I'm Late, I'm Late for a Very Important Date

I have been here, there, and everywhere else the last two weeks as I covered for my sis while she went to Hawaii to welcome her husband back from his tour in Afghanistan and then for my dad as he went to Phoenix to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of two friends from high school. He and Mom and Gene and Kathy double dated during high school and then got married within months of each other....in October we commemorate the 50th anniversary of Mom and Dad's wedding.

Anyway, yesterday I woke up in my own bed and didn't have to run anywhere to feed kitty cats or get 5 year olds to school for field trips to McDonald's Play Park or Patsy's Candy Shop. Wilson and I spent a lazy morning reading the paper and then I went off to see Toy Story 3. I loved the movie and have a post percolating in my brain that will hit the blog soon!

All of that to say that yesterday I did not even turn the computer on one single time and went off to bed with nary a thought of 12:01 AM when Blogger would have nothing to post on this here humble site. In lieu of a profound post I thought I would make a list (don't ya just love lists!?!) of things I am grateful for these days.

• The beautiful view of Pikes Peak from my office window.
• My sweet Wilson (he pretty much always shows up on my list you know!) and his patience with being alone for two weeks while I ran in and out to feed and love him.
• Good old fashioned work like washing windows - there's nothing like the joy of seeing a job well done and there's nothing like the gloom of watching a thunderstorm diss your hard work :-(
• The opportunity to slow down, enjoy life, and remember the purpose God gave me in this life.
• Evaporative coolers to make the house bearable during these summer days.
• Seeing for the first time in years the beautiful blooms that have popped up around the neighborhood. In years past I said that our area was too dry for beautiful blooms, but it turns out I was so caught up in the rat race that I was missing out on the splendor in life.

There you have it, my gratitude list for the moment. What are you thankful for today?

Can You Be a Super Villain!?!

“Bwahahaha, I will defeat you!” Black Dragon’s deep, coarse voice echoed through the room followed by coughing and gasping.


“Trouble there, Auntie Tammie?” My niece laughed as she witnessed my failed attempt to be a super villain.

Black Dragon was supposed to be fearsome. I was playing with my nephew, trying to get into character and the deep voice rasped my throat. The next day I was feeling the slight dryness in my throat and my voice still sounded a little hoarse.

Thankfully, writing in super villain (or any other) voice doesn’t take a physical toll on the body.

In non-fiction it is generally the writer’s voice a reader “hears.” A friend once said she enjoyed reading my blog because she liked seeing things from my perspective – she was responding to my voice. Fiction writing is different. What the reader responds to is not the author’s thoughts and feelings. They are responding to the narrator or point of view character’s inner psyche.

Finding the right voice for a book is one of the keys to the success of the story. Writing in the wrong voice can completely change the impact of the work. Had I used my best kitty cat persona when playing with my nephew Black Dragon would lose some of his punch. Think about it….”Hee, hee, hee, mean old Black Dragon is going to defeat silly little Dragonoid. That’s right, I am; what do you think about that you silly thing?”

Really, voice is something that is important throughout life so it shouldn’t be so surprising that it is equally important in writing. We all have our own unique voice. I don’t mean the physical aspect of whether we sound like a super sexy hunk or a squeaky Cinderella mouse. I’m talking about all those little things that make us us; the words we use, the inflection and tone, the pace, and on and on. We are who we are and we should be proud of that. Speak who you are loudly whether it be through words or just the way you live your life. In turn, this will infuse your writing with that irresistible aspect that makes it exactly you.

100 Moments - Drops

#25 Drops

Blue Big Blankie Makes the Blog

Blue Big Blankie has been around for years. He is so named because when little man was a wee babe he had a little Blue Taggie Blankie; then Blue Big Blankie came along. Both were named because of their attributes. As time went on he grew too old to need Taggie anymore so it was packed in a box for another day….maybe his own wee babe one day down the road.

Blue Big Blankie was such a part of his life. Remember Linus and his blanket in the Peanuts Gang? Blue hasn’t quite come to the rescue as much as Linus’ blanket, but Blue is right up there when it comes to security blankets.

He is five now so his need for Blue is dwindling. In the past it went everywhere with him – school (daycare), church, bed, etc. These days it hangs out on his bed until bedtime and then it fulfills its duty. Recently when I stayed with him for a while he crawled into my bed around 2 am with his teddy bear and Blue Big Blankie. The bad dreams made it hard to sleep in his own room even with the security of his old friend, Blue.

Slowly he is outgrowing the needed security blanket. When I picked him up at school one day and forgot to bring it home he didn’t miss it until bedtime. When he realized it was at school he asked for a substitute blanket and everything was fine. Someday soon Blue will get packed away with his old friend, Taggie. His job will be done for the time being.

I have a security blanket, too. Despite my advancing age :-) He goes with me everywhere. There is not a day I don’t leave the house without Him and not a night that He is not there with me as I drift off to sleep. He is always there even when I sometimes get busy with my life and forget about Him. My security blanket is not physical, yet He comforts me in the same way that Blue Big Blankie comforts my nephew. My security, too, has names that describe His characteristics –

…for the LORD is your security. He will keep your foot from being caught in a trap. ~Proverbs 3:26

Golden Years

In his younger years he prowled and hunted. He ruled his domain and all that passed through it. He was a force to be reckoned with.

