19 12, 2013

Christmas in Texas

By judythemorgan|2021-12-03T06:44:12-06:00December 19th, 2013|Holidays, one word Wednesday|0 Comments

Celebrating Christmas in Texas is different. No snow, no cold, and a few other traditions unique to the Lone Star State.

We’re excited to be where we have both snow and cold this year, but memories of our Texas Christmases linger.

A Christmas classic story to read was The Night Before Christmas in Texas, That Is by Leon A. Harris, Based on the well-known “Night Before Christmas,” this tale with a definite Texas spin has entertained audiences for more than forty years.

From the inside cover flap: A Western Santa Claus-decked out in Levis, a ten-gallon Stetson, a cowboy vest, and with a bandana around his neck-makes his Christmas journey on a buckboard piled high with presents. Swooping in over the prairie to the amazement of sleepy residents and jackrabbits alike, a plump, jovial Santa parks his buckboard outside a peaceful ranch house. From boot-stuffing gifts to the faithful “hosses” pulling his “sleigh,” this is a Christmas tale rich in Texas tradition.

Gene Autry recorded the poem for Columbia Records in the 1940s or 50s. I have a copy of the original 78 record.

Take a listen to a later release:

These are some other Texas Christmas traditions we’ve brought to Colorado with us:

Hanging a pickle on the Christmas tree

Lining our sidewalk with Luminaries

Eating tamales on Christmas Eve

Christmas is next week. I’ll be taking a break to enjoy my family and friends.

Before I go, though…

You can take the gal out of Texas, but you can’t take Texas out of the gal.

While I’ll be celebrating Christ’s birth in the snowy woods of SW Colorado this year, I’ll be singing…

And that’s my wish for all of you — MERRY CHRISTMAS, Y’ALL! See you next year.

11 12, 2013

Claymation Christmas Celebration – One Word Wednesday

By judythemorgan|2013-12-11T06:00:35-06:00December 11th, 2013|Holidays, one word Wednesday|0 Comments

If you’re not familiar with A Claymation Christmas Celebration, you’ve missed a real treat.

The television special won a 1988 Emmy for Outstanding Animated Program following its original broadcast on the CBS TV in 1987.

It was my youngest daughter’s favorite holiday television special. Still is.

We watched the show live and then for years afterward on VHS to kick-start the holiday at our house. She’s now sharing with her children.

Producer and director Will Vinton used stop motion clay animation to create awesome animation that equals some of today’s high tech productions.

So what’s the story about?

Two prehistoric dinosaurs one named Rex, an intellectual tyrannosaurus, and the other Herb, a dimwitted, bespectacled styracosaurus with a voracious appetite, are the main characters.

The pair guides you along a typical small town’s Christmas choral celebration with various Christmas carols preformed. The California Raisins are special guest stars.

Throughout the story, Rex tries to explain the true pronunciation and meaning of the term wassail. Different groups sing their rendition, all of which are lyrically incorrect.

Finally, a large truck loaded with elfin, cider-swilling townsfolk arrives, singing the correct version. When one of the townies explains wassailing means going around the neighborhood singing Christmas carols and getting treats and cordials, Rex’s theories are validated, much to his delight.

My favorite carol from the show is “We Three Kings.”

The Walrus ice-skating to “Angels We Have Heard on High” is a very close second.

If you want, you can watch the full thirty-minute show on YouTube here.

For repeated viewing, you can purchase your own VHS video from Amazon or a DVD with Will Vinton’s Claymation productions for Easter and Halloween.

27 11, 2013

OVER THE RIVER through the woods– One Word Wednesday

By judythemorgan|2013-11-27T08:00:20-06:00November 27th, 2013|Holidays, one word Wednesday|0 Comments

Thanksgiving brings to mind a very old song first written as poem titled “A Boy’s Thanksgiving Day.”

