It is Day 11 of the 15 day Author Blog Challenge. Since I must prewrite this on day10, you will be reading my day 10 post on day 11- a day late. Confused yet?
On Day 10 of the Author Blog Challenge the prompt was:
Are you on GoodReads? It seems a pretty obvious place for
authors to hang out, yet I’m not sure authors are using it to quite the
maximal benefit. If you are on GoodReads, how often do you visit/use the
site? How often do you update your reading list? What other kinds of
things do you post? Are you finding yourself using it the way social
media was intended: to create a community? If you are NOT on GoodReads,
have you made a deliberate choice to skip it? What other mechanisms do
you utilize for meeting other readers/writers/authors? How else could
you begin to create your very own community?
I am on GoodReads. But, I rarely update.
Why?
I like to browse around in my local library. Most of what I read is books in the new book (new to the library, that is) shelves that catch my eye. Sometimes I'll devour the book in a couple of sittings. Sometimes it will sit for most of the three week period my library allows you to take books out for, and then "suddenly" I'll get an urge to read it. Sometimes, time's up and I haven't even cracked the book. Back to the library it goes.
Other times, I read 3 or 4 books at the same time.
So, enough times, by the time I think about getting onto GoodReads, I'm done. So, unless I have a lot of spare time, I don't update my statuses.
And then, I just don't have the normal, everyday statuses, and GoodReads doesn't have anything for me to explain my true statuses with.
For example, the books on my current profile:
Want to read: The Bird, by Jo Michaels. I won this in a contest Jo put on (thanks, Jo!), and last Saturday, planned to read it on the Auto Train. But when I opened my Kindle app on my iPhone in the train station The Bird had flown! Seriously, the Kindle app had updated and the book (which I KNOW FOR A FACT WAS THERE) is now missing. So seems to be the email where Jo sent me the file. Sigh.....no status button for "book mysteriously disappeared from my Kindle and it isn't listed on my Kindle page on Amazon, either. Too embarrassed to contact author because it would show what a cheapskate I am since I really should buy it from her."
Reading: Outpost, by Ann Aguirre. It is a great book, but I had to return it before I was done, and haven't found it since. There is no button for "I had to return it to the library before I could finish it." (same thing with another book, The Age of Miracles...which, by the way, would deserve 10 stars if I could give that many.)
Another "currently reading" book, The Help - I gave up on months ago and have no intention of ever going back to it. But, I can't figure out how to delete it.
Finally there is no status button for "I get most of my books from the library because my husband will divorce me if I bring in one more book into the house, thereby causing the house to collapse into itself due to all the weight of the 1,249,556 books I already own, including the Edgar Rice Burroughs books my Mom bought me in 1963 when I had a broken leg, that would crumble into dust if I look at them but I can't bear to get rid of those remnants of my childhood."
So...that's my GoodReads story.
What's yours?
Monday, March 11, 2013
Sunday, March 10, 2013
Civil War Sunday - Led Zepplin and the Civil War
I admit....this one is offbeat.
What does a former British rock group that formed in 1968 and disbanded many years ago have to do with the U.S. Civil War?
Two weeks ago, when I was researching my Civil War Sunday blog post, I visited a couple of newspaper and magazine websites and read some Civil War related articles.
Have you ever noticed what happens when someone writes an article about the United States Civil War (or any other subject), posts it online and allows comments on the article?
Allowing people to comment on newspaper and magazine articles online is a form of social media I could normally do without. It's one I find distracting and not as successful as some other social media ideas. For some reason, when people comment on articles, it very quickly degrades into a middle school type of insult/discussion with little substance. In my opinion, who needs it? (In rare instances, you do find clever discussions.)
When you read the comments on Civil War articles, it quickly becomes obvious that we, the American people, are still fighting the Civil War that officially ended in 1865. Usually, within 5 or 6 coments, the posting people, North vs. South, are going at it with a ferocity that makes you wonder if this war, 152 years old in our hearts and minds, will ever end.
But this time, in one of the comment sections, there was a difference.
I don't remember how, but in the midst of Civil War cyber battle someone mentioned the former rock group Led Zepplin. Suddenly, tone of the entire discussion changed. Everyone propelled themselves back into the present when we live in (one would hope) a united country. Suddenly, the contestants in the commenting battle were talking about the Kennedy Honors tribute to Led Zepplin in December of 2012. These honors, held at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, were attended by many celebrities, including the President of the United States and his wife.
Every one of the battlers united in their love of Led Zepplin. They were all fans of this former rock group. They had all listened to the concert honoring them. They commented on how the members of the group, up in the audience, got teary eyed over the performance of their music by other famous musicians. They marveled at the President, who did everything short of getting up and dancing to one of their songs.
Eventually, the commenters returned to battling over a war that's been over on paper for 148 years. But for a few minutes, the Civil War was forgotten. They were united.
Do you ever read the comments under online newspaper and magazine articles? Do you think it is a practice that adds value to any article?
What does a former British rock group that formed in 1968 and disbanded many years ago have to do with the U.S. Civil War?
Two weeks ago, when I was researching my Civil War Sunday blog post, I visited a couple of newspaper and magazine websites and read some Civil War related articles.
Have you ever noticed what happens when someone writes an article about the United States Civil War (or any other subject), posts it online and allows comments on the article?
Allowing people to comment on newspaper and magazine articles online is a form of social media I could normally do without. It's one I find distracting and not as successful as some other social media ideas. For some reason, when people comment on articles, it very quickly degrades into a middle school type of insult/discussion with little substance. In my opinion, who needs it? (In rare instances, you do find clever discussions.)
When you read the comments on Civil War articles, it quickly becomes obvious that we, the American people, are still fighting the Civil War that officially ended in 1865. Usually, within 5 or 6 coments, the posting people, North vs. South, are going at it with a ferocity that makes you wonder if this war, 152 years old in our hearts and minds, will ever end.
But this time, in one of the comment sections, there was a difference.
I don't remember how, but in the midst of Civil War cyber battle someone mentioned the former rock group Led Zepplin. Suddenly, tone of the entire discussion changed. Everyone propelled themselves back into the present when we live in (one would hope) a united country. Suddenly, the contestants in the commenting battle were talking about the Kennedy Honors tribute to Led Zepplin in December of 2012. These honors, held at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, were attended by many celebrities, including the President of the United States and his wife.
Every one of the battlers united in their love of Led Zepplin. They were all fans of this former rock group. They had all listened to the concert honoring them. They commented on how the members of the group, up in the audience, got teary eyed over the performance of their music by other famous musicians. They marveled at the President, who did everything short of getting up and dancing to one of their songs.
Eventually, the commenters returned to battling over a war that's been over on paper for 148 years. But for a few minutes, the Civil War was forgotten. They were united.
Do you ever read the comments under online newspaper and magazine articles? Do you think it is a practice that adds value to any article?
Saturday, March 9, 2013
Sustainable Saturday - ECHO ECHO
So many people in our world hungry...sick...what can be done to improve these lives?
Every state in our United States has an Extension Service. To quote from the national website:
"These offices are staffed by one or more experts who provide useful, practical, and research-based information to agricultural producers, small business owners, youth, consumers, and others in rural areas and communities of all sizes."
Extension services are normally headquartered in a "land grant" college. For example, in my native New York State, we have the Cornell Cooperative Extension Service.
But what happens when you go overseas, especially into countries that are commonly called "third world nations"? What agency acts as their extension service?
Earlier this week, while in North Ft. Myers, FL, my spouse and I visited the ECHO (Educational Concerns for Hunger Organization) demonstration farms. They style themselves as being an "extension service to the world". While a Christian organization, they serve all peoples regardless of religious belief. They bring agricultural knowledge to poor countries to help them fight hunger and disease, and work with appropriate technologies - those that can be built with native materials or other materials abundant in the area - that are both ingenious and sustainable.
ECHO trains volunteers and then the volunteers go forth (privately funded) to help the world.
While the tropical demonstration farms left me sorry I can not grow avocados and mangoes in upstate New York, it was the urban demonstration farm that especially caught my eye.
These are mustard greens. They are being grown in raised beds, with a mulch of used carpet (hidden under the grass/hay mulch). Note the barrels that act as part of a drip irrigation system, and also tires (in the background) being used as planters.
Don't have much ground? No problem. Here, bags of compost/manure are being readied as a type of "grow bag".
In this area of the demonstration "wick garden", the mustard greens are being grown with a carpet mulch covered in corn cobs. To quote from ECHO's literature on wick gardening:
"The wick garden was developed to enable people to have exceptionally shallow bed gardens without the need to water several times each day..You are most likely to think of a candle or lantern when you think of a wick, where kerosene or melted wax are pulled by capillary action up the wick from the pool of liquid below.
Water is likewise moved by capillary action if a cloth or fiber wick is placed in it.
