May 2012 - View from the Front Porch

29 05, 2012

Accepting the Versatile Blogger Award

By judythemorgan|2012-05-29T07:52:38-05:00May 29th, 2012|Judythe Morgan blog, Kristin Lamb, Uncategorized|1 Comment

How cool to check the blogs I follow yesterday and discover that Elaine Smothers blogger extraordinaire had nominated me for the Versatile Blogger awardI’m so excited to accept the nomination. Thanks, Elaine.

As with most blog awards, acceptance comes with certain rules found on the VBA blog along with the snappy looking logo download.

Having been awarded the Versatile Blogger award, I must now:

• Thank the person who gave you this award. I’ve already thanked Elaine, but I don’t think a second thanks fine. Thanks, Elaine.

• Include a link to their blog. That’s an easy rule to follow and a pleasure to do because Elaine and Forrester share versatile and fun blog posts. Check them out for yourself here.

• Next, select 15 blogs/bloggers that you’ve recently discovered or follow regularly and nominate those 15 bloggers for the Versatile Blogger Award. This rule was a bit more difficult to follow because I’m not sure who’s already been nominated. Here’s my list and bloggers, if you’ve already been nominated congratulations!

1. Margaret Miller
2. Kat Jorgensen
3. Jane Carver
4. Patricia Caviglia
5. Barbara Forte Abate
6. A.E. Huppert
7. Patricia Sands
8. Donald Bueltmann
9. Ciara Gold
10. J.D. Faver
11. Melissa Ohnoutka
12. Emmie Mears
13. Suzan Hardin
14. Jennifer Bray-Weber
15. Pat Thunstrom

• Finally, tell the person who nominated you 7 things about yourself. Okay, Elaine and Forrester get ready. Here are some quick things you might not know.

1. I play the piano. Not well. I like to say I have the skill, but not the talent.

2. My thumb is kinda green. This was our Angel trumpet last year. The fragrance filled the air in the backyard.

3. I used to paint. Still life and tole painting were my styles of choice. Now I paint walls, but only when I can’t hire someone else.

4. I drive slow when going through Missouri. Once got a speeding ticket when “trapped” by a radar tracking helicopter there. I don’t think my Texas license plate with the vanity trim holder that reads, “Get in, sit down, and hold on,” helped my plea of innocence.

5. I’m a dog lover. Especially Old English sheepdogs. We even share bad hair days!

6. The dogs and I walk no matter what the weather. That’s Toby’s adopted brother Buster walking with us. (He’s a ten pound Maltese.) They’re wearing matching red coats.

7. Much to my surprise, I enjoy blogging and tweeting. Thanks, Kristen Lamb for convincing me. I’m proud of my WANA tribe badge.

Okay now, blog readers, did you learn anything shocking from my reveals to Elaine and Forrest?

26 05, 2012

We Remember: Memorial Day 2012

By judythemorgan|2022-05-14T07:55:18-05:00May 26th, 2012|Judythe Morgan blog, Uncategorized|1 Comment

This Memorial Day weekend along with the hot dogs, hamburgers, and swimming, I want to honor and remember those who have gone before with this video of TAPS being played by a ninety-two-year-old vet.

“There is something singularly beautiful and appropriate in the music of this wonderful call. Its strains are melancholy, yet full of rest and peace. Its echoes linger in the heart long after its tones have ceased to vibrate in the air.” Quote from an article by Master Sergeant Jari A Villanueva, USAF

Words to Taps

Day is done,
gone the sun,
From the hills,
from the lake,
From the skies.
All is well,
safely rest,
God is nigh.

Go to sleep,
peaceful sleep,
May the soldier
or sailor,
God keep.
On the land
or the deep,
Safe in sleep.

Love, good night,
Must thou go,
When the day,
And the night
Need thee so?
All is well.
Speedeth all
To their rest.

Fades the light;
And afar
Goeth day,
And the stars
Shineth bright,
Fare thee well;
Day has gone,
Night is on.

Thanks and praise,
For our days,
‘Neath the sun,
Neath the stars,
‘Neath the sky,
As we go,
This we know,
God is nigh.

Note: there are no “official” words to Taps. These are the most popular. More about the history of Taps can be found at the official Military Funeral Honors History of Taps page and 24 Notes That Tap Deep Emotions

Our Memorial Day celebrations would not be complete without a big thank you and honor to all of those who serve every day and their families.

23 05, 2012

What the books do when the store closes…

By judythemorgan|2012-05-23T08:39:52-05:00May 23rd, 2012|Judythe Morgan blog, Uncategorized|3 Comments

I thought this was too fun not to share:

21 05, 2012

Monday Morning M Words

By judythemorgan|2012-05-21T08:08:49-05:00May 21st, 2012|Uncategorized|11 Comments

Letter posts are an interesting and intriguing way for bloggers to learn more about each other. They’re also entertaining.

