View from the Front Porch - Page 141 of 169 - Award-winning Author Judythe Morgan

16 05, 2014

Barking Bella – Miller Farm Friday

By judythemorgan|2014-05-16T06:00:35-05:00May 16th, 2014|Friday on the Miller Farm, Miller Farm Friday|0 Comments

By Guest Blogger Chicken Wrangler Sara

Bella’s barking can be quite annoying. I have taken to ignoring her for as long as possible, especially if I am at home during the day and the neighbors are not. This morning, however, I tolerated it for as long as I could stand and then headed out to get her.

What I found was very scary.

The pile of wood on the neighbor’s back porch was on fire. Flames were probably 5 feet tall.

Bella was quite disturbed.

I noticed a car in the driveway and ran around to tell them what was happening. I met our neighbor in the side yard. We rounded her house together and discovered the flame was rapidly moving up the house wall.

I ran for fire extinguishers. My neighbor ran for the hose. She had the fire out by the time I got back out.

No one has been able to figure out how the fire started. But, for once, I was glad that Bella barks. She’s earned a new title – Bella the Fire dog.

The damage wasn’t too bad, but very scary. We are all grateful it was so minor.

From now on, I will always check on Bella when she is barking. She is sometimes smarter than we think.

15 05, 2014

The County Fair

By judythemorgan|2014-05-15T06:00:56-05:00May 15th, 2014|Company's Coming|1 Comment

by Guest Blogger Millie Theis Martin

Rodeo time in Houston and the string of trail riders wreak havoc with the traffic and frustrate other drivers, but, for me, they stir up fond memories.

While I never participated in a trail ride, my younger sister and I always rode in the parade marking the opening of the county fair and rodeo. We had a two-wheeled cart pulled by our Shetland pony, Tony, black with a white streak on his shoulder.

Most years, my younger sister and I were decked out in our boots, cowboy hats and pearl-snap shirts, but one year, we were George and Martha Washington for some theme long forgotten. The cart was converted to a surrey with a fringed top. Since I was two years older, I was George. Taller seemed to be the key to my selection.

My long blonde hair was tied in back and dusted with baby power until appropriately white. I wore a black cutaway jacket, vest and knee-length breeches with long socks. The teeth were permanent and my own.

My sister, as Martha, had the feminine outfit, with ruffles everywhere. Her white cap was gathered with a ruffled edge, her long sleeves ended in ruffles, and, yes, more ruffles rippled down the front of her dress.

Where was my fairy godmother when I needed her?

Our small town parade was the spark that ignited the fun. The ensuing days were filled with a rodeo, carnival rides, and contests. The exhibit building displaying quilts and canned goods demanded a quick survey, though women lingered to “ooh” and “aw” over the blue ribbon winners.

The rodeo competition was real, no fluff there. The spectator seats were hard and splintered, and the pungent smell of the rodeo stock’s revenge made my eyes tear. Only first-timers sat on the first row. Those in the know moved at least to the second row to avoid a face full of dirt kicked by an angry bull or bucking bronco.

Barrel racing was the only event for women, but my favorites were steer dogging and the cutting horse contests. For those of you unfamiliar with the rodeo–steer dogging is man against beast. Two riders parallel a steer, and one jumps from a perfectly good horse onto the steer. With his arms around the horns, the cowboy plants his boot heels in the dirt and proceeds to pull the animal to the ground.

The cutting horse event is a contest between a well-trained horse and a calf singled out from a small herd. The horse’s job is to keep the calf separated from the other cattle. The horse and rider dance as one. A slight movement of the rein and a nudge of a boot is all the rider might contribute. It’s the horse’s performance.

The ferris wheel was the star of the carnival rides. Since motion sickness has always plagued me, I steered clear of things that moved in horizontal swirling motions. No carnie was complete without throwing a few pennies to win a teddy bear, and the day wasn’t over until hands and faces were sufficiently sticky with cotton candy and the ubiquitous music spun in your head.

In a less politically correct and compassionate era, there was always a show of oddities—both people and animals.

However, the tent that fascinated me the most was in a far, dimly lit corner of the grounds surrounded by a long line of men and marked with a sign reading, “Adult males only allowed.” Seductive music and a belly dancer enticed the crowd. I suppose even if I had donned my George Washington attire, I wouldn’t have been tall enough for admission, but I wish I had tried.

I think it would have been more interesting than the two-headed calf.

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Millie Theis Martin writes for children and young adults from her home in Tomball, Texas. She has worked as a contract writer for Concordia Publishing and is published in children’s magazines, anthologies, and academic journals. She holds a Ph.D. in educational psychology from Texas A&M University and has teaching experience at all levels—preschool to university.

