Monday, May 27, 2019

Let's Talk Memorial Day.




MEMORIAL DAY

During my mother-in-law’s lifetime, she carried flowers to the cemetery at this time of the year.  Back in that era, she called it “Decoration Day.” With no car and no knowledge to drive one if one had been available, she arranged for someone to take her to the cemetery—a twenty mile round trip. A short distance by today’s standards, but back then, it wasn’t.

Of course she took blossoms on other occasions, but she expressly wanted to remember on this patriotic occasion the fallen men and women who made the supreme sacrifice for her country.
Most historians believe the practice of remembering the soldiers with flowers sprang up around 1865 when liberated slaves decorated graves at a former Confederate prison camp. This site contained a mass grave for Union soldiers who died in captivity.


Before today's date became known as Memorial Day, the 30th of May, 1868 was set aside as Decoration Day. The purpose was to decorate the graves of those who died in defense of our country.  These men and women lie buried in every city, village and churchyard in the land.  




The alternative name of "Memorial Day" was first used in 1882. The new name became more common after World War II, and Federal law declared it the official name on June 28, 1968.

Many will gather today in backyards for barbeque, beer, margarita's, play games, and swim in pools—for many, it will be a fun and a relaxing time away from work. Grills will smoke with meat and the aroma of hamburgers and brisket will tantalize the taste buds.

Smoke on the battlefields was part of a soldier’s life during every war.  The smoke did not arise from a backyard grill and fun times.  Men and women fought on foreign shores for our freedom. It was not pretty nor did it have a fragrant aroma. No fun in this scenario.

Let us pause at this solemn interval to give thanks for those who shaped our freedom in the supreme way.

Fly the flag. Decorate the graves. Pause to give thanks.


REMEMBER

I'm a patriot. In many of my books, you'll find men who've served our country.  Here's one. Marcy's husband was killed in Afghanistan. Marcy, and her little girl, Hope, are alone in a strange, Texas town. She needs help. Sarah, the haphazard angel, is sent on her first mission. Can she help Marcy?


Saturday, May 25, 2019

Flour Cake or Flower Cake



See this beautiful cake?

I didn't bake it, but I'd love to eat a slice and share it with all of you. A fresh cup of coffee to go along with it.

The one I made last night is headed for the trash.

It didn't look like this one.

It didn't taste like this one, either.  Ugh. Not good.

Gay's Glorious Goodness was more like Gay's Gritty Garbage.

And get this....it was a box cake!!!!!!

How can one go wrong with a box cake? I even telephoned Pillsbury this morning to tell them this is the worst mix that ever came in a box. They advertised on the box that the mix was free of artificial intgredients.

It's also free of taste. Like flavorless.

The box said "customize your cake with flavoring." They suggested several. Almond Extract was one.

My word!  

They knew a lot was missing, so they told us up front. I can't accuse them of false advertising.

They need to add sugar, too.

And maybe go back to stuffing the box with artificial stuff.

This cake was not worth the calories.



Here's a picture. It even had peaks and valleys. I followed directions. I promise.  The flavorless cake was so bad, I poked holes in it and added a sugary glaze.  Didn't help.

I have a lot of kitchen catastrophes. I'll chalk this up as another.

Sarah can't cook either. Have you read any of my books where this little angel tries her hand in the kitchen?  She gets her cooking skills from me.

Here's one of my favorties.  This is a laugh-out-loud funny book.




Print or Ebook.





Monday, May 20, 2019

Was Noah Crazy?





















Old Noah lectured for 120 years. He preached the same sermon over-and-over. "It's gonna rain. Repend of your sins. Join me in faith. Get on the arc and live. Otherwise, you'll drown and die."

"Nope," they said. "Look at that crazy old fool. Water has never come down from the heavens. It's always come up from the earth. We can't drown in dew. Not enough of it. Silly man."

They didn't believe.

Uh-oh.  Bad news.

They died.

Drowned in the big water.

Just like Preacher Noah said they would.

Without faith, we don't please God. 

These days, in the Bible, God tells us the same thing. Repent, and believe in my only begotten Son and you will have eternal life.


Simple plan.
Yet many don't believe it.

Remember this! 

This is imporatant! 
If you miss the cross, you miss the boat.


Sunday, May 19, 2019

Strawberry Season


Berry picking. Have you done it? 