The wick for the garden can be any kind of cloth. For example the wick might be an old blanket, pieces cut from old clothing, a piece of carpet or a special fabric made for this purpose that is used in greenhouses to keep the soil in small pots moist until they are ready for sale. "
Nothing fancy, nothing expensive - but it works.
The man who led our tour was originally from the Philippines. He was a retired surgeon, and was following his passion and religious beliefs in his retirement. His name is Vic, and I want to thank Vic for the wealth of information he gave us on our tour.
There was a lot more to ECHO than the urban garden and I will be blogging more about the other demonstration gardens at a later time.
Every state in our United States has an Extension Service. To quote from the national website:
"These offices are staffed by one or more experts who provide useful, practical, and research-based information to agricultural producers, small business owners, youth, consumers, and others in rural areas and communities of all sizes."
Extension services are normally headquartered in a "land grant" college. For example, in my native New York State, we have the Cornell Cooperative Extension Service.
But what happens when you go overseas, especially into countries that are commonly called "third world nations"? What agency acts as their extension service?
Earlier this week, while in North Ft. Myers, FL, my spouse and I visited the ECHO (Educational Concerns for Hunger Organization) demonstration farms. They style themselves as being an "extension service to the world". While a Christian organization, they serve all peoples regardless of religious belief. They bring agricultural knowledge to poor countries to help them fight hunger and disease, and work with appropriate technologies - those that can be built with native materials or other materials abundant in the area - that are both ingenious and sustainable.
ECHO trains volunteers and then the volunteers go forth (privately funded) to help the world.
While the tropical demonstration farms left me sorry I can not grow avocados and mangoes in upstate New York, it was the urban demonstration farm that especially caught my eye.
"The wick garden was developed to enable people to have exceptionally shallow bed gardens without the need to water several times each day..You are most likely to think of a candle or lantern when you think of a wick, where kerosene or melted wax are pulled by capillary action up the wick from the pool of liquid below.
Water is likewise moved by capillary action if a cloth or fiber wick is placed in it.
The wick for the garden can be any kind of cloth. For example the wick might be an old blanket, pieces cut from old clothing, a piece of carpet or a special fabric made for this purpose that is used in greenhouses to keep the soil in small pots moist until they are ready for sale. "
Nothing fancy, nothing expensive - but it works.
The man who led our tour was originally from the Philippines. He was a retired surgeon, and was following his passion and religious beliefs in his retirement. His name is Vic, and I want to thank Vic for the wealth of information he gave us on our tour.
There was a lot more to ECHO than the urban garden and I will be blogging more about the other demonstration gardens at a later time.
Friday, March 8, 2013
Sanibel Shell Show Part 2
Today, I reluctantly (read: kicking and screaming) leave Sanibel Island. I look forward to meeting a relative and a fellow blogger in another part of Florida, but am so sorry to leave the place I call "paradise".
It is sobering to realize that the last time I was in Sanibel, I was still using a film camera. Film, as in "that stuff you use to have to load into cameras and then send away to get developed." More recently, you could take it to a store for 1 hour developing but you had to be so careful about the pictures you took, because film cost money. And developing cost money! Sometimes, the film (which had to be loaded into the camera) didn't work right, either.
Once again, nostalgia isn't all it is cracked up to be. Why did I cling to film so long?
The Sanibel Shell Show, on Sanibel Island in Florida, continues today and tomorrow. What seemed like thousands of people crowded into a small community center to view gems of shell art - all taking pictures as fast as they could. If some of these pictures seem blurry, please know I had a lot of competition.
This exhibit was one of my favorites. It was called "An Ostrich Easter Egg" and it was said to be inspired by Fabergé.
This is another view of the exquisite lid.
This is another one of the shell bouquets I admired so much.
Not all the exhibits were serious. An artist from Brooklyn displayed this pirate statue.
Does your area have a special art form you are proud of?
It is sobering to realize that the last time I was in Sanibel, I was still using a film camera. Film, as in "that stuff you use to have to load into cameras and then send away to get developed." More recently, you could take it to a store for 1 hour developing but you had to be so careful about the pictures you took, because film cost money. And developing cost money! Sometimes, the film (which had to be loaded into the camera) didn't work right, either.
Once again, nostalgia isn't all it is cracked up to be. Why did I cling to film so long?
The Sanibel Shell Show, on Sanibel Island in Florida, continues today and tomorrow. What seemed like thousands of people crowded into a small community center to view gems of shell art - all taking pictures as fast as they could. If some of these pictures seem blurry, please know I had a lot of competition.
This is another view of the exquisite lid.
This is another one of the shell bouquets I admired so much.
Does your area have a special art form you are proud of?
Thursday, March 7, 2013
Sanibel Shell Show Part 1
It took four years, but we finally made it back to Sanibel Island, Florida, land of some of the best shelling in the world. Everyone has their vision of paradise.
Sanibel is my vision of paradise. At least, Sanibel in March. It's been a cool March in Florida this year but I don't care - there is green, and there is no snow.
July would be a different story.
Many other people agree with me about the vision of paradise. Especially if you love sea shells.
Once a year, on the first weekend in March, shell artists from all over the world gather to display their art in a juried art show.
Amateurs and professionals compete in their own categories.
The amazing part is - it only costs $5 to get in. The admission is good for all three days of the festival, and they even give you a small baggie of shells as a "thank you" for attending. Best of all, the ticket also gives you admission to a shell museum.
There is an outdoor shell show that benefits the community, and that part is free of charge. There is a live shell exhibit run by 6th graders of the local school, and also educational displays.
This is some of what you will see for your $5.00. If you are within driving distance of Sanibel, the show continues tomorrow and Saturday.
Is Sanibel worth traveling 1300 miles to see? Yes it is, for a lot of reasons - and the Shell Show is a bonus.
Several artists competed in creating shell plants. This is a shell carnivorous plant. Don't touch!
This orchid is safe from my orchid black thumb.
And finally, an award winning centerpiece, made with natural material and broken crockery. I wonder what story the crockery has to tell. Was it salvaged?
A special catagory was an art form called the "sailor's valentine". I will blog more about that later this month, as it deserves its own series of posts.
Tomorrow - more highlights of the Sanibel Shell Show.
Sanibel is my vision of paradise. At least, Sanibel in March. It's been a cool March in Florida this year but I don't care - there is green, and there is no snow.
July would be a different story.
Many other people agree with me about the vision of paradise. Especially if you love sea shells.
Once a year, on the first weekend in March, shell artists from all over the world gather to display their art in a juried art show.
Amateurs and professionals compete in their own categories.
The amazing part is - it only costs $5 to get in. The admission is good for all three days of the festival, and they even give you a small baggie of shells as a "thank you" for attending. Best of all, the ticket also gives you admission to a shell museum.
There is an outdoor shell show that benefits the community, and that part is free of charge. There is a live shell exhibit run by 6th graders of the local school, and also educational displays.
This is some of what you will see for your $5.00. If you are within driving distance of Sanibel, the show continues tomorrow and Saturday.
Is Sanibel worth traveling 1300 miles to see? Yes it is, for a lot of reasons - and the Shell Show is a bonus.
This orchid is safe from my orchid black thumb.
Tomorrow - more highlights of the Sanibel Shell Show.
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Winter Wednesday - We Came From the Land of Ice and Snow
Blue skies? Sunshine? Could I be blogging from my home in upstate New York?
I'm not. I am in warm, sunny, Florida. (Although this morning, a cold front is coming through and it is cloudy and windy.) Warm, as in yesterday's high of 70. (21 degrees Celsius). I am soaking in every last one of those little degrees. Not one will escape.
It is GREEN outside, as in actual, growing plants, blooming. Birds are singing. Insects are chirping. Did I mention that there are flowers outside?
The winter storm that is hitting the mid-Atlantic right now with up to two feet of snow expected in areas came through about 20 minutes ago with a whimper of wind and a sprinkle of shower.
Let me show you some of the flowers near where I am staying:
Bird of Paradise flower. (this plant is related to the banana, by the way). The plant, by the way, is named after a son of a Russian Czar.
I am not 100% positive, but I think this is a spider lily.
Coral Bean (a native; picture taken at a native plant nursery).
And finally, the beach sunflower (Helianthus debilis), which is commonly found on the edge of - well, beaches. It is useful for dune stabilization, besides being pretty.
It's wonderful to be able to blog about flowers at the beginning of March! Next Wednesday, if I can get ID's, I will post some pictures of Florida wildflowers.
And in case you are ready to throw darts at my picture, oh northern friends - we are expected to have near record cold tonight, with a low of 43 degrees.
Is it warm where you are? Or are you still firmly in winter's embrace? (alas, I will be returning next week to upstate's grey skies and snow after this winter's break.)
I'm not. I am in warm, sunny, Florida. (Although this morning, a cold front is coming through and it is cloudy and windy.) Warm, as in yesterday's high of 70. (21 degrees Celsius). I am soaking in every last one of those little degrees. Not one will escape.
