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| HarryG's blog |
| We are going great guns this year in getting ready for Christmas. We already have the artificial tree (that looks more lifelike than the real ones we bought previously; the thing even has fake pine cones on it!) all decorated and pretty. The outdoor lights are out and working well. All the presents are wrapped, and those that have to be mailed will be sent off this week. The house is completely decorated with the several dozens of Christmas-themed items Linda sets out. She spends two days early each Christmas season storing our usual clutter and carefully placing the Santas, snowmen, reindeer, angels, candy trees, wreaths, stockings, etc., etc. around the house. Linda really loves the Christmas holiday season! I've mailed my Christmas cards to my side of the family; Linda is just starting to write out her cards. Linda is now starting on the holiday cooking. Tomorrow she plans on making her fabulous fudge, white chocolate-covered prexels, and a cake. She'll be making cookies and candies for the next ten days. She is totally finished her shopping for Christmas presents, finishing up this morning. I haven't started shopping for her yet. She buys for a couple of dozen people, and all I have to shop for is Linda. She's done, and all presents are wrapped. Time for me to start thinking about what to get her. She's hard, I mean HARD, to buy for. She doesn't wear any jewelry, not into clothes much, trying to not eat sweets ( = no chocolate covered cherries or candy Millionaires wanted). Her only hint has been she needs a new toaster oven since the one she had before we married 23 years ago just quit heating. Boy, the guys who can just buy a piece of jewelry or a fancy purse for their wife are lucky! (I bought Linda a $175 fancy leather purse one year, and she beat me with it and returned it.) Anyway, here it is the 9th of December, and we are well on our way to being finished with all the preparations and being ready for Christmas this year. Linda has her Christmas card list to finish and a week-plus of cooking to do, whereas I have to shop for her. Sounds 'bout right! Guess I"ll run by Home Depot tomorrow... Oh yeah, don't forget that poetry books, like my Poetic Musings of an Old, Fat Man, make the perfect gift for that hard-to-buy-for relative or friend. Just thought I'd mention it. Cheers, y'all! Harry Published 2008: "Poetic Musings of an Old, Fat Man". A collection of my poetry. Lulu Press. |
| Today's mail just came a bit ago, and I had more than an inch-high stack of mailings from various charities. I've gotten to where I discard most of them unopened nowadays. I gave to one military-associated charity a few weeks back, and now I seem to be on some list for other military-associated groups. Two more came in today's mail. I wish charities I donate to would NOT put or sell my name and address on some mailing list to other charities. All the environmental groups seem to be particularly bad about sharing their lists, but the worse I've encountered has to be the Native American charity organizations. A year ago I received a mailing from a Native American school. I have always felt sorry over the treatment the Indians received from this country as it drove them from their native lands so whites could expand west. It is a shameful chapter in U.S. history to be sure. So, I gave to that charity. Shortly thereafter, I received mailings from several other Indian charities representing various tribes or associations. I gave to a several of these. Then I started receiving two or three different mailings from Indian charities every week. That was followed by telephone calls for larger donations. Soon I was getting multiple Indian mailings every day and several phone calls every week. It was bordering on being harrassed. Finally, I started telling the telemarketers to please take my name off their list. My favorite line to tell them was that "I have more Indians after me than Custer had after him at the Little Big Horn." Sometimes the woman at the other end would laugh, but sometimes she would say coldly "I doubt that!" or "Hardly". Whatever, after six months of saying that and throwing away all Indian mailings unopened, it has finally slacked off ... not quit entirely, but greatly decreased. Why must charity organizations turn donating into such a chore? A week after making a donation, many will send you a thank you letter with an envelope enclosed and ask for another, bigger donation OR they start sending you a request for more money every few months OR they call you and ask for an emergency $500 donation to save the whatever, winding down to "Surely you can afford to donate just $15 to help out". Well, this particular goose is running out of both patience and golden eggs! And Christmas holiday season charity giving is just getting ramped up... Cheers! Harry Published 2008: "Poetic Musings of an Old, Fat Man". A collection of my poetry. Lulu Press. |
I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving holiday, even the turkeys among you ... and you know if you are one.  Holiday Cheers! Harry |
| I received an email yesterday informing me that the Reader Views Literary Contest for 2008 deadline was fast approaching (15 December). I checked out the submission guidelines and decided to submit my poetry book, Poetic Musings of an Old, Fat Man (http://www.lulu.com/content/2057931), in the poetry catagory. Then, I remembered that I had received information about the 2009 National Indie Excellence Awards for books a week or so back. So, I decided what the heck, why not submit PMOFM to that contest as well. I spent a few hours this afternoon filling out the entry form for each contest, writing out the entry fee checks, packing the books for mailing, and then driving to the post office to mail them. And THAT is probably the last I'll ever be hearing about that... LOL. How many poetry books do you suppose each contest will receive for this year's contest? But, you have to submit to even have a chance of winning some recognition, eh? Have any of you even entered a book contest? If so, did you win or place? Authors are filled with eternal hope! Cheers! Harry |