Millie is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) and Assistant Regional Advisor for the Houston chapter.

Follow Millie on Twitter

14 05, 2014

Reading – One Word Wednesday

By judythemorgan|2014-05-14T06:00:13-05:00May 14th, 2014|one word Wednesday|0 Comments

Essayist Nora Ephron said it this way:

“Reading is everything!

Reading makes me feel like I’ve accomplished something, learned something, become a better person. Reading makes me smarter.

Reading gives me something to talk about later on.

Reading is the unbelievably healthy way my attention deficit disorder medicates itself.

Reading is escape, and the opposite of escape; it’s a way to make contact with reality after a day of making things up, and it’s a way of making contact with someone else’s imagination after a day that’s all too real.

Reading is grist.

Reading is bliss.”

I couldn’t agree more.

But I’d add writing doubles the pleasure because no matter how much you enjoy the world and characters someone else created it’s even more fun to create your own.

12 05, 2014

Paper or screen – how do you read?

By judythemorgan|2014-05-12T06:00:21-05:00May 12th, 2014|Make Me Think Monday|0 Comments

Recently I had the most relaxing experience. I came away with blackened fingertips and oodles of coupons.

Can you guess what I was doing?

I read the Sunday paper leisurely on Monday morning. An event that was once a routine part of my Sundays until we moved to the mountains.

We don’t have Sunday newspaper delivery in our neck of the woods. Our local newspaper arrives once a week in our mailbox and reading it doesn’t take long. It’s called the South Fork Tines and my high school newspaper was thicker.

Sunday papers are available at the local convenience store, but that necessitates a trip down the mountain. We haven’t developed the habit.

I doubt we will. We can always get the news via television or internet.

I picked up the one-inch thick edition of the Pueblo Chieftain, Colorado’s oldest daily newspaper, at the local hotel where I do my water aerobics three mornings a week.

The Chieftain isn’t nearly as large as the Houston Chronicle was, but the edition was filled with ads, coupon pamphlets, and the Sunday funnies section.

Oh, how I miss those funnies. Maybe that’s why I enjoyed the experience so much.

Reading on-line just doesn’t convey the same feelings or give the texture of the newsprint in my hand. Yes, I get the same information from other sources, but not the tactile sensations.

I fear my pleasure of reading print newspapers is disappearing. And, not because of availability where I live.

Look around you. You’ll see what I see. Readers staring at screens on phones and tablets.

Michael Bourne observed the phenomena when he rode the subway into the New York City and wrote about it in his article, “Screens on the Subway: The Rolling Library Is Going Digital.”

“A decade ago, none of the devices my R train companions were so avidly viewing even existed. Back then, if you didn’t want to read on your morning subway commute, you stared off into space… Now, more and more often, those idle moments – on subway cars, on airplanes, in dentist’s offices – are being filled by games and movies and social media. By screens.”

I still read print: paperback books, magazines and newspapers. I also read on my phone (handy when I’m forced to wait unexpectedly), on my Kindle, and on my iPad. I sometimes stare at a screen to play games or check social media.

But holding those objects is just not the same as reading the Sunday paper spread out at the breakfast table with a nice cup of tea.

How about you? Do you read from printed papers or is most of your reading following the trend and done via screens?

9 05, 2014

Miller Farm Landscape – Miller Farm Friday

By judythemorgan|2014-05-09T06:00:17-05:00May 9th, 2014|Friday on the Miller Farm, Miller Farm Friday|0 Comments

by Guest Blogger Chicken Wrangler Sara

Our son usually mows the lawn but he has suffered a shoulder injury requiring surgery. Now Beekeeper Brian mows the lawn.

The back yard had become quite a jungle so I know mowing was difficult. It would not have been surprising if Beekeeper Brian missed a spot. However, when I looked out the window, this is what I saw:

A giant weed, obviously left intentionally, which caused me to wonder two things:

What was the plant?

And why was it left?

When Beekeeper Brian told me it was thistle, I immediately thought of Eeyore from Winnie the Pooh. He ate thistles. My first thought was Oh no we’re getting a donkey!

Beekeeper Brian quickly explained that bees also like thistle, and he wants to keep the bees happy.

I breathed a sigh of relief. I did not want another animal to have to feed. Chickens, quail, and dogs are enough and the bees take care of themselves.

