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 |  It's about adventure! Life, Scouting, Family, writing what else is there? |
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WELCOME TO: GEMINI RISING   UPDATED INTRO 25 OCT 2021: Just a little about me. I've been married for 30 years in NOV this year!! and currently live in Southern California, but I grew up in New Hampshire. I've got 2 boys in their teens. I work as a 911 dispatcher for LAPD. I enjoy my job a lot. I love to write, but since I've been so involved with the Boy Scouts program since 2015 (now Scouts BSA since girls were invited to come on board) I haven't written much. I hope to get back to more writing soon, as I'm scaling back my BSA commitment. Update on this: I was able to get out 2 stories that were previously published. The update/publishing is going slow. I like to get out in nature, take walks around Castaic Lake, drink coffee and watch football. Here's a little bi about my zodiac. GEMINI: Gemini, the sign of the Twins, is dual-natured, elusive, complex and contradictory. On the one hand it produces the virtue of versatility, and on the other the vices of two-facedness and flightiness. The sign is linked with Mercury, the planet of childhood and youth, and its subjects tend to have the graces and faults of the young. When they are good, they are very attractive; when they are bad they are more the worse for being the charmers they are. Like children they are lively, and happy, if circumstances are right for them, or egocentric, imaginative and restless. Their good qualities are attractive and come easily to them. They are affectionate, courteous, kind, generous, and thoughtful towards the poor and suffering - provided none of the activities resulting from expressing these traits interferes too greatly with their own lives and comforts. Geminians can be successful in many walks of life though their general characteristics tend to make them unreliable. They are often skilled manipulators of language, in speech and writing, and may be: debaters, diplomats (though in politics they are more interested in theory than practice), orators, preachers (brilliant rather than profound), teachers, authors, poets, journalists, or lawyers. This is me. I am a Gemini. Pure, Raw, passionate. The NEW focus of this blog is to share my adventures, book reviews, thoughts, opinions, and writing adventures from actual writing, writing/editing tips, marketing, research. I'll get there.  Find me at: WEBSITE: http://www.stephanieburkhart.com TWITTER: (where I get political) It's not for the faint of heart, just saying. http://twitter.com/RonaBVirus FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/StephanieBurkhartAuthor GOOD READS: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4031660.Stephanie_Burkhart YOU TUBE CHANNEL: http://www.youtube.com/user/botrina?feature=mhee Previous GRATITIOUS Warning, that I decided to keep in case I post about something that might offend.  WARNING I intend to be open, honest, and forthright. No topic is off limits from religion to you name it, I'm going there. If you think you might be offended...back up now - this blog isn't for you. For those who "dare"  check out the "Gemini Rising..." |
| Yikes!! It's a been a busy Summer and I'm just getting my spike proteins in order over here. Okay, let's catch up! GARDENING The dog keeps knocking over my basil but finally, I managed to save half a pot and I have some nice sprouting basil. One summer squash made it and I roasted it up with some zucchini and ate it. hehe. But, eventually, the heat pretty sucked the plant dry and despite a lot of blooms, I only got 1 summer squash. I ate the cilantro and planted oregano but it's not sprouting. The Marigold plant looks like something vicious attacked the stalk, but it's still blooming. I planted some pumpkin seeds but their not hatching either. With winter looming, I might take the season off. My bonzai is coming along, but it is still small. WEIGHT I was so busy in New Hampshire on vacation, I lost 6 pounds. Still doing Weight Watchers, but I've pretty much even out. Need to crack down on my carbs. I've lowered them a bunch, but there is more work to be done. The spike proteins are still hefty at 202.9 tho. ROMANCE Christmas is