It is GREEN outside, as in actual, growing plants, blooming. Birds are singing. Insects are chirping. Did I mention that there are flowers outside?
The winter storm that is hitting the mid-Atlantic right now with up to two feet of snow expected in areas came through about 20 minutes ago with a whimper of wind and a sprinkle of shower.
Let me show you some of the flowers near where I am staying:
And finally, the beach sunflower (Helianthus debilis), which is commonly found on the edge of - well, beaches. It is useful for dune stabilization, besides being pretty.
It's wonderful to be able to blog about flowers at the beginning of March! Next Wednesday, if I can get ID's, I will post some pictures of Florida wildflowers.
And in case you are ready to throw darts at my picture, oh northern friends - we are expected to have near record cold tonight, with a low of 43 degrees.
Is it warm where you are? Or are you still firmly in winter's embrace? (alas, I will be returning next week to upstate's grey skies and snow after this winter's break.)
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Pining for Pinning - Winter Author Blog Challenge #5
I am up before dawn, this 5th day of the 15 Day Winter Author Blog Challenge. Instead of heading to Pinterest, I am blogging about it today. Our prompt is:
One of the newest and fastest growing social media platforms is Pinterest? Have you jumped onboard? What kinds of images do (or could) you post that are related to your book or the topic of your book? What other kinds of images do you post? Are you linking each post back to your blog, website, or Amazon page? IF YOU’RE NOT USING Pinterest, what’s holding you back? Take a look at book marketer extraordinaire John Kremer’s Pinterest Boards. After perusing them, how MIGHT you use Pinterest to brand yourself and your book? Is it something you’re considering?
I love Pinterest. Why?
I am a visual person. Photography is an important part of my telling of the story of my life. So, when Pinterest came along, it was a natural for me to join. (Here is my Pinterest home page). Pinterest is where my blogging and my "me" intersect.
First, some quick terminology for Pinterest newbies. "Boards" are the places where you put visual images. You can organize them however you want. I have boards for gardening, the United States Civil War, crocheting, wildflowers, birds, autism, sunsets, books I feel are worth reading, and favorite recipes.
"Pinning" is the art of capturing a visual image with a Pinterest tool, and placing it on one of your boards.
You can search, and can follow one board, or all boards, of a given person whose pins you like. You can put up your own pins, repin, like a pin, and comment on someone's pin.
Pinterest is ideal for planning weddings (visual!), planning dinner (visual!), selling crafts (visual!) and yes, branding your books (visual! Why else would books have cover art?). But, so far, I have not used the power of Pinterest to promote my blog the way I should.
I pin photos from my blog, but they are not organized in one area. My photos are all original work: flowers, other nature photos, gardening, Civil War related, farmers market related. Photos here and there of my crochet projects. And, when I travel, sunsets.
I have a "Blogging" board but I do not have pinning buttons on my blog, because (as of now) my blogging platform and Pinterest do not seem to "play together well". When I see Pin share buttons on Wordpress, I get frustrated that I can't have those, too. Meantime, my blog does not have a clear pinning policy posted. Oops! (I will need to change that).
I can easily get lost on Pinterest, which is another problem for me. I try to verify images I use, and that is time consuming. Many people will pin photos from Google or Bing searches, for example, which I refuse to do. If an image comes from a blog, I check the blog to make sure the blogger is allowing pinning. Authors should be concerned that images that belong to them might be pinned without permission or full credit. Photographers already have that problem, big time.
Not much content? Don't pin regularly? Don't bother. Truthfully, I don't tend to follow people that just have 5 or 6 scattered pins on their entire account. Pinning is something you either love or don't love. There is no in between. It sounds harsh, but on Pinterest, you MUST be authentic. You don't have to pin daily, but you do need to provide fresh content to your fans.
And please, don't spam! Spamming is ruining Pinterest, the same as it has ruined some other forms of social media. Sad.
I also feel if an author doesn't share a bit of his or her interests on a board, people will lose interest right away. Author A promoting books? Meh. (sorry.) Author A promoting book, posting favorite recipes, or showing us his/her hometown, or his/her hobbies? A winner. Guess whose boards I will be following?
Do you use Pinterest? I look forward to exploring some of your boards.
One of the newest and fastest growing social media platforms is Pinterest? Have you jumped onboard? What kinds of images do (or could) you post that are related to your book or the topic of your book? What other kinds of images do you post? Are you linking each post back to your blog, website, or Amazon page? IF YOU’RE NOT USING Pinterest, what’s holding you back? Take a look at book marketer extraordinaire John Kremer’s Pinterest Boards. After perusing them, how MIGHT you use Pinterest to brand yourself and your book? Is it something you’re considering?
I love Pinterest. Why?
I am a visual person. Photography is an important part of my telling of the story of my life. So, when Pinterest came along, it was a natural for me to join. (Here is my Pinterest home page). Pinterest is where my blogging and my "me" intersect.
First, some quick terminology for Pinterest newbies. "Boards" are the places where you put visual images. You can organize them however you want. I have boards for gardening, the United States Civil War, crocheting, wildflowers, birds, autism, sunsets, books I feel are worth reading, and favorite recipes.
"Pinning" is the art of capturing a visual image with a Pinterest tool, and placing it on one of your boards.
You can search, and can follow one board, or all boards, of a given person whose pins you like. You can put up your own pins, repin, like a pin, and comment on someone's pin.
Pinterest is ideal for planning weddings (visual!), planning dinner (visual!), selling crafts (visual!) and yes, branding your books (visual! Why else would books have cover art?). But, so far, I have not used the power of Pinterest to promote my blog the way I should.
I pin photos from my blog, but they are not organized in one area. My photos are all original work: flowers, other nature photos, gardening, Civil War related, farmers market related. Photos here and there of my crochet projects. And, when I travel, sunsets.
I have a "Blogging" board but I do not have pinning buttons on my blog, because (as of now) my blogging platform and Pinterest do not seem to "play together well". When I see Pin share buttons on Wordpress, I get frustrated that I can't have those, too. Meantime, my blog does not have a clear pinning policy posted. Oops! (I will need to change that).
I can easily get lost on Pinterest, which is another problem for me. I try to verify images I use, and that is time consuming. Many people will pin photos from Google or Bing searches, for example, which I refuse to do. If an image comes from a blog, I check the blog to make sure the blogger is allowing pinning. Authors should be concerned that images that belong to them might be pinned without permission or full credit. Photographers already have that problem, big time.
Not much content? Don't pin regularly? Don't bother. Truthfully, I don't tend to follow people that just have 5 or 6 scattered pins on their entire account. Pinning is something you either love or don't love. There is no in between. It sounds harsh, but on Pinterest, you MUST be authentic. You don't have to pin daily, but you do need to provide fresh content to your fans.
And please, don't spam! Spamming is ruining Pinterest, the same as it has ruined some other forms of social media. Sad.
I also feel if an author doesn't share a bit of his or her interests on a board, people will lose interest right away. Author A promoting books? Meh. (sorry.) Author A promoting book, posting favorite recipes, or showing us his/her hometown, or his/her hobbies? A winner. Guess whose boards I will be following?
Do you use Pinterest? I look forward to exploring some of your boards.
Monday, March 4, 2013
Across the Universe (Sort of)
Tonight, where we are vacationing, people gathered and watched the sun setting.
It is so different here from where I live in upstate New York. It is still winter here, but the skies are so blue. It is a blue that hurts the eyes but makes my winter-weary spirit sour. There is green everywhere. Flowers are blooming. (More than flowers are blooming - which will mean a post about that later in the week.)
We watched the sun go down. I took this picture at the very moment the sun disappeared along the horizon, as waves crashed in.
All things come to an end.
Later we looked at the stars. We have so much ambient light where we live. Here, we looked up at the stars and saw them, so bright. We even saw the Milky Way. We identified Orion, Cassiopeia, and other constellations.
There is a tradition among some peoples that when someone dies, the spirit of that person takes his or place in the stars.
If that is true, I know one of the new stars tonight. Early this morning, my friend's mother, the woman I blogged about Saturday, took her last journey and crossed over to the place we will all go to eventually. She was 94.
Her story is over, and I bid her farewell.
We watched the sun go down. I took this picture at the very moment the sun disappeared along the horizon, as waves crashed in.
All things come to an end.
Later we looked at the stars. We have so much ambient light where we live. Here, we looked up at the stars and saw them, so bright. We even saw the Milky Way. We identified Orion, Cassiopeia, and other constellations.
There is a tradition among some peoples that when someone dies, the spirit of that person takes his or place in the stars.
If that is true, I know one of the new stars tonight. Early this morning, my friend's mother, the woman I blogged about Saturday, took her last journey and crossed over to the place we will all go to eventually. She was 94.
Her story is over, and I bid her farewell.
