Small Business Saturday

Shop Small ~ Shop Local

I just realized that tomorrow is Small Business Saturday, by reading Roots Antiques newest post, located in my Other Favorite Blogs list. Ever since I "discovered" this darling little shop, (by seeing a sign on the side of a business van on Hwy 40 near the St. Louis Zoo!) I've been wanting to actually see it in person. I've only read the blog posts, and e-mailed back and forth with the fantastic women who own it. And, so... I just made the decision that tomorrow is the day to make the trip: It's in a part of southwest St. Louis that I just love: Maplewood - Webster Groves - Kirkwood. 

I hope to find some goodies to bring home, but if not, I'm sure I'll find a great place to stop and have lunch! ☺

"Christmas gift suggestions: 
To your enemy, forgiveness. 
To an opponent, tolerance. 
To a friend, your heart. 
To a customer, service. 
To all, charity. 
To every child, a good example. 
To yourself, respect." - Oren Arnold, author 

* NOSTALGIC SUNDAY *

It's Time Again for Another Nostalgic Sunday

My mind has been racing around in figure-eights and zig-zags, and miles way up high, and then swirling, floating down below with thoughts as many and as unique as the miracle of snowflakes. 

And because of all that, it's been almost impossible to choose which memories I want to include in today's Nostalgic Sunday post. So, I've decided to post random snippets of my memoir.

.....Some of my best memories are the times Dad and I watched TV together. It was more than just sitting, side by side, on our scratchy couch.(What was that material?)

I loved watching him as he watched TV. It was a show all by itself, an interactive one, and I was mesmerized every time...........

Dad would be so busy trying to watch TV while peering over his newspaper and holding his cigarette that he’d be lost to the world. It was as if he were daydreaming. Trying to get his attention during those times was next to impossible. I would watch the long ash of his cigarette hanging on for dear life, slowly bending down farther and farther, until it was the size of a gray wooly worm. Not being able to stand it a second longer, I’d finally yell, “Dad! Your ashes are falling!” I’d usually grab the ashtray and catch them just in the nick of time. He’d nonchalantly glance my way, as if he’d forgotten I was even there. He’d let out a chuckle and thank me for being so watchful. Afterwards, he’d go back to doing it all over again.

~~~

.......“Do you know what this note says?” she asked.

I already knew it wasn’t something good from her face and her tone. “No, ma’am.”

“Miss Mary Ann says you cheated during the times table test today! Rebecca Anne, is that right? Did you cheat?”

 Oh my gosh. I know I’m in big trouble when I’m called Rebecca!

“Uh…well, I uh—”

“I can’t believe this! You know better than to do something like this. You know it’s wrong to cheat. And it’s a sin!”

There it was—the dreaded guilt of sin being laid on me. I’d never seen my mother so upset, about anyone or anything, and here she was angry with me. I guess I was going to go to Hell. Attending a Catholic school Monday through Friday and Mass every Sunday, I knew all about Heaven and Hell and sins. But what I did should only be a venial sin, shouldn’t it? Not the horrible, mortal kind.I started to explain about the paper hanging out of someone’s desk, and how I thought I could do something like that.......

~~~

I hope y'all enjoyed reading those little tidbits of my young life! What else might have happened when I watched TV? What punishment did I receive for my gosh, I'm gullible sin?

*Welcome to my newest follower, Living a Dream. I hope you'll stop by often and always enjoy what you read and see! Thank you so much! *

"Back on its golden hinges, the gate of memory swings. And my heart goes into the garden and walks with the olden things." --  Ella Wheeler Wilcox

* Live from Missouri...It's Saturday Night *

Hello All ~  I had another busy, exhausting day, but all in a good way. Tomorrow, I will be posting a new Nostalgic Sunday, so please stop back sometime on or after November 24th.

P.S. I just found out today from a fellow writer that my memoir is also on the Barnes & Noble website! (Thank you, C.R.) I was shocked because I thought that by self-publishing, and especially with an Amazon company, they would not accept my book. Things have definitely changed over the past couple of years.

