Monthly Archives: November 2016

30 11, 2016

Doing What’s Needful

By |2016-11-21T08:25:41-06:00November 30th, 2016|Wednesday Words of Wisdom|2 Comments

do-the-needfulWe’ve finished a month of focus on thankfulness. When I saw this graphic on the Grammarly blog, I thought doing the needful would be an excellent way to end the month.

This wording might not be the phrasing we would use in the U.S. More likely, we’d say something like Please do what I asked.

Grammarly.com offers a full discussion of the phrase’s origin on their blog.

Isn’t doing what needs to be done a wonderful guideline for our actions year round?

28 11, 2016

Cyber Security for the Holidays

By |2016-11-22T16:51:03-06:00November 28th, 2016|Make Me Think Monday|1 Comment

We’re full on turkey and pumpkin pie leftovers. The serious holiday gift buying has begun. It’s time to think about cyber security.cybertheif

 We all know how hackers use stolen data to create plausible emails to trick people into clicking harmful links and/or opening infected attachments, spreading malware, viruses, and other threats.

Yahoo’s data breach last September was a good reminder we need to be pro-active in protecting our data. I hope if you ever had a Yahoo account, you immediately changed your password or deleted the account if it’s inactive. If not, stop reading this blog and do it now.

We need to use caution when making on-line purchases or sharing posts on social media. We don’t want to put ourselves or anyone else at risk if we are hacked or have our data stolen in a cyber attack.

Here are seven tips for keeping your data safe all the time, not only during the holiday season.

  1. Use different passwords on all your accounts.
  2. Change your password and security question answers for all accounts regularly.
  3. Avoid your name, initials, or birth date in a password.
  4. Avoid actual words as part of a password.
  5. Keep your anti-virus/anti-malware and all your computer programs up-to-date.
  6. Frequently review all on-line accounts for suspicious activity.

Lastly, some reminders about your email.

~Never click on an email link if it’s unsolicited or from someone you don’t know.

~ Double-check before you click even if something seems to be from a friend, call, text, or email that friend and verify before you open.

~Regardless of how official an email appears never open unsolicited email. The IRS, your bank, your credit card companies, and other companies will NOT email you to ask for personal information. They already have it.

Use these tips and reminders about cyber security be security wise this holiday season and always.

25 11, 2016

Turkey Game

By |2016-11-21T07:45:23-06:00November 25th, 2016|Holidays, Miller Farm Friday, Thanksgiving|0 Comments

A blog by Chicken Wrangler Sara

One of my greatest treasures is the collection of music books from my Aunt Keta. She was a music teacher and she worked for a music publishing company so she had many, many books. She actually gave a kindergarten music book to me on my first birthday.

turkey-runI use it regularly in my classroom. One of the songs is called The Turkeys Run Away.   We sing it every November and play the game.

This year when I explained how to play the game, I found myself saying “I will be the farmer and I will chase the turkeys.”

For a brief moment, I thought about the last time I chased a turkey. It had not ended so well – I fractured my ankle.  I pushed that thought to the back of my mind and began to sing.

I am happy to report no teachers were harmed in the playing of this game.

24 11, 2016

Happy Thanksgiving

By |2016-11-05T22:10:17-05:00November 24th, 2016|Holidays|1 Comment

Today we think about all the things we are thankful for. Chicken Wrangler Sara and I are so grateful for our readers.

As you gather with your family and friends today, we offer this Irish blessing for you and yours.

thanksgiving-for-2016

21 11, 2016

It’s Thanksgiving Week

By |2016-11-11T10:45:22-06:00November 21st, 2016|Make Me Think Monday|0 Comments

Thanksgiving arrives on Thursday making this week filled with family reunions, food, fun, travel, football games, Black Friday, and being thankful.

Not necessarily in that order.

The way we celebrate things today is quite different from how Pilgrims celebrated Thanksgiving feasts.

Historically, Pilgrims in The Commonwealth of Virginia held Thanksgiving services beginning in 1607. Days of prayer, not days of feasting, but services deeply grounded in religious beliefs and gratitude to their Heavenly Father.

Our national holiday stems from the feast held in the autumn of 1621 by the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag Indians to celebrate the colony’s first successful harvest. The colonist didn’t call it Thanksgiving, though.

Thanksgiving to them  was a religious holiday in which they would go to church and thank God for a specific event. The activities that autumn of 1621 – dancing, singing secular songs, playing games – wouldn’t have been allowed. Not religious. The feast was a secular celebration, so it never would have been considered a thanksgiving in the pilgrims’ minds.

Abraham Lincoln’s 1863 proclamation for a national day of “Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens.” established what we do today.

Interesting that the basis for our celebration remained the same as the early colonist feasts – thankfulness.

As you go about the preparations this week, spend some time thinking about the origins of the holiday and all the reasons you have to be thankful.

Happy Thanksgiving!

18 11, 2016

Bella and the Gate

By |2016-11-09T14:03:41-06:00November 18th, 2016|Miller Farm Friday|2 Comments

Blog by Chicken Wrangler Sara

We contain our pack of dachshunds in the kitchen with a baby gate.