Author Blog Challenge #4 - Why I Can't Link on LinkedIn
Welcome to Day 4 of the 15 Day Blog Challenge for Authors. I am writing two posts today, one for the challenge and one because - well, you'll see it when I post it. And, concerning the post I will be making later tonight, I want to thank everyone who commented, or otherwise contacted me, concerning my Saturday post. The blogging community is wonderful!
Meanwhile, today's prompt is, in part:
"Are you using LinkedIn to promote yourself as an author? Does your professional profile include or feature your writing? What is the best connection you’ve made through your involvement on LinkedIn? With whom would you still like to connect? Might LinkedIn be a good vehicle for making such a connection? What is your biggest question, frustration, or suggestion regarding LinkedIn?"
This one is hard.
I am on LinkedIn, but my career is not connected at all with my blogging. So, no, I do not promote myself as an author on LinkedIn - nor do I mention my blogging. For reasons I will not go into here, I do not discuss my job on social media. My LinkedIn account is only for people I connect with due to my day career.
It's not that what I do for a living is such a deep dark secret (nor am I in the witness protection program, nor do I work for the FBI, the IRS or the CIA. No, nothing that fascinating/exciting/dangerous!)It's just how I have to manage things for right now.
So, what happens if I do become an author one day? I don't know if I can have two separate LinkedIn profiles. That might be one frustration. Because, I wouldn't mind connecting with other writers. I just don't know how to go about it on LinkedIn.
So, I will not be including a link to my LinkedIn profile here. And, unless you are in my field...I regretfully will not connect with you on LinkedIn.
As for who I would love to connect in on LinkedIn: if I ever become an author I have a long list: Harry Turtledove, for starters.
Wouldn't it be so wonderful if some of my favorite authors considered me "equal" enough to connect with on LinkedIn? Here are some others I would love to LinkedIn with:
Scott Westerfeld.
Jonathan Maberry.
And, Susan Beth Pfeffer.
And, of course, all my readers, because you are the best.
I'm just sorry I can't do it yet. Unless you know how I can have two profiles!
Meanwhile, today's prompt is, in part:
"Are you using LinkedIn to promote yourself as an author? Does your professional profile include or feature your writing? What is the best connection you’ve made through your involvement on LinkedIn? With whom would you still like to connect? Might LinkedIn be a good vehicle for making such a connection? What is your biggest question, frustration, or suggestion regarding LinkedIn?"
This one is hard.
I am on LinkedIn, but my career is not connected at all with my blogging. So, no, I do not promote myself as an author on LinkedIn - nor do I mention my blogging. For reasons I will not go into here, I do not discuss my job on social media. My LinkedIn account is only for people I connect with due to my day career.
It's not that what I do for a living is such a deep dark secret (nor am I in the witness protection program, nor do I work for the FBI, the IRS or the CIA. No, nothing that fascinating/exciting/dangerous!)It's just how I have to manage things for right now.
So, what happens if I do become an author one day? I don't know if I can have two separate LinkedIn profiles. That might be one frustration. Because, I wouldn't mind connecting with other writers. I just don't know how to go about it on LinkedIn.
So, I will not be including a link to my LinkedIn profile here. And, unless you are in my field...I regretfully will not connect with you on LinkedIn.
As for who I would love to connect in on LinkedIn: if I ever become an author I have a long list: Harry Turtledove, for starters.
Wouldn't it be so wonderful if some of my favorite authors considered me "equal" enough to connect with on LinkedIn? Here are some others I would love to LinkedIn with:
Scott Westerfeld.
Jonathan Maberry.
And, Susan Beth Pfeffer.
And, of course, all my readers, because you are the best.
I'm just sorry I can't do it yet. Unless you know how I can have two profiles!
Sunday, March 3, 2013
Civil War Sunday - What If Social Media Had Existed During the Civil War?
I love historical "what if modern ___ was around during (some other point in history)" as long as they are done well. They help people grow in their understanding and love of history if they can frame something that happened in another time and place within the context of their own lives and culture. As long as it is done with accuracy, I think there is a place for something like what I am about to describe.
Yesterday and today, in the 15 Day Author Blog Challenge I am participating in, the prompts involved if we, as bloggers, have a Facebook fan page for our blog and if we tweet. (I'll answer that for this blog at the end of this post.)
So I got to thinking: what if social media had been around during the United States Civil War?
Various satirists have done article or books on the subject of "what would have happened if Facebook had been around for _____"
So, I thought about it some more. Had anyone actually set up parody or serious "what if" accounts on the real Facebook or Twitter for Civil War historical figures?
Apparently, there is at least one Twitter account for the Confederate General Robert E. Lee (not kept up for very long) and one for Union General U.S. Grant, which is being kept up. Robert E. Lee has a Facebook "public figure" page, which is not the same as a "fan page" (I don't think, anyway). The links earlier in this paragraph are what I found out in a brief search. You may discover something unique (or not) if you look - who knows!
As far as my own Facebook and Twitter accounts for this blog,if you are interested:
RamblinWithAM has a Facebook Fan Page. I use it mainly to post links to my blog (not every day, but usually) and I also post articles or posts from other blogs that fit into some of the themes I discuss in my blogs - farmers markets, local food, gardening, the Civl War, and autism, for example. I find I am using Facebook less and less - and I use it mainly to keep in touch with far flung relatives plus some game playing. It excels at visual content.
I have a Twitter account under @RamblinGarden. I do not automatically follow back anyone who follows me, nor do I expect anyone I follow to follow me back. I use Twitter mainly as a way to keep track of breaking news, which I have found it excels at. I usually tweet my daily blog posts and also retweet tweets that interest me.
It would have been interesting to know if any actual Civil War figures would have utilized Facebook or Twitter (or You Tube, as another example of social media) if they had been around 152 years ago. Do you have any opinions about that?
Yesterday and today, in the 15 Day Author Blog Challenge I am participating in, the prompts involved if we, as bloggers, have a Facebook fan page for our blog and if we tweet. (I'll answer that for this blog at the end of this post.)
So I got to thinking: what if social media had been around during the United States Civil War?
Various satirists have done article or books on the subject of "what would have happened if Facebook had been around for _____"
So, I thought about it some more. Had anyone actually set up parody or serious "what if" accounts on the real Facebook or Twitter for Civil War historical figures?
Apparently, there is at least one Twitter account for the Confederate General Robert E. Lee (not kept up for very long) and one for Union General U.S. Grant, which is being kept up. Robert E. Lee has a Facebook "public figure" page, which is not the same as a "fan page" (I don't think, anyway). The links earlier in this paragraph are what I found out in a brief search. You may discover something unique (or not) if you look - who knows!
As far as my own Facebook and Twitter accounts for this blog,if you are interested:
RamblinWithAM has a Facebook Fan Page. I use it mainly to post links to my blog (not every day, but usually) and I also post articles or posts from other blogs that fit into some of the themes I discuss in my blogs - farmers markets, local food, gardening, the Civl War, and autism, for example. I find I am using Facebook less and less - and I use it mainly to keep in touch with far flung relatives plus some game playing. It excels at visual content.
I have a Twitter account under @RamblinGarden. I do not automatically follow back anyone who follows me, nor do I expect anyone I follow to follow me back. I use Twitter mainly as a way to keep track of breaking news, which I have found it excels at. I usually tweet my daily blog posts and also retweet tweets that interest me.
It would have been interesting to know if any actual Civil War figures would have utilized Facebook or Twitter (or You Tube, as another example of social media) if they had been around 152 years ago. Do you have any opinions about that?
Saturday, March 2, 2013
Unplugged - Winter Author Blog Challenge #2
I am pre-writing this post because I am going to be out of the house before sunrise.
Today I embark on a journey. I leave on a vacation just as my best friend's mother enters the last part of her journey on Earth. She is under hospice care. My friend, meantime can't be with her because her husband was just diagnosed with cancer. The first indication of his cancer came 2 1/2 weeks after her oncologist told my friend of 50 years that she was in remission from her cancer. Her mother lives a couple of hours from her.
And now, I am leaving her, because for part of my trip, I will probably be out of email and cell phone range.
Thanks to social media, we take being connected for granted.
On Facebook, we can share (if we want) the most minute details of our lives. Of course, most of us don't - thank heavens.
On Twitter, if my phone was near a tower, I could tweet my entire journey. But again, too much information?
Sometimes, quantity just isn't quality.
Why now, of all times, am I unplugging myself?
On my blog, though, I can reveal my feelings. My writing isn't transitory, the way it would be on Facebook or Twitter. Because my friend reads my blog, she will know that I will be thinking of her for the entire journey. It will be like writing an electronic letter to my friend.
Her Mom was like a mother to me at times after my Mom died, back when I was 12 years old. In those days, telephones weren't mobile. Mail meant you wrote a letter and your recipient got it several days later. Twitter was something certain birds did. Facebook was....well, its founder hadn't been born yet.