These days he leads a slower life. He still rules the domain, but it is with a softer paw – sometimes. He still wanders through the land and checks out everything that comprises it. These days, though, he prefers to find a cool, quiet place to recline instead of prowling and hunting. He worked hard to get to this point and he is enjoying the fruits of his labor. He still lives the good life; it’s just different now.

What Makes a Daddy?

Have you heard? Anyone can be a father, but it takes someone special to be a Daddy. This old cliché is often trotted out at this time of year. But there is truth in this statement. Almost anyone can father a child, but when it comes to being a true dad it takes more than just contributing genetic material.


What makes a man a true daddy? It’s a ton of little everyday things. Little things like knowing his child’s likes and dislikes. Being able to take a frown and turn it into a smile by singing just the right words that are meant just for her. Knowing her favorite foods and her favorite movie star. It’s remembering her birthday with a special gift. All these little items and so many more make up a daddy. But it’s not all about the giving and the knowing.

No, it takes more. A daddy wants what’s best for his child. He teaches her to walk and to talk and to read. As time goes on he teaches her to manage her money and change a tire on her car. He offers advice and, when needed, constructive criticism. He knows when to push and when to back off. A daddy knows what makes his daughter tick.

Yes, it takes a lot to make a father into a daddy. When it happens it is a beautiful thing. A daddy is a part of a girl’s life no matter how old she gets.

Today is Father’s Day and I wanted to take this opportunity to tell the world or at least the handful of readers of this blog that my daddy is the best in the whole world. He has always been there for me and for the family. He has taught me great things through the lessons he spoke but more importantly through the way he has lived his life.

I love you Daddy! Happy Father’s Day!

No Flowery Prose

just some purty flowers for your viewing enjoyment....

The cottonwood was flying around like crazy today so that is what is clinging to some of these flowers.

Betrayed

Betrayal hurts. When we trust someone we put our heart on the line and there is always the possibility of pain. Friends are human and they sometimes save their own skin without counting the cost for anyone else. Sometimes they make poor decisions without regards to the outcome. It happens to all of us at some time or another. Even Jesus was betrayed by a friend for 30 pieces of silver.


Now His betrayer had given them a sign, saying, “Whomever I kiss, He is the One; seize Him.’’ Immediately he went up to Jesus and said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” and kissed him. ~Matt 26:48-49

Not only was He ratted out by Judas, but He was also deserted by His friends. “Then all the disciples forsook Him and fled.” ~ Matt 26:56 Even to the end of His life on earth He was experiencing true human nature and it hurt Him as much as it hurts us when it happens in our lives. He knows exactly what we are going through when this happens.

The difference between us and Jesus is that He continued to love and care during this ordeal. Jesus asked, “What have you done friend?” He then allowed the situation to play out. We humans tend to shut ourselves off when something like this happens. We get angry and lash out. Sometimes we walk away and become bitter. Whether we admit it or not, we are fragile and when a friend disappoints us it creates cracks in our heart and often those cracks are hard to fill and fix.

So what do we do when the worst happens and a friend lets us down? We remember that there is a friend closer than a brother (Prov 19:24). When it happens we need to run to Him and let Him fill the broken spots in our heart that the betrayal created. It is in this filling of the fissures with Jesus’ love that we heal and are able to go back out into the world and trust again.

It’s not easy and often takes months of allowing Jesus to mend our broken heart before we are able to move on. As much pain as it causes and as hard as it is to heal, though, I think that this tremulous aspect of loving and caring is a major part of our experience here on earth. It is only in the loving, being hurt, and learning to love again that we truly live.

La Bobera - The Foolishness

The Foolishness has taken up residence high in the mountains of Colombia. There, in one village, one family is dealing with Alzheimer’s in a horrific way. This family is considered to be the largest known clan affected by Alzheimer’s. In the village, La Bobera (The Foolishness) is dreaded. Not knowing the cause has led to much fear and superstition. The New York Times featured an article on one family in the area.


The family matriarch cares for three adult children with Alzheimer’s. In a cruel life twist, when she should be enjoying her golden years, Mrs. Cuartas is a much needed care giver. At the age of 82 she is once again changing the diapers of her children, feeding them, and taking care of their needs.

The remote region and the fact that the gene has long been in the ancestry of the area means that many in the village and surrounding area deal with the dementia. Early onset of Alzheimer’s leads people in the prime of their life to begin to lose their memories and their ability to function. This disease is devastating a whole region of people.

This area has become important in the fight against Alzheimer’s. Having so many affected in one geographic region offers a suitable group to study the disease. A gene has been identified as causing the problems so there is the ability to determine if a person is predisposed to developing the disease. This offers the opportunity to work for treatments that can be used before Alzheimer’s develops as opposed to trying to treat it once symptoms have appeared.

It is truly a tragedy that this region of Colombia is dealing with this horrible disease in such a profound way. My heart goes out to them as it does to anyone having to fight dementia. While nothing can make it worthwhile to have Alzheimer’s the unique chance to work toward a treatment and cure is the one miniscule bright spot.



Read the complete Alzheimer's article on the New York Times web site.

100 Moments - Statue

#47 Statue - This photo was taken at the cat enclosure at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo