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03/07/2014

You meet the best people…

When you are doing something that you’re passionate about. I have met the most wonderful people since I have embarked on my writing experience.

I already have a group of the best friends, ever. BFF’s for sure! But, through Phillip and his friends, I have come to know and consider as friends, a group of artists that bring their passion on board and are willing to share! I think, the biggest component is the sharing! The sharing of experience and expertise. For every story shared, their creativity is put out there and all you have to do is be in their presence to suck it up!

I belong to a wonderful writer’s club, Write by the Rails. I cannot tell you how much I have learned from the people in the group and how much I enjoy being with these creative, intelligent and loving people. Everyone brings something different to the table. Writers of every genre. Writers who are as eclectic as this blog site. That they are willing to get out there, is what makes this group work.

I am doubly blessed though because of my jewelry artist experience. This, too has allowed me to meet wonderful artists from all over the globe.

Thank you, to all of you! You have added to my growth as a writer, artist and human being!

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03/05/2014

Good Friends, Good Food!

All of my friends know that I’m a foodie! I love to cook, I love to eat, and I love to share.  On Christmas Eve, except for very recently, I always did the Italian Feast of the Seven Fishes. Even people who did not eat fish, ate it all! And, it has always been a great joy of mine to watch them  After all, I am my mother’s daughter.  Even though I cannot do the feast, anymore, Christmas Eve is still a great time of celebration at our house.  There is still lots of food, great bread (thank you to my friend, Kay, the honorary “Bread Lady”), and very excellent wine…oh, and desserts.  You have not eaten cake until you’ve eaten my friends’ Tee and Antje cakes.  This year, I even ordered cookies from Sicily!  They were magnificent.  But this blog is not about the wonderful Christmas Eve feasts at the Miller house.  It is about why I am such a lover of food.

Last night, my dear friend, Tee, gifted upon us her grandmother’s buttermilk biscuits and gravy.  GIFTED. Now, I’m Italian, (yes, I know, I’ve said that before,) so gravy, to me is rich, tomato-y sauce for pasta.  To Tee, it’s down home, country creamy, buttery rich gravy that you slather on your pork chops and lick off your fingers.  And, you don’t eat gravy without biscuits…although, I could eat it from a spoon! So, last night, we combined forces and had a wonderful, down home, Southern meal.  Reason number 1 for being a foodie.  We love good food.

But more than that, Tee’s sharing of her grandmother’s biscuits is her sharing a piece of HER life that is so very different from mine, and yet I experienced a real piece of it.  Through food, you get to share someone else’s life experience.  Reason number 2 for being a foodie.

Another friend of mine, Antje, shares Christmas Eve with us.  She is German and we have learned more about her life over a glass (or several) of wine, then we could any other way.  We also learn about her life every Christmas.  She has an italian Christmas Eve and we have an honest to goodness German Christmas! Her tortes are incredibly delicious and have no calories…yeah, right.  They are elaborate and yummy and filled with her heritage and her love.  What could be a better way to learn about someone else’s culture. Reason number 3 for being a foodie.

In this ever shrinking world, we must learn about people.  We must be able to accept and embrace differences.  I am blessed to be able to fill my table with an array of different people, people I love and have learned from…this is the international house of pancakes! If you can share food with others, you share the world.  Reason 3 for being a foodie!

 

02/28/2014

“and so I said to myself, it’s a wonderful day!”

I knew it would be a wonderful day today.  It seems as if they come in pairs! Yesterday, I had a great time with the Creative Writing Club at Featherstone Elementary School in Woodbridge, Virginia.  This club is organized by a young teacher, Jessica Guerrero and is facilitated by her and another lovely teacher, Mrs. Mc Cloud.  The group consists of children in grades 3-5.  Amazing!  The sweetest children and talented!  My word, some of the stories!  Forget the spelling and punctuation, these kids can write! Oh, how sometimes, I so miss the classroom  

We talked about characters…hey, they were looking at one, or two.  I brought my faithful gnome, dragon and lizard with me.  And, my favorite thing, I got to read to them and left them with some books.  I will be participating in their Book Fair, too! I cannot tell you what a joy it is to be around bright, happy children.  I always thank the Guy upstairs for giving this world hope, through them. So that was good day numero uno!

Then, today,I find out that my dear friend, Debs Pouliot, who I have known since we were both young and gorgeous…she still is, has promoted Phillip through her daughter’s school, in Laurel,  MD.  This woman is, without a doubt talented.  She is a mixed media artist and has taught for Michaels, knows all kinds of crafty celebrities and is making bookmarks and jewelry for Phillip!  Can you believe? She is so cool…remember “make new friends, but keep the old?”  Well, thar ya go!  Debs and I have known each other for years and years and reconnected through FB!

And, a publisher that I rejected…yes, I did…has come back to me again, time number 5, I’m not kidding, to offer yet another suggestion to get my book to him.

I’m back working with my favorite illustrator; Above the Stars will be awesome. Another bonus!   

Am I blessed, or what!!!  My angels are working overtime!  

Yes, good days come in pairs but I wouldn’t mind a three-fer. 

