* NOSTALGIC SUNDAY *

It's Time for Another Nostalgic Sunday!

I don't think I mentioned I've been working a LOT of hours lately. I still love my new job, at Imogene's, and honestly enjoy being there, even though my "schedule" started out being two days a week, Tuesdays and Fridays. The word schedule is in parenthesis because I've actually never had a consistent schedule! But that's okay, too. (One of the words that describes me is Flexible! As long as I don't have any other mandatory activities, and I'm needed...I'm there for ya!) So, I worked this past Thursday, Friday and yesterday, mostly on the sales floor...so mostly on my feet...for our Spring Fling...and in between did some of my office work, too. The shop and tea room is closed on Sundays...thank goodness, so today I'm home recuperating. I go back again tomorrow, Tuesday, and Wednesday because one of the employees' last day is Wednesday and she has things to still go over with me...She is moving to Kansas City, and I'll be taking over some of her duties and I'll get my own office. 

So, what does that have to do with Nostalgic Sunday? Nothing, really! Except that because of my job, I attended a three-Saturdays-in-a-row QuickBooks class at our local community college....and that experience, my friends was the one and only college course I've ever taken! (If you've read my memoir, you are aware of the fact that I never was able to go to college, even though I desperately wanted to. And I dreamed about going someday....being a 40-year-old freshman, etc. But, as the quotes at the top of my blog reveal....sometimes, we become the person we never knew we could/should be!)

In honor of the occasion, my sweet husband surprised me with one of the college T-shirts. He said he thought it was something I should have. Now, that's why he's a "keeper" even when he thinks I say "polka dots" when I really say "tiny squares!"

Our Wedding Day - February 1983

 

Awww...so young...!



* TWO BOOKS I MUST PURCHASE! *

I just discovered recently that two of my favorite authors have been writing away, creating wonderful fictional stories about characters I already know and love! How fabulous is that?

(I thought I was already "Following" both of them on Amazon and would be notified about upcoming books and other news, but that hasn't happened.)

Anyway, here's what's happening:

1) Judith Ryan Hendricks' new book, Baker's Blues came out July 2015. It's the third book in her bakery trilogy, known as (The Bread Alone Series). I cannot wait to read this! I read the first two, Bread Alone, (2002) and The Baker's Apprentice, (2006). (In fact, I have both of them in hardcover, and I may have to skim through them again since it's been quite a few years since I read either.

Judi has been an amazing mentor and friend to me and I am sure that without her kindness and encouragement, I would've never completed and published my memoir. She wrote a wonderful book blurb for the back cover of my memoir, as well!

Also, here's the link to an interview with Judi on my blog from March 2010 http://beckypovich.blogspot.com/2010/03/much-anticipated-interview-with-judith.html
(Wow...SIX years ago)

"The smell of good bread baking, like the sound of lightly flowing water, is indescribable in its evocation of innocence and delight." --M.F.K. Fisher

~~~

2) Fannie Flagg also has a new book coming out later this year... November 1, 2016. The title is The Whole Town's Talking: A Novel. It's about those wacky citizens of small town Elmwood Springs, Missouri. I first met them in Welcome to the World, Baby Girl. Nobody writes like Fannie!

Side note: In my memoir, I write about a funny and embarrassing incident in Barnes & Noble that had to do with a Fannie Flagg book I wanted to buy! I emailed Fannie about it, hoping she'd reply and say she'd LOVE to read my book...but alas, that didn't happen. Oh well... Life goes on!

 

"The nice part about living in a small town; when you don't know what you're doing, someone else does." - Unknown

* * AND THE WINNER IS........* *

Hi Everyone! As promised, today is the day to announce the winner of the Barnes & Noble $10.00 gift card. I've decided to have giveaways much more often now because:

                                             1) I think they're fun!
                                             2) Hey, it's spring!
                                             3) To give is better than to receive!

Thanks to everyone who left comments on my March 10th post. Your names were all thrown into a hat, and voila'.....the winner is......

Linda O'Connell!

Linda, please let me know if you'd like to meet for coffee or lunch and get your card.



"The Bookshop has a thousand books,
All colors, hues, and tinges,
And every cover is a door
That turns on magic hinges."
- Nancy Byrd Turner

* HAVE YOU EVER SEEN THIS?! *

Ron and I enjoyed the lovely weather today, sitting on our patio. It was quite a bit cooler than yesterday, when we had a record high temp of 80+ degrees! But it was beautiful and I was comfy with a lightweight jacket.

 

I've always loved "sky-watching," being awed by clouds, jet contrails, birds in flight, sunrises, sunsets, the moon, and stars, etc. 

 

 

Looking almost straight up at one point, I spotted a section of a rainbow curving over the top of a huge cloud! I haven't searched for any information about this yet, but all I could think at the time was that cloud must have a lot of moisture inside it!

 

I honestly didn't think my little cell phone camera would capture it, but I'm thrilled that it did! (If you click on the photo, you can see a much larger view of it.)

 

Have you ever seen a rainbow like this?!

 

 

 

“Dare to love yourself as if you were a rainbow with gold at both ends.”  ― Aberjhani, Journey through the Power of the Rainbow: Quotations from a Life Made Out of Poetry    

* BARNES & NOBLE GIFT CARD GIVEAWAY *

Don't forget that tomorrow, Wednesday March 16, is the deadline to leave a comment on my blog post of March 10, in order to be in the drawing for the gift card.

 

Again, I know that a $10 card won't buy much of anything at B&N,

but at least it can help a little! It can be used in a store or online.

I'll announce the winner on Thursday, March 17.

 

 

