** Various Thoughts on a Tuesday Evening **

Hello Everyone! It's a brisk 19° this evening, with a wind chill of 4°. We received about 4 inches of snow between last night and early today. It's beautiful and it's windy and it's cold! BUT, am I complaining? No way! You know why? Because I don't live in the part of the country that is trying to dig out of 2 to 3 FEET of snow!! Yowza!

Okay, now on to some information you may actually care to read about:

1) Tiny Lights Essay Contest is still open! Submissions have to be snail-mailed and must be postmarked by February 19th. That's ten days from now, so get your pencils or keyboards going and enter! There's some really good prize money to be won....5 prizes in the standard category and 3 prizes in flashpoint. Click on the link provided and read all the rules.

2) Speaking of Tiny Lights, my wonderful friend, Tammy Goodsell, is included in this month's "Searchlights & Signal Flares".  << click on that, then down to Latest Question; "What is a writer's Golden Rule?" Click on that and you'll see Tammy's essay, along with others. She's listed as T'Mara Goodsell. (Or, you can also get there by clicking on the Tiny Lights Logo, almost directly across from this) Congratulations, Tammy, for being published!

3) I've mentioned various books before that have inspired me and helped me along my writing journey. I came across the name of one recently (don't remember where I read about it) that I had buried in my book shelves and somehow had never read! Imagine that?! I dug it out about 3 days ago, when I was going through my major panic attack about my writing ability. It is a scathingly brilliant book!! (that's for you, Cathy C...I think!) The name of it is: "Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing & Life", by Ann Lamott. Many of you may have already read it, because it's not a new book (1995), plus the fact that every writer should buy this book, and read this book, and re-read, and re-read, etc.! It is full of great advice, hilarious anecdotes, and appears as if it was written just for YOU! It has been a huge part of helping me work through my fears and motivate me to WRITE! I can't recommend it enough.

4)  And, speaking of Books and Contests... I'll be having another contest to win a book, either the end of this month, or in March. More details to follow!

5)  Last, but not least.....Here's another one of my "Twilight Zone" moments that I'd like to share. Yesterday, I was looking for something in my china cabinet and came across a couple of photos I keep in one of the drawers. One is a picture, taken in 1970 of my (now deceased) maternal grandma on her 82nd birthday. (I know all this because it was written on the back of the photo, thank goodness!) She is standing between her dining room table, and her china cabinet. The table is all decked out with a fancy white table cloth, silverware, a crystal punch bowl, coffee pot, etc. I'm so glad that somehow I'm the one who ended up with this particular picture! I brought it upstairs with me to, to pin to my cork board along with a few other old pictures, for additional writing inspiration. I glanced at the back of it one more time before I actually got around to pinning it up today, and read again with a little more awareness, and saw that yesterday, February 8th, was her birthday!!! Do do do doooooo ♪♫♪♪

"Happiness...it lies in the joy of achievement, in the thrill of creative effort." --Franklin D. Roosevelt

*MY BOOK HAS BEEN ACCEPTED BY A PUBLISHER*

I have some very exciting news to share! My book, based on the writing I've completed so far, has been accepted by High Hill Press, a small publishing company!!!

After my initial elation, came mind numbing fear, and then anguish concerning my talent and ability. Thank goodness we were at a friends' home last night, watching the Super Bowl, talking, and eating wonderful food, so my mind was able to wander and forget my angst for a few hours!

After speaking with L.T. on the phone today, I'm feeling more secure, confident and ready to blast off into Best Seller Land! ( hey, if I'm gonna dream, I'm gonna dream BIG! ) Don't look for it anytime soon, though. I have a long way to go to finish it.


"A best seller was a book which somehow sold well simply because it was selling well." -- S. Boorstein

** It's Working Again! More News To Follow! **

Yay! I can blog again! I can blog again!  Thanks to all my blogger buddies who so quickly answered my request this morning for help. I was really surprised at the swiftness and kind words......although, I shouldn't have been.....y'all are wonderful people!

Unfortunately, I had already tried everything everyone suggested, and it still would not let me post anything new. I could swear I also tried it on my main computer and not just my laptop....but, as I just signed on and tried it here on the main one.....it is working! Alas, the laptop is still not working, but that can certainly wait for now, until I can send out a call for help!!

How stifling it's been to not be able to blog. How frantic I've felt! Guess I'm kind of addicted, huh?!