The author Lydia Maria Francis Child (1802-1880) was a teacher, a writer, abolitionist, women’s rights activist, opponent of American expansionism, Indian rights activist, novelist, and journalist. A busy woman for her day. She’s best known for her Thanksgiving poem written in 1844.

The poem celebrates her childhood memories of going to her grandparents’ home. You might recognize the first verse from “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving.” The Peanuts gang sings the first verse.

Modern Thanksgivings aren’t normally associated with snow, but in the early 19th century, New England experienced colder winters during a Little Ice Age.

Sorta like travelers today will be braving tomorrow.

I offer the poem, set to music, for you to sing as you travel.

13 11, 2013

GRATEFUL GRATITUDE – One Word Wednesday

By judythemorgan|2017-11-04T20:13:59-05:00November 13th, 2013|one word Wednesday|7 Comments

GRATEFUL is an adjective describing a deep appreciation for kindness shown to oneself.GRATEFUL can be a powerful motivator.

Being GRATEFUL puts a smile on your face.

The word GRATITUDE is a noun meaning to feel grateful or thankful.

Verbalizing GRATITUDE puts smiles on others’ faces.

Today I’m a grateful author who is thankful for readers of my blog posts and books.

YOUR TURN:

Share what you’re grateful for today—in the comments below, on Twitter with these hashtags #grateful #gratitude, or join with the Thankful November Days posts on Facebook.

6 11, 2013

MENSA – One Word Wednesday

By judythemorgan|2013-11-06T06:00:30-06:00November 6th, 2013|one word Wednesday|1 Comment

We recently spent an evening with my son’s family matching wits with puzzles from a fun book titled Match Wits with Mensa.

Our family does enjoy mental challenges and besting one another in sports, games, and jokes, but we’re not Mensa members.

The word mensa means “table” in Latin, and is symbolized in the organization’s logo, which depicts the round-table nature of the organization and the coming together of equals

Mensa began in Oxford, England, in 1946 by Roland Berrill, an Australian barrister, and Dr. Lancelot Ware, a British scientist and lawyer. Their idea was to form a group for people with high IQs that would be non-political and free from all social distinctions.

Mensa has grown to an international organization with more than 110,000 members in fifty national groups.

The largest U.S. Mensa group is in the Chicago area. Every year around Halloween, the group hosts a costume party for which many members create pun-based costumes. Check out the American Mensa website here: http://www.us.mensa.org/

Mensa’s purposes:

to identify and to foster human intelligence for the benefit of humanity
to encourage research into the nature, characteristics, and uses of intelligence
to provide a stimulating intellectual and social environment for its members

The organization also provides programs for gifted children, literacy, and scholarships.

Sometimes, I think we forget to challenge and train our brains, which we should do–especially as we age. Brain cells do die off, you know.

You don’t have to be a Mensa member to be intellectually stimulated. You can build brainpower with:

Puzzles from Matching Wits with Mensa like we did. Click to purchase:

Jigsaw or crossword puzzles
Sudoku
Word games like Scrabble
Trivia mind games

There are oodles of books available as well as on-line sites like Brainbashers or Mensa’s game page.

When I taught school, I began each class with a thinking warm-up—puzzles, logic problems, and review questions from lessons. The puzzles and thinking problems were by far the students’ favorite.

YOUR TURN: Try these brain warm-ups and put your answers in a comment.

The first commenter – who gets all three brain warm-ups correct – will receive a free copy of Love in the Morning Calm.

EXAMPLE: 7 D in a W = 7 days in a week

7 W of the AW
8 S on a S S
64 S on a C

29 10, 2013

Ideas for Romancing Halloween

By judythemorgan|2015-10-22T18:47:29-05:00October 29th, 2013|one word Wednesday|1 Comment

On Monday, we talked about the origins of Halloween and the legend behind why we carve pumpkins into jack-o-lanterns. Today let’s enjoy some vintage Halloween cards and explore folktales that help young women identify their future husbands.Romance writers should love these folktales and see potential romance stories.

