The First Day of Summer Vacation

“What are your plans today?” Blaine asked on my first day of summer vacation.

“I don’t have plans,” I replied.

“You want to go fishing?” he asked.

“Sure!” I said.

“That’s how we will start if off!” he said. After breakfast, he loaded up the red Jeep with the needed gear and off we went to Long Branch Lake. The lake was beautiful. 

I wondered about the wisdom of the two of us rock climbing, but we survived.

“Careful on the rocks,” he warned. “They are kind of dangerous.”  We made it down to the edge. He had packed cushions for us to make sitting on the rocks more comfortable. We began with stink bait. Its name needs no further explanation.  Then he switched to shrimp, which the catfish preferred. Can you blame them?  

Blaine doing what he enjoys!

Blaine caught several catfish, until he ran out of shrimp.  Although I had a few bites, I failed to land a fish. My husband's expert advice was that I had too much slack in my line.  For me, it was not about catching the fish, anyway. It was about spending time with my husband.

I am not that experienced with "selfies" so I did not get the whole fish. 

  

Grandma Judy Day!

My daughter said the first words out of 5-year-old granddaughter Megan's mouth today were, "Today is Grandma Judy Day!" Since mommy was coaching sister Madison's basketball team, and brother Jaron was acting as assistant coach, Megan was coming to my house for the day all by herself. Here are some of the fun activities we did. We let Grandpa Blaine in on the fun, too.  It was a good day!

We picked dandelions. She picked a large one, and I said, "That is a pretty one!" Megan said, "They are all pretty!"

Megan helped Grandpa Blaine pick out the plants from his greenhouse for the garden.

Our son's old golf cart turned into a garden cart

She did a great job adding the right amount of water without getting it on Grandpa's hand. He had to tell her what "Whoa!" meant.

Where was Grandma Judy during all of this? Taking pictures, of course. Megan also helped make supper. We wound down by watching the movie Frozen. She has all the songs memorized and sang along, to our delight.  After a few days of rest, we might be ready for another Grandma Judy Day!

Greenhouse

Several people whom I met online recently expressed an interest in my husband Blaine's greenhouse, so I thought my blog might be the easiest way to share the story. Every year my husband saves seeds from two heirloom tomato varieties that we can not find in seed catalogs: Red Wolf and German Giant.

Here is the greenhouse. It is just a lean-to built of clear siding on our garage.  He recycled a door that was in the shed. You can see our garden spot in the right background.

 He starts the seeds all together in a couple of covered plastic containers in the house. When the seedlings came up, just about and inch or so tall, he takes them to the greenhouse to be transplanted.

Using a butter knife, Blaine scoops up the individual plants and plants them in their own little compartments in the plant containers, which he recycles from year to year.

Fans blowing on the plants make their stems sturdy, an  exhaust fan automatically comes on if the temperature is too high in the greenhouse, and a space heater keeps the temperature from getting too low.

There are mini blinds on the south side that he can also close if he needs to. These little baby plants will grow into large plants that will produce big, juicy red tomatoes.

Feel free to comment or ask questions below.

Visiting My Brother

I stopped by to visit my brother recently,

It took me awhile to find him.

Rows of identical stones stand straight in strict formation,

Like the trained soldiers they represent.

Looking at the dates, I could not believe,

How much time had passed - almost three years.

I tried, but could not hold back the tears.

I apologized for not being a better sister,

I should have visited him more often,

Both before and after he passed on.

The Veteran’s Cemetery is a beautiful resting place,

Quiet, in the country, American flag flying high.

In May when we buried him

The grass was green and perfectly trimmed.

In February, though, the cemetery is brown, and cold, and quiet.

I climb back in my Jeep to drive away,

Then I see a familiar sight across a fence. I say,

“Clayton, there are cows and calves on the hill by you.”

I smile, thinking of our childhood, milking cows,

Remembering my brother leaning against the barn wall,

Asleep on his feet after a night out with his friends.

Two of them, Dean and Jim, are buried in the same section as he is.

“Goodbye,” I say as I drive away.

I will come back another day to visit my brother.

Old Man Winter

Now, Mister, you know I don't like to be rude,
But lately I have begun to brood.
Your welcome you have overstayed,
Your leaving can no longer be delayed.
Old Man Winter, get on up outta my chair!
Let Miss Spring come sit a while there.

Thoughts on Black Friday and what we really need for Christmas.

Televisions for $98 on Black Friday at Wal-Mart? Wow, I need one! Wait….. No, I do not need another screen to put in front of my face. And does anyone else, really? I know; some of you enjoy the thrill and tradition of getting up early to fight the crowds to get those great deals that stores dangle in front of you like a carrot in front of a donkey. I am happy that you enjoy the chase.  As the day nears, though, and they have also tacked on White-Out Wednesday and opening early on Thanksgiving evening to drive up profits, I wonder what do we really need for Christmas?

After a week at the Methodist Hospital and Mayo Clinic in Rochester with my daughter, I saw numerous people from all over the United States and the world, who are fighting cancer and other diseases. I saw the white-haired gentleman pushing himself to walk the halls, clinging to his IV pole, his wife holding his other hand. A middle-aged man walked by, nonchalantly carrying his urine bag. A teenager, face pale and puffy from her illness, colorful scarf covering her head, curled up on a couch with her cell phone as she listened to a volunteer play the grand piano in the lobby.  An elderly mother was pushed in a wheelchair by a daughter with love and concern etched on her face.  A variety of nurses treated us with respect and kindness. One young man, Bobbie, had tears in his eyes when the doctor said the stomach tube must remain for one more night. Kindness abounds here, as people shared their stories with me on the shuttle from hospital to hotel and back, or in the waiting area. A thin young man shared with me yesterday that when the cab he called did not come to take him to an appointment, the owner of EconoLodge, where we are staying when not at the hospital, drove him there.