Sometimes, we just don't know what the future will bring. The situation is what it is. We both will make the best of it. My friend's husband's cancer was caught early, which is something all of us are grateful for. There is one good thing in this story.
We may be apart in distance when her mother's journey is completed, but we will be together in spirit.
Today I embark on a journey. I leave on a vacation just as my best friend's mother enters the last part of her journey on Earth. She is under hospice care. My friend, meantime can't be with her because her husband was just diagnosed with cancer. The first indication of his cancer came 2 1/2 weeks after her oncologist told my friend of 50 years that she was in remission from her cancer. Her mother lives a couple of hours from her.
And now, I am leaving her, because for part of my trip, I will probably be out of email and cell phone range.
Thanks to social media, we take being connected for granted.
On Facebook, we can share (if we want) the most minute details of our lives. Of course, most of us don't - thank heavens.
On Twitter, if my phone was near a tower, I could tweet my entire journey. But again, too much information?
Sometimes, quantity just isn't quality.
Why now, of all times, am I unplugging myself?
On my blog, though, I can reveal my feelings. My writing isn't transitory, the way it would be on Facebook or Twitter. Because my friend reads my blog, she will know that I will be thinking of her for the entire journey. It will be like writing an electronic letter to my friend.
Her Mom was like a mother to me at times after my Mom died, back when I was 12 years old. In those days, telephones weren't mobile. Mail meant you wrote a letter and your recipient got it several days later. Twitter was something certain birds did. Facebook was....well, its founder hadn't been born yet.
Sometimes, we just don't know what the future will bring. The situation is what it is. We both will make the best of it. My friend's husband's cancer was caught early, which is something all of us are grateful for. There is one good thing in this story.
We may be apart in distance when her mother's journey is completed, but we will be together in spirit.
Friday, March 1, 2013
My Blog - Author Blog Challenge #1
I've been writing since - forever, it seems.
Welcome, fellow writers, to my blog, as I embark on the 15-Day Winter Author Blog Challenge.
Today's prompt is: Tell us about your blog. How long have you been blogging? Do you write on a regular schedule? Do you plan your topics in advance or write as the spirit moves you? What was your favorite post? At which post do you look back and wonder what you were thinking when you wrote it? What has been the best feedback you’ve ever received? Have you ever written anything that was perceived as controversial, though you didn’t intend it that way? What tips would you offer other author bloggers?
I've posted daily for almost two years (it will be two full years as of
the end of April). I may
not be able to write posts related to this Challenge daily due to
circumstances, but I intend to blog all 15 days, and continue my daily
blogging streak. So, usually I write whatever interests me that day - within the confines of weekly themes on Sunday, Wednesday and Saturday. Ironically, I won't be following that schedule exactly for the next two weeks.
Four years ago, I decided to start blogging, almost as an impulse, shortly after a mass shooting mere blocks from where I work. 14 lives, snuffed out in an instant, in an adult classroom. Their voices stilled forever.
My mission statement is to tell some stories of the human experience. I enjoy history and I blog about the U.S. Civil War on most Sundays. I blog about "sustainable living" on most Saturdays, post something related to the season (currently, winter) on Wednesdays, and blog about what is growing in my yard/house each 15th of the month as part of a "Garden Bloggers Bloom Day" monthly meme.
I write because I must. I write about things I am passionate about. I practice my photography, which is another childhood interest. Blogging allows me to combine both. I plan, when I approach retirement, to take a photography class. I don't think I've written a "controversial" post. My personal favorite is a post I wrote about a childhood coloring set: "Memories of Paradise". I will probably rerun it sometime in the next two weeks for your enjoyment. Best feedback? Reading the encouragement you sent a friend/guest poster this past week, when I posted (with his permission) his guest post about his struggle with Bells Palsy.
Social media is a tool for me now, as the manual typewriter was when I was 12. I am an introvert by nature, but my blog frees my voice. I've met writers online. I've met published authors. I've met journalists. I've met many wonderful people through social media: Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and other blogs. I can relate to other people on my terms.
I am not using social media to its fullest, and I hope to learn more about its use in the coming two weeks from more experienced writers participating in this Challenge.
Tips I would offer to new bloggers: before you begin, decide on the (themes) of your blog. Themes may change, but start with a plan. Also, choose the title of your blog well, and choose your platform (Blogger, Tumblr, Wordpress, etc.) only after careful investigation. Both will be hard to change once you've been at it for a while.
And finally: commit to a challenge right away. It's the best way to "plunge in" and get instant readership. If they like what they read, your readers will stay with you and spread the word.
Hope to Read You At the Challenge!
Welcome, fellow writers, to my blog, as I embark on the 15-Day Winter Author Blog Challenge.
Today's prompt is: Tell us about your blog. How long have you been blogging? Do you write on a regular schedule? Do you plan your topics in advance or write as the spirit moves you? What was your favorite post? At which post do you look back and wonder what you were thinking when you wrote it? What has been the best feedback you’ve ever received? Have you ever written anything that was perceived as controversial, though you didn’t intend it that way? What tips would you offer other author bloggers?
Four years ago, I decided to start blogging, almost as an impulse, shortly after a mass shooting mere blocks from where I work. 14 lives, snuffed out in an instant, in an adult classroom. Their voices stilled forever.
My mission statement is to tell some stories of the human experience. I enjoy history and I blog about the U.S. Civil War on most Sundays. I blog about "sustainable living" on most Saturdays, post something related to the season (currently, winter) on Wednesdays, and blog about what is growing in my yard/house each 15th of the month as part of a "Garden Bloggers Bloom Day" monthly meme.
I write because I must. I write about things I am passionate about. I practice my photography, which is another childhood interest. Blogging allows me to combine both. I plan, when I approach retirement, to take a photography class. I don't think I've written a "controversial" post. My personal favorite is a post I wrote about a childhood coloring set: "Memories of Paradise". I will probably rerun it sometime in the next two weeks for your enjoyment. Best feedback? Reading the encouragement you sent a friend/guest poster this past week, when I posted (with his permission) his guest post about his struggle with Bells Palsy.
Social media is a tool for me now, as the manual typewriter was when I was 12. I am an introvert by nature, but my blog frees my voice. I've met writers online. I've met published authors. I've met journalists. I've met many wonderful people through social media: Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and other blogs. I can relate to other people on my terms.
I am not using social media to its fullest, and I hope to learn more about its use in the coming two weeks from more experienced writers participating in this Challenge.
Tips I would offer to new bloggers: before you begin, decide on the (themes) of your blog. Themes may change, but start with a plan. Also, choose the title of your blog well, and choose your platform (Blogger, Tumblr, Wordpress, etc.) only after careful investigation. Both will be hard to change once you've been at it for a while.
And finally: commit to a challenge right away. It's the best way to "plunge in" and get instant readership. If they like what they read, your readers will stay with you and spread the word.
Hope to Read You At the Challenge!
Thursday, February 28, 2013
Almost Time for the Winter Author Blog Challenge
So....on the eve of the sequester, on Pope Benedict XVI's last day in office, and the last day of the shortest month of the year, I prepare for my next blogging challenge.
This Winter Author Blog Challenge will be an interesting one. It is only a 15 day challenge and is supposed to center on authors and social media.
Why is this interesting?
1. Because I am not an author;
2. Because I have written the grand total of one manuscript - unfinished and unedited. Certainly unpublished. I did that during NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), the 30 day period of insanity each November where aspiring writers attempt to write a 50,000 word first draft of a work of fiction- and trust me, IT IS HARD. (I did succeed.)
3. Because I do like to cyber-hang around authors. A published children's book author, Billie Noakes, introduced me to blog challenges. One of these challenges, the Ultimate Blog Challenge, led to the first Author Blog Challenge last year. I cyber-met some wonderful people in the Author Blog Challenge, and hope to reconnect with them, and new authors, in the next 15 days.
And best of all...
4. Because the authors have welcomed me into their midst.
I enjoy using social media, especially Pinterest, which could easily become an out-of-control endeavor for me. I am shy and introverted by nature, but the Internet, and social media, frees me. I've even met two bloggers in "real time" and, perhaps one day, I will get to meet others.
If any or all of this sounds interesting to you, please go to the Author Blog Challenge website and sign up! You don't have to post every day (and, due to circumstances, I won't be able to do Challenge related posts every day, or even most days of the challenge) but the more you post, AND visit the more than 20 blogs registered so far, the more you will learn.
I'm excited, and I hope to meet YOU at the Challenge.
This Winter Author Blog Challenge will be an interesting one. It is only a 15 day challenge and is supposed to center on authors and social media.
Why is this interesting?
1. Because I am not an author;
2. Because I have written the grand total of one manuscript - unfinished and unedited. Certainly unpublished. I did that during NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), the 30 day period of insanity each November where aspiring writers attempt to write a 50,000 word first draft of a work of fiction- and trust me, IT IS HARD. (I did succeed.)
