** Talkin' About My Book & Changin' My Music"

Tonight I decided I'd like to share some tidbits about my book, beginning again with the title, for those of you that are new to my blog. It's part memoir and part current thoughts & observations.
The title is: That Crowbar Changed Everything!

(Yes, I did, indeed, have an "episode" involving a crowbar that may have altered the course of my life.)

Here are just a few chapter names:

Year of the Grasshopper Plague
Armpit of the USA
I Was NOT a Hippie!
He Called Me "The Tank"
Riding the Rails Alone
My Very Own Mayberry
Frostbite From a Turkey Neck


I also plan to include some old B/W photos from my childhood.

And I plan to include some of my mother's favorite sayings. You've seen those before referred to as: "Momisms". But, since my mother's name was Ruby, mine will be called "Rubyisms".

Just writing about it and posting it on my blog, makes me happier & more excited about working away at it!

** I also decided it was time to change the old Play List again. I needed some lively, rockin' songs! **

"We all have our 'good old days' tucked away inside our hearts, and we return to them in daydreams like cats to favorite armchairs." -- Brian Carter

** My Beloved Canine Companion **

I can't believe I was able to snap a picture of Tiger, sleeping like this! And, with my cell phone camera! I had to sneak up very close to take it. Neither the sound or the bright flash woke her up! Doesn't she look adorable???    ** I forgot to mention that I particularly wanted a picture of this, because her tongue is sticking out a little bit! I wonder why? Maybe she was giving me "the raspberries"! **

** It's a Tea Cup Tuesday **

I'm joining Martha's Favorites Tea Cup Tuesday, via Susan at Writing Straight from the Heart. I hope I'm doing all this correctly!

A couple of weekends ago, when my friends Sherry and Rita and I went on a Girls Weekend Getaway, we stopped at a couple of antique shops and flea markets. I searched  immense areas to find some pretty tea cup and saucer sets that were priced "just right"! This is one of my precious "finds"!

This is a demitasse size set and I just fell in love with it because of it's size and color of flowers, but also because of the fluted edges on the rim of the cup. Kind of petal-like, I think! 

The top of the cup measures about 2 inches, and the plate about 4 inches.

I forgot to take pictures of the bottoms, but it just says: Hand Painted. Made in Japan.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you like my tea cup set!

* Another Crazy Day in Paradise (?) *

The question mark in the title is because Monday had been a somewhat aggravating and somewhat pleasant day. And, it's really a carry-over from the weekend. Hey, I just had that perfect day last Wednesday, so what more can I really expect or hope for? Sometimes, it's those minor irritations, that when they keep repeating themselves (or his-self..) that a person just wants to shut her-self in her office and play on her blog all day! (What was the most pleasant part of my day, you may ask?...Hearing my beautiful chimes tinkling, and being with Tiger....and my son, Scott....or, and my son, Mark, stopped by for a couple of minutes...and..and....Well, I guess it was a pretty good day after all.) ☺

Okay...here's some "THIS 'N THAT" stuff.

My friend, The Turtle Lady has a page on facebook. She offers daily tips on "relaxing, breathing, generally keeping your cool"...AND because I read her tips, talk to her in person and on the phone sometimes (yes, I did say "my friend"!)...I manage to not blow my top, when I might think  I'd really like to! Please go visit The Turtle Lady and tell her that "Becky" sent ya!

I just found this writer, Kelly O'Connor McNees. She is highlighted on Judith Ryan Hendricks' blog, which is called The Kitchen Table. Click on the link to learn more about Kelly. She helped me discover another writer I wasn't familiar with: Laurie Colvin. I plan on adding both Kelly and Laurie to my list of authors whose books I want to read! That list just keeps on growing!


* Oh, I wanted to mention that whenever I write about any person, or any "product" I am NOT receiving any kind of compensation, whatsoever, from any person or place. I just like to share information about some of my favorite people and things!*

Since it's almost 1:00 am on Tuesday morning, I think I'll just say, Ta - Ta!

"Some days are diamonds, some days are stones." ♪♫♪ -- John Denver

** Mysterious Minds Work in Mysterious Ways **

(photo courtesy ehow.com)

My mind works in mysterious ways. For the past couple of months, I've thought about how great it would be to make my own custom DVD of just certain scenes from my favorite movies. There would be a great variety, too.....comedies, dramas, musicals, love stories.

