Monthly Archives: October 2017

30 10, 2017

Where did Halloween come from?

By |2017-10-05T10:20:13-05:00October 30th, 2017|Holidays|0 Comments

Halloween’s origin dates to The Celts, who lived 2,000 years ago in Ireland, United Kingdom, and France.

Celts believed the boundary between worlds of the living and the dead became blurred the night before their New Year, which is November 1st.

On October 31st they celebrated the festival of Samhain, lit bonfires, and wore costumes to ward off roaming ghosts.

In the eighth century Pope Gregory III designated November 1st as a time to honor all saints and martyrs and incorporated some Samhain traditions.

October 31st became All Hallows’ Eve and eventually Halloween, the secular, community-based events filled with craved pumpkins and trick-or-treat, that we celebrate today.

But why crave pumpkins?

An Irish myth about an old drunk called “Stingy Jack” is said to be the reason.

Can you guess why he was called stingy? Of course, because he never wanted to pay for his drinks.

Read the full story here or watch to the fun, spooky video below:

The Irish used turnips, rutabagas, gourds, potatoes and beets for their lights to keep Stingy Jack away and ward off evil spirits on All Hallow’s Eve. Pumpkins became the jack-o-lanterns when waves of Irish immigrants came to America to escape the Potato Famine. They quickly discovered that pumpkins were bigger and easier to carve out.

Oh, and one more tidbit of information about jack-o-lanterns. This advice comes from the antique dealer me, not the Irish storyteller. Be careful where you display your cleverly carved jack-o-lanterns. The base of a pumpkin can stay moist for days and will rot and stain wood or even marble. Put either foil or a dish with a raised edge under any pumpkins or gourds you display this fall. I’ve stained more than one old piece of furniture decorating for fall with gourds and tiny pumpkins.

27 10, 2017

Me and My Shadow

By |2017-10-26T16:04:48-05:00October 27th, 2017|Miller Farm Friday|2 Comments

A Blog by Chicken Wrangler Sara

We had a respiratory illness go through our flock this summer.  Several of our chickens succumbed including one of my favorites – Millie, the D’Uccle.

I was very sad. It happened the same week the snails ate my marigolds.  It was a bad week.

I’m getting over my losses with the help of the other remaining D’Uccle.

I’ve named her Lily.

She follows me around in the morning when I feed the chickens.   It is very sweet. She makes me smile. :)

23 10, 2017

ABCs of Social Media Sharing for Writers

By |2017-10-06T12:57:51-05:00October 23rd, 2017|Make Me Think Monday|0 Comments

Authors want readers. Readers want to connect authors. FB, Twitter, Pinterest, blogs, and other social media platforms can help.

Trouble is using social media can also take time away from writing.

But it doesn’t have to be. By spending a little time on social media consistently, we can make those important connections.

Try these tips to help.

Allocate your time:

  • Spend fifteen minutes twice a day posting and responding to posts to put your name or book on reader’s mind.
  • Focus on the primary social media platform where you find your readers.
  • Use a scheduling program like Hootsuite when you can’t physically be on line.

CAVEAT here: Scheduling can sometimes backfire. In our crazy world today, a post, tweet, or blog might appear inappropriate on a scheduled day if something like Las Vegas or a weather event happens. Be sure to monitor what you schedule.

Be ready – collect ideas for posts/blogs:

  • Keep a running list of quotes that inspire you.
  • Bookmark and save funny videos to share later.
  • Make a list of open-ended questions you can ask.

Connect with these posting ideas:

  • Ask open ended questions
  • Request suggestions on something like what to fix for dinner, fashion, or hairstyle
  • Invite opinions on a movie you’ve seen or book you’ve read
  • Share things in posts that give readers a picture of who you are

        -a hobby or passion you have

         -pet pictures or anecdotes

         -favorite recipes

         -a link to an Amazon review you’ve written for another author

         -what you’re reading or what’s on your TBR pile

         -participate in day-of-week-hashtags like TBT (Throwback Thursday)

         -seasonal pictures or pictures of places you’ve traveled

         -vacation photos when you return   Another CAVEAT here: I’d never invite burglars by announcing departure dates

It is important to share, but it’s equally important to avoid some topics such as

         Negative or derogatory posts. It’s always better to be nice and positive

Political rants (unless you are a political writer or part of an activist group building a following)

Religious attacks

Eeyore-type poor-pitiful-me comments

I’ve only skimmed the tip of the iceberg on using social media. There are a gazillion other ideas. I invite you to share your thoughts in the comments section below.

20 10, 2017

ISO (In Search Of)

By |2017-10-19T13:11:41-05:00October 20th, 2017|Miller Farm Friday|1 Comment

A Blog by Chicken Wrangler Sara

Remember Kaboodle and Mrs. Howell? The two who share a roost.I’ve noticed recently that Kaboodle and Mrs. Howell are no longer roosting together at night.

I wondered what happened.

Even more important, does anyone know a good chicken counselor?