8 05, 2014

Reading to Young Children

By judythemorgan|2014-05-08T06:00:31-05:00May 8th, 2014|Company's Coming|1 Comment

Welcome to the porch today guest blogger, Anna Kathryn Lanier. She’s a writer, a published author, and grandmother who is sharing about the value of reading to your children and grandchildren.

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One of my three grandchildren has lived with my husband and me (along with her parents) for the past three years, starting when she was three years old. I am not sure exactly when I started reading bedtime stories to her, but it has become my duty to read to her nightly before she goes to sleep.

Now six, she is in kindergarten and already reading on a first grade level. The fact we made it a habit to go to the library, check out books, and read them on a regular basis has contributed to her advanced reading skills.

I admit that when she started picking up reading and math skills, I attributed it to her watching television. You know, those educational shows like Team Imuzoomi, Dora The Explorer, Sesame Street, and Bubble Guppies.

Imagine my surprise after doing a bit of research on reading to young children just how important and beneficial this act truly is. For years, research has shown that reading to a child, even those far too young to understand the words, is important for language understanding and brain development.

Reading to a newborn has benefits in that it lays groundwork for language development. According to the C.E. Snow and A. Nino study, “within a matter of seconds, thousands of brains cells…respond. Triggered by this particular experience, some brain cells are ‘turned on’ and many existing connections among brain cells are strengthened. At the same time, new brain cells are formed, adding more definitions to the intricate circuitry that will remain for the rest of those children’s lives.” In addition, a 2009 study by Keller and Just showed increased activity in the language output center of a child’s brain as they tried to store the spoken word in their memory.

If you do an internet search on “The Importance of Reading to Children,” you’ll get hundreds of articles. However, they basically all say the same thing: reading to a preschooler, no matter how young, helps the child acquire language, prepares her for school, instills a love of learning and may help prevent learning problems.

Reading helps a child’s knowledge of the sound system of language and helps her move from oral to written language.

Being read to exposes her to not only the words on the page, but also to the proper speech patterns and the basics of how a book is read. Knowing how to read a book before entering school is crucial to new readers—left to right, top to bottom, turning pages and understanding that letters make up words and that words make up stories. In addition, she is more likely to be able to count to 20, write her name and to read on her own.

Reading Facts:

In 1992, 44 million American adults could not read well enough to read a simple children’s story to a child.
A 1999 study showed that only 53% of children ages 3 to 5 were read to daily. Children in families below the poverty level were less likely to be read to than those with an income above the poverty level. And research further shows that a poor reader in first grade is more likely to be a poor reader in fourth grade.
More than 20% of adults read at or below a fifth grade level—far below the level needed to earn a living wage (2001).

Honestly, I just enjoy reading to my granddaughter. I had no idea I was helping her to excel not only in school, but also in life.

References:

www.pvsschools.net

www.earlymoments.com

www.getcaughtreading.org

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Anna Kathryn Lanier is a PRO member of Romance Writers of America and several of its chapters. She has completed three romance novels to date, all unpublished. After discovering a love for short stories, Anna Kathryn has since published multiple novellas, both contemporary and historical for The Wild Rose Press. She lives in Texas with her husband and has two grown daughters and three grandchildren.

Visit her on her at www.aklanier.com

Connect with her on Twitter or Facebook.

A Gift Beyond All Measure is available from The Wild Rose Press , Amazon, and other ebook outlets.

Arriving home for Christmas, the last thing Jacob Scott expects in his house is a sexy, shotgun-toting stranger. Worse, his attraction to her bothers him even more than the gun. Still reeling from the deception of his long-time girlfriend, he’s not looking for romance.

Tessa Jones has learned one hard lesson—when everyone in your life has failed you the only one you can trust is yourself. Facing the whispers of the townsfolk and an arson charge, Tessa unexpectedly finds herself trusting Jacob with more than her legal troubles.

Struggling between the promise of the present and the hurts of the past, can these two lost souls overcome their pain long enough to discover a gift beyond all measure?

7 05, 2014

Brenda Novak’s 10th Annual Diabetes Auction!

By judythemorgan|2014-05-07T06:00:45-05:00May 7th, 2014|one word Wednesday|0 Comments

Last Thursday Brenda Novak’s 10th annual auction to support diabetes research began.

She started the auction when her youngest son was diagnosed with Type I Diabetes at the age of five. Check out her website of you’re not familiar with this remarkable mother and bestselling author.

I’m thrilled to be a part of the auction again this year! Check out these items in which you’ll find copies of my books:

Kindle PaperWhite WiFi #3: Various Genres (Military/Paranormal/New
Adult/Women Fiction/YA/Chick Lit)

Northwest Houston RWA Chapter Gift Basket

KINDLE and Summer Beach Reads from Northwest Houston RWA

And, while you’re there BID, if not on these items, on some of the other incredible items up for grabs.