Two scenes come immediately to my mind:

1) The movie: The Odd Couple (1968).
     The scene: Felix (Jack Lemmon) & Oscar (Walter Matthau) sitting in the restaurant. Felix's ears keep plugging up because of his sinuses, so he starts making outrageous, honking noises. I laugh myself silly every time I see it. As hilarious as Jack Lemmon is, the droll look on Walter Matthau's face also gets me. As he looks around the restaurant and makes eye contact with customers, his embarrassent is priceless!

2)  The movie: The Sound of Music (1965)
      The scene: When Maria (Julie Andrews) walks down the long aisle in church, wearing her beautiful wedding gown, with the long train, trailing behind her. The music playing is "How Do You Solve a  Problem Like Maria?"  Don't ask me why....It just used to make me cry every single time!

Okay, you get the picture! (Ha! Get it??...the picture?)
What would be some of the movie scenes you'd like to have on your DVD?


"Stupid is as stupid does." -- Forrest Gump

** This 'n That on a Friday Afternoon **

I've decided it's redundant to start any of my blog posts by saying things like, "I've had a couple of really busy days lately", because that's pretty much how it always is!

Here's my "This 'n That" for today.

First: I've been trying to avoid reading all my blog buddies' blogs, since I'm working on my book so much more now, but I decided that I need that connection! I need to leave comments and let my friends know I'm thinking of them. And I need them to do the same for me! I was kind of "blah" yesterday, and couldn't really put my finger on why....although there were a couple of things I was aware of.....but this morning, I knew it was about my blog friends! Thank you all for being who you are. You're all wonderful people, or else I wouldn't like you!  ☺

Second: Somehow, somewhere, I recently came across a fantastic site for writers. It is jam packed with "Open Submissions" and a lot of it is for Christian writers, which I know some of you are. There are also other genres, too. When you're there, be sure to click on "Home" and "Submission Deadlines".  You'll be amazed at the variety and quantity.

Third:  Patchwork Path Books has a Call Out for "Mom" stories. Deadline June 30 and is a paying anthology. Click on link to learn more.

Fourth:  For any teachers, scrapbookers, moms, etc. who like fun, educational toys, school supplies, stickers, etc....you can find it all at Best Teacher Supply in O'Fallon, Missouri. Since this store isn't very far from my home, I was fortunate enough to visit it and go "Ga-Ga". (and I don't mean that strange girl singer!) I discovered the store has been there for YEARS and somehow it hasn't been very well known, ....at least by us "general public" kind of people! I found it by Googling award certificates that I needed to purchase for the Saturday Writers 3rd & 4th Grade Writers Contest. (Remember the 42 million certificates I had to write on?? Well, that's where I got them. The certificates were very good quality, the customer service was excellent....all in all a great store!

Fifth: Wednesday was an absolutely perfect day! Perfect weather, perfect driving conditions, and I had perfectly wonderful visits with two perfectly wonderful people! (My apologies. I just couldn't think of any better word than "perfect"!) My first stop was at Parks College of Engineering, Aviation & Technology.....part of St. Louis University, in St. Louis. I stopped by to visit Susan B. and pick up some photos of my dad she had borrowed last year. (If you're new to my blog, and would like to know more about this, go to my 2009 blogs: Parks College, Part of SLU 4/8/09, Update on Parks & NASA 4/29/09, Sentimental Journey 9/26/09)

After our visit, I drove to University City (right next to St. Louis) to have dinner with my son, Mark. I got there a little early, so I sat outside the Bread Co. which is near his apartment building. I drank iced tea, watched the people and cars go by, wrote a few notes, checked my e-mail and blogged a little on my Blackberry! He and I went to the Pasta House for dinner...one of his favorite places. That poor guy ate like he hadn't eaten in days! He said he's been living on PBJ's, Cheezits and frozen pizzas, which didn't surprise me one bit! We had a great time talking about a variety of things. Next stop: a shoe store where I bought him a pair of flip-flops and a pair of Sketchers. (He could practically pull his shoe apart, by the huge tear in it!) Final stop: grocery store and only bought enough items to use the Self Check Out!
See? Didn't I tell ya it was a perfect day??!!

Sixth: The Weather Channel is predicting quite a wacky weekend for a large part of the Midwest, my area included. I hope they are all wrong, because I certainly do not want to climb out of my basement and say to my beloved dog,....."Tiger, I don't think we're in Missouri anymore." If I do have to run downstairs, I'm taking my laptop, some Diet Pepsi and Tiger! And, if Ron, my hubby, is home...I'll have to drag him down with us, because he doesn't seem to believe in Tornado Warnings!