Bayeux is now avail on Amazon unlimited for your Kindle! It was published 12 OCT. If you can swing over and support, it's much appreciated. The 2021 version is more "meatier" than the 2010 version. I'm not starting work on "A Polish Heart" and "Matchmaking Amusement." Both are shorts. SUMMER TIME I took my younger son, who is 14 back to the homeland, New Hampshire for summer vacation. Let me tell you, big difference from Commiefornia. The biggest difference is the mask. In CA we still wear masks indoors. In NH, masks are optional. No option in CA. We kept the vacation low key. We visited the mansions of Newport. My favorite is the Breakers, but they are all a marvel. We visited Canobie Lake Park, a local amusement park, took a boat ride out to the Isle of Shoals and visited with family. Joey enjoyed spending time in Karen's basement when I visited her for coffee. It was nice recharging the batteries. When we came back , it was back to work. I've been pretty much working, sleeping, trying to find free time to read. There's dishes and laundry and really, we don't get out much. Finally we took a "family" and last Saturday, 16 OCT we went to Pismo Beach to visit the Clam Festival. We taste tested the chowder and trolled the vendors. It was very low key. The coast was cool and Pismo is a quaint CA beach town. Don't want to get into politics too much here, but not much has changed in the way of the homeless problem. Just yesterday there was a big fire next to the 101. Homeless fires are up. Tents are all over. Just the other day "Gutter People of LA" posted a video of a homeless person taking a poo at a bus stop and I've got to think we are better than that. Why can't we build affordable "assisted" living facilities for the homeless that offer 3 hots and a cot, along with in house programs for mental illness issues and drug rehab? It's not enough to build shelter. There needs to be another layer to it. All the best to you. Peace out. |
| Hi all! It's been a while since I was able to pop in. Forgive. I've been a busy little Spooky Bee. I'll do a seperate post to catch you all up on my summer adventures, but with all these containers ships sitting off the coast of California, I thought I'd research American Made products. I want to get into buying more local, more American products. If you have a suggestion for a great American product let me know. I'm always looking for coffee and chocolate! haha. No, I'll take anything at this point. I realize I will still need to buy off of Amazon and at Costco (which I love!) but I'm trying to minimize my foot print there. Again, if you know of a great product, please drop me a line. Today's product is about Toilet Paper! Enjoy ************* PRODUCT: QUILTED NORTHERN What is it: Toilet Paper Where is it made: Ft. Edward, New York (1 location I can find) by United Steel Workers Union 4-2. Owned by: Georgia Pacific Address of Georgia Pacific: 133 Peachtree St. NE, Atlanta, GA 30303 Georgia Pacific is owned by Koch Industries. Koch is a privately held multinational conglomerate based in Wichita, Kansas. Follow the Money check: Info gleaned from https://www.followthemoney.org I like were they spend their money. Grants have been given to help fund public school robotics and reading programs, college scholarships, job training initiatives, equipment for local fire departments, conversation projects (Wisconsin’s Trees for Tomorrow) and educational programs for young, female and minority entrepreneurs. Grants have supported local chapters of charitable organizations including Habitat for Humanity, United Way and the Salvation Army. They have a program called “Acts of Comfort” The 10 Acts of Comfort (from their webpage:) Comfort Cases: Backpacks with comfort items for foster kids. A Friend of Mind: Offers free yoga and meditation services to youth to combat mental illness and eliminate mental health stigma. Bow Wows & Meows: Hospice nurse helps shelter animals get exposure and get adopted. Haute Healing Foundation: Giving makeovers to chronically ill, homeless and disadvantaged youth. Everyone On: Computers and Wi-Fi for families in need. Veggielution: Volunteers cultivate and grow crops which are then donated to the hungry. One Warm Coat: Provides free coats to any person in need (adults and