* On February 3rd, I wrote about having some new ideas for my blog. (Not being able to post, wasn't one of them!) I thought of the NANOWRIMO "Word Counter" that many used during November. I wanted to have something similar to let people know how well, or not so well, I'm doing with writing my book. So, my hope is to add a new Gadget on the right had column, to display that information. I won't always be posting a word count, because some days I may just be organizing some things I've already written and putting them into chapters. I may post how many chapters or pages I've written, also, instead of a word count. I think it will really help and encourage me, having that to look at! So, please feel free to make comments about what you see on it, too. You can't leave comments on the Gadget area itself, but you can leave one at my newest post, or whatever I might think of later.

Thanks again to all my friends who answered my call for help this morning.....even those kind enough to answer and say, "I have no answers!"

"How beautiful a day can be, when kindness touches it!" -- George Elliston

* Some Concluding Thoughts on the Retreat *

*Note: When I began writing this, it was still Wednesday, so I kept my promise! *Okay, as promised, I'm going to try to put into words just how much this past weekend meant to me. It pains me, as a writer, to say "try to put into words". How can that be? How can I have such trouble putting all my various thoughts and feelings into words? I guess because it had such a profound effect on me. Sometimes those kind of events stir up my emotions into a fury and I can't get them out fast enough. Other times, it may take weeks, months, even years for my mind to wander through the maze of information and feelings, and reveal them.

I've been to writers' conferences before, both large and small. I've learned quite a bit about writing and met a new friend or two. I've also attended "religious" retreats, but those were many years ago, during my youth. Sometimes, I would leave feeling somewhat enlightened, for a while at least.

But, to combine a writers workshop along with a spiritual awakening program, limited to 30 women participants, was pure genius. The title was: Coming Home: Writing from the Soul. A Winter Retreat for Women. We learned how to write to express our inner self. We laughed. We wept. We sang. We danced. We made some life long friendships.

This was the first time Mary Kay Shanley and Joyce Rupp combined their talents, to host a presentation together. It was magical & powerful. We learned about Free Writing and Reflective Writing: Both were new terms to me and I learned so much in those brief discussions. A couple of things from our Saturday assignment:

"Reflective writing falls somewhere between learning and thinking. We reflect so we can learn. We learn as a result of reflecting."

"Reflective writing takes us to our inner self, to the heart of us, to our soul. "

I was amazed at some of the personal thoughts & experiences we all shared. I reminded myself to be more aware of others, and their actions and personalities. For some reason, too, I was surprised to learn that many of the women were teachers in various ways; full time, part-time, retired, some only taught creative writing, etc. Some were business women with high powered jobs, others were stay at home moms.The age group was what I had expected: 30's to 60+.  When looking at and speaking with these women, age didn't come into any thought or consideration. We were all just interested in learning about ourselves and each other.

May Kay Shanley is a fantastic writer & teacher. She is the author of 9 books. She has a wonderful sense of humor and had us laughing most of the time, except when she handed out our nightly assignments! (just kidding!) Check out her website for other upcoming workshops and classes.

Joyce Rupp, although a member of the Servite Sisters, is nothing like any nun I've ever known! She has studied just about every religion, visited just about every country, gives conferences and retreats both nationally and internationally and is the author of 20 books. Not too long ago, she "walked the Camino in Spain". That is something worth looking up and reading about. (*This woman is in her late 60's. If I remember correctly, she said she gave herself that gift for her 60th birthday.)

The writing and the spiritual awakening fit together perfectly. There was great balance between the two, and the spriritual part was just that: spiritual. It wasn't religious. What the entire weekend was......was perfect!

Left photo: Jackie and Shirley. Right photo: Kathy.

                                                                                                                         

"It takes a lot of courage to show your dreams to someone else." --Erma Bombeck 
                                                                                                                                                            

** More News and Updates Forthcoming **

* Sometime today, I promise, I will write more about the wonderful weekend conference in Iowa.

* Also, I have some new ideas concerning my blog and will share those when I figure them out completely!

* Until then, I'll be doing other jobs inside, listening all the while to the beautiful little red cardinal singing ♫♪ outside nearby. It makes me smile, not only with my mouth, but with my eyes, and my entire being.