This is part of a vintage-looking, 3-D wall plaque from my office. I've had it for quite a few years and I just love it. I don't remember where I purchased it.....but probably Home Goods or Hobby Lobby. I'm thinking about having it as part of the header on my website. It did have a photo of a wooden desktop and cup of coffee, but I removed it, with the intention of having something unique to me. 

"A room without books is like a body without a soul." -- Gilbert K. Chesterton

Random Thoughts - Now It's Friday?

Okay, this week just disappeared, and I'm pretty sure the same will happen to the weekend.

After thinking about the "next part of the story" that goes with the Windy Day Downtown, I don't even remember what else I was going to post about it. Oh well. As Annie Hall always said, "La-di-da la-di-da."

I find it strange how my "Follower numbers" fluctuate from time to time, and especially when it happens so fast. Just the other day, the number had reached 368. Then in a couple of days, 367. I logged on this evening to see that it's now 366.  (I wonder if some people are ticked off at me? If so, I honestly have no idea why.

I'll post something as soon as I can. I'm thinking it might be a Nostalgic Sunday one. I haven't done one in quite a while and have some ideas....We'll see....La-di-da....la-di-da....

Have a wonderful, blissful, and safe weekend everyone!

"A true friend is someone who thinks that you are a good egg even though he knows that you are slightly cracked." -- Bernard Meltzer

It's Wednesday Already??

At the end of Monday's post, I said "To be continued......tomorrow!"

Hmmm, seems like I've lost a day......Has anyone found one?

** Thursday, Nov 21st ~~ Update: Hopefully, I'll be able to post something else tomorrow. Today and tonight is busy, busy! **



"Everyone has a photographic memory. Some just don't have film." -- Steven Wright


(P.S. Vern is snoozing away to Christmas music again. Right now it's Michael Buble singing "Silent Night.")

* It Could Only Happen To Me *

One of the chapters in my memoir is titled, "I Was Born with Klutz Genes," where I relate stories of my various trips and falls, stumbles and sprawls, missteps and spills.

This morning a goofy, klutzy thing happened to me. The Ronald drove me to downtown St. Louis so I could drop off copies of my memoir along with press releases, at a couple of places. There was a curb right at the radio station's front door, so it was easy to grab my purse and brief case and walk right in.

Not so easy at the next stop. Of course not. There wasn't anywhere to park, so about a block away from the building, The Ronald just kind of pulled over and stopped. The plan again, was for me to jump out of the car, so he could drive off, but as we know, plans don't always go the way they are ....well....planned!

As I stepped out of the car, my right hand held onto my briefcase, and my lightweight suit jacket was thrown over the crook of my left arm. AND, as I reached down to get my purse from the floorboard, my foot had already gotten tangled up with the purse handle, and I almost fell. The wind was blowing like crazy and as I stumbled, somehow I dropped my jacket onto the street, and the wind blew it right under The Ronald's car! In split seconds, I thought....Well, there goes that jacket. Good thing it was a "cheapie." I kept looking on the street in front of the car, because surely it should've been blown that far, but no....nothing. I peaked under the car and didn't see anything there, either. Finally I told The Ronald to back up slightly, and there it lay....right in a little "oil puddle." I grabbed it, threw it back over my arm, snatched my purse from the floor, and practically skidded across the sidewalk, as the wind blew me along.

To be continued......tomorrow!



* Welcome to my newest follower Brenda, @ It's A Beautiful Life. I hope you'll stop by often and always enjoy what you read and see! Thank you so much! *

** Winner of Memoir **

It's already Saturday and I forgot to announce the winner of my memoir.....Drum roll please....

It's Susan Flett Swiderski, of the fabulously named blog: I Think; Therefore, I Yam. 

Thanks to everyone who left a comment! It's so wonderful to have friends share my excitement. 

* Welcome to my newest follower River. I hope you'll stop by often and always enjoy what you read and see! Thank you so much! *

And As most of you know, I end each post with a funny and/or inspirational quote. My wonderful new follower, River, has the one below at the top of her blog, so I just had to borrow it! (I hope you don't mind, River!)