Recently, travel blogger and WANA alum Tami Clayton shared her list of 10 things she loved that began with the letter “A.” Her post was fascinating. Her word choices and the accompanying pictures and graphics wonderful. I left a comment telling her so. She gifted with me with a letter to share about myself. Introducing…

It’s Monday. It’s May. I’ve already done a post about the whole month. But couldn’t resist choose MOTHER’S DAY for my word list. Here’s a picture of the clan minus two granddaughters who gathered to celebrate.

I write as Judythe MORGAN. It’s a pseudonym combining my first name and my husband’s middle name. My latest novel, THE PENDANT’S PROMISE, is available. Click here to read more about Lily and Alex’s love story or buy a copy with a click Kindle or Nook

I love MOUNTAINS. Soon we’ll be leaving the rising heat and humidity of the Gulf coast and head for the San Juan Mountains and the Rio Grande National Forest of Colorado.

MAD MEN As a writer I find this TV series fascinating. I thought it too edgy at first, but now I’m so hooked. I even read the blog for inside info. The script writing is excellent. Don Draper makes an intriguing main character. Not a particularly likeable hero, leading a double life and yet still flourishing. The show represents well the era.

MR. MAROO My high school mascot. It’s crazy, but it’s true. My high school mascot is a fuzzy little maroon ball.

The first published cartoon featuring the modern mascot was in the September 20, 1957 Austin Maroon Newspaper, where the Mascot (about 1.3 meters tall and hairy) is attacking the football mascot of one foe or another. Mr. Maroo doesn’t speak – you have to look him in the eye to see if he’s your friend or your foe. And he wears the beanie because beanies at one time were the traditional headwear for a freshman. Since Maroo never goes to class, he’s still a freshman, more than 50 years later.

I’m including Mr. Maroon for MARYBuckham. Her recent BREAK INTO FICTION workshop in my hometown of Austin coincided with my high school reunion. We met and I shared about the school’s history. I think she’s still laughing over our school sport teams being Maroons.

Btw, if you’re a writer and you don’t have a copy of her book BREAK INTO FICTION you should get one. Plotter, or not, the templates in this book will help you nail down your story. Click here to order.

MAJOLICA is any earthenware with an opaque glaze of tin oxide. I collect pitchers and love the majolica glaze. The colors are vivid and the designs have intricate details. All of these pitchers are examples of 19th century Majolica.

M&M This was the very first M word that popped into my head. I count the little chocolate candies as a major dietary component. M&Ms first appeared in 1941 as a treat for the G.I. Before my time, but I’ve certainly eaten my fair share since my birth. We keep my dispenser on the kitchen counter. I count walking downstairs as exercise that entitles me to an extra handful. As you can see g-kids were here over the weekend and the dispenser is empty!

MUSE No writer’s list of M words would be complete without including this word. Muse is a writer’s awareness of our environment beyond the level of most people. Anything and everything can be a source of story ideas, no matter how large or small. I hear a fragment of a conversation and have a story starter, the way the light falls on a rose petal gives me a description to use, how a wine tastes or the caress of a fabric provides sensory feeling that translates into a character’s emotional reaction. It’s quite true what my tee-shirt says: Careful or you’ll end up in my next novel.

Thanks, Tami for selecting the letter M for me. It worked so well. You’ve stirred my muse. I didn’t realize I used so many M words.

Do you have M word favorites? Make a comment and request a letter to join the Word List blog challenge fun.

16 05, 2012

Remember writing book reports?

By judythemorgan|2022-05-14T05:57:26-05:00May 16th, 2012|Book Review, Make Me Think Monday, writer, writing|7 Comments

I loved writing book reports when I was in school. Still do after a fashion.

Voracious reader that I am, I love to tell others about great books I read. So I’m constantly giving oral book reports in the form of “Have you read such and such?”

I also post reviews for the books I really, really love on review sites and at e-retailers.

That’s so important. All reviews help author sales. It doesn’t matter whether the review is good or bad.

People often say they don’t know how to write a review. It really isn’t difficult. A review doesn’t have to be long or detailed like those book reports for school. Even a sentence or two can convey whether you liked a book or didn’t.

Here are some suggestions:

“This story was well-told. I fell in love with the hero on page 2.”

“Always pleased with stories by this author.”

“Predictable, but still a good read.”

“So disappointed. Not up to her/his usual standard.”

If you’re still nervous about actually posting a review on Amazon. Check out this video I found by Douglas Goldstein. It demonstrates exactly how to post a review for a book.

13 05, 2012

Mother’s Day 2012

By judythemorgan|2017-05-04T15:57:24-05:00May 13th, 2012|Uncategorized|7 Comments

Biology is the least of what makes someone a mother. ~Oprah Winfrey

Today is Mother’s Day. I’m swinging on the porch swing thinking I totally agree with Oprah’s quote. I’ve some motherly women in my life. Sad to say, most of whom are no longer with me and only one I called Mother.