(photo courtesy: statelibrary.ncdcr.gov)

"My favorite weather is bird-chirping weather."-- Loire Hartwould

** Norman Rockwell **

Today is the anniversary of Norman Rockwell's birth. He was born on February 3, 1894 in New York City. What an immense talent he had, and how fortunate we are because he shared it with the world. I've been a fan of his for as long as I can remember. Over the years, I've purchased coffee mugs, note cards, Christmas cards....maybe even a deck of playing cards.....all with his beautiful and delightful drawings on them.

Sometime soon after September 11, 2001, I came across the charming collector's plate: "Freedom from Want". I don't remember if I saw it in a store or online, but it immediately offered such a sense of nostalgia and hope and goodness, that I knew I had to buy it. I hung it in our dining room and it was the perfect image
for our Thanksgiving dinner that year. When discussing it with one of my daughters-in-law, she said she knew instantly what gifts to buy me for Christmas and upcoming birthday. Below are all four of the "Freedom" plates. From top left: Freedom from Want & Freedom of Speech. From below left: Freedom from Fear & Freedom of Worship.

(photo taken by Becky 2/3/10)

In honor of Mr. Rockwell, I promise to stop & admire these plates more, instead of just passing them as I walk by, going about my daily chores. Happy Birthday, Mr. Rockwell. You have enriched my life!

"The secret to so many artists living so long is that every painting is a new adventure. So, you see, they're always looking ahead to something new and exciting. The secret is not to look back." -- Norman Rockwell

* All The Books in My First Blog Contest *

I just remembered this afternoon that with being gone for the retreat and trying to write about that.....plus today being Groundhog Day, and posting about that, I'd forgotten to list all the suggested books during my contest last month. So, here they are, in the order I received them, by title, author, and person who sent it.

1)  The Help, by Kathryn Stockett   (Pat W.)
2)  Cracker Factory, by Joyce Rebeta-Burditt  (T'mara G.)
3)  Rhyme Stew, by Roald Dahl  (Daisy)
4)  Mrs. Whaley's Charleston Garden, by William Baldwin  (Claudia)
5)  Mama Makes Up Her Mind, by Bailey White  (Karrie)
6)  Sleeping at the Starlight Motel, by Bailey White  (Karrie)
7)  Old Songs in a New Cafe, by Robert James Waller  (Karrie)
8)  Book of Unhold Mischief, by Elle Newmark  (Janel)
9)  Face Down Upon an Herbal, by Kathy Lynn Emerson  (Janel)
10) Mudbound, by Hillary Jordan  (Donna V.)
11) All the Numbers, by Judy Merrill Larson  (Teri S.)
12)  Ellen Foster, by Kaye Gibbons  (Cathy C. H.)
13) City of Lights, by Lauren Belfer  (Susan Bono)*Editor at Tiny-Lights*
14) The Intelligencer, by Leslie Silbert  (Lisa Ricard Claro)
15) Goodbye Glamour Girl, by Erika Tamar  (Krysten)

So, there you have it! Looks like a wonderful variety of books that these women loved enough to want to share with others. Awwww......so many books, so little time!

"I know every book of mine by its smell, and I have but to put my nose between the pages to be reminded of all sorts of things." -- George Robert Gissing

** HAPPY GROUNDHOG DAY! **

And now, a few words and photos from one of my favorite movies: "Groundhog Day", starring Bill Murray.