3. Because I do like to cyber-hang around authors. A published children's book author, Billie Noakes, introduced me to blog challenges. One of these challenges, the Ultimate Blog Challenge, led to the first Author Blog Challenge last year. I cyber-met some wonderful people in the Author Blog Challenge, and hope to reconnect with them, and new authors, in the next 15 days.
And best of all...
4. Because the authors have welcomed me into their midst.
I enjoy using social media, especially Pinterest, which could easily become an out-of-control endeavor for me. I am shy and introverted by nature, but the Internet, and social media, frees me. I've even met two bloggers in "real time" and, perhaps one day, I will get to meet others.
If any or all of this sounds interesting to you, please go to the Author Blog Challenge website and sign up! You don't have to post every day (and, due to circumstances, I won't be able to do Challenge related posts every day, or even most days of the challenge) but the more you post, AND visit the more than 20 blogs registered so far, the more you will learn.
I'm excited, and I hope to meet YOU at the Challenge.
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Winter Wednesday - Italian Spring
Today is a combined Winter Wednesday and Sustainable Saturday post.
This Saturday I will be participating in the 15 Day Winter Author Blog Challenge. If you have ever written a book, tried to write a book, have ever thought about writing a book, or just like to hang out in cyberspace with authors, I invite you to join our fun group. The Challenge starts on Friday. My next Sustainable Saturday post will be on Saturday, March 16.
Last Saturday, spouse and I went to the local Christmas Tree Shop, which is a place where you can find bargains, and - the unexpected. It is the kind of store (and no, I am not being paid for this plug) where you walk in intending to buy one thing and come out wondering (in a good way) how you ever spent $40.
There was a display of seeds, and to our delight, they were Italian seeds. Not seeds of Italian type veggies, but - Italian veggies from Italy. Barely a word of English on the labels
Some of the veggies were familiar - carrots, cippolini onions, fava beans. (not my favorite, but spouse likes them). Others were new to my gardening experience. I had never seen caper seed sold in a store. Spouse uses capers in his cooking, and I also enjoy them.
Dreaming of an unusual garden, spouse bought three packets: an unusual broccoli (Spigarello broccoli), an Italian lungo cucumber, and mixed leaf lettuces.
Our bill, by the way, including the seeds (each packet was under $2.00 - not bad, nowadays) and our other purchases, was $37. I think the one item we intended to purchase was about $4.00. Now, that's merchandising.
We've been gardening for some 40 years, but every spring is a new experience. Wish us luck with our Italian seeds!
This Saturday I will be participating in the 15 Day Winter Author Blog Challenge. If you have ever written a book, tried to write a book, have ever thought about writing a book, or just like to hang out in cyberspace with authors, I invite you to join our fun group. The Challenge starts on Friday. My next Sustainable Saturday post will be on Saturday, March 16.
Last Saturday, spouse and I went to the local Christmas Tree Shop, which is a place where you can find bargains, and - the unexpected. It is the kind of store (and no, I am not being paid for this plug) where you walk in intending to buy one thing and come out wondering (in a good way) how you ever spent $40.
Some of the veggies were familiar - carrots, cippolini onions, fava beans. (not my favorite, but spouse likes them). Others were new to my gardening experience. I had never seen caper seed sold in a store. Spouse uses capers in his cooking, and I also enjoy them.
Dreaming of an unusual garden, spouse bought three packets: an unusual broccoli (Spigarello broccoli), an Italian lungo cucumber, and mixed leaf lettuces.
Our bill, by the way, including the seeds (each packet was under $2.00 - not bad, nowadays) and our other purchases, was $37. I think the one item we intended to purchase was about $4.00. Now, that's merchandising.
We've been gardening for some 40 years, but every spring is a new experience. Wish us luck with our Italian seeds!
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Guest Post - Living with Bells Palsy
Sometimes, life strikes you with one of its lightning bolts, just like that. One of my cousin's husbands wrote this back in February, shortly after he was diagnosed with Bells Palsy. Sometimes, you just don't know what life has in store for you - you just have to make the best of it. I have posted this without any editing. But, I couldn't get the color of the font adjusted, for some reason, so I apologize for the appearance. That's what I had to do to make it visible. I could have retyped it but I don't love him THAT much - only kidding.
I'm happy to say he's shown slight improvement over the past few days - but still has a long road to travel.
My cousin-in-law (is that a word) loves to write. Maybe one day I can talk him into blogging - in the meantime, it would be great if you could show him some love.
I'm happy to say he's shown slight improvement over the past few days - but still has a long road to travel.
My cousin-in-law (is that a word) loves to write. Maybe one day I can talk him into blogging - in the meantime, it would be great if you could show him some love.
LIVING WITH BELLS PALSYI never knew anything about Bells Palsy until I got diagnosed about 10 days ago. No one knows what causes this condition and most folks recover in about 6 months. There is no cure. I've researched it like crazy. I just developed symptoms over night after a terrible ear ache. For those who don't know..Bells Palsy is a neurological disorder of the facial nerves,(7th cranial nerve). It is basically a paralysis of the facial muscles. I have it on my right side. I can't blink that eye.So here I am..Day 10..But who's counting. After extensive research, I realize I do have many of the classic symptoms so I'm adjusting best I can. I can't eat. drink, or kiss normal. SURE I can still eat but slower and in smaller pieces so as not to drool, I can't spit or pucker normal. More hugs in order I guess. No more triple Whoppers stuffed in my mouth. I suppose that's a good thing anywayI seem to be supersensitive to some loud noises. Even showering, it sounds like Niagara Falls or Bushkill Falls in the Poconos .. As bath water pours in, it feels like I'm canoeing down the rapids with Meryl Streep.My "B" and "P" sounds come out like I'm poofing as does my "F" words. No more cursing I guess. I'm blowing as I say these letters. If I yelled "FIRE" I could blow it out. .My wife says I sound like Elmer Fudd or Daffy Duck at times..at least she didn't say I talk like Goofy.I've seen so much on line with treatments that might help the symptoms..everything from certain vitamins,acupuncture, supplements, herbs, chiropractors, facial massages, electrical stimulation,moist heat,magnets..MAGNETS? Sure I want to have a positive outlook about recovery ..but magnets? Hey. I'd call an exorcist if I really thought one would help. But I have my appetite and can still eat a Peter Lugers steak if I so desired, albeit cut in smaller pieces. Keeping my eye moist at work with drops and wash and eye ointment at night has not been fun..AND I'm wearing an old fashioned pirate patch on my affected eye before going to sleep. Yo ho Ho. Hopefully one day, maybe I can wear it if I ever act in The Pirates of Penzance.
Monday, February 25, 2013
The Queen of Versailles - Binghamton Style
To every city comes its 15 minutes (or more) of fame. We here in Binghamton, New York may be about to get ours.
Someone I know was sent a DVD by her daughter. It was a DVD of a documentary movie called "The Queen of Versailles". It co-starred a woman by the name of Jackie Siegel. Married to a timeshare billionaire, David Siegel, this documentary started out with the purpose of filming the building of what was intended to be the largest house in the United States - their house - in Florida. It was to have been modeled after the Palace at Versailles.
Quoting from the Internet Movie Database:
"Rather than going the been-there-done-that route of a rags to riches story, director Lauren Greenfield accidentally (yet exquisitely) delivers a riches to rags tale with the intimate glimpse into the wealthy lives of David and Jackie Siegel. As the president and CEO of the largest timeshare corporation in the country, David is the epitome of the American dream...While the film's initial purpose was to document the development of their 90,000 sq. ft. home (the third largest in the United States), once the financial crisis of 2008 impacted banks globally, David soon finds his entire empire in jeopardy."
In fact, things went so sour that David Siegel decided to sue the filmmaker. Last month, he lost.
If you want, you - yes, you!- can purchase the house. It is on sale for a mere $65,000,000. - a steal, if you ask me. After all, it has 13 bedrooms and 26 bathrooms. (But wait! All full bathrooms have jacuzzis). Let's not forget the rock grotto with the 3 spas, the indoor roller rink or the "family wing" for the Siegels' eight children. Recently, construction started again - until recently the house was about 1/3 uncompleted, with the price tag of completion estimated at $30,000,000.
So, what does this have to do with Binghamton, a city of about 47,000. in upstate New York, once famously called by a newspaper "a burnt out industrial town". (Sadly, there is a lot of truth to that.)
Well, Jackie Siegel is a native of Binghamton. This 47 year old woman grew up in the middle class, still has childhood friends here, and graduated from RIT (the Rochester Institute of Technology), which one of my cousins went to.
In interviews, people who knew Jackie as a young adult remarked on her beauty. As far as whether that beauty is only skin deep you, my readers, will have to determine for yourself.
