Home - Page 156 of 176 - View from the Front Porch

25 11, 2013

Counting Thanksgiving Treasures

By judythemorgan|2023-11-19T12:48:08-06:00November 25th, 2013|Make Me Think Monday, Thanksgiving|0 Comments

It’s three days until Turkey Day.

Time for family reunions, food, fun,

travel, football games, Black Friday

and being thankful.

Not necessarily in that order.

Family reunions may be iffy this year with a major storm wreaking havoc over the entire U.S.

Off-topic here, but I found this interesting blog about a similar weather pattern fifty years ago. Read November 1963 vs November 2013. Is Weather History Repeating Itself? for the full comparison of weather history.

Even Black Friday shopping will be difficult. I do worry about all those people camped outside stores to be first in line for the extra savings items. It’s got to be cold and wet in their tents. Are the savings really worth all the effort and discomfort?

This year things are different than they were for that first Pilgrim Thanksgiving feast. What hasn’t changed is the basis for Thanksgiving.

The celebration became an annual tradition with Abraham Lincoln’s 1863 proclamation of a national day of “Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens.”

As early as 1607, the inhabitants of the Commonwealth of Virginia held Thanksgiving services. Celebrations rooted in their religious beliefs and to show gratitude to their Heavenly Father.

Pilgrims were Puritan Separatists. Their journey to America began with a desire to escape religious persecution under Elizabeth I and the Church of England or Anglican Church.

Personally, I believe being thankful shouldn’t be limited to one holiday. An attitude of gratitude should be an everyday occurrence. Check my blog.

Because it is the season, I want to acknowledge my Thanksgiving treasures today:

my loving husband (who’s the hero model for my novels)

my family and friends (far and near)

my pets (who brighten every day)

my church (which is my anchor)

and

most especially you, my readers.

As you go about the preparations for your celebration, spend some time thinking about the origins of the holiday and say a special thank you for your Thanksgiving treasures.

And, if you are traveling, Godspeed.

22 11, 2013

Chicken Feed Famine on the Farm – Miller Farm Friday

By judythemorgan|2013-11-22T05:00:52-06:00November 22nd, 2013|Miller Farm Friday|0 Comments

A guest blog by Chicken Wrangler Sara

Around the Miller Farm feeding the chickens is a multi-step process.

First, I go to the feed store and buy 50-pound sacks of lay pellets.

Then I bring the sacks home and move them into 5-gallon buckets. This prevents non-chickens (i.e. rats) from getting into the food in the shed. Most of the buckets have lids that snap on and are difficult to remove. Beekeeper Brian was kind enough to purchase special screw-top lids to make life easier for me.

I fill two screw top buckets with feed and the rest goes into regular buckets. I move the feed from bucket to bucket as needed. It is all quite efficient when I am paying attention.

Monday I was not paying attention. I went out to move feed from a regular bucket to an empty screw top bucket.

The regular bucket was empty.

In fact, all the buckets were empty. The poor chickens had no food. Their feeder was empty.

It was a chicken feed famine on Miller Farm.

So I closed up the shed and headed to the feed store. I went up to the counter and asked for two sacks of lay pellets.

The woman behind the counter informed me they were out of lay pellets. She said they’d run out about an hour ago before I arrived.

I was speechless.

She asked if I had enough to make it until their delivery arrived on Tuesday. I was embarrassed to admit we had no lay pellets at all.

She offered to sell me a 10-pound sack to get me through. Since I knew Tuesday would be a busy day, I bought a second 10-pound sacks to last until Wednesday when I could make another trip to the feed store and purchased a 50-pound bag.

On Wednesday, when I returned from the feed store, the chickens obviously recognized the larger sack and anxiously waited the arrival of feed in their feeder. I scattered some around the yard and filled the feeder.

The remainder I put into the appropriate buckets thus ending the famine on Miller Farm.

Last week I learned that 30 chickens are not the same as 46 chickens. This week I learned that 10-pounds of feed does not go as far as 50 pounds.

Even the chickens recognized the larger feed bag.

Math is a very useful subject.

15 11, 2013

Numbering Chickens – Miller Farm Friday

By judythemorgan|2013-11-15T06:00:41-06:00November 15th, 2013|Friday on the Miller Farm, Miller Farm Friday|2 Comments

A Guest Blog by Chicken Wrangler Sara

When people ask how many chickens we have, I usually say 30.