According to folklore, young women have tossed apple-peels over their shoulders on Halloween, hoping that the peels would fall on the floor in the shape of their future husbands’ initials.

Or, peered at egg yolks floating in a bowl of water to learn about their futures.

Or, stood in front of mirrors in darkened rooms, holding candles and looking over their shoulders for their husbands’ faces.

One legend claims the first successful apple-bobber will be the first to marry.

Another suggests that matchmaking Irish cooks bury a ring in her mashed potatoes on Halloween night, hoping to bring true love to the diner who finds it.

Scottish fortune-tellers recommend eligible young women name a hazelnut for each of her suitors and then toss the nuts into the fireplace on Halloween night. The nut that burns to ashes rather than popping or exploding, represents the girl’s future husband.

In a confusing version of this same tale, the opposite was true: The nut that burns symbolized a love that would not last.

Another option with food suggest eating a sugary concoction made out of walnuts, hazelnuts, and nutmeg before bed on Halloween night can bring dreams about a future husband.

But what if you’ve already found your mate, you say.

Then try some of these ideas for romancing your Halloween night.

~~Decorate your house for a Halloween evening. Let flickering candlelight set the mood. Place gourds or pumpkins hollowed out and filled with orange and purple flowers.

~~Prepare a warm and intimate Halloween dinner. How about a delicious pumpkin soup, followed by a herb roasted chicken with mashed potatoes – maybe you’ll find a ring inside –, and, of course, dark chocolate for dessert? Click here for the chicken recipe. And here for a wonderful pumpkin soup recipe from the Pioneer Woman.

~~Cuddle together on the couch and watch a scary movie. Frightening moments give you the perfect excuse to snuggle. Check out IMdb’s list of the 60 Scariest Movies if you need ideas.

~~Plan midnight picnic with finger foods. Head into the woods – near a graveyard if you want to be spooky. If you want to be warm and safe, picnic in front of a roaring fire or in the middle of your bed.

~~Enjoy a hayride if you live in a rural area. Nothing better than burrowing beneath a warm blanket and watching the night sky to stimulate romance.

~~Book a bed and breakfast in a rural, isolated area for a romantic escape.

~~Attend a Halloween costume party BUT don’t tell each other about your costume and arrive separately. Pretend you’re truly strangers meeting for the first time.

~~Head out to a local haunted house for a scary date night holding each other’s hands.

Wishing you a fun-filled, romantic Halloween evening.

23 10, 2013

THE SOUTH – One Word Wednesday

By judythemorgan|2013-10-23T06:45:26-05:00October 23rd, 2013|one word Wednesday|0 Comments

Below are some fascinating facts I uncovered while doing research for a new series where the heroines will be southern belles.

As defined by the United States Census Bureau, the Southern region of the United States includes sixteen states

Other terms associated with THE SOUTH:

Old South includes the slave states of 1776 (Virginia, Delaware, Maryland, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina) and/or all the slave states before 1860 (Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas)

New South used to differentiate states of the slavery-based plantation system during the antebellum period with southern states since 1877. Includes Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, and Delaware

Deep South: those states and areas where things most often thought of as “Southern” exist in their most concentrated form. Includes Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and South Carolina

Dixie: most commonly associated with the eleven states of the Old Confederacy, which were South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Texas, Virginia, Arkansas, Tennessee, and North Carolina.

I still haven’t decided exactly which southern state to use as the setting, but you can be sure I will be using these delightful characteristics of THE SOUTH throughout the series.

YOUR TURN: Did I uncover any facts you didn’t know about THE SOUTH?

16 10, 2013

Tips for Living With a Writer – One Word Wednesday

By judythemorgan|2013-10-16T06:24:30-05:00October 16th, 2013|one word Wednesday|1 Comment

Okay so that’s more than one word, but I saw this neat graphic on writerswriter.com and had to share.

Living with a writer is not easy. Or maybe I should say, living with writer me is not easy.

I spend most of my time sequestered away in an imaginary world. My mind is always plotting the next story. I talk about people I’ve created as though they existed.