"Sometimes on the way to your dream, you get lost and find a better one." -- Lisa Hammond

* My Beloved Pal, Vern -- Always at My Side *

I posted this photo on Oct 19th but I just had to do it again today. With all the time I'm spending clicking away on my laptop, Vern and I are spending lots of time in this spare bedroom/office and I love it. The daybed is almost directly parallel to the top of my desk (tiny kitchen table, actually!) It's so much easier for us to see each other, and allows Vern to keep a watch out the window, too! This is in the front of our townhouse. He sees all. He knows all. ☺

Since my post last month, I've discovered something very interesting about Mr.Vern. He loves Christmas music! Especially oldies like the songs included in The Time Life Treasury of Christmas. I log into Pandora, make my music selection, and voila', Vern is off to slumber land!  

Source: Amazon

And just why am I listening to Christmas music before Thanksgiving?? It goes all the way back to high school. In October, at the first sign of really cold, wintry weather, one of my girl friend's and I would grab a couple of our Christmas LPs and start listening to them. I've been doing it ever since then, although I normally get aggravated at all the stores for having Christmas decorations out so early. But, this year I'm enjoying it! I'm embracing it! What can I say? Yes, I know. I'm an enigma. That's what The Ronald says all the time! 

Have a beautiful, blissful day!

"No matter how little money and how few possessions you own, having a dog makes you rich." -- Louis Sabin

*Memoir Now Available on Amazon & My Website *

My memoir (paperback) is now available to purchase on Amazon.com. (Still waiting for Kindle version. My apologies.)

Also, my website can now accept orders being paid by Pay Pal, plus I will also take personal checks. Just e-mail me: Beckypovich (at) g mail (dot) com.

Each of the above links will take you directly where you want to go. 

** My sincere thanks to everyone who has supported and encouraged me along the way. **

* Welcome to my newest follower Laurie Ritchey. I hope you'll stop by often and always enjoy what you read and see! Thank you so much!*

"Rules for Happiness: something to do, someone to love, something to hope for." -- Immanuel Kant

* Wow ~ I'm on Erma Bombeck's site *

Pigtails to chin hairs  (My memoir is mentioned)

I'm on Erma Bombeck's Writer's Workshop website! :)

~~~

(All of the below was added after the first three comments. I realized I needed to add more information.)

P.S. I received my first box of books today! 

photo taken with my cell phone (not very good!)

And, no, I didn't have The Ronald take any pictures of ME, because I'd already had huge excitement just when my first proof arrived! ☺

1) I'm not sure when I'll have the PayPal available, so if anyone wants to pay by check or would prefer paying that way, anyway, just send an e-mail to: beckypovich (at) G mail (dot) com

*Update*November 13* 

Books are now available at my website and at Amazon. 

Click on either link and it will take you directly there. 

Thank you in advance!

1) And if purchasing directly from Amazon is preferred, I can always mail a signed bookplate. (if wanted)

~~~

"There are powers inside of you which, if you could discover and use, would make of you everything you ever dreamed or imagined you could become." 

"Joyfulness keeps the heart and face young. A good laugh makes us better friends with ourselves and everybody around us." 

both quotes by: Orison Swett Marden

(I just discovered another new favorite inspirational author!)

"From Pigtails to Chin Hairs" -- COVER REVEAL

No, you didn't misread that. Yes, it's unbelievable, but today is the day I can reveal the cover of my memoir, From Pigtails to Chin Hairs: A Memoir & More.

* Update 11/11: The paperback edition is now available on Amazon, with the Kindle version coming asap.*

~~~

** Synopsis **

         In "From Pigtails to Chin Hairs: A Memoir & More," Becky Lewellen Povich takes us from her young Midwestern childhood in the 1950s to present day. Chapters are vignettes of everyday happenings, or unexpected events, written in the way only Becky can, with humor and poignancy woven into them. It begins with her years of summertime fun, Christmases, the neighborhood kids, classmates, trips to the dentist, and long car rides to visit grandparents in Iowa.

         She willingly shares the bittersweet times which include her parents' divorce, major disappointments, preteen and teenage angst, a whack on her head from a falling crowbar, and her ill-fated first marriage, spent mostly in Germany. She also comically writes about her happy second marriage, cell phones, dishwashers, and how she was born with a klutz gene.

         Becky is an award winning author with publications in Chicken Soup for the Soul books and other anthologies such as, Thin Threads, Not Your Mother's Book On…, and Patchwork Path; plus newspapers and small magazines. 

