Month: July 2018

July 30, 2018
Tell us about your favorite piece of furniture. Does it have a story behind it?

It’s a simple rocking chair. Plain wood, no fancy carvings, with a few dents and bruises. Right now, I don’t even own any cushions to soften the seat. I’m not sure I’d call in my favorite piece of furniture, but it’s close.

But it has a story. You see, this is the chair my parents bought for me when I got pregnant for the first time. I won’t tell you how many years ago that was. That was pre-internet shopping, and I think it was ordered from Sear, Roebuck and Company through their catalog.  Or possibly Montgomery Wards. I’ll wait while you young ones go google that. I lived over 1000 miles from them, and that was the best way to get it to me.

There was a lot of rocking done in the chair after my daughter was born. The little dog we had at the time liked it, too. You can’t see it in the picture, but there’s a spot on the back rocker where he ate the wood away while he was teething. I’ve never tried to fix it.

When we moved even farther west, the chair made the trip with us. When my son was born, it was there to rock him, too. (Although he preferred our couch when he was tiny. I think he liked the feel of the rough fabric.)

Eventually, we made the move back from the west coast to the east coast. And yes, the chair moved with us. It didn’t get sat in as much as the kids grew up, but I had no desire to get rid of it. Eventually, we made the move from Florida back to Wyoming and to my dismay, the chair didn’t fit in the moving truck. So it stayed in Florida with my daughter, with the plan that she’d ship it to me when she could. But that didn’t happen for ten years.

There came a time when she left Florida and came to live with us. The chair came with her. Now she’s elsewhere with her husband and two children, but the chair stayed with me. I don’t use it very often, but it’s a good, solid chair that will likely outlast me.

Do you have a favorite piece of furniture? Feel free to share in the comments.

Blogger

July 30, 2018
Tell us about your favorite piece of furniture. Does it have a story behind it?

It’s a simple rocking chair. Plain wood, no fancy carvings, with a few dents and bruises. Right now, I don’t even own any cushions to soften the seat. I’m not sure I’d call in my favorite piece of furniture, but it’s close.

But it has a story. You see, this is the chair my parents bought for me when I got pregnant for the first time. I won’t tell you how many years ago that was. That was pre-internet shopping, and I think it was ordered from Sear, Roebuck and Company through their catalog.  Or possibly Montgomery Wards. I’ll wait while you young ones go google that. I lived over 1000 miles from them, and that was the best way to get it to me.

There was a lot of rocking done in the chair after my daughter was born. The little dog we had at the time liked it, too. You can’t see it in the picture, but there’s a spot on the back rocker where he ate the wood away while he was teething. I’ve never tried to fix it.

When we moved even farther west, the chair made the trip with us. When my son was born, it was there to rock him, too. (Although he preferred our couch when he was tiny. I think he liked the feel of the rough fabric.)

Eventually, we made the move back from the west coast to the east coast. And yes, the chair moved with us. It didn’t get sat in as much as the kids grew up, but I had no desire to get rid of it. Eventually, we made the move from Florida back to Wyoming and to my dismay, the chair didn’t fit in the moving truck. So it stayed in Florida with my daughter, with the plan that she’d ship it to me when she could. But that didn’t happen for ten years.

There came a time when she left Florida and came to live with us. The chair came with her. Now she’s elsewhere with her husband and two children, but the chair stayed with me. I don’t use it very often, but it’s a good, solid chair that will likely outlast me.

Do you have a favorite piece of furniture? Feel free to share in the comments.

Blogger

And the #MysteryExchange goes on! This week it’s Avery Daniels and her Resort to Murder series.

And the #MysteryExchange goes on! This week it’s Avery Daniels and her Resort to Murder series.

Let’s talk wardrobe. Do you gravitate to one color? What is your go to style? What shoes do you prefer?

Once upon a time, I opened to my closet door and realized it was a sea of blue. All blue. I hadn’t done it on purpose, and if you had asked me, I would have told you blue wasn’t my favorite color. I’m still not sure how it happened. I’ve never let it happen again.

Now I gravitate to black. On purpose. My entire wardrobe isn’t black, but I have a lot of it. On purpose. Especially for work. It’s a great basic color that goes well with almost every color, and I don’t have to think to hard when I get dressed. Put on a pair of black pants and what ever color shirt I feel like wearing and I’m done. If I want to add an extra punch of professionalism, I can top it off with a black blazer.

Colors I don’t have in my closet? Green and gray. I own one green blouse and one gray sweater. I just feel as if both colors don’t look good on me. And I love me some nice gray but I’m normally disappointed when I try it on. It doesn’t work with my skin color.