That is what we really need for Christmas. KINDNESS. Be kind to one another. Spend time with your friends and family without the reflection of a screen on your face. Say I love you to the people you care about, or, better yet, show them how much you care through your actions. That is what we need for Christmas. Not a $98 TV.

Proud

In this black and white photograph, you are standing straight and proud in your army uniform behind an old car. You smile at whomever is taking the picture, probably my young mother. You appear to be a carefree young man. I know in the back of your mind, you are thinking about having to hitchhike to return to your army base on time. You said people always stopped to pick up soldiers.

 It is the beginning of World War II. A strong farm boy, you pulled hard for freedom with your fellow soldiers, like oxen in a yoke. As a medic in the military, you made many people more comfortable during their suffering, but you rarely talked about it. Although you never mentioned it, you were awarded seven bronze stars, the “fourth-highest individual military award, awarded for acts of heroism, acts of merit, or meritorious service in a combat zone,” according to my research. I remember one story you told me of refusing to believe a spot on the floor in the hospital could not be cleaned, and you scrubbed until it was white again. Your work ethic was evident even then.

We still have some of the cards and gifts you sent Mom from overseas, every one as romantic as Valentine’s Day. You loved her with the last breath in your body. 

Daddy, I want you to know that today at our school, your 18-year-old great-grandson Lance read your name aloud. along with your son's name, who served in Viet Nam and is by your side in heaven, during a tribute to the veterans. I was so proud.

Interview with Kathy Nickerson, Author of Thirty Days to Glory, and My BFF

Kathy and I on a "play day" where we would spend the whole day together.

Today I have the opportunity to interview a woman I have known and called friend my whole life.  She is Kathy (Grubbs) Nickerson who graduated from our own Atlanta C-3 School. I remember following Kathy into the first grade room to sign up for school. This was the time before we had kindergarten. We received balloons and mine popped. I remember a slight disagreement in which Kathy said it "burst" and I said it "busted". We always did love words! We wrote stories together in grade school and high school. After we married and began raising our children, we did freelance writing and wrote long letters to each other (before the days of e-mail).

I have read and admired much of her written work from First Grade on, but the culmination of her talent has to be in her first novel Thirty Days to Glory.  I was honored to have the opportunity to read the novel before the publication date. I could not put it down.  While it is a Christian novel, it is not too “preachy,” but rather like Kathy, who lives her faith every day and believes in the power of prayer.  The day after I finished the book, I began taking my cup of coffee out on my back porch every morning and saying a prayer to ask God to be with specific people on my mind.

 Having known Kathy for a lifetime, one would think I would know everything about her, but I have questions to ask her as an author and fan of her book. Here is our interview:

I love this lady!

Me: Kathy, first let me say I loved your book, and I am not saying that because I am your friend.  You know I have loved to read ever since I learned how and read every book Mrs. Epperson had on our First Grade bookshelf.  I am also an English teacher who reads and teaches literature year after year, so I know quality writing when I see it. You are a talented writer!

Kathy: I already told several people that I don't expect anyone else's opinion to matter as much to me as yours does! So, thank you.

Me: How long would you say it took to write this book from your first idea to the point where you submitted it to a publisher?

Kathy: At least ten years. It brewed in my mind for several years. I'd see a scene in my head or hear a snippet of conversation in my mind. Eventually I got serious about writing those things down.

Me: You live such a busy life! How did you make time to write your novel?

Kathy: It certainly helps that our children are grown now. When I finally decided to do this book, I started writing twenty minutes before work Monday through Friday. I write fast, so I could get several words in that space. Then, I would steal an hour after supper to edit and revise. On Saturdays, I often wrote eight or nine hours with breaks to flip the laundry or sweep the floor. I'm also fortunate because my husband's job requires him to attend continuing education courses four times a year. So I could count on having three or four days of hotel writing time during those trips. Writing like that probably took me a year to get the book ready for submission.

Me:  I liked the way you developed your characters through what they did and said. Do you have a method for character development?

Kathy: Unfortunately, no. I've studied character development, and I've tried some of the standard approaches like writing a backstory or building a fake resume. But, honestly, when I start writing, the characters unfold. I know this sounds flaky, but they really do surprise me sometimes by what they do and who they become.

Me: As soon as I finished the book, I hoped you continued with the characters’ stories and lives. Is there a sequel in the future? Or maybe a whole series?

Kathy: Well, probably not a sequel exactly. But some of the characters are talking to me about having a book of their own. Right now, Bess is the loudest. Although she played a rather minor role in Thirty Days to Glory, I think she has some things to say. And, of course, Madge has a strong opinion about the future. So, we'll see how that goes.

Me: Thank you so much for spending some time with me and my readers. I look forward to reading many more of your books!

Kathy and I hugged, laughed, and cried, pretty much like we do every time we see each other!

Kathy's book Thirty Days to Glory is available at Hastings in Kirksville, from Amazon or her publisher, CrossRiver Media.  Of course, I have my own autographed copy from her book signing  appearance at Hastings recently, where you can also purchase daughter Serenity Bohan's book, The Thank You Room. 
 

My book-loving granddaughter Madison loved meeting two authors!