I hadn’t officially counted them, as they don’t stand still in the yard making it very difficult. It is like counting preschoolers.

However, one evening last week, as I closed the coop, I counted them. They were all roosting on various spots in the coop and were settled down for the night.

It was then that I made a shocking discovery.

We have 40 chickens not counting the bantams in the little yard.

There are six bantams so that makes 46 chickens on the Miller Farm.

I’m not really good at math but I know that 30 does not equal to 46.

This means that I have been misrepresenting our flock for months. Some might even call it lying although my son assures me that I was only saying what I believed to be true.

It’s still a disturbing thought.

Some might considered 46 chickens over population, but the chickens don’t seem to mind. As long as they have food, I suppose they would rather be crowded than be dinner.

Knowing the exact count does explain something, though. When I go into the yard, I feel like I am struggling not to trip over chickens.

Now I know why – there are 40 chickens in the yard.

I could let Bella into the chicken yard. She would gladly dispatch several. However, I’m somewhat attached to the lot and would feel sad to lose even one.

So I guess I’ll just keep walking carefully through the chicken yard. And when people ask how many chickens we have, I can honestly say – not 30.

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.

11 11, 2013

VETERAN’S DAY

By judythemorgan|2013-11-11T06:00:40-06:00November 11th, 2013|Holidays|0 Comments

“From the bitter cold winter at Valley Forge, to the mountains of Afghanistan and the deserts of Iraq, our soldiers have courageously answered when called, gone where ordered, and defended our nation with honor.” ~Solomon Ortiz

My husband is a retired Army officer.

My father served in the Army Air Corps.

My uncle was a Marine.

My meager contribution to military service was a short stint as a Department of Army Civilian at Eighth Army Headquarters, Yongsan, South Korea. Now, I write military romances and offer happily ever after endings that aren’t always present in the non-fiction military world.

This video as a poignant reminder of why we have this special day to honor veterans.

In recognition to all veterans, I say…

8 11, 2013

Flexibility and Perseverance – Miller Farm Friday

By judythemorgan|2013-11-08T06:00:14-06:00November 8th, 2013|Miller Farm Friday|0 Comments

A Guest Blog by Chicken Wrangler Sara

As I was standing at the kitchen window yesterday and noticed a lizard on the ladder outside the window. This is a common sight however, this particularly lizard seemed to be trying to eat something I couldn’t identify.

Upon closer look, I discovered part of the lizard’s skin hanging from its nose. It had shed and was trying to get the last remaining dead skin off its nose.

Fascinated, I watched it rub its head against the ladder repeatedly to dislodge the dead skin with no luck.

I was tempted to go outside and “help” the lizard but I knew it would run away and I would not get to watch this process.

I began to appreciate the lizard’s persistence. It also made me glad I am not a lizard. I’m not sure I have the perseverance to shed my skin on a regular basis.

Next, it used its hind foot to scratch the skin off. This was so remarkable that I had to take a picture.

It amazed me that the lizard could move its leg that way.

I certainly cannot.

I do good to get my legs to walk consistently. Scratching my head with my foot is totally out of the question.

All of which led me to think about flexibility in general. While I may not be physically flexible, I have to be flexible in other ways.

For example, I plan my menu for the week and grocery shop on Mondays. A couple of weeks ago, my husband came home from the doctor with a very specific diet to follow. Very little of what I had purchased and planned to fix for the week worked with the new diet.

Time to be flexible :-)

Teaching requires lots of flexibility. I plan to play a circle game with the preschool class and they come in so wiggly that getting them to just sit down is an impossible challenge.

It’s time for a new plan.

The class right after preschool is the high school class. I go from wearing silly hats and using puppets to teaching on Renaissance music and playing ukulele.

How’s that for flexibility? Sometimes I feel like a rubber band.

At least I don’t have to use my foot to get dead skin off my nose.

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

4 11, 2013

4 Triggers to Jumpstart your Writing Time

By judythemorgan|2013-11-04T06:00:53-06:00November 4th, 2013|Make Me Think Monday|1 Comment

Another November has rolled around, which means…

Daylight saving time started unless you live in Arizona, Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. Did you remember to set your clocks back?

