Fall’s Inspiration – Stanley Horowitz
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10, 2018
22
10, 2018
From Lizards to Headlights and Taillights
Many years ago one of my grandsons lived next door. He was home-schooled and sometimes I helped with his homework.
Writing was his least favorite subject. Fast forward to his first year in college and he loves his creative writing class. He sends me links when the Southwest Baptist University newsletter publishes his work.
His most recent publication was a poem, which reminded me of another homework poem, one I’d helped him with years ago. That poem was about a lizard.
Lazy lizards leap from leaf to leaf
As green as a Sprite can
Lizards like to hide under the weather
Running, hiding, and sneaking around
Crazily, hastily, and hurriedly leaving their tails behind them
The miniature lizards are tiny compared to the big, blue sky
You can read about the do-your-homework challenge we had before he finally wrote the lizard poem here.
His newest poem is about seeing headlights and taillights as he journeys back and forth to college. I’ve copied it here, but you can also view it in the SBU Student Media Organization newsletter here.
As I drive down these roads
Each day, every night,
I look up, I look back, and
I see headlights and I see taillights
The taillights in front, the headlights behind
When they travel this life with me,
The headlights ahead and the taillights in back
When going to places I've already seen.
There might be a lesson here or there might be none,
But I do know behind each pair of lights is a someone.
He may be an old man with nothing but the past,
Or she may be a young girl nervous about class,
They could be a happy couple, but then again maybe not,
Or it might be somebody having the same thought.
Maybe they’re hurting, or maybe they're fine
Maybe they've given up or maybe they're still trying.
Will I ever know, and do I really even care?
Because what do I give them but the occasional stare?
Are they in need, and if so, why?
Could I help them, should I even try?
If they're as real and loved as I am, or maybe more,
Then why is it they're so easy to ignore?
Is it because I don't know them individually
But can only speak in generalities?
The answers to these questions I may never know
But I frequently ponder them as along these roads I go
And each day, and every night,
I look up, I look back, and I see headlights and I see taillights
Looks to me like we have a budding writer joining his multi-published father, Dr. J.B. Hixson, and his Nana.
19
10, 2018
The Power of Not Thinking
A Guest Blog by Chicken Wrangler Sara
I have often heard people speak of “the power of positive thinking.” 
However, I’ve become convinced lately that there is, at times, even greater power in “not thinking.”
For example, when my alarm goes off at 5:15 a.m., I get out of bed, put on my swimsuit, get in my car, drive to the outdoor pool, and jump in before my brain wakes up and realizes that it is January.
No thinking person would behave in such a manner, no matter how “positive” their thoughts.
As moms, I believe “not thinking” is a crucial skill.
For example, when a child (who sleeps on the bottom bunk) comes to your side of the bed in the middle of the night and says, “Rachel (who sleeps on the top bunk) is throwing up and it is dripping down the wall” a mom can get everything cleaned up without giving it a thought.
Most recently, I employed this “not thinking” skill when helping my husband butcher chickens.
I do not usually participate in this process. However, I called everyone I knew who had expressed an interest in observing or even learning this task (a surprisingly long list) and no one was available.
Hesitantly, I donned latex gloves and started plucking chickens. I must say, I felt a certain satisfaction since I was plucking the horrid roosters.
As long as I was “not thinking,” it was not a bad task.
People talked about how bad the chickens smelled, but my nose detected no foul (fowl) odor at all. It made me wonder if perhaps Rachel had secretly bathed the roosters.
I even carried on a pleasant conversation with my husband the entire time. Part of this conversation included, “Hey look what I found!”
I kid you not – it was a marble, which made me think of a song (of course):
“I know an old rooster who swallowed a marble…”
I’m so glad that when my brain goes into “not thinking” mode, it still allows songs to float in and out. A silly song seems to make any task a little more pleasant – as long as you don’t think about it.
The Power of Not Thinking originally appeared on February 1, 2013
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10, 2018
15
10, 2018
The Tale of a Book Title
Book titles and covers are important because the old adage — Readers do judge a book by its cover — is true. So, how can an author know beforehand what’s going to resonate?
Wiser people than me have come up with three criteria.
- A great title needs to create an image that synthesizes the story and suggest the story’s meaning or theme.
- The cover must also grab the attention of a casual book searcher.
- A title must describe the contents while being so piercing and articulate that readers will take notice.
Recently, I rebranded three previously published individual titles into a series. I considered coming up with new titles for each book, but each book already had an ISBN and the content was not changing. It wasn’t necessary.
Instead, I used a branding tagline or blurb (below) and a graphic — the ribbon — to link the books.
PROMISES series Two men and one woman met at Eighth Army Headquarters, South Korea in the turbulent Vietnam War years and found their lives linked together forever. The PROMISES series tells their stories through the decades that follow.
In making my decision, I examined my titles based on the expert’s criteria.
- Book 1 is Love in the Morning Calm, Prequel to the Pendant’s Promise.
With love in the title, a reader gets the story will be a love story. The picture of Headquarters, Eighth Army identifies the setting as a military. A knowledgeable reader may also recognize that another name for South Korea is Land of the Morning Calm.
Conclusion: I may have I tried too hard.
Book 2 The Pendant’s Promise
The cover design with the Pendant, the Vietnam Wall, and the word promise signal another love story. I love this cover because my very talented daughter designed it. With the rebranding, my current graphic designer, Jim Peto at Petoweb.com, enhanced the graphics.
Conclusion: The title and the cover artwork make a reader notice.
- Book 3 Until He Returns
The old Army green color clues a reader of the setting and time frame. The title suggests whoever needs to return is in the military. (Those who have read the first two books will know the character has been MIA since book 1.) Close examination reveals the character’s name on the dog tags.