19 10, 2017

Embracing Change: How a Breakup or Divorce Can Help You Create Positive Habits

By |2017-10-05T09:08:26-05:00October 19th, 2017|Guest blogger|0 Comments

A Guest blog by Brandon Butler

Photo Credit: Pixabay

Changing jobs, getting divorced, having a baby, and moving to a new city are all major life changes. Some are planned; others are not. While some are happy experiences, others aren’t.

Regardless of the circumstances, major life transitions shake up your routine. Routines and habits go hand and hand, so take advantage of the shake-up, and change your life for the better.

A breakup or divorce often means having to move to a new place. You’re going to be single again, but don’t look at it as a negative. Take this time to learn to value your own company and alone time. Make a habit of making time for yourself, whether it’s doing yoga, exercising, meditating, or participating in your favorite hobby.

Not only are these activities good for your health, but the simple act of being alone can spark creativity, boost productivity, increase relaxation, and clear your mind. A blend of alone time and social time can actually help fight depression, and doing activities alone can be just as fun as doing them with others.

After your divorce, you’ll likely need to make new living arrangements. This is an intimidating situation, but you can make it more pleasant and use it as an opportunity to change your habits. When planning a move, choosing a location and a home size are the most important decisions and the best starting points.

Downsizing is common, and for many divorcees, it’s the perfect opportunity to go through your belongings and let go. Not only can you move forward from the relationship, but you can also work on becoming less cluttered, which can improve your overall energy and mood and make you feel more focused, optimistic, confident, and motivated.

Purging items that remind you of your ex may be liberating, but don’t be too hasty; items you detest when the divorce is fresh can serve as nostalgic memories later. When in doubt, place an item in storage instead of tossing it.

Moving requires planning, start by determining where you’ll move. The longer the move, the sooner you should start planning and the more help you’ll need. Arranging how to handle the move so it’s not as taxing as other decisions is important and fairly straightforward. Plan the logistics of packing, unpacking, transporting items, and arranging furniture.

A quick and simple move is important for your sanity and your children’s welfare, so consider hiring moving professionals to achieve this and to allow you to focus on supporting your children instead of focusing on moving logistics.

If you’ve been guilty of not focusing enough time on your children or not communicating well with them, change that now by keeping the doors of communication open—something with which many parents struggle.

Talk to them about what they want in the new home and take them with you to look at homes if they want to go. When you purge belongings, remember that items that don’t matter to you may be sentimental to your kids. If you don’t want to keep an item, but your child does, compromise and let the item stay in his or her room.

While getting a head start on moving is important, it’s also critical to keep the lives of your children as normal as possible during a divorce or move, so don’t get too ahead of yourself.

Divorce and moving are major transitions, but any big change can spark an opportunity to swap bad habits for positive ones. Whether you need to stop smoking, start recycling, improve your diet, or make a better effort of staying in touch with friends, a variation in your routine may be just what you need to get started.

However, be aware that the window of opportunity is limited to the first three months after the transition, so don’t wait too long to seize the opportunity.

11 10, 2017

The Power of Words

By |2017-10-05T12:59:56-05:00October 11th, 2017|Uncategorized|1 Comment

Reading Ludwig Wittgenstein’s quote, I was reminded of a school friend of mine named Phyllis. In junior high, I’d sometimes spend the night at Phyllis’ house. Every morning at breakfast, her father would share a word for the day. He always gave us the correct spelling, pronunciation, and definition then made us use the word in a sentence.

Every morning at breakfast, her father would share a word for the day. He always gave us the correct spelling, pronunciation, and definition then made us use the word in a sentence.

Once he thought we’d master the new word, he’d say, “And now you’ve had a worthwhile day. You’ve learned something new.”

I guess you could say Phyllis’ dad nurtured my love of words. I still remember the very first word he tossed into our conversation.

Ratiocinate

It’s an uncommon word, but I’ve managed to use it in a few discussions over the years. Sometimes it falls on doubting ears and, I’m sure, the hearer went home and checked a dictionary to see if it is a real word. Whatever the reaction, interjecting that new word grows a discussion just as the Austrian philosopher says.

Btw, ratiocinate means to reason; carry on a process of reasoning.

9 10, 2017

Writing as Architect or Gardener

By |2017-10-05T07:35:00-05:00October 9th, 2017|writer, writing, Writing Craft|1 Comment

George R. R. Martin writes fantasy, horror, and science fiction. I write women’s fiction and romance.

Our genres are different, but our process to a finished book is much the same. I also start with a seed. There’s no telling where a story idea will come from, but I rarely have a plan for the story. Except I do know there will be a satisfying ending.

I greatly admire those who can plot with colorful sticky notes and checkerboard graphics designating scenes. I envy the ones who know the percentage of each portion of three act structure or hero’s journey. I can’t do that hard as I try.

I begin with my happily-ever-after seed and watch it sprout and grow into a full-fledged story like a gardener. Sometimes I have to do a lot of pruning along the way to keep the story working. That is precisely what gardeners do for their plants.

If you’re a writer, what’s your writing process like? Do you garden or follow a blueprint?

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