I think I picked a few blackberries back in the day. My daughter is growing delicious strawberries in her Kentucky garden.

As she picks them. She makes discoveries. Some strawberries are sweeter than others. A few have been nibbled on by bugs. A few aren't ripe yet. Some are rotting.

They all came from the same vine. Got the same amount of sunshine and rain, exposure to bugs, birds and elements, but some turn out tasty and others don't.

Kind of like life. All of us are exposed to the elements, but how we turn out depends on us. We are better people if we shoo away bugs, lift our voices in praise when the rain and storms hit, and give thanks for the sweet sunshine.

Most of all, stay connected to the vine.

You can't grow into a sweet, useful person if you aren't attached to the Vine.

Wednesday, May 15, 2019

News Headlines. Where's the Editor?


As a writer, I know how important editors are. Evidently these newspaper writers don't.




http://static.tinyletter.com/AZJunk/img/beam/5447641/22image003.jpeg
http://static.tinyletter.com/AZJunk/img/beam/5447641/21image004.jpeghttp://static.tinyletter.com/AZJunk/img/beam/5447641/9image005.jpeg
http://static.tinyletter.com/AZJunk/img/beam/5447641/15image006.jpeg
http://static.tinyletter.com/AZJunk/img/beam/5447641/25image007.jpeghttp://static.tinyletter.com/AZJunk/img/beam/5447641/14image008.jpg
http://static.tinyletter.com/AZJunk/img/beam/5447641/5image009.jpg
http://static.tinyletter.com/AZJunk/img/beam/5447641/24image010.jpeg
http://static.tinyletter.com/AZJunk/img/beam/5447641/17image011.jpeghttp://static.tinyletter.com/AZJunk/img/beam/5447641/20image012.jpeg
http://static.tinyletter.com/AZJunk/img/beam/5447641/11image013.jpeg
http://static.tinyletter.com/AZJunk/img/beam/5447641/6image014.jpeg
http://static.tinyletter.com/AZJunk/img/beam/5447641/16image015.jpeghttp://static.tinyletter.com/AZJunk/img/beam/5447641/3image016.jpeg
http://static.tinyletter.com/AZJunk/img/beam/5447641/23image017.jpeg
http://static.tinyletter.com/AZJunk/img/beam/5447641/7image019.jpeg
http://static.tinyletter.com/AZJunk/img/beam/5447641/10image018.jpeg
http://static.tinyletter.com/AZJunk/img/beam/5447641/18image020.jpeg
http://static.tinyletter.com/AZJunk/img/beam/5447641/19image023.jpg
http://static.tinyletter.com/AZJunk/img/beam/5447641/13image021.jpghttp://static.tinyletter.com/AZJunk/img/beam/5447641/4image022.jpg
http://static.tinyletter.com/AZJunk/img/beam/5447641/12image024.jpg
http://static.tinyletter.com/AZJunk/img/beam/5447641/8image025.jpeg
http://static.tinyletter.com/AZJunk/img/beam/5447641/2image026.jpeg
http://static.tinyletter.com/AZJunk/img/beam/5447641/1image001.jpg
I HOPE YOU WON'T FIND ANY BLUNDERS LIKE THESE IN MY BOOKS!

Sunday, May 12, 2019

Mother's Day Answers





Daughter number 2 and flowers for the day.


Did you take the quiz?  If so, here are the answers!


1.      What year did Mother’s Day become a national holiday?
a.       1914
b.      1900
c.       1863
2.      Who signed the proclamation to honor mothers?
a.       William McKinley
b.      Abraham Lincoln
c.       Woodrow Wilson

3.      Who is responsible for seeing a need for a national Mother’s Day?
a.       Margaret Sanger
b.      Belle Boyd
c.       Anna Jarvis
4.    The creator of Mother’s Day wanted to:
a.    Give moms a free lunch
b.    Give men a headache about gifts to buy
c.    The creator believed “mothers had done more than anyone in the world.”