What do I think? I think Jackie lost track of her roots long ago. I don't feel for her. I do feel - a lot - for her children. I don't think that wealth equals happiness, and I hope her children do find happiness in their adult lives. Am I jealous of her and her wealth? Well, I could wish I didn't live in a neighborhood impacted by major flooding in 2011, but, in truth, I would not trade places with her. Ever.
Did a celebrity come from where you were born or live now?
Someone I know was sent a DVD by her daughter. It was a DVD of a documentary movie called "The Queen of Versailles". It co-starred a woman by the name of Jackie Siegel. Married to a timeshare billionaire, David Siegel, this documentary started out with the purpose of filming the building of what was intended to be the largest house in the United States - their house - in Florida. It was to have been modeled after the Palace at Versailles.
Quoting from the Internet Movie Database:
"Rather than going the been-there-done-that route of a rags to riches story, director Lauren Greenfield accidentally (yet exquisitely) delivers a riches to rags tale with the intimate glimpse into the wealthy lives of David and Jackie Siegel. As the president and CEO of the largest timeshare corporation in the country, David is the epitome of the American dream...While the film's initial purpose was to document the development of their 90,000 sq. ft. home (the third largest in the United States), once the financial crisis of 2008 impacted banks globally, David soon finds his entire empire in jeopardy."
In fact, things went so sour that David Siegel decided to sue the filmmaker. Last month, he lost.
If you want, you - yes, you!- can purchase the house. It is on sale for a mere $65,000,000. - a steal, if you ask me. After all, it has 13 bedrooms and 26 bathrooms. (But wait! All full bathrooms have jacuzzis). Let's not forget the rock grotto with the 3 spas, the indoor roller rink or the "family wing" for the Siegels' eight children. Recently, construction started again - until recently the house was about 1/3 uncompleted, with the price tag of completion estimated at $30,000,000.
So, what does this have to do with Binghamton, a city of about 47,000. in upstate New York, once famously called by a newspaper "a burnt out industrial town". (Sadly, there is a lot of truth to that.)
Well, Jackie Siegel is a native of Binghamton. This 47 year old woman grew up in the middle class, still has childhood friends here, and graduated from RIT (the Rochester Institute of Technology), which one of my cousins went to.
In interviews, people who knew Jackie as a young adult remarked on her beauty. As far as whether that beauty is only skin deep you, my readers, will have to determine for yourself.
What do I think? I think Jackie lost track of her roots long ago. I don't feel for her. I do feel - a lot - for her children. I don't think that wealth equals happiness, and I hope her children do find happiness in their adult lives. Am I jealous of her and her wealth? Well, I could wish I didn't live in a neighborhood impacted by major flooding in 2011, but, in truth, I would not trade places with her. Ever.
Did a celebrity come from where you were born or live now?
Sunday, February 24, 2013
Civil War Sunday - Slavery is Finally Officially Banned in the U.S.
Newspapers in the United States have been reporting this news of the week:
The constitutional amendment that banned slavery in the United States was officially ratified by all applicable states as of....1865? 1870? 1875? No, no and no. The correct answer is: February 7, 2013.
But first, I need to back up.
The causes and events that led to the Civil War here in the United States (1861-1865) were varied and are a lot more complex than most people realize. The "facts" are still disputed based on whether you are sympathetic to the North or to the cause of the 11 states in the South that seceded from the Union to form the Confederate States of America (CSA). In my blog, which is written by a Northerner who lived some of her life in the former Confederate states of Florida and Arkansas, I stay away from those arguments.
In each Confederate state slavery was legal. It is important to note several things:
1. Slavery was legal in most states at the time of the founding of the United States (including my native New York State), but, by the time of the Civil War, many states had outlawed slavery and
2. Slavery remained legal in several states that chose to remain in the Union during the Civil War: Missouri, Kentucky, Delaware and Maryland.
Therefore, Federal officials had to tiptoe carefully around the issue of slavery -although, with the issuing of the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, the path of freeing the slaves was more or less set.
3. The Emancipation Proclamation only freed slaves in states in rebellion - and, of course, the people living in the CSA were not about to free their slaves just because the United States issued a document freeing their slaves!
4. Therefore, the Proclamation was mainly symbolic - an important symbol, but symbolic. It did NOT abolish slavery. It did NOT free slaves in the slaves states that chose to remain in the Union.
5. The Emancipation Proclamation was able to come into existence on the basis of certain war powers granted to President Lincoln (a story worth blogging about at a later time.)
Abraham Lincoln knew this full well, and knew that there was a good chance the Emancipation Proclamation would be overturned after the war. Therefore, he and others came to feel a Constitutional Amendment was needed to abolish slavery. That became the 13th amendment, which was adopted in December of 1865, eight months after the Civil War ended, after Georgia, a former Confederate state, ratified it. (Ironically, Lincoln was dead by then - and the President in December of 1865, Andrew Johnson, was a native of a former Confederate state, North Carolina. He is associated with Tennessee, another former Confederate state. Did I mention history can be complex?)
But Mississippi, another former Confederate states, didn't ratify the 13th amendment in 1865. In fact, it did not ratify the amendment until 1995. And even then, Mississippi didn't file the correct paperwork. Thanks belong to an immigrant to the United States who saw the recent movie Lincoln and wondered if there was more to the story. He saw a footnote about Mississippi's ratification being "unofficial" online, because the proper official was never notified. This was publicized, and Mississippi finally officially ratified the 13th amendment a little more than two weeks ago.
By then, of course, the ratification was purely symbolic.
The constitutional amendment that banned slavery in the United States was officially ratified by all applicable states as of....1865? 1870? 1875? No, no and no. The correct answer is: February 7, 2013.
But first, I need to back up.
The causes and events that led to the Civil War here in the United States (1861-1865) were varied and are a lot more complex than most people realize. The "facts" are still disputed based on whether you are sympathetic to the North or to the cause of the 11 states in the South that seceded from the Union to form the Confederate States of America (CSA). In my blog, which is written by a Northerner who lived some of her life in the former Confederate states of Florida and Arkansas, I stay away from those arguments.
In each Confederate state slavery was legal. It is important to note several things:
1. Slavery was legal in most states at the time of the founding of the United States (including my native New York State), but, by the time of the Civil War, many states had outlawed slavery and
2. Slavery remained legal in several states that chose to remain in the Union during the Civil War: Missouri, Kentucky, Delaware and Maryland.
Therefore, Federal officials had to tiptoe carefully around the issue of slavery -although, with the issuing of the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, the path of freeing the slaves was more or less set.
3. The Emancipation Proclamation only freed slaves in states in rebellion - and, of course, the people living in the CSA were not about to free their slaves just because the United States issued a document freeing their slaves!
4. Therefore, the Proclamation was mainly symbolic - an important symbol, but symbolic. It did NOT abolish slavery. It did NOT free slaves in the slaves states that chose to remain in the Union.
5. The Emancipation Proclamation was able to come into existence on the basis of certain war powers granted to President Lincoln (a story worth blogging about at a later time.)
Abraham Lincoln knew this full well, and knew that there was a good chance the Emancipation Proclamation would be overturned after the war. Therefore, he and others came to feel a Constitutional Amendment was needed to abolish slavery. That became the 13th amendment, which was adopted in December of 1865, eight months after the Civil War ended, after Georgia, a former Confederate state, ratified it. (Ironically, Lincoln was dead by then - and the President in December of 1865, Andrew Johnson, was a native of a former Confederate state, North Carolina. He is associated with Tennessee, another former Confederate state. Did I mention history can be complex?)
But Mississippi, another former Confederate states, didn't ratify the 13th amendment in 1865. In fact, it did not ratify the amendment until 1995. And even then, Mississippi didn't file the correct paperwork. Thanks belong to an immigrant to the United States who saw the recent movie Lincoln and wondered if there was more to the story. He saw a footnote about Mississippi's ratification being "unofficial" online, because the proper official was never notified. This was publicized, and Mississippi finally officially ratified the 13th amendment a little more than two weeks ago.
By then, of course, the ratification was purely symbolic.
Saturday, February 23, 2013
Sustainable Saturday-When Is Local Not Local?
When is local not local?
Syracuse, New York, is about an hour and ten minutes north of us here in the Binghamton, New York area. To our delight, some Syracuse local food companies are starting to expand into our area.
But, exactly where does "local" begin?
(Incidentally, I am not
getting reimbursed in any way for blogging about these products - just
to get THAT out of the way.)
Today, in a local supermarket (chain headquartered in upstate New York) someone was sampling Pastabilities Spicy Hot Tomato Oil. From a co worker who lives near Syracuse, I know that this has been around for many years, and is produced by a Syracuse restaurant. So today, I got to try it and... it's yummy. And spicy, but not in a bad way.
But...it isn't made in Syracuse. Not any more. It's made in Massachusetts, which is even further away than Syracuse. Sigh.