children) through coat drives. (maybe my son can make a BSA service project out of this. We'll see) My Block, My Hood, My City: Introduces teenagers to places in their own city they’ve never seen or experienced—showing them that their block should not be a boundary. Education Through Music: Work with schools to implement music programs as part of the schools’ curriculum. Danny’s Farm: Special animals for special kids with autism.Danny's Farm | Petting Farm Serving the Los Angeles Area Danny's Farm serves Los Angeles’ most vulnerable populations by providing a Petting Farm and a variety of Animal... My thoughts: I’m looking to buy Made in America products and I’m glad I found Quilted Northern. The TP is soft enough for me. I’m glad to support. As to where they spend their money, I see they have the "Acts of Comfort" and I'm okay with where they spend their money politically. I recommend this product!! |
| Another 2 weeks just flew by so I thought I'd post an update. I'm a busy little Virus. I won't get another day off until 19 MAY and that day is pay day so I'll be running around spending money. hehehe. GARDENING Well, the Marigolds and 1 basil didn't make it. Some "plant like bug" killed them. I managed to save one basil pot and the oregano is coming along. I will try to plant some more marigolds here in a bit. The cilantro is really coming along, young, but nice and full. I had two summer squash seeds sprout! They are very young, but nice and healthy. Still watering them. I'll try to get a pic here soon. My Bonzai Black Spruce finally hatched!! I have four of them. They are very small right now so I'm watering them and putting them in sunlight. As soon as they get bigger I'll move them to another pot. WEIGHT Since going back to in person meetings. (I've been to 3 now) I've lost 3.5 pounds. Still tracking. I've continued with the habit of walking during lunch. NEW TIP: Since I'm a little bit more on the heftier side for a Virus, I'm pretty achy. It's nothing I can't deal with but it's annoying. I discovered when I took 1 Advil, the achys went away, BUT I don't want to be taking Advil all the time to deal with my achys. ....Enter Pineapple Juice!! Come to find out Pineapple Juice is a natural anti-inflammatory. So I said why not try it? I got me one of those 6 oz Dole cans and I felt a big difference. Then I discovered that the enzyeme that is responsible for pineapple juice is called bromlain. So I bought some. Thank goodness for Amazon prime. Since using Pineapple juice and bromlain I have definitely felt less achy, which is very nice. ROMANCE My Romance/Love NL is due next week. Trying to work out an interesting topic. Taking suggestions. WRITING I'm in the editing phase of "Christmas in Bayeux." I'm anticipating about another week or 2 before it's finished and then I'll upload it to Amazon! Very excited about the story!! TRAIN RIDE I took the train to work today. I saw a bunch of tents along the freeway (the 101) but nothing on the sidewalks where I need to walk from the train station to work. I suspect they were cleaned out for the Oscars. We'll see how long it takes for them to come back. California is a socialist pit and there is a lot of homeless here. It's really outrageous. I get calls the time for drugged out homeless ppl who are usually naked and run into the middle of the street stopping traffic. Then we have ppl who find needles near schools. It's not so bad now as most of the kids in this area are doing online learning 5 days a week, but we do have some school districts doing a hybrid model. Then we have ppl who call and say a HUMAN BEING defecated and urinated on their front lawn (like a dog!!) and they want us to clean it up. We send a further request to sanitation to clean it up but they are so backed up it's takes 10-14 days to respond to requests. It's shameful out this way. |