First, the little four-foot six-inch Irish immigrant Oma Julia. Oma because she married into a strong German family who settled in Texas. She began the lineage.

Next there’s her daughter Helen, the one who birthed me:

Apologies to my brother born over a decade after this picture was made. I couldn’t find a picture of all four of us with Mother, which made me sad. (Note to self–take more pictures.)

Then there’s Rose, the Mom-in-love I inherited when I married. What a jewel she was!

She raised one fine son and for that, I am eternally grateful.

And last, but never least, my Aunt Bick, the one who always says, “The stork just left you at the wrong house.”
We’ve had some real adventures through the years. I love when you remember and we can relive those moments.

Can’t end a Mother’s Day blog without special thanks to these three who ushered me into the ranks of motherhood.

And all of theirs who crowned me grandmother.

Happy Mothers Day to them all and all of you. Hope everyone is having a fantabulous day.

8 05, 2012

The Merry, Merry Month of May

By judythemorgan|2021-05-02T07:36:11-05:00May 8th, 2012|Uncategorized|5 Comments

While many of us consider this month to signal the beginning of summer, we also need to think about all the military-centered observances in May.

Today is one of four dates set aside for honoring the military in the U.S.

On Tuesday 8 May 1945 the World War II Allies formally accepted the unconditional surrender of Adolf Hitler’s Third Reich. Today we celebrate that victory.

There’s a fascinating story of the firing of Edward Kennedy the AP correspondent who broke the story– perhaps the greatest scoop in history– and was then furiously denounced and expelled from liberated France. He won a posthumous apology from an ungrateful employer after 50 years last Friday. Click here to read.

Then on May 19th, we celebrate Armed Forces Day.

May 22th is National Maritime Day. A day set aside to observe the U.S.’s proud maritime heritage and honor the men and women who serve and have served as merchant mariners.

Lastly, May 28th is Memorial Day. Originally called Decoration Day, it’s a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation’s service. Many wear red poppies on Memorial Day which symbolize the red poppies that grew on a battlefield in Belgium during World War I and immortalized by Canadian Lt. Colonel John McCrae’s poem, In Flanders Fields.

Moina Michaels, an American professor, was inspired to write her own poem in 1918, which included the lines:

We cherish too, the Poppy red
That grows on fields where valor led.
It seems to signal to the skies
That blood of heroes never dies.

Michaels was the first to wear a poppy and sold poppies to her friends and co-workers with the money benefiting servicemen in need. Four years later, the VFW became the first veterans’ organization to nationally sell poppies.

You’ll find a reference to the poem in my soon-to-be-released book The Pendant’s Promise. And, a Memorial Day picnic plays a prominent role in the love story of Alex and Lily.

May is indeed a month with opportunities to honor our military. On each of these days, my family will be pausing to remember and recognize those of have and are serving. And, no doubt, we’ll all be hearing TAPS played at one or more of these celebrations. It’s the song generally played on a bugle or trumpet that sounds at dusk, during flag ceremonies, at funerals, particularly by the U.S. military, and often at Boy Scout and Girl Scout/Guide meetings and camps.

I recently learned that 2012 is the 150th anniversary of TAPS. Read the complete story of TAPS from blogger Diane Kalas

Besides the end-of-school/graduation parties and the beginning of summer celebrations, will you be celebrating any of these military holidays in the merry, merry month of May?

6 05, 2012

CELEBRATION WEEKEND

By judythemorgan|2012-05-06T14:18:59-05:00May 6th, 2012|Uncategorized|6 Comments

May is always a busy month around my porch.

Temperatures are rising. Summer is fast approaching. The school year is winding down. There are track meets, field days, talent shows and award ceremonies aplenty.

This first weekend of the month was filled with FANTABULOUS happenings. I’m sharing two events I attended with fair warning that they’ll be other postings. May has only begun.

#3 grandson John and his friend Lainey performed in his school’s talent show. Sponsored by the Junior High Choir, the show was cleverly staged as The Faith Factor with teachers and parents playing judges Simon Cowell, L.A. Reid, Paula Abdul, and Nicole Scherzinger. Very well done. I especially enjoyed the audience on stage dancing between the category performances and awards.

John and Lainey’s performance was a flawless duet of Ode to Joy and Eagles Summit March. Check out their performance.

Judges’ call: FIRST PLACE. Even if I wasn’t the Nana, I’d have to agree!

And the best part, he won on my daughter’s birthday who also happens to be his mother. That’s her voice shouting “awesome” that you hear! A pretty awesome birthday gift wouldn’t you say?

Earlier in the week another granddaughter won 1st Place in the softball throw for her school district. Great throw, Riley. I think we have a future women’s track star emerging.

It’s certainly been celebration time on the front porch this weekend. Does your May burst with celebrations too?