My co-worker told me to try a different product, something called Cheeky Monkey. (This product is a tomato/garlic dipping oil-apparently, a competitor of the oil I sampled today.) Now THAT, she assured me, is locally made. It is also sold in the year round CNY Regional Market in Syracuse, which she assures me is well worth the drive.
But, it isn't sold here. And, I haven't tried it. So, I'm faced once again with the Local Food Problem:
Local product, local creators, sold here but outsourced somewhere else?
Or, local product that really is locally made but isn't available here, and I would either have to make a 1 hour journey each way, or buy mail order?
While I was mulling over the dueling tomato oil dips, I ran across a NY made pasta at the local Binghamton winter farmers market. Flour City Pasta looks to be a high quality product, and is made using heirloom grain varieties. The Winter Farmers Market promises that all goods sold have a NY connection. But New York is a large state. The problem? It is made near Rochester, a good two and a half hour drive away from us. I must admit I passed on it - it was not cheap.
So....at what point does local not become local? I wish I had a good answer for that.
Do you have any thoughts on what defines "truly local" food?
Now, I have a couple of announcements.
The next Sustainable Saturday post will be this Wednesday. After that, since I am participating in a two week long Author's blog challenge starting March 1, my Sustainable Saturday feature (and Winter Wednesday) will go on hiatus until after March 15. To fans of my features, I apologize, and hope you enjoy what I will be doing in March (which may include some "best of's") until I get back to my regular schedule after March 15.
Syracuse, New York, is about an hour and ten minutes north of us here in the Binghamton, New York area. To our delight, some Syracuse local food companies are starting to expand into our area.
But, exactly where does "local" begin?
Today, in a local supermarket (chain headquartered in upstate New York) someone was sampling Pastabilities Spicy Hot Tomato Oil. From a co worker who lives near Syracuse, I know that this has been around for many years, and is produced by a Syracuse restaurant. So today, I got to try it and... it's yummy. And spicy, but not in a bad way.
But...it isn't made in Syracuse. Not any more. It's made in Massachusetts, which is even further away than Syracuse. Sigh.
My co-worker told me to try a different product, something called Cheeky Monkey. (This product is a tomato/garlic dipping oil-apparently, a competitor of the oil I sampled today.) Now THAT, she assured me, is locally made. It is also sold in the year round CNY Regional Market in Syracuse, which she assures me is well worth the drive.
But, it isn't sold here. And, I haven't tried it. So, I'm faced once again with the Local Food Problem:
Local product, local creators, sold here but outsourced somewhere else?
Or, local product that really is locally made but isn't available here, and I would either have to make a 1 hour journey each way, or buy mail order?
While I was mulling over the dueling tomato oil dips, I ran across a NY made pasta at the local Binghamton winter farmers market. Flour City Pasta looks to be a high quality product, and is made using heirloom grain varieties. The Winter Farmers Market promises that all goods sold have a NY connection. But New York is a large state. The problem? It is made near Rochester, a good two and a half hour drive away from us. I must admit I passed on it - it was not cheap.
Do you have any thoughts on what defines "truly local" food?
Now, I have a couple of announcements.
The next Sustainable Saturday post will be this Wednesday. After that, since I am participating in a two week long Author's blog challenge starting March 1, my Sustainable Saturday feature (and Winter Wednesday) will go on hiatus until after March 15. To fans of my features, I apologize, and hope you enjoy what I will be doing in March (which may include some "best of's") until I get back to my regular schedule after March 15.
Friday, February 22, 2013
Honored in Poetry
Caro Ness, this Christmas Cactus picture is for you.
I am getting a little bit of a following over in Europe, which is amazing to me, given that I have never left the North American continent. Physically, anyway.
The power of the Internet still amazes this 60 year old woman who lives in upstate New York. In all of my childhood dreams of writing, I never could have imagined something like the Internet. Or email, or Facebook, or blogging. Or being able to correspond with people real time who are thousands of miles away.
So this morning, I woke up, checked my email, logged onto Facebook and...to my astonishment, saw that someone in England wrote a poem about me. And not just about me. About my blog, too!
I didn't have much time to bask in the trans Atlantic glory. I had to leave for work, that thing that finances my life and allows me some time for blogging at the end of the day.
Now, it's time to return the favor, even though it is after midnight and Caro is probably fast asleep. Aseep, not knowing what is about to happen....
I was honored not just any poet, but an accomplished author by the name of Caro Ness. She writes poems about the most unlikely of topics. In the past few days, she's started a series of poems about some of her favorite blogs.
You have to visit her blog, and check out the blogs she is writing about.
But, what can I give Caro in return? I certainly can't give her a poem. Maybe a non-traditional haiku:
Christmas cactus blooms
On their way to dear England
Spring is on the way.
Visit Caro, the Blogger's Poet, and give her some love! (And Caro, thank you!)
I am getting a little bit of a following over in Europe, which is amazing to me, given that I have never left the North American continent. Physically, anyway.
The power of the Internet still amazes this 60 year old woman who lives in upstate New York. In all of my childhood dreams of writing, I never could have imagined something like the Internet. Or email, or Facebook, or blogging. Or being able to correspond with people real time who are thousands of miles away.
So this morning, I woke up, checked my email, logged onto Facebook and...to my astonishment, saw that someone in England wrote a poem about me. And not just about me. About my blog, too!
I didn't have much time to bask in the trans Atlantic glory. I had to leave for work, that thing that finances my life and allows me some time for blogging at the end of the day.
Now, it's time to return the favor, even though it is after midnight and Caro is probably fast asleep. Aseep, not knowing what is about to happen....
I was honored not just any poet, but an accomplished author by the name of Caro Ness. She writes poems about the most unlikely of topics. In the past few days, she's started a series of poems about some of her favorite blogs.
You have to visit her blog, and check out the blogs she is writing about.
But, what can I give Caro in return? I certainly can't give her a poem. Maybe a non-traditional haiku:
Christmas cactus blooms
On their way to dear England
Spring is on the way.
Visit Caro, the Blogger's Poet, and give her some love! (And Caro, thank you!)
Thursday, February 21, 2013
When Is Someone Too Old for A Colonoscopy?
I have a dilemma. Time for some caregiving fun....
My mother in law, who is in her mid-80's, got her annual physical last week. Her doctor, who is a new doctor to her (her family doctor of many years retired last year), wants her to get a colonoscopy.
There is no medical problem leading to this request.
The last time she had one (7 years ago) she experienced a lot of discomfort. But, more importantly, she has mobility issues. She's supposed to use a walker. Her balance is terrible. Her bathroom is upstairs from her living area and she has a bad knee.
I've had a colonoscopy twice and also had to do the same prep once for a different exam. So I know "the prep drill" all too well. So I know what an ordeal it would be for her. I honestly do not know if she would be able to complete it. At her age, I wouldn't be too crazy about the sedation, either.
I understand the doctor considered a virtual colonoscopy, but said Medicare wouldn't pay for it. (He's right - I checked.) I also read up on virtual colonoscopies. According to what I read, she only misses the sedation fun, not the prep fun. Still has to prep. If they find anything,she needs the regular one, so has to prep again. Ugh.
I know none of my readers can give medical advice. So, I am asking: where can I get RELIABLE information to see if she really should go through this ordeal?
Or, if there is an "alternative" type of prep that could be done? (she lives near a major metropolitan area).
I've done some reading indicating an age 85 cut off for this test.
Can my readers help me research this? There is so much unreliable medical information on the Internet.
Have you ever questioned a test a doctor wants to give?
My mother in law, who is in her mid-80's, got her annual physical last week. Her doctor, who is a new doctor to her (her family doctor of many years retired last year), wants her to get a colonoscopy.
There is no medical problem leading to this request.
The last time she had one (7 years ago) she experienced a lot of discomfort. But, more importantly, she has mobility issues. She's supposed to use a walker. Her balance is terrible. Her bathroom is upstairs from her living area and she has a bad knee.
I've had a colonoscopy twice and also had to do the same prep once for a different exam. So I know "the prep drill" all too well. So I know what an ordeal it would be for her. I honestly do not know if she would be able to complete it. At her age, I wouldn't be too crazy about the sedation, either.
I understand the doctor considered a virtual colonoscopy, but said Medicare wouldn't pay for it. (He's right - I checked.) I also read up on virtual colonoscopies. According to what I read, she only misses the sedation fun, not the prep fun. Still has to prep. If they find anything,she needs the regular one, so has to prep again. Ugh.
I know none of my readers can give medical advice. So, I am asking: where can I get RELIABLE information to see if she really should go through this ordeal?
Or, if there is an "alternative" type of prep that could be done? (she lives near a major metropolitan area).
I've done some reading indicating an age 85 cut off for this test.
Can my readers help me research this? There is so much unreliable medical information on the Internet.
Have you ever questioned a test a doctor wants to give?
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