Weekends my go-to is blue jeans. (or black jeans.) Depending upon my plan of activities, it’s either t-short or a casual top to go with them.  I have more t-shirts than I need, really, but many of them are souvenirs of a trip somewhere, and I hate to get rid of them. I’ll keep them until they are worn out.

And my choice of shoes? None. Bare feet are my style. As soon as I get home, the shoes come off. As a kid, each summer I used to walk on the rocks in the driveway to toughen up my feet. As a result, my feet aren’t pretty, but I don’t care. I can go outside without stopping to put shoes on for a quick trip to the mailbox or to water my flowers.

When I have to wear shoes, tennis shoes are my choice most of the time. Sandals will work as well. (but not the kind that have the piece that goes between your toes. I hate those. Give me a pair of Jesus walkers any day.)  I do own a couple of pairs of dress shoes. Black for work of course, and low heeled. Watching me walk in a pair of stilettos is not something you want to remember.But since I live out west, I had to buy a pair of boots. Not your traditional cowboy boots, but a lace up pair. They were the closet thing I can find to a pair of boots I owned back in my hippie days.

Oh, before I go, I should mention I own a few dresses. I rarely wear them. But at least I have them available for the proper occasion.

Now, let’s go find out what the other authors are wearing!

July 23, 2018
Let’s talk wardrobe. Do you gravitate to one color? What is your go to style? What shoes do you prefer?

Rules:
1. Link your blog to this hop.
2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use #OpenBook when tweeting.
5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.

Blogger

Let’s talk wardrobe. Do you gravitate to one color? What is your go to style? What shoes do you prefer?

Once upon a time, I opened to my closet door and realized it was a sea of blue. All blue. I hadn’t done it on purpose, and if you had asked me, I would have told you blue wasn’t my favorite color. I’m still not sure how it happened. I’ve never let it happen again.

Now I gravitate to black. On purpose. My entire wardrobe isn’t black, but I have a lot of it. On purpose. Especially for work. It’s a great basic color that goes well with almost every color, and I don’t have to think to hard when I get dressed. Put on a pair of black pants and what ever color shirt I feel like wearing and I’m done. If I want to add an extra punch of professionalism, I can top it off with a black blazer.

Colors I don’t have in my closet? Green and gray. I own one green blouse and one gray sweater. I just feel as if both colors don’t look good on me. And I love me some nice gray but I’m normally disappointed when I try it on. It doesn’t work with my skin color.

Weekends my go-to is blue jeans. (or black jeans.) Depending upon my plan of activities, it’s either t-short or a casual top to go with them.  I have more t-shirts than I need, really, but many of them are souvenirs of a trip somewhere, and I hate to get rid of them. I’ll keep them until they are worn out.

And my choice of shoes? None. Bare feet are my style. As soon as I get home, the shoes come off. As a kid, each summer I used to walk on the rocks in the driveway to toughen up my feet. As a result, my feet aren’t pretty, but I don’t care. I can go outside without stopping to put shoes on for a quick trip to the mailbox or to water my flowers.

When I have to wear shoes, tennis shoes are my choice most of the time. Sandals will work as well. (but not the kind that have the piece that goes between your toes. I hate those. Give me a pair of Jesus walkers any day.)  I do own a couple of pairs of dress shoes. Black for work of course, and low heeled. Watching me walk in a pair of stilettos is not something you want to remember.But since I live out west, I had to buy a pair of boots. Not your traditional cowboy boots, but a lace up pair. They were the closet thing I can find to a pair of boots I owned back in my hippie days.

Oh, before I go, I should mention I own a few dresses. I rarely wear them. But at least I have them available for the proper occasion.

Now, let’s go find out what the other authors are wearing!

July 23, 2018
Let’s talk wardrobe. Do you gravitate to one color? What is your go to style? What shoes do you prefer?

Rules:
1. Link your blog to this hop.
2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use #OpenBook when tweeting.
5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.

Blogger

It’s week three of the #MysteryExchange and this week I’m happy to introduce Linda Brendle and her book Tatia’s Tattoo.

As
a successful D.C. lawyer, Tatia’s mission in life was to destroy
the sex trafficking trade in small-town America. She knew where to
find it. She’d been there. With only apathetic foster parents to
protect her, she fell prey to the local pimp. Trapped in the sordid
underbelly of a small Texas town, she survived by sheer will. Her
friendship with her fellow victim Cindy was the only light of
humanity in the darkness until she saw a familiar face. Would Mrs. G,
a mama bear of an attorney, still think she had strength and
potential? Would Jesse, the young Christian tattoo artist and biker,
still look at her with a twinkle in his eyes? Or would they both see
only the mark of shame Eric had etched onto her forearm?