 

02/25/2014

A Most Interesting Word

I am always interested in unusual words. I used to play “Stump the Teacher” when I taught. It was one of the best ways for children to learn words. They took great delight in my not knowing something!

janesjournals's avatarJane's Journals

My brain is on vacation for a few days so I have nothing insightful or moderately interesting to write about today. I might find something interesting to say about Tango working diligently to lick every speck from the empty peanut butter jar, but yaaaaawn, too much effort. I could make a big tadooo about sitting here listening to cars go by, but I do not think most people would find that especially interesting. Still, I am enjoying having nothing to do but stretch out on Kerry’s sofa, surf, read, and drink coffee.

I did find an interesting word in my inbox this morning:

sciamachy sahy-AM-uh-kee, noun: an act or instance of fighting a shadow or an imaginary enemy.

Who knew that a fancy word existed for something most of us do everyday, by habit?

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As I investigated the word sciamachy, I learned that is is also the name for fancy…

View original post 72 more words

02/24/2014

Polar Vortex Kills Stinkbugs

Really? Is that like a True Detective story? It’s been publicized like some mass murder. What does a stink bug do? Other than, uh stink?

Personally, I’m more concerned about how many homeless it killed; both human and animals. But, unless I missed something that the Stinkbugs are useful for, it’s not really important to me.

I used to love to watch the “headlines” segment on Jay Leno’s. I was always amazed at how such horribly written headlines got past an editor. And the grocery ads! Did anyone proof them?

One would think that something that is read by hundreds or thousands of people would be written just a bit better. I never did look for an obit.

02/18/2014

A Boomer’s Writer’s Lament

  It’s bad enough to be typing along an inadvertently delete,  instead of save a word, sentence, paragraph or, god forbid. a page, but when you cannot retrieve…oy!  Okay, okay, so if a lesser part of what you wrote gets lost, you can recreate. But, when you lose a page, or pages, recreation? Not so easy.  And then the unprintable words come out!  I’m sure, like me, most writers know many.  So, the search begins because we all KNOW that our machine has backed them up, NOT, because we didn’t tell it to, when we set  our wp program up!  Drat it!  But, certainly it’s in “the cloud.”  Huh? No, goofus, because you, in trying to retrieve it, have managed to delete the copy of the copy’s copy! So, you walk away.  Just walk away and it will magically reappear when you open up your computer, the next day; so will your fairy godmother!!!!  Did it ever occur to you – me, that you could have retyped that passage in the time it took you to search for it.  Well, yeah! But…  It will never be the same!  Right, it won’t, but when you start to retype the passage, you think of other, better things to add.  Ahhh! Cool, that sounds better.  I can do this. Now, if it’s more than, let’s say, 5 pages, and you’ve spent three days trying to find it, unsuccessfully, and now, because you are 50 something, you’ve forgotten what you wrote, just shut down the computer, pour yourself a glass of whine, oops! wine, moan a bit and don’t worry, you’ve probably forgotten you lost it, to begin with!

02/13/2014

Baby Boomer’s Beatles

A short post about the baby boomer’s beloved Beatles!  They are still the best!  Paul and Ringo can still rock ”n’ roll and they’re music is timeless.  The artists of today, who were on the show did a beautiful job on the songs.  I thought Maroon 5 sounded just like them.  Gotta love Adam Levine!   And Yoko Ono…oh, nooooo!!!  But, Julian Lennon, except for his dark hair is a spitting image of dad!  A wee bit strung out but, hey! 

Anyways, they did an old girl proud.  Ringo, at 73, is still sweet Ringo! Love you guys.  “The heart of rock ‘n’ roll’s still beatin’…”

02/13/2014

Veni, Vedi…and Valentine Wiskits

Phillip is getting ready for continuing his adventure. He has come across many new and fascinating creatures! 
Have you ever heard of “fainting” goats? Well, they are real! But not the kind that Phillip, Edward and Stinky come across. These, belong to LLamont and LLemura and have 2 heads! Oh! And they’re pink and purple polka dotted. Not the nicest little creatures. If they get upset, their milk turns sour and LLemura can’t make her famous Wiskits.
 
So, Veni is the lead goat, and very bossy.  Vedi, unfortunately, is the more reasonable one, but doesn’t get far.  Still, it doesn’t take much to make them faint.  Especially, when a big, “Hey, watch those feet!” dinosaur comes up beside them.
 
The lavender goat’s milk is pretty sweet and LLemura makes the best Wiskits out of it.  I’m sure, LLamont will get them, in the shapes of hearts, tomorrow!
 
Happy Valentine’s Day, from LLemura, LLemont and the Goats of Phillip’s Quest,  Book II, Above the StarsImage
 
 
02/10/2014

Thanks Everyone!

I made my goal! Over 500 posts in under 20 days! Thank you. For someone who is a blog rookie, I think that’s pretty good.
So, this blog will be short and dolce! And, tomorrow, a story. Just haven’t decided which one. Should it be a spooky story? Or an excerpt from The Ragworts? I’ll sleep on it.
Hope you all have a great sleep and sweet dreams. Buono notte! Good night!