The Red Thread

If you’ve followed this blog for a while, you know I’ve written a novel called THE INK OF TIME. Many of the smaller details that help tell the story are things that I’ve actually witnessed or experienced.

For example, I have friends who are scuba divers and they’ve talked about getting their certification in very dirty, murky water. This happens in my novel. 

My Grandma Hill had a dog named Duke. In my novel there is a dog named Duke. 

Some of my nephews are in and Irish band and one of them plays the bodhran, which is an Irish drum. I would have never known of this instrument without these young men in my life. A bodhran is a key component in the first part of my story. 

Also, my in-laws, at one time, drank prune juice mixed with vinegar to flush their digestive systems. One of my characters does this too.

These things help tell the story and give the characters life. I’m always on the look-out for ideas. I pay attention to the quirky or unusual.

Like the time Tim and I stopped at a truck stop to eat and the table next to us ordered steak. Who orders steak at a truck stop? This is a priceless bit of information. But it gets even better. When the steaks came out, the patron complained about the steak and proceeded to tell the waitress how to grill a good steak.

I think I laughed about that for five miles after we got back in the car. I’m going to use that snippet of life someday in one of my novels.

Anyway, couple of years ago I happened to notice a UPS calendar in a friend’s office. It was June 2014 and the quote was a Chinese proverb about an invisible red thread that connects those who are destined to meet. That quote gave me the fuel to keep my novel moving. 

Here is an excerpt from my novel that grew from that proverb.

…No answer from Otto prompted Hazel to take a red marker and small pad of paper from her backpack. She always carried something to doodle on- inspiration for a new tattoo design could hit at any time. Also, drawing helped her relax. She closed her eyes and started to draw. She started making zigzags across the page. After a bit her hand took control and she relaxed a little more. She only used the red marker, and never picked it up off the page. She drew and drew. Finally, she slept.

My idea of Hazel's doodle.

When she awoke, and as the fog of sleep lifted, she realized that Otto was frowning at the notepad still in her hand. She looked at it to see why. At first glance the page looked like a red scribble, like an angry knot of red yarn. But when she looked into the white negative space of the red doodle, the shape of the state of Alaska appeared. Attached by a crimson line across the paper, floating in the white space of the page, was a scribbled bundle of an infant swaddled in red. It looked as if a baby, floating in a vacuum, was tethered to Alaska.

“Well, this is interesting,” Otto said. “What’s it all about, Hazel?”

“I couldn’t relax. I tried to talk to you, but you fell asleep, so I had to do something,” Hazel explained. “Drawing always makes me feel better. I fell asleep while I was doodling.”

“It looks like Alaska…” Otto said.

“…with a baby tied to it,” Hazel finished in a whisper.

“Weird.”

They looked at it a moment longer then Hazel closed her notepad and stowed it as they prepared to land at the Fairbanks International Airport…

Then, this weekend I went to a library used book sale and found a book that kind of shocked me. The title is The Red Thread and it’s by Ann Hood. This book was written six years ago in 2010.

The blurb on the inside cover says it’s about a lady who opens an adoption agency that finds homes for Chinese baby girls in American homes. My book, without giving a spoiler, touches on this subject as well. I hope this story is not my story!!  

After I read The Red Thread, I’ll write a review for it.

I also looked on line and found that the “red thread idea  is somewhat synonymous with adoption. It's strange that I was drawn to that quote,  along with having never heard it before, adapted it to that very concept in my book.

Life is always full of 

surprises.

Until next time,

Be Good to Yourself.

~Nadine

Craft Club

I have a group of friends that I do crafts with. We call our get-togethers Craft Club.

My friend Karen is the mastermind and creative guru for the rest of us girls. (She even has her own craft-room! It’s like a Man Cave only better.) We do what she says and our crafts usually turn out pretty nice.  I didn’t think I would like doing crafts and I was skeptical of my creative abilities, but this group of girls makes it fun. We eat. We drink. We laugh. We encourage.

Some of my projects have turned out better than others. Sometimes I am pleasantly surprised in what I’ve created.  The Hearts-on-a-Stick craft involved a lot of hand sewing. I found that I really enjoy sewing and have now taken up 

quilting.

Below is a little photo gallery of some of our crafts over the past couple of years.

Halloween Door Hanging

Christmas Painting

Hearts-on-a-Stick sewing craft

Fourth of July Wreath

So, this week I ventured out on my own in the crafting department. I found a door “wreath” on Pinterest that I liked and thought I could probably pull it off. I’m happy with the outcome. I think my Craft Club girls will be impressed too!