| Wow, that was the fastest 2 weeks ever. GARDENING I planted marigolds, cilantro, sweat pea, summer squash and basil. It's spring time and I'm always motivated to plant something. Oh, I planted some bonzai trees too for good vibes. Well, the marigolds, basil, and cilantro have sprouted! Sadly, my summer squash, sweat pea and bonzai haven't. And the dog knocked over a marigold and sweat planter so I lost them.  But it feels good to see the fruit of your handiwork sprout. I'm going to tackle oregano next. First chance I have, I'll post of pic of my growing flowers and herbs.WEIGHT Weight Watchers is meeting in person again! As I'm no fan of Zoom, I was able to reserve a spot for an in person meeting again. I always do better when I go to meetings. I have been using My Fitness Pal, logging my food on the app (and cardio) for 93 days. I like how MFP has everything and it's easy to fit. Sometimes I can't find what I'm looking for on the WW app. Some ppl who use Noom like it. My friend at work showed me some of the features I liked, but I need a pay by the month program. I can't shovel out 150.00 up front for 5 months. Sounds nice, but my budget doesn't work that way. I am glad that I have such a streak with MFP, and its linked up to MAP MY WALK so it adds my earned burned calories after a walk. I can't say I've lost weight though. I haven't gained any. I saw my doctor the other day, and she suggested try cutting carbs. it's a process but I have increased eating carrots and cutting out mcdonald fries. haha. Allons! Steph |
| I was jamming the other day to my ITunes playlist in the car and this song came on: I've always loved this song. Not sure why. It's about the Reaper coming for ppl. Go figure, right? I try to be a good vibe person. Maybe it's because I discovered the song shortly after Romeo and Juliet in 9th grade. Of course the lyrics refer to that ill fated couple, but if you personalize the lyrics to you, it might mean more. They might give you comfort. They might only tell Juliet's story. They might foreshadow something bad in your life. Anyone else listen to Blue Oyster Cult? Share your favorite song. ***** Still writing my story, "Christmas in Bayeux." I have two more scenes to finish. Can't wait. hehe. But I got some great feedback from my Beta reader and I switched some stuff around, so I'm writing and editing. Hope to finish up the writing by the end of the week. Hopefully I can have it up in 2-4 weeks. I tweaked my blurb a bit: After a rough year in a war zone and losing his parents, Aiden travels to Bayeux, France. There he meets up with Noelle Rousseau, who was an exchange student previously with his family. Noelle is happy to see him again, but faces her own challenges, trying to make ends meet at her estate, Mont Saint Theresé. Can a little Christmas spirt heal their wounded hearts or will family demands keep them apart again? **** Spring cleaning anyone? See my notebook... |
Happy Tuesday to all.  Just some random thoughtsWDC It's my 16 year Anniversary on Writing.Com. I'm very happy to be here and be a member. I can honestly say being a part of the community has helped to improve my writing and I'm very proud of some of my accomplishments. So, this anniversary I'll be sharing some of my favorites. One item I'm proud of is "Spontaneous Decision" which earned 8th place in the Writer's Digest Annual Writing contest. I submited it for Mainstream literary.
My dear friend Ẃeβ࿚ẂỉԎḈĥ   gifted me a Moon Witch MB. ![Merit Badge in Moon Witch
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*^*Star*^* Happy 16th WDC Anniversary, Steph! May you reach the stars by the light of the moon, and enjoy many more years of WDC fun, friendship and creativity!
Webbie *^*Witch*^*](https://images.Writing.Com/imgs/writing.com/writers/badges/group-Moon_Witch-444444_14.gif) I love Astronomy. It's one of my favorite songs by Blue Oyster Cult.What's your favorite BOC Tune? haha.!! And I love real, nighttime Astronomy as well! AND I love witches!! here's one of my favorite witch stories:
I  ♥HOOves♥  who has also gifted me a By the Sea MB. I really do enjoy being out in nature. I love smelling recently bloomed flowers, the salt of the sea, fresh cut grass.![Merit Badge in By the Sea
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Happy Sixteenth Anniversary Week! Thank you for all the wonderful things you do here! *^*Heartb*^**^*Cow*^**^*Heartv*^**^*Tulipp*^**^*Heartv*^**^*Cow*^*](https://images.Writing.Com/imgs/writing.com/writers/badges/group-By_the_Sea-2040601_14.gif) Here's an early poem dedicated to the sea.
And it's National Poetry Month. Throughout the years on WDC, I've experimented with various styles. Today I'm sharing a Villianelle.