It’s for a great cause. Let’s help her break last year’s record.

5 05, 2014

Your fiction reading choice – literary or commercial?

By judythemorgan|2014-05-05T06:00:29-05:00May 5th, 2014|Make Me Think Monday|0 Comments

As an author, I’m frequently asked what I write. You’d think the answer would be easy. It’s not.

My dilemma about how to answer comes because I write a blend of literary and commercial fiction.

But that answer won’t make sense to many because the nuances of publishing vocabulary can be hard to understand. Plus, readers don’t necessarily think about literary vs commercial when making their choices of what to read.

Usually I answer I write commercial fiction, which provides an opportunity to explain the difference between commercial and literary.

Then I explain…

In literary fiction, the story arc is character-driven. The story itself is episodic about personal growth or destruction as the character comes to understand his/her situation.

Think of books like To Kill A Mockingbird, The Great Gatsby, Brave New World, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn or the book I mentioned in my recent blog on book clubs titled The Namesake.

Commercial fiction, on the other hand, is plot-driven. The arc is the rising and falling action of an active plot and dynamic opening hook. External obstacles lead to interior changes for the character.

Another name for commercial fiction is genre fiction, which means the book category is based on content. Commercial fiction genres include crime, fantasy, horror, mystery or detective, science fiction, western, inspirational, or romance. But each of those categories has subcategories and authors can blend categories.

Consider genre authors like Stephen King, John Grisham, J.R.R. Tolkien, Susan Wiggs, or Francine Rivers

Stories themselves may actually be a cross between literary and commercial.

You see, commercial stories can contain great character development and literary stories can have a functional plot.

And, authors often blend a literary style or voice in their writing with deep character exploration, intriguing hooks, and entertaining plots.

I repeat distinctions and nuances in fiction types can be complicated.

The true classification of a novel lies in the purpose of the story. Is the point to tell a tale (commercial) or learn something about a character or the human condition (literary)?

One classification isn’t superior to the other. Both types of fiction have their place in literature.

The thing to remember is it’s all about the story and what you, the reader, like.

YOUR TURN:

Thinking about the last book you read or the book you’re reading now, would you classify your selection as literary or fiction or one of the crossover blends?

2 05, 2014

Springtime on Miller Farm

By judythemorgan|2014-05-02T06:00:52-05:00May 2nd, 2014|Friday on the Miller Farm, Miller Farm Friday|0 Comments

A guest blog by Chicken Wrangler Sara

Springtime in Texas is usually marked by fields of bluebonnets with small children having their picture taken. On Miller Farm, springtime is marked by the return of the lizards. They live all around our house and provide hours of entertainment for Sadie. She spends her days looking for lizards.

In fact this is so much a part of her routine that when she lost interest in lizards last fall, we took her to the vet. When he asked about her symptoms, we told him she wasn’t looking for lizards.

This was not at all alarming to the vet. He didn’t understand just how unlike her this was.

Sadie does, however, have a history of back problems so he thought she might be suffering some pain. He put her on steroids for a few days and she was back on lizard duty.

Bella, on the other hand, does not even notice the lizards. She spends her time checking on chickens.

There are some nights I have to walk all the way back to the chicken yard and pick her up. Because of her history as a chicken killer, I worry that she is plotting against them.

Then I remember this is Bella, who has memory issues and so probably is just trying to figure out what they are and from whence they came.

Spring means many different things to many different people. Here on Miller Farm it means looking for lizards and checking on chickens.

1 05, 2014

National Day of Prayer 2014

By judythemorgan|2014-05-01T06:00:08-05:00May 1st, 2014|Holidays|0 Comments

Today marks the 63rd annual National Day of Prayer, a vital part of our heritage.

It’s an opportunity for Americans of all faiths to gather in front of courthouses, houses of worship, mosques, synagogues, and temple to pray for our nation.

This year’s theme is One Voice, United in Prayer.

I hope you’ll join Americans here in the U.S. and those on military bases and embassies around the world as we pause and share the special prayer authored by this year’s honorary chairman is Anne Graham Lotz, daughter of Evangelist Billy Graham.

If you can’t attend a celebration in person, the 2014 National Observance will be broadcast LIVE from the Cannon House Office Building in Washington, D.C. on this webpage 9:00 am – 12:00 pm EST.

Or, you can listen to Anne Graham Lotz’s prayer here.

Our community has scheduled a noon observance at our Community Center. I’ll be there.

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