$3.98 Walmart Spray

$2.99 particle board
(not real wood) letter R

$5.00 picture from Goodwill.
I only needed the frame so I
removed the picture and glass.

          

Sandpaper, paint, and super glue.
TA-DAA!

Inviting front door on a budget.

My Pinterest inspiration.
My Pin-spiration!

I would love to see and hear about any craft projects ---or really any project--- that you’ve had fun with or learned from.

Until next time,

Be Good to Yourself,

~Nadine

My First 5K

All the medals!

This past Saturday I participated in my very first 5K Run Walk.

Like many 5K’s this one had a cause that it supported. There are Run Walk 5K’s for any matter of diseases – and this one wasn’t any different. Well, maybe it was different. You see, most diseases are of physiological and biological origins. The disease I walked for is not. I walked for awareness of sociological disease. A problem in our society. (And there are many, but that’s another story for another day.)

A closer look.

I participated in the inaugural Iowa event of the OfficerDown 5K. This 5K’s purpose was to celebrate and support officers who put their lives on the line daily to keep our communities save and to honor those who have fallen in the line of duty.

This cause is near and dear to my heart because my beautiful son is a police officer. It is not a profession I would have chosen for him, but it’s also not a surprise to me that he was called to this duty. My son, since he was a very little boy, had (and has) a strong sense of right and wrong. Not that he didn’t get in trouble like any kid does, because he did, but that he could see injustices and wrongs at a very early age.  And he was always perplexed by them. He would ask: Why do they do that? Why did that happen?

He is proud of his work and I am proud of him.

I want people to understand. There are good and bad folks in every profession. But a profession in and of itself is not evil. I want people to understand this.

I pray for my son’s safety every night. I wake up in the night and pray for him.

Nate and 2 of his Tutu-wearing nieces enjoy the fun run!

It's a family event.
Nate's wife (in the middle with him) and her family,
along with ours.

Papa  (Nate's dad) and Adalyn (niece) at the starting line.

Nate's brother in law Phil came in third
in the men's division.
And Nate's sister Erin ran with 2 kiddos in her jogging stroller!

Youngest niece, Willow, enjoys the stroller ride!

According to Officer Down Memorial Page, 99 officers have been killed in the line of duty this year between January 2016 and October 2016.  Forty-four killed by gunshot.

Just this past week, three officers were shot and killed in the USA.  

From the Officer Down Memorial Page:

“Police Officer Blake Snyder was shot and killed while responding to a disturbance on the 10700 block of Arno Drive in Green Park, Missouri, shortly after 5:00 am.
He and another officer had arrived at the scene and were met with gunfire immediately as they exited their patrol cars. Officer Snyder was shot at point blank and killed instantly. The second officer was able to return fire and wounded the subject.”

“Police Officer Lesley Zerebny and Police Officer Gil Vega were shot and killed while responding to a domestic disturbance call in the 2700 block of Cypress Road shortly after noon. A family member from the home had gone to a neighbor's house and and stated that his son was armed and wanted to shoot police officers. Responding officers, including Officer Vega and Officer Zerebny, arrived at the scene several minutes later. The man inside the home opened fire on them as they approached the front door, killing Officer Vega and Officer Zerebny and wounding a third officer.”

“Officer Zerebny had served with the Palm Springs Police Department for 18 months. She was survived by her husband, who also serves in law enforcement, and 4-month-old child.

Officer Zerebny was scheduled to retire only two months after his murder. He was working an overtime shift on the day he was murdered. He is survived by his wife and eight children.

Officer Snyder had served with the St. Louis County Police Department for four years. He is survived by his wife and 2-year-old son.”

The 5K was a great success. It was comforting to be in the company of people who understand what it’s like to have a family member in law enforcement. It’s the only job (other than a soldiers') who, when gunfire erupts, they run toward it. Holy cow and Dear Lord.

Until next time,

Be Good to Yourself and Back the Blue.

~Nadine

THE Vows

Wedding vows are what I'm talking about.

In this past month, we've had three weddings to attend. Weddings are fun. They're all about celebration and anticipation. They're all about making commitments and renewing commitments.

...for better, for worse. In sickness and health, until death do us part...

We, who are married, have said these grave yet sincere words with lightness in our hearts. Of course we mean them, but at that moment we can't fully grasp the concept of their seriousness. 

It's probably part of God's grand design.

This weekend, I was graced with the opportunity to witness these very vows in action. Friends from back in the Glory Days of our youth, softball leagues, and newly married life are fighting cancer. It's a family battle, to be sure.