Every evening we take the gate down and allow the dogs to go into their kennels in the living room to sleep.  Occasionally the dogs will knock the gate down when we are not home and roam the house.

All except for Bella – she is terrified of the gate. She sits in the middle of the kitchen frozen in fear.

After years of stepping over the gate, we decided to invest in a walk-through gate. This would cut down on the number of falls for those of us who are less coordinated or who have weak ankles. (That would be Chicken Wrangler Sara.)gate

Beekeeper Brian ordered an easy step, metal walk-through safety gate.

Once it was installed, life became easier for everyone – except Bella.

The first night we opened the gate to let the dogs go into their kennels, Bella refused.

Rachel was prepared for her reaction.  She coaxed Bella over the gate with treats.rach

Bella has grown accustomed to the gate.  Only once in a while does she balk at going over it.

Bella is  a special dog. She fits right in on Miller Farm.

16 11, 2016

A Heart filled with Gratitude

By |2016-11-07T15:23:58-06:00November 16th, 2016|Wednesday Words of Wisdom|1 Comment

pooh-gratitudeWinnie the Pooh was a favorite of my youngest daughter. Every nap time we read a chapter from A.A. Milne’s books and then at bedtime we re-read the same chapter.

The beautifully crafted stories of Christopher Robin’s adventures captured my daughter’s imagination. Ernest H. Shephard’s illustrations brought the tales to life.

The wisdom of Pooh and his companions was sometimes beyond her young experience, but Milne’s never failed to impress me with the compassion and insight his characters imparted with humor.

Piglet shares wise words in the graphic above. Though our hearts be small, like his, we can fill them with gratitude.

So what’s in your heart today?

14 11, 2016

Creating a gratitude list – 4 suggestions

By |2016-11-11T10:04:53-06:00November 14th, 2016|Make Me Think Monday|1 Comment

thanksgivingGratitude, I’m sad to say, is not part of most people’s natural disposition.

I understand. It’s hard to be thankful when all around us is hurt and pain and disappointment.

Gratitude doesn’t make sense, but it’s a discipline needed to remind ourselves of the many reasons we have to be grateful, which in turn will push off negativity.

Being grateful is a choice. If you’ve lived most of your life NOT focusing on gratitude, it’s not so simple to change that perspective.

Developing an attitude of gratitude can take time and effort. One way to begin that change is to write a daily gratitude list.

It’s hard at first, especially on those terrible, horrible, no good, very bad days, but over time a daily gratitude list can give you an attitude adjustment.

Where to start? How to start? What to put on your list? Here are some suggestions:

Grab a pencil or pen, some paper, and write out a list of things you’re thankful for. The kinesthetic experience of actually writing is valuable for two reasons:

  1. The physical act imprints a feeling of gratitude at the cellular level.
  2. Writing by hand is a slow process and provides more time for contemplation.

Chose a realistic number of things to list. Begin with two or three at first and work your way up to whatever number makes you feel comfortable.

Identify things around you to put on your list. Chose simple things like you woke up. Your house. The sunrise/sunset. There is so much to be thankful for, if we only have eyes to see.

Fake it, if necessary, until the habit is established. You may not actually feel grateful for anything at first, pretend. Before long you’ll discover gratitude is all around. Next, you’ll learn gratitude grows the more you use it.

If writing a gratitude list isn’t for you, try grateful beads. That’s what I use.grateful-beads

Grateful beads are a string of the ten beads that serve as a guide to being thankful. Three beads for three people who touch your life. Six beads for six things, events, and occurrences and the final bead to remind you to give thanks to your creator.

And in case you were wondering, this is my grateful bead list for today:

Like-minded friends and encouragers: Jody and Millie

My husband, who is my biggest fan and strongest supporter

Good health

Living in the forest where I can enjoy nature

Being able to share stories with readers

Readers who write to tell me how much they enjoy my stories

Old church hymns

Last, and most important, Grace — God’s love that cannot be explained (only surrendered to)

Here’s my challenge for you: Whether you use a gratitude list or grateful beads, find some time today, wherever you are, and whatever you’re doing, to be grateful.

What would be on your gratitude list? Share in the comments.

11 11, 2016

Veterans Day and Gratitude

By |2016-11-09T15:20:36-06:00November 11th, 2016|Holidays|2 Comments

Today we celebrate Veterans Day. Do you know why?

This short video from the History Channel explains the origins.

According to Cynthia Ozick, “We often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude.”

Don’t let that happen today!

Say “thank you” to a friend, relative, or co-worker who is a U.S. military veteran or active member of the military then pause a moment to remember the brave men and women who sacrificed their all to make America the greatest nation on Earth.

9 11, 2016

GRATEFUL + THANKFUL = GRATITUDE

By |2017-11-04T19:57:22-05:00November 9th, 2016|Wednesday Words of Wisdom|1 Comment

GRATEFUL and THANKFUL are adjectives describing deep appreciation.  Exhibiting both adjectives causes GRATITUDE.

gratitudequote3

In this month of emphasis on being thankful, I’m an author who is grateful to and thankful for readers who read  my books.

Use the comments below and/or on Twitter with these hashtags #grateful #gratitude to share what you’re thankful for today.

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