"Okay, campers, rise and shine, and don't forget your booties 'cause it's cold out there today."
~~~~~
"Hey now, don't you tell me you don't remember me 'cause I sure as heckfire remember you."

                                        
"NEEDLE-NOSE NED?...NED RYERSON?"  ..... "BING!"

                                 (photos courtesy imdb.com and archive.dailypicture.net)

"IT'S SO BEAUTIFUL! ..... LET'S LIVE HERE!"

"Love is the answer. Shine on us all. Set us free. Love is the answer."
   -- EMI Music Publishing, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.

** A Life Changing Experience **

I am not exaggerating when I say this past weekend has changed me. And in such positive & powerful ways I may not even be able to convey them, nor may I want to, at least not completely. What? Me, speechless? Yes.

I will surely post more information and photos later, but for now I just wanted to let everyone know I'm home.

"Looking back, you realize that a very special person passed briefly through your life, and that person was you. It is not too late to become that person again." -- Robert Brault

*Day Two of the Writer/Retreat - Saturday Night*

(Joyce Rupp & Mary Kay Shanley: our presenters, during a break)

This writing workshop....this spiritual retreat, has been an absolutely amazing experience. I hate to think that at noon tomorrow it will be over. It's been a wonderful gathering of 30 marvelous, unique women. We've had writing "assignments" to do each evening, we've listened and learned during the day, we've laughed, we've shared some of our inner thoughts, we've sang, & even learned a beautiful dance....The Elm Dance.

I can't begin to convey all I have learned....especially about myself.....in this short workshop. The first night's assignment was to free-write about three different people who have affected our lives...either positively or negatively. Then we had to break it down into just one person, and then into just one aspect of that person. I found that very difficult. In my second night of free-writing (last night), I found myself writing about some of my own emotions that I had either never thought of in that way, or not thought of, at all.

I've met women I will remember for a long, long time, hopefully forever; although I'm sure I will never see most of them again.

When the opportunity and wherewithal comes again for something this incredible, I will definitely be there!

(Getting some snacks during a break)

All photos courtesy B.P.

"You have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition. What you'll discover will be wonderful. What you'll discover is yourself." --Alan Alda

** Day One of the Writer/Retreat **

Good Morning! Brrrr...it is COLD here in Des Moines. Of course, I knew it would be, but somehow it's still always a shock when you actually FEEL it! Temp last night was below zero-something. Temp right now is 4 degrees, with the ever popular "feels like" -8! High for today a whopping 15 with low tonite -5. We are just so grateful that it's dry, though....no snow, sleet, ice...all that lovely precipitation. There are still piles of snow everywhere, from the blizzard that came through about a week ago and with these temps, they won't be melting any time soon.

I say it's Day One today, but we really began last night from 6:30 to 9:00pm. So far, I'm really glad I came. A couple of things were said in the first few minutes of the presentation that were so "coincidental" that I felt as if I was truly meant to be here. More on that later.......

One not-so-good thing: The Hotel. It's clean and convenient.....right next door to the meeting place (another blog about that later, too) but, not the best service and there aren't enough electrical plugs in our room!! We had to unplug a lamp, to plug in my laptop....And we had to move the microwave onto the bathroom sink for a few seconds while I warmed up something to eat! Ewwww!! Oh well.....we aren't complaining....yet!

Okay...Gotta get going. We had a writing assignment last night that I still need to go over! More later!

"We write to taste life twice, in the moment and in retrospection." - Anais Nin

** Tomorrow is the Big Day **

(photo courtesy of transitionsabroad.com)

Tomorrow, Thursday January 28th, I'll be on my way to Des Moines, Iowa. My fabulous husband is taking a couple of days off, to drive me to a women's writer retreat/workshop! He is such a great guy!

I've listed some of the information below. The line that really got me is the sentence below, in blue ink. Doesn't that sound fantastic? I'm sure I'll be blogging about it!

Coming Home: Writing From the Soul

Presented by: Joyce Rupp and Mary Kay Shanley

A Winter Retreat for Women

(Thursday evening through Sunday noon)

Visualize being with a group of vibrant women who are tending their souls in a light-filled, cozy room with a fireplace glowing on a clear winter’s day. Add to this, the development of writing skills that help express what is hidden within the deeper self. All this awaits you on this retreat, plus the joy of relating to others equally intent on greater discovery and celebration of their purpose and direction in life.

Joyce Rupp offers her extensive experience of spiritual growth through creative ritual and reflective conferences. Mary Kay Shanley brings her respected skills of teaching at the University of Iowa Summer Writing Festival and other national writing workshops to lead the group through inventive processes that develop and hone writing abilities.

Limited to 30 Participants.

"A writer never has a vacation. For a writer, life consists of either writing or thinking about writing." -- Eugene Ionesco

