Words of Wisdom on DREAMS
13
06, 2018
11
06, 2018
People Watching and A Writer’s Eye
I’m an observer.
I learned from an early age that the art of observation could be a lifesaver.
When I was young, my mother would drive my grandmother and me along with my two siblings downtown where we’d park in front of the department store and people watch.
Mother and her mother would discuss the walkers—what they wore and who they were. Sometimes, friends they knew would stop beside the car and visit for a while.
My younger sister always wanted to know when we could go home. My little brother would cry to get out of the car. Grandmother would bribe them with the promise of an ice cream cone on the way home.
Me, I’d sit in the backseat and imagine why the people were downtown, what they were doing, and where they were going. I gave them silly names and made up stories about their lives. It kept the younger kids entertained and me from dying of boredom.
Mother always said I was a good storyteller—especially if I was in trouble.
I’m still a people watcher. I’m not being nosy or specifically eavesdropping. It’s human nature to observe. We all do it at one time or another.
The difference between my adult people watching and what I did as a child is that I store images and make notes of my reactions to what I see happening. I call it book research and character study.
I rely upon my writer’s eye to bring the images and feelings to mind at the appropriate time.
I may never use any of my observations, but people watching does exercise my creativity and passes what could be boring wait time more quickly.
Even if you’re not a writer, people watching can be fun entertainment. Plus, you’ll find you have interesting conversation topics.
8
06, 2018
More Duck Tales
A blog by Chicken Wrangler Sara
The ducks must have read last week’s blog (http://judythewriter.com/ducks-to-water) and decided to cooperate with me. Topsy stayed in the pool long enough for me to get a picture.
The recent rains have filled the pool and with the temperature heating up, the pool is very inviting.
I’m curious to see if the chickens jump in also.
I was also able to get another picture of all the ducks:
Someone must have told them about another popular saying. I can now say my ducks are in a row. :)
4
06, 2018
Southern-isms Explained
We took a trip to Iowa for our granddaughter’s college graduation. Earlier in this spring, we attended another granddaughter’s master degree graduation. So proud of our grandchildren. All twelve of them.
We stopped on the way to visit with our former Tennessee neighbors. We purchased our house, built during the 1940s Manhattan Project, in 1970 and it still looks great.
Our friends, who lived across the street, now live in a lovely log cabin overlooking the Clinch River. We spent hours on their screened porch talking. One evening we cooked hot dogs over their fire pit. It’s become a tradition whenever we visit them.
We had such fun reliving early marriage adventures and visiting the old neighborhood.
With their permission, I’m using their home as a setting in the final book of the PROMISES series, Promises to Keep, which will come out later this year.
What warmed my heart the most on our visit was all the southern-talk that popped up in conversations. Southerners do have a language of their own. Here are a few southern-isms with my translations:
Full as a tick
This was a new phrase for me. Seems if a tick drinks too much blood, it actually bursts. Not a particularly appetizing comment for the dinner table, in my opinion. I much prefer “stuffed like a turkey at Thanksgiving” that we say around here.
It all comes out in the wash
My mother used this one a lot. Mostly referring to an enormous stain I’d gotten on a favorite dress. Translated it means “Everything will be alright in the end.”
Scarce as hen’s teeth
Loved this variation meaning something is rare. Clearly, chickens don’t have teeth. Personally, I am thankful chickens are toothless because those beaks can do enough damage on their own.
Thinking about all these isms, reminded me of this one. (I didn’t hear it on our trip.)
A whistling woman and a crowing hen never come to any good end
My grandmother said that every single time she caught me whistling. In her opinion, whistling was a male-only habit. We all know hens don’t crow. Roosters do. Her point was to behave in a ladylike manner. Daddy always added this part whenever he caught me whistling: “If you want to be treated like a lady, you need to act like one.”
1
06, 2018
Ducks to Water???
A blog by Chicken Wrangler Sara
I’m not sure where the phrase “like a duck to water” comes from, but I do know that our ducks have never heard it.
They outgrew the pan of water that we put in their pen so Rachel and I bought a small wading pool. Negotiating around the garden center with a pool in the buggy was quite a challenge.
We got it home and discovered there were directions for assembling the wading pool.It has been a long time since I bought a wading pool but I’m pretty sure they are not hard to set up. The instructions included a lanyard to be worn by the adult responsible for watching the children in the pool.
Since ducks are naturally good swimmers, we threw the lanyard away.
At the suggestion of the person who gave us the ducks, we put down a layer of mulch under the pool to keep down the mud. The chickens thought this was for their entertainment and promptly begin scratching all the mulch out from under the pool.
The ducks were less impressed with their new “pond.” Rachel threw them in and they immediately climbed out as though it were boiling water.