We did. Unfortunately, my internal clock didn’t get the message. I’m up at 4 a.m. because my body knows it’s really 5 a.m.

November is also National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). Currently 258,733 novelist have officially signed on to complete a first draft novel with the goal of 50,000 words by the end of the month.

Not to be outdone, NON-fiction writers have their own challenge, Write Nonfiction in November (WNFIN), also known as National Nonfiction Writing Month (NaNonFiWriMo)

Other writers become caught up in the spirit of the writing challenge and commit to penning 50,000 words this month through their writing groups.

Flipping the calendar to November is the signal that the holidays are fast approaching. One look at a Christmas Countdown clock and my pulse accelerates in anticipation and dread.

Fifty days until Christmas? Yikes. I’m so far behind.

If you celebrate Hanukah, your clicking counter is less. Hanukah is much closer than you think. For the first time since 1888, Thanksgiving and Hanukah converge. You’re looking at less than twenty-four days to be ready! Click here for an accurate count.

Holidays can disrupt your regular writing schedule and stifle your muse. Participating in the NaNoWriMo challenge may be all you need to motivate yourself.

On the other hand, even if you’ve joined NaNoWriMo and set a goal, you may need to give yourself a nudge to get into writing on some days.

With so many holiday preparations pulling for my time and energy, I find when I do notch out writing time I need to psych my muse into cooperating.

Four methods work to put my brain in writing mode.

1. Establish a ritual – a trigger to use right before you begin a writing session. Something that will coax your brain into the writing routine and you won’t have to make a decision on whether or not to write. You just will.

A trigger might be moving into a special area to write or sipping a cup of tea.

I brew a cup of Irish breakfast tea or grab a water bottle and go into my office.

Naturally, Toby follows and positions his very large body in the kneehole of my desk. That’s a trigger for me, but not one you can share.

Sorry.

2. Begin a writing session by quieting your mind.
Tis the season to clutter our minds with lists and busyness. Pause. Do some journaling or read a devotional to clear your mind before you start writing.

3. Engage in physical activity.
I’m not suggesting a full workout at the gym here. Only a few minutes of sun salutation and deep breathing yoga exercises or ten minutes of calisthenics to jumpstart the endorphins that lead to creativity.

A walk can work as well. That’s what I do. Toby and Buster love when I hook up those leases and walk to work through plot issues or jog my creativity.

4. Involve your senses.
Play soft music or light a scented candle, even a dish of scented soap on your desk can be a trigger for the muse.

YOUR TURN: Do you have a trigger that puts you in writing mode?

1 11, 2013

Wandering Hen – Miller Farm Friday

By judythemorgan|2013-11-01T06:00:24-05:00November 1st, 2013|Miller Farm Friday|0 Comments

A Guest Blog by Chicken Wrangler Sara

One afternoon this week, I heard a great ruckus out back.

I ignored the barking dogs and cackling chickens for a while but then decided to see what was happening and looked out the kitchen window and saw Sadie (one of the dachshunds) barking at the front of the shed. The chickens were all standing in the middle of the chicken yard fussing at her.

That was all well and good until I heard Bella barking from an undisclosed location. This was not good because she has recently taken to going under the shed .

I headed outside to find her.

Before I saw Bella, I spotted the infamous white hen under the shed.

I’m not sure how she got there as we have put chicken wire around the bottom facing the chicken yard to prevent this.

I figured Bella was approaching from the other side of the shed so the race was on – who would get to the hen first, me or Bella?

I quickly stepped into the chicken yard and reached over the chicken wire for the wayward hen. Success!

Chicken Wrangler 1, Bella 0.

Next I had to coax Bella out from under the shed – a much harder job.

When I went out later to check eggs this is what I found:

That silly chicken had laid an egg under the shed. This is the same chicken who regularly lays eggs in the abandoned beehive.

Fortunately, the chicken wire is only about two feet high so I was able to reach over it and under the shed to retrieve the egg.

Today when I went to check eggs the white chicken was actually in the nest box. I wish I’d had my camera!

I reached under hoping to find an egg but no luck. Oh well, at least she knows where the nest box is now.

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.