* I GOT NOTHIN', FOLKS....Again *

I've been racking my brain for days, trying to think of something to write about for a blog post. I haven't been in my usual upbeat mood and that puts a real damper on most topics. So, I made the decision to repost something humorous from a couple of years ago.

~~~~~

While driving to the grocery store this afternoon, with my list of fruits and veggies to buy, the following words popped into my head. I've mentioned before that I am not a poet, and don't y'all know it, as you can see below: 

(Hint: Sing out loud or in your head to the tune of ♫♪ Back in the Saddle Again. ♫♪)

I'm back into salads again.
Burgers & fries won't make me thin.
I saw some gorgeous clothes at 
the mall last week.
I must fight this war on fat and win.

(courtesy google)

Chorus:
I'm back into salads again.
Lettuce & broccoli are my friends
Also low cal dressing will help
Try to get rid of my chin(s)
I'm back into salads again.

(Forgive me Gene Autry!)



"The two biggest sellers in bookstores are the cookbooks and the diet books. The cookbooks tell you how to prepare the food and the diet books tell you how not to eat any of it." -- Andy Rooney

A Dog and a Cat Go Into a Kitchen...

On Sunday, August 11th, I posted pictures of a darling set of S&P Shakers:  a miniature teapot and tea cup. A very good friend gave them to me as a house warming gift. The same day she gave those to me, she also gave me my (belated!) birthday gift: a Hallmark gift book, Humor for Boomers, Older and Wiser, (and Funnier!) It's full of humorous sayings and cartoons. The one below is one of my favorites!

Have a wonderful Sunday and blissful last week in August!

Books & Writers & Blogs & Friends

Before I let another day go by without acknowledging something important......

There are many of you who have cheered me on during this long road to publication, (and I'm still not there yet!) and have also said you want to buy my memoir when it's "out." I appreciate every one of you! 

And there are many of you who have already published a book, or two, or more, that I have not purchased. I want you to know the only reason I haven't done so is a lack of funds for any "extras." But I've been saving my pennies (just kidding!) I know I'll be able to buy at least one book a month, beginning very soon. 

SO, if you're one of my published writer friends, please leave a comment or e-mail me the title(s) so I can put your book on my list of Books to Buy! 




“Without leaps of imagination, or dreaming, we lose the excitement of possibilities. Dreaming, after all, is a form of planning.” -- Gloria Steinem

Ponderings On a Monday Morning

Vern and I spent some time on the deck this morning, and as he snoozed I sipped coffee from one of many favorite cups! 

Within the first few minutes we were there, five different prop planes puttered across the sky above us. I've never seen that many in such a short period of time. I noticed they were different too, so it wasn't a couple of planes flying in circles, tricking my mind.  

If you're new to my blog, you're probably wondering What's so special about propeller planes? I don't just "notice" them, I'm kind of obsessed with them! They carry a very special meaning to me. You can learn more about it from these two blog posts: 

http://beckypovich.blogspot.com/2012_02_18_archive.html

http://beckypovich.blogspot.com/2012_02_19_archive.html

This time along with the instantaneous, "memoir reminders," other thoughts came to mind.

I don't know if there is any kind of afterlife, but I remember being taught as a young child that when we got to Heaven, we would find out and understand all those unknown marvels; all those mysteries in life that I couldn't understand then....or now. 

As I sat and wondered about those countless prop planes I've seen and heard during the past year, a new thought came to me. IF there is a Heaven, and IF I get there someday, I don't need or want to know all those mysteries of the universe. All I want is to know everything about my parents. But I have some guidelines... (I don't dare refer to them as "rules" in Heaven!) I won't want to know everything right away. No, I want to be able to talk with them individually and hear in their own words why they made the decisions they made, all through their lives. 

Why? Because I never asked the difficult questions when I had the chance....after my parents' divorce.The ones I did attempt to ask my mother were usually shot down with, "Oh, I don't remember about that." -or- "I don't want to talk about that." 

And when I was in my dad's presence, rare as it was, I never had the guts to ask those persistent questions that haunted me for so many years, and still do at times.

If you have the time and opportunity to ask your parents, or any other relatives or friends, those important questions you need and want answers to, please do it while you still can. I wish I had.


“You can find something truly important in an ordinary minute.” 
― Mitch Albom, For One More Day


(Quote from my favorite Mitch Albom book)

* Library Books, a Comic Strip, and a Tomato *

Because of my participation in yesterday's Top Ten Tuesdays, I just had to visit my local library today and check out one of Maeve Binchy's books that I haven't already read. I chose A Week in Winter, which she completed shortly before her death last year.

While I was in the same area, I also picked up Buddy, How a Rooster Made Me a Family Man, by Brian McGrory. I've heard a lot about it and I'm pretty sure I'll like it. It also has an average of 4 Stars on Amazon out of 157 reviews.

I also picked up The Time Keeper, by Mitch Albom. I'm expecting to really like this, since his other books are just magical to me. 

For the first time in my life, I headed straight to the Large Print shelves and that's where I got these! I just can't read for any length of time (speaking of the time keeper...buh dum!) anymore, without my eyes getting so blurry, I can't see the words properly. And it happens shortly after I begin reading. SO, all three of these books are in Large Print. And I must say it's been a long time since I've seen any, and when they say Large, they mean LARGE! Especially Mitch Albom's book. It looks like Fun with Dick and Jane! Run Jane run. See Jane Run. ☺