We moved to plan B. Put the pool on more level ground. Surely the ducks would like it then. Wrong.
Rachel suggested digging an indentation to make the pool more level with the ground. Sounded like a good idea to me.
So on to plan C. After wearing a blister on my hand, I had a shallow hole in which to set the pool. I filled it with water and went inside to bandage my wound.
While enjoying some nice cold water, I glanced out the window to see the ducks in the pool!!!! I was so thrilled I jumped up to get a picture. They immediately jumped out.
Since then they have been in the water many times and I have tried to photograph them. This is the best I could do.
Any time I get closer, they exit the pool. I’ve considered installing a camera in one of the trees.
I guess they finally heard the phrase “Like a duck to water.”
30
05, 2018
Remember when Memorial Day was always May 30?
From 1868 to 1970 that date was the official day for remembering the people who died while serving in the country’s armed forces.
Some of you may remember. I sure do.
As financially strapped students who couldn’t afford an extended time away from work, we chose May 30 for our wedding date.
That particular year Memorial Day was on a Thursday, which meant we only had to miss one day of work since the wedding was in the evening after our workday.
I even wore my mother’s twenty-five year old wedding dress to save more money. As they say, “Those were the days.”
Nowadays Memorial Day observances are on the fourth Monday of May.
We, of course, still use May 30 to observe our wedding anniversary.
Every year when I look at our wedding pictures, this quote comes to mind. It’s what I use as the theme in all my books.
28
05, 2018
What is Memorial Day?
A holiday not to be confused with Veterans Day or Armed Forces Day. That day celebrates the service of all U.S. military veterans, living or dead.
Memorial Day is different. It is the day set aside to remember the men and women who gave their lives while serving this country.
Personally, I can’t forget Memorial Day. You see, my sweetie and I shared our wedding vows on May 30 — the original date designated as Memorial Day.
That date changed with the passage of the Uniform Monday Holiday Act. Now Memorial Day is the last Monday in May. We still celebrate our anniversary every May 30.
Sometimes I think the Memorial Day holiday is devoted more to shopping, family gatherings, fireworks, trips to the beach, and national media events instead of remembering those who have given their lives in military service.
May this video jog our memory.
25
05, 2018
Where’s Waldo – Duck Version
A Blog by Chicken Wrangler Sara
The ducks are finally big enough to run with the chickens. They eat the same things as chickens so keeping their food separate is not necessary. The arrangement seems to be working out pretty well.
In fact, I’ve decided to make a children’s book.
I’ll title it Where Are Tipsy, Topsy and Turvy? or Find the Ducks.
What do you think?
23
05, 2018
Holley Gerth – Your Story
With special thanks to Holley Gerth for her gracious generosity in sharing her beautiful graphics.
21
05, 2018
Discouraging carpenter bees and evil spirits
carpenter bee
We noticed lots of bees when we bought our house in the spring last year. Having never seen them before, the large black bodies hovering near our faces was scary. Beekeeper Brian assured us male carpenter bees were not aggressive and did not have stingers, but females would protect their nests.
Reminded us of the bears in Colorado. We had the same situation when bears came to visit every spring and fall. Bears were looking for food after a long hibernation in spring and bulking up for winter in the fall. Bees come looking for mates and a home.
We kept food sources secured in the spring and summer and the bears would visit and move on. Discouraging carpenter bees is not so easy.
Before we moved in, we had the house professionally treated, which meant sealing all the bored holes in the porch ceiling, eaves, and siding. Unlike termites, the bees don’t eat the wood they bore tunnels. Those tunnels weaken eaves, window trim, fascia boards, siding, wooden shakes, decks, and outdoor furniture. Not something a homeowner wants to happen.
We also painted the ceiling of our wrap-around porch blue after sealing fresh bee holes last fall.
Why blue? Two reasons. (1) Carpenter bees don’t like painted surfaces and (2) a blue ceiling is a southern tradition.
We didn’t use just any shade of blue. You used a specific shade of Haint blue, a soft blue green to ward off evil spirits called “haints,” a specific type of ghost or evil spirit from the Carolina coast, but also found in tales from various regions of the south.
So not only are we discouraging bees, we’re keeping evil spirits away. Always a good thing.
Our bee population this spring decreased dramatically. But a few are persistent about returning to their previous abodes.
Beekeeper Brian made carpenter bee catchers for us. Those seem to be doing an excellent job.
The one over the garage door is catching the most bees. You can see we failed to paint the garage eaves.
In the fall, we’ll seal the new holes so the bees can’t winter over in them and paint the eaves blue to discourage the bees from returning next spring.
We’ll never be completely free of carpenter bees. They are great pollinators so we wouldn’t want to be, but we do want to discourage them from destroying our house.
They’re welcome to visit, not live here.