Conclusion: Unsure whether this title hits the mark the mark or not. While the dog tags are clearly visible on the paperback cover, the tags are not readable on the eBook thumbprint.
- Book 4 Promises to Keep
This is the final book of the series, which will be out next month. The title ties back to the second book’s title and the series title. The couple clues the reader it’s another love story. The sunset background suggests the end of the day and the last of series.
Conclusion: It synthesizes the story and suggests the story’s theme.
Overall, I give myself a generally good grade for my titles. What say you?
Should you want to read any of the books, simply click on the buy links on the sidebar. The buy link for book 4 will be added next month.
10
10, 2018
9
10, 2018
ONCE UPON A GAME…Playing Bridge Activates Brain Cells
Welcome new guest blogger Carolyn Wedel. She and I met at a bridge club. She told me she was an avid reader and, sometimes writer. No surprise we struck an immediate friendship. She shared some of her work. I thought her articles would make fun blog posts and convinced her to become regular blogger. Enjoy her first Once Upon A topic below and then be sure to check back on Tuesdays for more tips and thoughts from this multi-talented lady.
ONCE UPON A GAME…Playing Bridge Activates Brain Cells
A Guest Blog by Carolyn Wedel
Do you like to challenge your brain? Do you like to play cards? Do you like to interact with others?
Research shows playing challenging card and domino games can stimulate brain cells. I’m on board with that.
I grew up playing cards. My early beginnings were Canasta, then as an adult, I learned to play the domino game called 42.
One of the characteristics of 42 was it has trumps. Before I learned about 42, I had no idea what a trump was. It sounded foreign to me.
After playing 42 Dominoes, I discovered the game I dearly love to this day, which is called Bridge.
The person who introduced me to the game said it had trumps. Well, I knew what trumps were, so I thought how hard could this game be?
I laugh about that comment today. Bridge is by far the most brain challenging card game out there.
Bridge is not hard once you learn the basics, but it is challenging.
Playing Bridge requires you to focus, stretch your brain cells, and interact with others. Since I’m a competitive person, this was right up my ally.
Did you answer yes to any of the questions at the beginning? If so, I highly recommend you find a bridge club near you and start playing bridge.
You can choose to play socially, called Party Bridge, or competitively, known as Duplicate Bridge. But either way, your brain cells will grow and you’ll make lifelong friends.
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Carolyn Wedel’s business life is over (retired) and now she applies her computer skills for the Bridge Community. She is an avid player of games and sports, which included riding English Dressage competition. She is a Certified American Contract Bridge League (ACBL) teacher and earned the level of Bronze Life Master this year. Another love she has is the needle arts…embroidering towels, apparel, and other items, with mostly a bridge theme.
And with a little time left over, she cooks for her husband.
8
10, 2018
Grandparenting Adventures
Recently I supervised my daughter’s two dogs and three teenagers while she and her husband went on a business trip.
My two dogs came along with me. That brought the total to four dogs – Buster (on the couch), Daisy (behind the couch), Sully (on the hassock) and Finnegan (on the floor) plus three teenagers, who shall remain nameless.
It was quite an adventure.
We were up and out the door between 6:30 and 7:00 a.m. each day. My two dogs were loaded in the car. Daisy secured in her kennel. We strategically blocked the fourth dog, Sully, from running out into the yard and refusing to come inside when we opened the door to exit.
That only happened once.
I simply herded all the teens back inside and Sully came to the kitchen door eager to be with us. We only lost a few minutes. Thank you to my excellent dog obedience trainer who shared that advice.
Mealtimes together were a different story with the kids’ varied schedules. I was determined we should sit down for one supper meal together the way we did back in the dark ages when their parent was a teenager. It was a challenge.
We did manage it once, but it was the faster meal on record. Two literally inhaled their homemade wraps and headed out for their evening activities-drama practice and workout at the fitness gym. The other dashed upstairs to do homework.
Cellphone and electronic turn-in happened at 10:30 pm. The hour was a bit later than my regular bedtime and when I attempted my usual reading in bed, I fell asleep after one page.
I told their parents not to worry it would be easy peasy. And it was. The teens had their routines and only needed an adult around in case something weird happened. Which it didn’t.
It was fun to be involved with their everyday routines even for a few days. I definitely have a new appreciation of the task of raising teenagers that my daughter and son-in-law face.
I’m ready to go again. Well, maybe after a day or two of rest.
5
10, 2018
Non-morning Crew
A blog by Chicken Wrangler Sara
It is a well known fact that people can be divided into two groups: morning people and non-morning people. There are some of each in my family.
I happen to be the morning person which is why I go to the pool at 5:30 am. Rachel is not a morning person which is why she has a coffee maker next to her bed.
Bill, the Chinese student living with us, is also a non-morning person. He is a senior in high school this year and I recently asked him what he plans to do in college when I am not there to make sure he gets up. He said he would schedule all afternoon classes. I told him it doesn’t work that way.
The dogs also fall into these groups. Most of ours wake up ready to take on the world. Coco, however, comes out of her kennel just long enough to grump at everyone then goes back inside. Eventually she joins the rest of the pack.
I recently discovered that, contrary to what people think, not all chickens are happy with morning either.
Lily, the D’Uccle (or duseldorfer as I call her) has not been out with the chickens when I feed them in the mornings. I panicked at first because she is littler and could easily be carried off by the dreaded hawk.
I found her, though, in the nest box. She has joined the non-morning crew. At least she doesn’t have anywhere to go in the mornings.
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10, 2018