~~~

This was in today's St. Louis Post-Dispatch and it made me laugh! The strip is called Rhymes With Orange, by Hilary B. Price

~~~

And, what does a tomato have to do with this particular blog post? Nothing, really. Something funny happened to me this morning that I thought I'd share. 

First I should provide a little back story. One of my newly met (3 months ago) friends here at the townhouses has a few HUGE tomato plants....and I do mean HUGE! They are way taller than I am! (and I don't want to hear any jokes about how that's not very tall!) I'll have to take a picture of them sometime. I wish I would've thought of it today. Anyway....She gave me a few freshly picked, ripe off the vine tomatoes and they are yummy! 

One of the larger ones had been cut and the rest of it was in the refrigerator. I burnt the corner of my mouth this morning....after I made french toast...and I didn't want to stick an ice cube on my lips....because it would've gotten stuck to my lips! So, I grabbed that half of tomato and it was the perfect cold temperature! So, next time you have a small burn, don't grab for ice or butter or aloe....open that frig and grab a tomato!!

*Welcome to my newest followers, Laura at I'm So Vintage and Molly at Molly the Wally. I hope you'll stop by often and always enjoy what you read and see! * 

"It's not a hampster, Mark. It's a HAMPSter!" -- The Ronald

(to be explained some other time!)

Top Ten Tuesday

This is my first time to join in the fun of Top Ten Tuesday, a weekly feature hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week we're asked to list ten favorite books featuring a setting of our choice. I choose IRELAND! 

In no particular order, here are 10 of my favorites:

1) Light a Penny Candle
2) Circle of Friends
3) The Copper Beech
4) Evening Class
5) Quentins
6) Tara Road
7) The Glass Lake
8) Scarlet Feather
9) Silver Wedding
10) Firefly Summer

All were written by the marvelous, Maeve Binchy, who passed away last year. We are so fortunate she became a writer, quite by accident! Click on the link above to learn more.  

If you've never read any of Ms. Binchy's novels, here's what you can expect:

*Getting involved in the characters' lives immediately.

*Devouring page after page until you can't see anything but blurry words and must stop reading for a while.

*Wishing you could crawl into a window seat, relax, read all day and night, and have someone bring you food and drink.


Visit The Broke and the Bookish for more Top Ten Tuesday posts, and to add your favorites, too. Just include the link to that particular post, not your entire blog link. 


Join in & happy reading!

* NOSTALGIC SUNDAY *

It's Time for Another Nostalgic Sunday

It's another busy weekend at home. I'm still going through a ton of boxes, baskets, and stacks of writerly/office kind of stuff. So much paper! Before we moved, I know I went through some of the very same boxes and baskets and got rid of a lot. Now that I'm trying to make everything "fit" into the guest room/home office, I'm throwing out even more. Thank goodness I recycle!

What does that have to do with nostalgia? Some old photos are included in some of those boxes. I finally told myself I will never get this room finished if I stop and look at every one. So I skim through them and toss them all into one big box. There will be time for them later.

