t find the answer.

Another electricity-saving hint is washing only in cold water, but I have problems with clothes souring when I wash only on that temperature. Anyone know how to fix that?

• Buy local. I approve of the eating locally movement and I hope to be a stronger supporter of the local farmers market next year. I would like to buy other locally made products as well, though at the moment I don’t know what those might be.

• Use the library. I am a book hoarder and books find their way to my shelves with ease. The Botetourt County libraries (I serve on the Library Board of Trustees) offer up a veritable smorgasbord of reading materials. From fantasy to nonfiction to World War II histories to literary masterpieces, all are available at the libraries.

The 100,000 item collection has items for any age.

If the library doesn’t have the book you want, the helpful staff will locate it for you and you’ll get it eventually.

The library also has magazines, DVDs and tapes, books on tape, music CDs and Internet access. They even have an occasional movie night.

Your tax dollars already pay for these items, so why not take advantage of one of the best cultural assets the county offers? Save a lot of green, up the library’s use numbers, maybe even learn something. If nothing else, be entertained and feel good about it!



*A version of this was published in my column space in The Fincastle Herald on December 31, 2008.*

Family of Origin

My family of origin consists of four people. My mother, my father, my brother, and me.

Try as we might, we cannot escape one another.



This is what we all looked like in 1983 at my wedding. That's my mother, Glenda, my father, Loren, me, and my brother, Loren Jr.

I turned out to be the shortest. I am the older child by three years.

This is the way I always remember my family. I am generally surprised when I see them looking otherwise, either in person or in photos. I guess my memory stopped when I turned 20.



The above is a shot of my mother in 1993. She would have been 49 years old in this photo. She passed away in 2000 from pancreatic cancer. She was 56.

She hated to have her likeness taken and I was surprised when she posed for this picture. She gave us all this picture as a Christmas present that year.



I took this photo of my father in December 2007. He remarried that year. We do not have the best relationship and I don't see him very often. It is just as well.



This is my brother in December 2007. I caught him off guard while he was driving my niece around in a parade float; hence the lollipop in his mouth. We talk on the phone a few times a month. He has two children and a step son and I make a point of calling to ask about the kids. I hope we are getting a little closer. Maybe time does heal.



This is me. This photo was taken in June 2007.

We are grown up and growing old. I have a lot of relatives with whom I am close and see more frequently than I do my family of origin. It is not something I expect will change but it is something I want to think about.

I hadn't planned to post these photos today but one of my uncles contacted me in search of pictures of my mother. I came across these photos while I was looking for something to satisfy his request.

Happy New Year!

A New Year Thursday Thirteen!

Best wishes to you and yours. May the new year bring blessings to all.

Hopes and dreams for 2009...

1. A great first year for the nation with a new president.

2. New stories to write!

3. A happy husband who is two years from retirement.

4. Weight loss for the two people who live in my house.

5. More books to read!

6. Cleanliness and godliness.

7. Green living.

8. Fewer bills.

9. Less stress around the world.

10. Rain to end the drought.

11. Contentment for everyone I know, and those I don't.

12. New friends!

13. Peace, joy and happiness.


Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; you can learn more about it here. My other Thursday Thirteens are here.