~~~~

This is me laughing, and having a great time at B&N

soon after my memoir came out in November 2013.

 

~~~~

This is me looking drunk at B&N

soon after my memoir came out in November 2013.

(I have no idea what I was doing or talking about.

Probably just acting goofy!)

 

~~~~

 

 

* Note: My memoir can be purchased at BN.com, but they don't carry it in their stores.

If people ask for it, they'll say they can order it. That was so disappointing at first because when I worked there, I dreamed about seeing my memoir on their shelves. I imagined it being right next to Colin Powell in the biography/memoir area. J

 

 

"You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream." -- Les Brown

* HOW DOES MY BLOG LOOK NOW? *

It's been years since I  had columns on both sides of my blog, and I'm glad I thought to try it again because I like the way it looks. My only negative thought is that the middle part - the most important part where my New Posts are - is a bit narrow.

What are your thoughts?

 

Also, how do you see the lettering in the date header and the gadget header?

 

               They're supposed to be kind of "goofy." The font is 

                                             

Sometimes when I'm working on it, those headings are correct, but at other times they aren't. It's a bit aggravating!

 

 

*BLOG UNDER CONSTRUCTION. PLEASE EXCUSE THE MESS*

I'm playing around with the columns, etc....so will hopefully have this "fixed" to my liking soon!

* MY ERMA ENTRY....AND A GIFT CARD GIVEAWAY *

I've made the decision to post my entry for the Erma Bombeck 2016 Writing Competition here on my blog. Some of my writer pals have suggested they might save theirs for another contest, but after thinking it over, I didn't like the possibility of it being rejected...again!

 

(At the bottom, please keep scrolling and reading

 for some information about my entry, 

and also about a gift card giveaway)

 

 

Erma Bombeck

Husbands: Sometimes You Can’t Hardly Look at Them Without Snarling!

Boy, don’t I know it! What is it with men anyway? When it comes to listening to their wives, they either can’t understand simple directions, only hear part of what we say, or completely tune us out. My much-loved husband Ron, has been guilty of all three complaints a few times during our 33 years of marriage, but the most recent episode practically had me snarling in the aisles of a local grocery store.

It all began one morning at the checkout counter in an outlet mall, when I realized I didn’t have my debit card. Fortunately I had my Master Card tucked away in a special area of my purse…for Emergencies Only. I’d say this particular moment was definitely an emergency. I certainly didn’t want the embarrassment of announcing I didn’t have enough money.

After paying for my purchase, I walked to the parking lot in a daze, tossed my bags into my car, and climbed in…racking my brain the entire time. When did I use that card last? Where could it be? Was a bandit emptying out my “gigantic” bank account at this very moment?! I wondered about it as I drove to my next stop. Then it hit me! I used it the day before when I bought lunch, and tucked it inside the top pocket of my suit jacket.

As soon as I got to the grocery store, I called Ron and asked him to look in our bedroom closet for the jacket. I guess he heard “my brown winter coat in the coat closet.” Uh, no. Then he thought I said “a sweatshirt.” NO! I finally got him to listen enough to hear me say, “No, it’s in my side of our bedroom closet. Look for a lightweight jacket that has tiny red, black, and white squares, TINY squares.” I hear the noise of hangers being pushed back and forth.

“I don’t see anything like that.”

“It has to be right in front of you. It’s kind of like a shirt with a collar. It’s not a heavy jacket.”

More silence except the swishing of clothes and hangers. Once again he said it’s not there. I let out a heavy sigh, but kept my mounting frustration to myself.

 “Never mind. I’ll look when I get home. Thanks anyway, honey. Bye.”

As I pushed my cart along, he texted the words “Got it” along with a photo of the jacket and the card. Unbelievable.

When I got home, he said I hadn’t told him it had little squares, but that I’d said “polka dots.” Oh my gosh. Husbands. Sometimes you can’t hardly look at them (or listen to them) without snarling!

 

Okay, here's some info about this piece

 

I realize that "can't hardly" is not proper grammar! The entire title is something my dear friend, Rita W. said to me a few years ago. We were sitting at her kitchen table (isn't that just the best place to talk with your girlfriends?) and we were complaining about whatever our husbands were doing, or were not doing, at that time that was driving us crazy. As soon as those words came out of her mouth, I busted out laughing (which happened a lot when Rita was anywhere near) and said, "Hold on. I've got to write that down, so I don't forget it! I grabbed a pen and scrap paper from my purse, jotted it down, and have kept it ever since. It's all wadded up and in a huge envelope of notes and clippings of "writerly stuff." I'll write more about Rita another day, but for now just know that she was sweet, kind, motherly, hilarious, ETC! I've referred to her for years as Crazy Rita. She died about 2-1/2 years ago and I think of her every single day and miss her so much. I hope she's smiling at me right now, and making her crazy snarling face!



~~~ 

GIFT CARD GIVEAWAY

 







I have a Barnes & Noble gift card for $10.00 that can be used in a store or online. All you need to do is leave a comment here of any kind. Maybe you have a funny spouse story you'd like to share, or something about a wonderful friend, or what purchase you'd like to put your gift card toward...I realize $10.00 can't buy much of anything all by its little old self! (Drawing will be done next Wednesday, March 16)

 

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