~~~

 *A few chapter titles to entice you *

Paradise on Preston Lane

Multiplication Made Easy

Piggy Back Toes & Coffee Can Spittoons 

Lost on a Continental Trailways Bus

That Crowbar Changed Everything

The Tupperware Queen of Tacoma, Washington

Why Do I Say These Things?

Keep Those Tweezers Handy

~~~

I'll have a PayPal widget on my website ASAP if anyone would like to order directly from me (for a signed book, maybe.) I'll have some bookplates, too, that I can mail. I will also accept checks, of course!

I think words like dreaming and surreal may be a bit overused these days, so I'll attempt to come up with different ones to describe my feelings about finally reaching this point in my writing life. How about: flabbergasted? dazed? astounded? dumbfounded? Yes, I believe those are good ones.

A few friends have already offered to mention my memoir on their blogs and to them I say, Thank you so much. I've been reading about and preparing my marketing and promotion for years (and I do mean years). I think I've mentioned before, it can be somewhat overwhelming, but it's a really good way of being overwhelmed!

In honor of being able to reveal the cover, I'm having a give-away for a print copy, and everyone is eligible. I'm not restricting it to just the US and Canada this time. * In my excitement, I forgot to post a deadline for the give-away. I'll make it this Thursday, Nov 14th.*

The Rules Are:

1) You must be a follower

2) Leave a comment

  That's all! 

As usual, I'm ending this post with a quote. This one in particular spoke to me.

"Keep your dreams alive. Understand to achieve anything requires faith and belief in yourself, vision, hard work, determination, and dedication. Remember all things are possible for those who believe." - Gail Devers

* Patience, Impatience, and Aggravation *

Have I mentioned anything lately about patience? Over the years, and especially these past 10+ years since I've been writing, I've had to learn to be patient. And I've become quite good at it regarding most things, especially the really important things in life. (Is that a typical part of our emotional growth? Or is it something we have to learn, focus on, develop? I cannot say.)

BUT, when it comes to certain small, insignificant happenings.....like driving across town and back again, searching for the correct coffeemaker filters....and both stores that usually have a ton of boxes stacked on the shelves...have big empty spaces instead.....And, I'd waited until the last minute, as in... we had no more filters, so I was aggravated at myself and aggravated that the stores were out of them.

(I must explain: the coffeemaker is a Bunn, and not every store carries their filters, at least not around here.They really are a bit taller in height than other ones, and I just like them best.)

SO, I impatiently grabbed a generic package of filters, tossed it into my cart with my other five or six items, paid for them and drove home. Not until I opened the package did I realize what I'd bought ----- filters for a 4-cup maker, not 10-cups!

See illustration below:

Ahhh, impatience! Look what you did!

It actually worked and didn't overflow, which I can't imagine why! But, right after making that one pot of coffee, I got online and ordered two packages! I'll be almost as happy to see that box arrive as my box of.....books. NOT!

How about you? Patient or Impatient? Always been that way?

~~~~~

* Welcome to my two newest followers: Karen Walker and Tammy. I hope you'll stop by often and always enjoy what you read and see! Thank you so much!*

“Why is patience so important?"
"Because it makes us pay attention.” 
― Paulo Coelho

“I am extraordinarily patient, provided I get my own way in the end.” 
― Margaret Thatcher

“Waiting and hoping is a hard thing to do when you've already been waiting and hoping for almost as long as you can bear it.” 
― Jenny Nimmo, Charlie Bone and the Time Twister

“Knowing trees, I understand the meaning of patience. Knowing grass, I can appreciate persistence.” 
― Hal Borland