Guess that's it for now! I hope I haven't bored y'all to death. If you started to nod off, though, I'm sure you just went on to a different blog.....that's what I would do!!  (Even after all this, I feel as if I've forgotten something I wanted to "say"....Oh well....I can always add it later!)

"Life is full of beauty. Notice it. Notice the bumble bee, the small child, and the smiling faces. Smell the rain, and feel the wind. Live your life to the fullest potential, and fight for your dreams." -- Ashley Smith

*footnote: But not too much wind, please!*

** Bliss = Spiritual Joy **

Sometimes it takes a while for things to sink in, ya know?! In my previous post, I went on and on about the "Twilight Zone" moments I've been having. Daisy left a comment and referred to them as "cosmic encouragement", which is a fabulous name, don't ya think?! Thank you, Daisy! So, after reading her words, it hit me! I'm FOLLOWING MY BLISS AND THINGS ARE HAPPENING TO (AND FOR) ME!

(image courtesy: zazzle.com)

Duh! I even put that at the top of my blog: Writer-Humorist-Bliss Follower.

What can I say? Sometimes I wonder about that crowbar incident. You'll have to read my book to find out what that means!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

* I posted the following poem on April 21st, but I think it's well worth posting again. Have a wonderful, blissful day, everyone! *

"Follow Your Bliss.

If you do follow your bliss,

you put yourself on a kind of track

that has been there all the while waiting for you,

and the life you ought to be living

is the one you are living.

When you can see that,

you begin to meet people

who are in the field of your bliss,

and they open the doors to you.

I say, follow your bliss and don't be afraid,

and doors will open

where you didn't know they were going to be.

If you follow your bliss,

doors will open for you that wouldn't have opened for anyone else."

-- Joseph Campbell

* ♫♪ Pieces of April ♫♪ *

In honor of tonight's post, I have one song on my Play List: Pieces of April, by Three Dog Night. I really loved this band when I was in high school. (yeah, I'm pretty darn old!) It's kind of a departure from their more rock 'n roll songs, which I also love. Hope you enjoy listening to it!

Ron and I went to Barnes & Noble this past weekend. We hadn't been there in quite some time, so it was great to be back "home"! I headed straight to the Really Great Bargain Table near the customer service desk. I spotted one of the signs I love to see: 75% Off, Already Marked Down Price. Oh yeah! There wasn't much left, mostly children's Easter books, & some odds and ends. I've learned to not judge a book by its cover, and also don't give up on a bargain table too quickly! I proudly skipped up to the check-out counter a while later with four novels in my little green basket and my total bill was $5.05  Oh Happy Day!!

Those of you who've been reading my blog for some time, know that I like to use "The Twilight Zone" term when those ESP-like, strange, weird, psychic kind of things happen to me...... WELL, in just the past 24 Hours, I've been getting so many of those Twilight Zone signals, that it's amazing, fascinating, and surreal. And it surrounds me with a feeling of Yes, I couldn't be more sure that now is the time to write this book.

Example One: Last night I was upstaris in my office, writing a chapter about my dad, when I went downstairs to get a drink. Ron was watching TV and before I even saw the screen, I knew what he was watching, just by hearing some of the dialogue. It was the movie: "Max Dugan Returns", which I wrote about in a Chicken Soup for the Soul story, that was about my dad and me. (I hadn't seen that movie in years!) *OMG*

Example Two: This morning, I got an e-mail from Amazon stating that a new CD is coming out next month by Bing Crosby. (Yes, I bought his Christmas CD! It is the "Soundtrack of My Christmas". And the song, "I'll Be Home for Christmas" is also mentioned in my Chicken Soup story about my dad and me.) The title of Der Bingle's "new" release mentions the year I was born. *OMG*

Example Three: I had a doctor appointment today (after I'd read the Amazon e-mail). I took one of  my newly purchased books along to read while sitting in the waiting room. Before I'd even gotten to page ten, I was shocked to read descriptions and phrases that are so similar to ones I've already written! *OMG*

Okay! I get it! I'm hearing it loud and clear! I was already motivated and excited about working on, and completing my book! But, these happenings have made me stop and do some deeper thinking, than I was already engaged in!

So, I'd like to ask.....What's your take on all this?? Can you come up with a better name for it other than "The Twilight Zone"??


"And by the way, everything in life is writable about if you have the outgoing guts to do it, and the imagination to improvise. The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt." ~Sylvia Plath