5.    The creator wanted to commercialize Mother’s Day and make money.
a.    True
b.    False  
6.    The creator boycotted Mother’s Day
a.    True
b.    False
7.    Which flower came to be associated with mom on her day?
a.    Carnation
b.    Rose
c.     Hydrangea
8.    People at first began honoring moms by
a.    Going to church
b.    Serving breakfast in bed
c.     Apologizing for behavior
9.    Who said, "Of all the rights of women, the greatest is to be a mother." 
a.    Hillary Clinton
b.    Barabara Bush
c.     Lin Yutang 

10.  Who said, "I remember my mother's prayers and they have always followed me. They have clung to me all my life." 
a.    Billy Graham
b.    Abraham Lincoln
c.    Oprah Winfrey

Friday, May 10, 2019

Mother's Day Purple


Purple makes me think of my mom. She loved the color, and I do too.  




As you can see by my photo, I'm wearing purple, and purple is my thene color for this blog. Purple is a royal color, but mom and I have no royalty blood. We're just plain ole blue-blooded Americans.

I wish I had a good picture of my mom and me to share with you, but I don't. Now that I think of it, mom didn't wear purple. She just liked it.

My hubby painted my mom's bedroom in a deep lilac and she had a matching bedspread. There was nothing else purple in the house, just her room. She loved color, but purple was her favorite. She liked orange, too, but I don't care for that one. 

I like to think about how my mom and I are alike and yet different. 
There was no one like my mom. She was one of a kind.

So is your mom.

Oh sure, all mothers have stuff in common, but they are unique to us, their children.

What events or items make you recall your mom?

How about scents?

Mine loved Jungle Gardenia. I sneeze at the thought of it, even sneeze if I sniff it, but she loved it and the perfume makes me think of her.

Mexican food and ice cream. Mother loved it. She'd eat every bite on the Juarez plate in her favorite restaurant. Taco, cheese enchilladas, guacomole, beans, rice, salsa.  After a huge meal, she'd go home to vanilla Bluebell ice cream. She ate a lot, but her weight stayed at 99 pounds. Lucky lady, right? She never wanted to try another flavor. of ice cream. "Why," she'd ask? "Vanilla is what I like."

My mom was "Mrs. Clean." Man-oh-man, did we get into trouble for makings a mess. Everything had to be spotless at all times. The office in my home where I sit at this moment would make her nervous. It's messy.

No matter how hard I try, I'll never be the cook she was.

I could go on and on, but I thought you'd like to share a thought or two about your memories. Your comments at the bottom of the blog are welcome.


My mom is gone now, but not a day goes by that I don't think of her. Sometimes I catch myself in the mirror and think, "I look like Mom today."  

I hope your mother is still with you. If she is, give her a big hug and tell her some of your favorite memories of her.





Tuesday, May 7, 2019

Mother's Day Quiz


Mother’s Day Quiz

Mother's Day is May 12.  

In the following blogs, I'll talk about mothers. Some of us have them in heaven, and others of us have moms here. On this special holiday, we think about them and honor them. For some women, Mother's Day is unbearable sad. We'll talk about that too.
But let's start off with someting fun. Take a quiz.

1.      What year did Mother’s Day become a national                  holiday?
a.      1914
b.      1900
c.      1863

2.      Who signed the proclamation to honor mothers?
a.       William Howard Taft
b.      Abraham Lincoln
c.       Woodrow Wilson

3.      Who is responsible for seeing a need for a national            Mother’s Day?
a.      Margaret Sanger
b.      Carrie Nation
c.      Anna Jarvis

4.    The creator of Mother’s Day did so to:
    a.    Give moms a free lunch 
    b.    Give men a headache about gifts to buy
    c.   Honor because“mothers had done more than               anyone in the world.”  
6.    The creator boycotted Mother’s Day
a.    True
b.    False
7.    Which flower came to be associated with mom on her day?
a.    Carnation
b.    Rose
c.    Hydrangea

8.    People at first began honoring moms by
a.    Going to church
b.    Serving breakfast in bed
c.     Apologizing for behavior

9.    Who said, "Of all the rights of women, the greatest is to be a mother." 
a.    Hillary Clinton
b.    Barabara Bush
c.     Lin Yutang 

10.  Who said, "I remember my mother's prayers and they have always followed me. They have clung to me all my life." 
a.    Billy Graham
b.    Abraham Lincoln
c.    Oprah Winfrey

 11. Which holiday has higher card sales?
          a. Christmas
          b. Valentine's Day
          c. Mother's Day

Write your answers in the comments. The first one to answer all correctly wins a Sarah book!







PBG Insider: Gay N. Lewis Introduces her "Sarah" series

Sarah at Christmas