Linda
first began to write during her years as a caregiver. After two
memoirs, A
Long and Winding Road and
Mom’s Long Good-Bye, she
ventured into the world of fiction. Tatia’s
Tattoo will
be followed soon by Fallen
Angel Salvage, the
continuing story of Tatia, her family, and Eric ten years later.

It’s week three of the #MysteryExchange and this week I’m happy to introduce Linda Brendle and her book Tatia’s Tattoo.

As a successful D.C. lawyer, Tatia’s mission in life was to destroy the sex trafficking trade in small-town America. She knew where to find it. She’d been there. With only apathetic foster parents to protect her, she fell prey to the local pimp. Trapped in the sordid underbelly of a small Texas town, she survived by sheer will. Her friendship with her fellow victim Cindy was the only light of humanity in the darkness until she saw a familiar face. Would Mrs. G, a mama bear of an attorney, still think she had strength and potential? Would Jesse, the young Christian tattoo artist and biker, still look at her with a twinkle in his eyes? Or would they both see only the mark of shame Eric had etched onto her forearm?

Linda first began to write during her years as a caregiver. After two memoirs, A Long and Winding Road andMom’s Long Good-Bye, she ventured into the world of fiction. Tatia’s Tattoo will be followed soon by Fallen Angel Salvage, the continuing story of Tatia, her family, and Eric ten years later.

What language have you always wanted to learn? Do you think you will try?

Learning a second language was a requirement for my high school. Back then, we only had two choices, French and Spanish. Not having a crystal ball to see into the future, I chose French.

Although we only needed two years for graduation, I stuck with French for all four years. I can’t claim I was ever very good at it, although I got decent grades. My comprehension of the written language was far above my abilities with the spoken form. I couldn’t ‘hear’ the unique pronunciations and subtle differences between French and English. I got the words right, but I slaughtered the way I said them.

My senior year, I studied Russian history. That was back in the Cold War days and I thought I should know more about our biggest enemy. As a side point of interest, I attempted to learn some basic Russian. There wasn’t anyone around who knew the language, so most of my study was grammar and the actual letters. This was pre-internet days, so I couldn’t even go online to listen to the language.

Amazingly enough, the college I went to offered Russian. Even though I wasn’t required to take a language course, I jumped on the opportunity. And you know what? I had the same problems with Russian that I did with French. Did fine with the written portion, couldn’t catch the nuances of the spoken part.

There is one language out there that doesn’t require being able to hear the subtleties of the spoken word and I’ve thought about giving it a try. Sign. I know there are on-line courses, but I value in-person teaching, and our local community college doesn’t offer sign as a course. I’m not sure I’m ready to make that much of a commitment to it anyway. I don’t know how I’d use it in my daily life.
But I love watching videos of people who have the skills. Their hands dance as they talk.

Maybe one of these days. Until then.

Just after I finished this blog, I stumbled across a video that proves my point about shows what sign language can do. so here’s a bonus.

July 16, 2018
What language have you always wanted to learn? Do you think you will try?

Rules:
1. Link your blog to this hop.
2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use #OpenBook when tweeting.
5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.

Blogger

What language have you always wanted to learn? Do you think you will try?

Learning a second language was a requirement for my high school. Back then, we only had two choices, French and Spanish. Not having a crystal ball to see into the future, I chose French.

Although we only needed two years for graduation, I stuck with French for all four years. I can’t claim I was ever very good at it, although I got decent grades. My comprehension of the written language was far above my abilities with the spoken form. I couldn’t ‘hear’ the unique pronunciations and subtle differences between French and English. I got the words right, but I slaughtered the way I said them.

My senior year, I studied Russian history. That was back in the Cold War days and I thought I should know more about our biggest enemy. As a side point of interest, I attempted to learn some basic Russian. There wasn’t anyone around who knew the language, so most of my study was grammar and the actual letters. This was pre-internet days, so I couldn’t even go online to listen to the language.

Amazingly enough, the college I went to offered Russian. Even though I wasn’t required to take a language course, I jumped on the opportunity. And you know what? I had the same problems with Russian that I did with French. Did fine with the written portion, couldn’t catch the nuances of the spoken part.

There is one language out there that doesn’t require being able to hear the subtleties of the spoken word and I’ve thought about giving it a try. Sign. I know there are on-line courses, but I value in-person teaching, and our local community college doesn’t offer sign as a course. I’m not sure I’m ready to make that much of a commitment to it anyway. I don’t know how I’d use it in my daily life.
But I love watching videos of people who have the skills. Their hands dance as they talk.

Maybe one of these days. Until then.

Just after I finished this blog, I stumbled across a video that proves my point about shows what sign language can do. so here’s a bonus.

July 16, 2018
What language have you always wanted to learn? Do you think you will try?

Rules:
1. Link your blog to this hop.
2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use #OpenBook when tweeting.
5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.

Blogger