Cancer is a mean MotherFu%#@r.  A group of three couples from the Glory Days went to visit this couple at their home near the beach. Of the eight of us, you would be hard pressed to tell which one of us is sick. Our friend looks fit and strong.

But he's not. There is no drug or treatment to help him. Their family is living on borrowed time. I just can't imagine it.

I find myself fighting the urge to ask God how and why this happens to good people. I know I can't, because the answer is not for me to know. Not yet anyway.

I try to only look at the graces, the positives of this situation, that have come to this couple in their time of need. There are many. People of their community have reached out to support them. I am grateful for that, since they live so far from family and old friends.

I am grateful for my friends' strong commitment in each other. I am grateful for my friend's beautiful sense of humor.
I am grateful for my ability to travel to visit people and places. I never take that for granted.
I am grateful for my health. I never take that for granted either.
I am grateful that I have the ability to work.
I am grateful for my family and friends.

I send my love to Surfer Girl and Softball Guy.

Until next time,
Be Good to Yourself and your spouse.

~Nadine

Banned Books

September 25 through October 1, 2016 is Banned Books Week.

Banned books on display at the LeClaire Community Library

We’ve all read banned or challenged books. You would be surprised by some of the titles that people/organizations have tried to have banned - many of them are very well known and loved books. Also, the list of banned and challenged books is llllooooonnnnnggg! Your favorite books might be on the list. Mine is.

The First Amendment to the United States Constitution guarantees our right to read and write whatever we want (it’s called freedom of the press.) The first Amendment also guarantees the right to protest against something you find disagreeable (it’s called freedom of speech.)

Ironic, isn’t it? The First Amendments supports both sides of this argument. It says, “Go ahead, and complain. It’s your right.”  But it also says, “Tough luck, Chuck. Our citizens can read or write whatever they want!”

Libraries across the United States of America are displaying some of the books that have previously been banned. They’re reminding us of our rights as Americans—something we can never take for granted. They’re inviting us to expand our minds, and challenge our own thoughts and ideas. That’s important. Keeping it real, folks.

"If all books were banned and you could
save only one, what would it be?

One of my all-time favorite books, The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton, published in 1967, has been banned and challenged because of gang activity (the rich kids verses the poor kids), underage smoking and drinking, and family dysfunction. Seriously. What teenager could possibly relate to that? (Sarcasm Alert! Sarcasm Alert!)

Maybe we could have learned about real life from the late 1960’s family sitcoms.  My Three Sons, perhaps? No. That family was a blended family. For shame! The Andy Griffith Show? No. That show had a town drunk and Opie didn’t have a mom.

How about music? Well, Mrs. Robinson by Simon and Garfunkel was big in 1968. Seduction of a younger man by an older woman was the theme of that song. That won’t do at all. How about Lady Madonna by the Beatles? It’s about a woman on welfare who has one night stands with all her kids in the house. Riigghhtt!  I’m sure all those TV shows and songs had no effect on society. Certainly no mirror of society.

Yep. This one is on the banned list too.

You can see my indignation is for real.

I’m linking a list of banned books right here. Check it out. Better yet, read a few!

Until next time,

Be Good to Yourself,

~Nadine

P.S. If it weren’t for the First Amendment, there would be no place for Facebook, Twitter, Blogspot, etc.

Reading: An Introvert Just Doin’ Her Thang

Being a reader is something that I do not take for granted.  I’m not sure at what age I became a “good” reader.  I remember being in the “middle reading group” in elementary school. If you’re old enough, you’ll remember the groups were named after birds.  You know: The Blue Bird Group – they were the top readers, The Red Bird Group, and the poorest readers: The Buzzards Group—(not really their name).   And like all kids, I envied the Blue Bird Group. 

I have a distinct memory of my third grade teacher (nasty ol' Miss Brown) making a big stink over me mistakenly using the word ‘kids’ in a sentence when the text said  ‘children’. It went something like this:  The text sentence:  The children ran outside.  What I read out loud:  The kids ran outside. I remember she made me read that sentence several times until I finally realized my mistake. (I know now, as an experienced teacher, that those kinds of word substitutions do not change the meaning of the text, nor is it the end of the world if a kid can understand the meaning of the passage even if using an incorrect word.)  Geesh lady, take a chill pill.