** Various Thoughts on a Cold Tuesday Night **

* I've had some really strange dreams lately. I seem to go through stages of consecutive nights of dreams that just wear me out & I wake up exhausted! And that's not good, considering I only sleep about 5 hours most of the time. These dreams aren't nightmares by any means, they just consist of weird events which semi -pertain to my past or present life; with people that I know or have known, etc. The strangest part about the last two nights' dreams is that they were kind of connected.......a "to be continued" kind of dream. I'm almost afraid to go to sleep tonight! Maybe I'll blog a little longer and then get back to writing my book...and see how long I can stay awake!

* Yesterday in the midst of doing a few errands, I realized I was getting a flat tire. I had to drive to the nearest tire place and get it patched. Although I was slightly aggravated for the time I lost, I was so grateful it didn't go completely flat somewhere in traffic! It was so cold and windy, it would've been quite ghastly, dahhhhling!

* My brother and sister-in-law live in northern Iowa and have been having a brutal winter....worse than usual, which is pretty bad! I received an e-mail from Alice today, saying that she and my brother were both off work today due to the weather. They live in a very small town and many things are within walking distance, but they've had snow, blowing winds, a bit of a thaw, and then refreezing, so many places were closed for the day. She said they read the funniest, most ironic piece of news on their local cable channel: "The Cabin Fever Open House at The Library is Cancelled."

"A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort." -- Herm Albright

** A Day of Weather Potpourri **

Weather Today: A Lovely Medley

Today's weather consisted of quite a variety of conditions. When I first got up, there was a dusting of snow on our deck. It was the odd, tiny pellet, weightless kind. Off and on during the morning, the sun peaked out and then hid behind clouds, all the while, large snow flurries swirled in every direction. The wind was cold and sharp and almost took my breath away a time or two when I let Tiger out the patio door. By afternoon, the snow had melted from the deck, the sun was out in all its brilliance, and Tiger layed outside on the driveway, but for just a little while though, because the temperature was still way too low.

All of this reminded me of the picture I took of her last year, basking in a sun ray. Her body was on the family room carpet, and her nose was on the kitchen floor. Voile' Here is that picture! It was taken almost exactly a year ago, and certainly fits right in with today's blog.

“Today a new sun rises for me; everything lives, everything is animated, everything seems to speak to me of my passion, everything invites me to cherish it” -- Ninon de Lenclos

(photo taken by Becky from front porch)
What's that I saw in the evening sky yesterday around 5:00pm???
Why, it was a blue sky, with a few little clouds here and there, and the beginnng of a pretty sunset!! The dark and dreary gloom that surrounded us for so many days finally lifted! It may not last, but I joyfully accepted the here-and-now of it, and I sang "Oh Happy Day"! (see song 158 in play list below!)

After going through my copy of "Time to Write" again yesterday, I have another, new burst of writing energy, thus the reason I am up and at my laptop at 1:00 am Monday morning! Now, back to my writing!! I hope everyone has a happy Monday!

Oh Happy Day.....oh happy day.... ♫♪♪♫

"Light tomorrow with today!" -- Elizabeth Barrett Browning

*The Contest Winner Is...Drum Roll Please...JANEL

Hey Everyone! Thanks so much for all the entries in my First Ever Blog Contest! I've jotted down all the book suggestions on one of my many pieces of scrap paper, and hope to get around to reading them someday! (By the way, I will list the names later!)

Janel is the Big Winner and has chosen to receive "Thinking Write", by Kelly L. Stone. I will contact Kelly and have her autograph a bookplate for Janel, and her book will be shipped asap!!

(Photo of book cover courtesy of Kelly L.Stone)

I really appreciate all of you that took the time to enter and I plan on having different contests fairly often, so please don't forget to stop by often, and tell your friends!

“You know you've read a good book when you turn the last page and feel a little as if you have lost a friend.” -- Paul Sweeney

** It's Saturday Jan 23rd -- My Contest Ends Tonight at Midnight **

Hey Everyone!

There's still time to enter my First Blog Contest. Just read the instructions and rules posted last Saturday, January 16th. The winner will be chosen randomly and will be announced tomorrow morning sometime!

This has been really fun and interesting for me and I hope for all of you as well.


"I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by.

- Douglas Adams

** It's Friday....and... "There Ain't No Sunshine...♫♪.."

Well.....it was another lovely day of no sunshine here in this part of the country. The forecast was for at least partial sun, but alas the meteorologists were wrong again....Now, we may possibly catch a glimpse of that beautiful golden ball by NEXT TUESDAY. Awww...I said I'd quit complaining about the weather, but it's kind of hard sometimes! If I wanted to live in this kind of climate, I wouldn't be living in the Midwest, I'd be living in the Seattle/Tacoma area! And, I have lived there before.....and it really was depressing. I must've lived there at least a month before I knew Mt. Rainier could be seen right outside my apartment window! It took that long for the clouds to move on, the rain and fog to disappear, and the skies to clear up!

Oh well, the last I heard we'll be getting colder temps and snow flurries later next week.....and I'll be in Iowa for a Women's Writing Retreat, so I could be in the middle of a blizzard there! 

No sense complaining about the weather....It could always be worse.

“There will be a rain dance Friday night, weather permitting” -- George Carlin