It’s a different world. A solitary world. I think these tips are useful. That’s why I’m sharing.

My husband says, from his perspective, #5 is the most critical. In fact, his tip advice would be NEVER interrupt a writer at work…the results are not pleasant. (He’s learned from experience!)

I’ve heard Nora Roberts say she told her two children during the summer not to interrupt unless there was blood or fire and, when they got older, it had to be arterial blood and an active fire.

If you have young ones around, Geek Mom offers Ten Allowable Reasons for Interrupting Mom Check it out. You’ll enjoy the creativity.

YOUR TURN: Which of these tips would you say is most important? Or what tip would you add?

9 10, 2013

CREATIVITY – One Word Wednesday

By judythemorgan|2017-04-08T18:36:39-05:00October 9th, 2013|one word Wednesday|3 Comments

What is creativity?

Being creative or artistic doesn’t necessarily mean you know how to draw or play an instrument.

Creativity is a way of thinking, a way of viewing the world.

Creativity requires constant shifting, blender pulses of both divergent thinking and convergent thinking, to combine new information with old and forgotten ideas and produce something original.

Dan Draper of the AMC television series Mad Men portrays a creative.

Writers exist in a world of creativity.

Consider Steven Jobs-highly creative. He changed our world.

David B. Goldstein, co-author of “Creative You: Using Your Personality Type to Thrive,” maintains every person is creative.

“Contrary to popular belief, no one is born without a creative bone in his or her body, and not all creative types are starving artists. In other words, we’ve all got it, but our personalities play a role in the kind of creative we are, and how we best feed into it.”

Creativity is a function of how your brain works. Creative types use the RIGHT side of their brains more than the LEFT.

Click HERE for fun tests to find out if your brain is wired for creativity. (Special thanks to Jack Milgram for the tip on this great infographic.)

One caution though, according to Barbara O’Neal, being a creative person is not easy. From her blog, The Creative Personality:

“The mental and personality traits that make it possible to be creative can also be annoying and irritating to the rest of society. Aside from the crime of introversion, creative people are often non-conforming, haughty, brilliant, intense, restless, prickly, with a sense of destiny (see the whole list here).”

If your test results show you do operate in the creative right brain…

or you exhibit any of The Traits of Highly Creative Adults, this quote from artist Henri Matisse is for you:

Creativity takes courage.

Now go be courageous and CREATE.

2 10, 2013

One Word Wednesday – Idioms

By judythemorgan|2013-10-02T06:17:56-05:00October 2nd, 2013|one word Wednesday|2 Comments

Recently I came across this fabulous chart of colorful idioms on Grammar.net Great site, btw, if you’re grammatically challenged like me.

Technically, an idiom is a word or phrase that is not taken literally. Languages are loaded with idioms.

The expressions are global and the same idiom can have a very different meaning in a different country. In Finnish, “with long teeth” means you are doing something that you really don’t want to do. Same phrase in French, “to have long teeth” means you are ambitious.

Groups of people with shared/common interests have their own idioms. Think about these examples from music and drama:

“It’s not over ‘till the fat lady sings.”
“Break a leg”
“It takes two to tango”

When I taught English as a Second Language, idioms challenged my students. Common idioms, like the examples below, were easy to teach.

A chip on your shoulder
High as a kite
Sick as a dog
Rub someone the wrong way
Jump the gun
Pay the piper

When the students conversed with their fellow native speaking friends, other not so common expressions managed to stump them.

Signing idioms when I was interpreting for the deaf was a tough call, too. I had to know what the speaker meant. Sometimes I didn’t!

Usually it’s easy to pick up the meaning from the context of the conversation or non-verbal gestures. Sometimes it’s best to ask exactly what the speaker means.

If you’re not sure what the idiom examples I’ve used mean, here’s a site that defines common idioms: http://www.idiomsite.com/

Idioms can complicate speaking and writing. I advise using them sparingly…unless your meaning is clear!