I think sixth grade might have been the year that I stood up and took notice of literature. My teacher that year read many books to our class that I considered “risky.”   I wrote in a previous post about The Outsiders, by S.E. Hinton and how that book changed me.  That may have been the beginning of my love of reading.  This particular school year was an all-out whole language paarrtayyy.  We got together in small groups and wrote extra chapters for The Outsiders, and then made the book into a play.  I remember my friend, Connie, was talked into being the lead female, Cherry Valance, because she had the best clothes of all the girls in our class.  We also wrote a newspaper based on the events of that story.  It Was All Good.  No taking turns reading out loud up and down the desk rows that year.  Mrs. Juanita Jackson (my teacher) knew what was what when it comes to engaging kids in reading.

When I was in junior high, I was put in an accelerated reading class.  This class literally was a speed reading course.  After reading a text that flashed on the screen-- I’m not talking computer screen, I mean reach-up-and- grab-the-handle-pull-it-down silver screen-- fired from a slide projector, we had to complete a comprehension quiz before moving on.  Oh, man did I love the status of that class and I was determined to stay above the line that would send me back to the regular reading class. The cool thing about this class is that I didn’t have to read out loud in front of the other kids. --  Because whenever I had to read out loud you could just forgggedddabout comprehension at that point!

I’m rather confused and disoriented when I’m in a crowd. (My husband often leads me through them.) I don’t do well with small talk. I’d rather just sit back and talk with one or two people- and even that’s difficult sometimes.  I get overwhelmed in unfamiliar surroundings.  I often observe rather than participate.  I like to people-watch. I like quiet. I am an introverted person.

It seems that introversion and a love of reading go hand-in-hand. My fellow employees at the library are all self-confessed introverts who would rather not be part of unorganized social situations. They’re all readers (of course) and they’re all cat people. (But that’s a different story.)

I’m not saying extroverted people don’t read. They do.  I’m just saying that for me, reading is a natural part of who I am, as much as being introverted is who I am.  I contend that extroverts read more for information and introverts read more for entertainment. Do you agree? Disagree?

What are your reading habits and preferences? Do they align with your personality?

Until next time,

Be Good to Yourself.

~Nadine

God’s Good Grace and meeting Goals

First, I need to apologize for this post being late today. I’ve tried very hard to make a concerted effort to have my thoughts and ideas posted by 8:00 AM, Central Daylight Time, every Wednesday. Unfortunately, it didn’t happen today.

***

This past weekend Tim and I had the opportunity to visit our Son and Daughter-in-law at their home in northwest Iowa. They live nearly a six hour car drive away from us, so we don’t get to see them as often as we would like.

Every time we visit, I’m always overwhelmed with pride at the life they’ve created for themselves way up in the “Arctic of Iowa.” (While it’s beautiful there in the summer, the winters are long and hard – much more so than our southeast Iowa location.)

They have a lovely home, furnished and decorated with things they’ve created themselves. Nate is a woodworker (remember, he made my office desk), and Kiley is the queen of creative home décor. She used to write for a magazine and actually published articles about some of their frugal, yet creative projects. I think she could have a whole blog on just that topic - creative, frugal living.

On Sunday afternoon, we went to a pet shop in the Des Moines area. (We were all in the area for a wedding on Saturday.) Kiley was in need of a rat. Yep. A rat. She works at a nature center and one of the pet rats died and since she was in a city that actually had pet stores, she bought one for work. She buys rats as part of her job responsibilities…

 Any who, she got the wrong color of rat- it needed to match the picture by the cage at the nature center- because she said she had to rescue it from the pet store. The little rat actually hid in her purse while she paid for it. The pet store man asked if they needed a box for the rat, Kiley said no, that she had a cage ready, and put the rat on her shoulder as we walked out of the store. The rat happily slid into its pretty little pink and purple jungle gym type cage for the two hour ride home.

We went to Nate’s church on Monday morning because he had some obligations to take care of. He and Kiley are both active in their church. As a Mom, I can’t be more thankful that my children and their families trust in God to guide their lives. I’ve seen good people lead their lives in an apathetic way, and it’s just not. Not bright. Not beautiful. Not appreciative. Not thankful.

I learned that my son, Nate, is an excellent instructor. He has exceptional skills – due to massive training and a gift from God- in his profession. He shared his knowledge with me and Tim. We were impressed by his abilities. As a teacher myself, I was impressed with his ability to teach. Many people have great skills in life, but not just anyone can teach what they know.

I loved this past weekend. Nate and Kiley have reached some of their goals, but they are nowhere near finished.  Hard work and trusting in God’s grace have lead them this far. It’s going to be exciting to see what He brings to them next.


Until next time,
Be Good to Yourself,
~Nadine