WATCHING TV Well, I have decided that TV is pretty unwatchable as of late so I've been junking on 80's mini series. Just finished watching:
I remember seeing it when it first came on. It really was an amazing story. I thought the casting was spot and I thought Rachel Ward was good in the role of "Meggie." I saw the special features at the end of the DVD and I heard it came down to Rachel Ward or Jane Seymour for the part. Why didn't Jane Seymour get it? Because she wasn't able to tap into the vulnerability the character needed. Anyone else watch the Thorn BIrds? I got the Kindle book from Amazon. LOL!! But I have a ton of other books to read first. |
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| So October, November, December, January, February, and March BLEW by like the wind. Where did the time GO???? WRITING & MARKETING STUFF: I've been striving to keep up with marketing. I don't want to say it's been a grind, but it kinda feels like it. There's 2 marketing sites I use: Fussy Libriarian and Free Kindle Books & Tips. They're affordable, but FKBT requires a min of 8 reviews on Amazon so I can only promo 1 out of 4 books. FL is more affordable. I finally paid off my overs for Praire Rose Publishing and I made some money on the stories last quarter so I'm happy about that. I've been targeting my VTP stories, reviewing, editing, and updating them. I've been focusing on them as they are shorter, but I'm finding that even though they are shorter, they still require a quality review. Right now, I'm working updating my Christmas story called "Christmas in Bayeux." The original story was published in 2011 for the VTP Christmas Collection, Stimulating and was only about 5K long. This update is now at 23K. I've added a lot more meat to the bones. So with that I updated the cover as well. I had some "alternate" covers made as well, which I'll share, but right now here's the new cover:  I'll share an excerpt or two as I get closer to publication. Right now, I have to finish it, and I'm about finished. Hoping to finish within the next 2-4 weeks, then I'll need editing and formating for the Kindle. HOLIDAYS: Holidays in Covid has been tough. For Halloween I dressed up as "Covid". haha. I'll post a pic in a few. November, Knotts Berry Farm did a "Taste of Knotts Berry Farm" where you go to the amusement and walk through. You can't ride the rides but you go from restaurant to restaurant taste testing the food. Then there was the election. I have no comment on the election but to say politics is divisive and I really don't want to go there on my Blog. My Blog is my happy place. December was challenging as it was the holidays and my governor, Good Ol' Gavin locked California down hard. I never shopped so much on Amazon in my life! But I did use some mom & pop places. I found "The Soap Kitchen" out of Pasadena and I love Stonewall Kitchen which is in Maine. JANUARY Work took away Brewed coffee at work so we had to rely on K-Cups. I discovered my favorite K Cups was McDonalds Medium Roast and Costco Medium Roast. I decided to be a bit more active in politics. Not much mind you. But I have been sending my CA Assemblymember and Senator my thoughts on issues that are important to me. I'm very excited to have my Assemblymember coming to visit the dispatch center in April. I also email my Congressman my thoughts. Mind you, I'm very polite. I do support the Recall of Gavin Newsom, but one of the biggest reasons I do is because the EDD (Employment Development) is a hot mess. I loved the Bernie Sanders meme of Bernie and mittens. FEBRUARY Happy Valentines Day. I love reading the Cupid Slam entries for the Bard's Hall
. That was the best part of February. haha.Well, we got a puppy we named Ollie. Ollie is a good dog, but he's a lot of work. No crate for Ollie. It's not his thing.  He was 8 pounds when we got him and now he's up to 30. He's had all his shots and loves to play fetch and go on walks. I started using my Notebook a bit more often on WDC to engage. I kind of like it. I like the "Quickie" aspect of it. MARCH I wore Green on St. Patricks Day. haha. My son, Andy made Crock Pot corned beef. It took FOREVER to cook, but when it finally finished it was lick-lipping good. So Cal and LA County has entered the Orange Tier and so more things are opening up and capacity is being expanded. I'm glad COVID is "shrinking." I'm so over my mask I just want to have a mask bonfire when all this is said and done. We got BREW coffee back at work. Imagine me doing the Snoopy Happy dance! WDC: Well, I turned 16 yrs old today on WDC. That's awesome! The Bard's Hall always keeps me busy. I love passing out the awards!! And Webbie and I have expanded the Bard's Hall Merit Badge Collection which I love. I also like the customized Awardicons for the Bard's Hall. I haven't really added anything new, but photos and notebook entries, but I might do a promo for Christmas in Bayeux when I finish it.