| Two websites that I visit often when writing poetry are: Bob's Byway, A Poetic Diversion. This site has among other things a glossary of poetic terms and examples of poetic terms. Whenever I encounter a poetic term or poetic form I am unfamiliar with, this site will usually be quite helpful to define it and give examples. Check it out at: http://www.poeticbyway.com/ The second website is for writing rhyming poems. To check to see if words actually are good rhymes or to get hints for words to use for a rhyme, I use RhymeZone Rhyming Dictionary and Thesaurus. You enter a word and it will supply rhyming words. I find this very helpful at times. In addition, the site will find the word's definition; check spelling; find synonyms, antonyms, related words, similar sounding words, and homophones; search for the word in Shakespeare; and search for quotations. This site is a must-visit for rhyming poets! Check it out at: http://www.rhymezone.com/ I hope you find these two sites useful. Cheers! Harry Come see me at: http://www.gillelands.com/poetry/ |
| I've read recently where there has been an outpouring of racism and hatred toward Obama and toward blacks in numerous places around the U.S.-- things like one small store having a gambling pool for picking the date when Obama gets killed, with the wording "Let's hope we have a winner soon", nooses hanging from trees, hate words painted on houses, school children chanting "kill Obama", and the like. There reportedly has been more threats against Obama than ever before for a president-elect. The FBI and Secret Service are supposedly busy investigating numerous threats made against Obama. I had hoped the U.S. was better than this, had somehow outgrown our racist past, maybe had grown up more as a nation. But, instead, racism is making an open comeback. As a nation, we should all be ashamed of such behavior and speak out against such hatred whenever & wherever we hear or see it displayed. Won't we ever learn to just how truly ignorant racism is? I wrote an acrostic poem back in 2002 entitled "A Lingering Disease": Rarely occurring in humans younger than age five, Adults carry the disease, communicating it to each kid. Constantly a threat to harm almost anyone alive, It remains a malady from which Man needs be rid. Sorry to say, even today, it continues to thrive, Mind after mind learning to hate as their parents did. Wouldn't it be great if a successful Obama presidency was the cure for America's chronic disease of racism? One can only hope... Published 2008: "Poetic Musings of an Old, Fat Man". A collection of my poetry. Lulu Press. See: http://www.gillelands.com/poetry/ |
| I think Obama is trying to be Lincoln-like in putting his past opponents in his Cabinet. He has talked with McCain about some role in his administration and now has talked to Hillary about being his Sec. of State. Obama is being extremely smart in doing this. It heals the country, makes bipartisan deals more likely to come about, and he would get some opposing arguments to his ideas and make him think them through better. That was one thing (of about a hundred or more) wrong with Bush's administration. He was surrounded by "yes men" so that any lamebrained idea he had was praised instead of picked apart. It worked for Lincoln. It should work for Obama. Smart man! Read my other blog: http://harrygillelandwrites.blogspot.com/ I am hosting a most interesting author at present, Kenny Kahn. Mr. Kahn is a famous lawyer, noted public speaker, a standup comic (for real!), as well as being an author. Come check him out. Published 2008: "Poetic Musings of an Old, Fat Man". A collection of my poetry. Lulu Press. Check out my website to see all my book covers & links: http://www.gillelands.com/poetry/ |
| I'm still on a high from Obama winning. The Republicans are already sending doom and gloom emails about how bad a president Obama will be. Why don't you folks, and you know who you are, knock it off and wait and see how Obama does? He just might surprise you. It will be quite a change having a president with a brain after eight years of Bush. It is raining this morning, after raining all night. We needed this rain, but I'm ready for it to stop now. Those fall days of sunshine and high temperatures in only the 70s are to my liking. Cheers! Harry |
| I recently got to read Vivian Zabel's (who is well known around Writing.com as a poet, author, moderator, newsletters editor, publisher, among other things) new YA book entitled Prairie Dog Cowboy. Here is the review I have written for it: Prairie Dog Cowboy by V. Gilbert Zabel is targeted for readers aged 9 to 12, but many adults will enjoy this book as well. I know I did. The story is well told by the author and illustrated beautifully by Jordan M. Vinyard. The book tells the story of a boy, Buddy Roberts, growing up in the harsh environment of Oklahoma in the early 1900s. Buddy has a mother who, for some reason he cannot understand, dotes upon his older brother while mistreating him. No matter how hard he tries, Buddy simply cannot win her love. Fortunately for Buddy, Calem Hyman, a neighboring rancher, takes a liking to him and aids him whenever he can. Buddy wants to grow up to be a cowboy, and Calem promises him a job cowboying on his ranch if he masters the necessary skills. To learn roping, Buddy tries lassoing prairie dogs, hence the nickname given to him by his older brother’s mean friends of being a prairie dog cowboy. The story follows Buddy through childhood into his late teens as he grows into a cowboy and a good man who finds a new, loving family. The book is filled with entertaining action, such as roping, herding cows, breaking in wild horses, winter blizzards, coyote attacks, and learning how to deal with harshness in life. Along the way, Buddy (and the reader) learns much about enduring unfairness gracefully, working hard, honesty, meeting your obligations, and about love and family. The story held my interest as the reader becomes emotionally invested in Buddy and pulls for him to succeed. Zabel has done an admirable job of creating characters and situations that reflected life in 1900s Oklahoma realistically. In summary, Prairie Dog Cowboy is a great book to buy for, and to recommend to, young adult (YA) readers. Not only will they be highly entertained reading about life as a cowboy, but they will gain valuable insight into how to deal with various life issues involving bullying, mistreatment, love, family, and what’s important in life. I highly recommend this book! Any of you having children in the 9 to 13 age should buy this book for them for Christmas. I highly recommend doing so. Cheers! Harry |
Too busy doing a happy dance to type anything much tonight. Happy Dance! Happy Dance! A new America arrived tonight... Published 2008: "Poetic Musings of an Old, Fat Man". A collection of my poetry. Lulu Press. |
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