~~~

More instances of nostalgia.

These S&P shakers belonged to my paternal grandma. She had quite a large collection by the time she passed away many years ago. She allowed us granddaughters and other relatives to choose some at the last reunion we had in 1986. (Because of that, I began to start my own collection. I think I have about 10 or 15 pair. Nothing like my grandma had! They really are great to collect, too, because they're usually very inexpensive and don't take up a lot of space.) One of my cousins recently moved across the country and downsized considerably. She generously asked if I'd like to have the pair above of Nipper, the RCA dog and I said SURE!

Remember Nipper? I mentioned him in a blog I wrote about Vern on 10/15/2011. http://beckypovich.blogspot.com/search?q=RCA&max-results=20&by-date=true

Most of you know how much I love tea cups and tea pots. These are adorable S&P shakers! I received them yesterday from a very good and OLD friend of mine...(since grade school!) She gave them to me as a house warming gift. Wasn't that sweet? I just love them! 

And as I'm decluttering this room today, I'm also listening to the Oldies radio station. Ahhhh....memories...nostalgia...

I have other things to share but I'll wait until the next Nostalgic Sunday.

~~~

** Monday, August 12th: I've been playing around with my blog template, background, etc. After spending way too much time on it, I've "kind of" decided this ampersand one is okay...at least for now. I would like to know others' opinions. Honest ones! You can leave them in the comment section or e-mail me. (the address is on my profile page)

WRITER'S BLOCK PROBLEM SOLVED!

I discovered why I had such debilitating writer's block! I was trying to write a story for the wrong book. Yeah, me! Can you imagine? No wonder I couldn't come up with the right words. 

My story would've fit quite nicely in the "Chicken Soup for the Soul: Messages from Heaven," but not in "Miracles Happen." That deadline and publication date swooshed by ages ago, so I have no idea why or how I got the two mixed up.

~~~

Along with that discovery came another light-bulb-moment. In this case, the wrong book isn't just about anthologies. What I really want to do is to continue on with the sequel to my memoir! 

~~~

So in a winding, cosmic kind of way, I've gotten back onto the right path. I should know better. In fact, I do, but I have a tendency to believe I should also be submitting stories to contests, anthologies, and magazines. That is just putting way too much pressure on myself. Sometimes it takes the proverbial whack on the head to wake me up. And I can honestly say, "I have been awakened!" The sequel is my only priority. 

Thank you again to all the kind souls who took the time to offer advise and suggestions about my writer's block. 

~~~

* A side note: I received an e-mail from my contact at the literary agency. She said I... "will hear back in the next several weeks, depending on the schedule of those in the office." I'm grateful for that because although I don't know how many is considered "several," I do know I can relax, put it out of my mind for a month or more, and continue on. 

~~~

My quote for this evening is one I saw at my chiropractor's office last week. I liked it so much, I jotted it down because I knew I'd never remember it by the time I got home!



"I think of life as a good book. The further you get into it, the more it begins to make sense." -- Harold Kushner

* I'M DRIVING MYSELF NUTS *

I'm driving myself nuts. And yes, I know it's a short trip... Buh dum, dum.

Google source

It happens fairly often, and this particular case of nuttiness has been brought on by.....what else? Writer's block. 

Google source 

I've been attempting to write a story to submit to Chicken Soup for the Soul, for the upcoming anthology, "Miracles Happen." 

Google source

I have a story that is perfect for this book. I'm not trying to make myself write it. I really do want to write it, submit it, and I hope it gets accepted. The deadline is August 15th: that's NINE days from now. 

And the biggest part of the "driving myself nuts" has to do with the magnificent Oscar Wilde quote below. It has taken me DAYS to write the first paragraph - three sentences. Only I wasn't arguing with myself over a comma. I was trying to figure out what the word was that I'd been searching for, and as I scanned through various thesauruses, a word finally stood out. Ahhh, victory! At least for today. I now have 79 words (the first paragraph). 

I'd love to get some suggestions from other writers. What do you do for writer's block that usually works? Or what doesn't. I could use some laughs! 



"This morning I took out a comma and this afternoon I put it back again." -- Oscar Wilde

Thoughts on a Monday

Source: Dave's Words of Wisdom 

* WORDS ON WALLS - PART TWO *

Yesterday evening, about 3/4 of the blog post I'd written, disappeared after I received three comments. http://beckypovich.blogspot.com/2013/08/what-happened-to-my-words-on-walls.html  I'm also pretty sure that those wonderful women who left the comments, didn't even read the entire post, just what was there after the mishap.  

If it hasn't happened to you before, let me tell you it was one weird feeling. But hey, look how my week began http://beckypovich.blogspot.com/2013/07/vern-bbg-grill-hazel-roseanne.html

So, I hope to remember the gist of my story and retell it here.

*To All Women*: 

Do you live with a husband, or boyfriend, or significant-other, or male roommate? Do they ever replace the toilet paper roll when the previous one is empty? If so, then I think you are very fortunate women. Or maybe you have "trained" them properly! For the past 30 years I can guarantee that The Ronald has never replaced one single roll. Not one. I don't know about you, but it just makes me nuts to see a brand new roll leaning against the wall, on top of the empty cardboard tube. But, it's one of those things I've learned to "live with." 

You know, Choose Your Battles. So, I came up with what I think would be a cute and witty idea. I'd love to have these words posted on the bathroom wall:

"Replacing the toilet paper roll will earn you extra special benefits." 

But I know it wouldn't really do any good, because:

1) The Ronald would most likely never even notice it.

2) If he did notice it, he'd either chuckle or groan, and go on never replacing it. 

But, I'd get a kick out of it and I'm pretty sure so would anyone else who actually read it. That's good enough for me!

~~~~~

That's all I can remember, other than my "welcome" and the quote below.

*Welcome to my newest followers, From a Writer's Kitchen and Mark Kooopmans. I hope you'll stop by often and always enjoy what you read and see! * 

"All men make mistakes, but married men find out about them sooner." -- Red Skelton

What Happened to My Words on Walls???

I have no idea what happened to my recent post! I posted it around 7:30pm, and I had comments from Val, mybabyjohn/Delores, and From the Kitchen!...I saw them on my Blackberry!! I just came upstairs to do some work on my laptop....and Hocus Pocus...it's gone!!

Has anyone had that happen?!?! 

I'm going to see if I can retrieve it from my Blackberry and somehow get it back on here, because the below words are all that was left..... L

*To All Women*: Do you live with a husband, or boyfriend, or significant-other, or male roommate? Do they *ever *replace the toilet paper roll when the previous one is empty? If so, then I think you are very fortunate women. Or maybe you have "trained" them properly! For the past *30* *years*, I can guarantee that The Ronald has *never *replaced one single roll. Not one. I don't know about you, but it just makes me nuts to see a brand new roll leaning against the wall, on top of the empty cardboard tube. But, it's one of those things I've learned to "live with." It's one of those... more »

* Saturday, August 3, 6:20am *
I'm going to attempt to rewrite what got lost.This may take a while....