Right now, I'm helping Elle (she/her)  with the Quills as a Judge for the Blog Contest. And that inspired to catch up my own blog. READING: I'm the kind of person who reads multiple books at one time. Just finished: The Godfather. It's only a tiny bit better than the movies. Currently reading: Family of Secrets -- about the Bush family Licensed to Lie -- by Sydney Powell about Brady evidence Beyond the Keep -- A prequel to the Tearling Fate of the Tearling -- book 3 of the Tearling The Secret Service -- by Ronald Kessler - a look into the Secret Service, their duties and responsibilites. Blessing to all this Easter, from me, Hoppy Bunny, Lily Flower, and the Ukrainian Easter Eggs.  |
| I can't!! Where did it go? The last 9 days have been a blurr... I go to work, go home, eat, watch TV go to bed. I haven't been anywhere interesting and when it's payday, Wednesday, I catch up on my errands and go to Costco!! I  Costco. I still need reviews on my short stories so I can book marketing sites. So here is a gratitious plug:
Here's the blurb: Night of Magic…Samhain—Dark…Dangerous…Powerful…The year is 800 A.D. on the Emerald Isle, and Prince Jasper is determined to regain that which has been lost to him. Five years past, Princess Aithne was taken from her father, Prince Jasper, by the forces of the Other World. On Samhain, the veil between the worlds is thin, and can be breeched more readily—especially if one walks amid the ceremonial bonfires. When Princess Aithne disappears, her father vows every year to bring her back. He tempts many champions with a chest of gold, but only one man can succeed. This year, Finn is determined to lay claim to that treasure, but to do so, he must tempt Fate. Will he survive his journey to the Other World to bring the princess back? Will he dare follow his heart? Or will greed determine what lies in store for him on this NIGHT OF MAGIC? Much thanks for your support. Every review is one step closer to my marketing goals! FUNDRAISING IN COVID Fundraising for the boys has always been a thing. When they were in elementary school, teachers would send home a list of items/supplies they needed for the classroom. Us room parents would pitch in and I even volunteered in the classroom to help out. If anything I was irked because CA taxes are SKY HIGH and it broke my heart that after all the TAXES I pay, teachers still dont have $$ for supplies for their classroom and they have to ask room parents. Of course, I support, especially at the elementary level, just sad. BUT... since school is online, fundraising from schools is practically non existent which is kinda nice, however Joey's high school is still food fundraisers. I don't mind supporting them either because usually when I get home, I am practically out of energy and don't have the stamina to actually cook a meal. Boy Scouts is still fundraising. Right now they have a popcorn & Christmas wreath fundraiser. I don't mind giving them a shout out on my FB page. Still, popcorn is expensive and I hate sounding like I'm begging. haha. The Christmas wreaths are nice though. If anyone is interested in supporting, let me know and I'll send you a link. Boy Scouts have been good for my boys. Andrew is an Eagle Scout. Joey is Star right now. I like the protocols they have in place now with youth protection. Well, that's all I have. Looking forward to tonight's presidential debate! Smiles Steph |
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| Well, September is here. Things come, Things go. As usual, I'm a bit poky getting around to my blog, please forgive. (Though I am impressed that that I haven't been entirely negelectful and I'm finding time to pop in from time to time) Just sharing some misc thoughts about the world and events around me this September. SOCAL Well, things are pretty much still shut down here in SoCal, and I'm in LA County. Our county is in the Purple tier, so we are very resticted. No movies, No bowling alleys, Halloween is "not recommeded" bit isn't prohibited. I'm a tad "drained" from the restrictions. I go to work, I go home, I eat, I sleep. If I have a day off I do my errands and I go walking. Missing USC Football. COVID sucks. What else needs to be said? HOPE, HONOR, HEAL VIRTUAL 5K WALK September is National Suicide Awareness month and LAPD partnered with Hope, Honor, Heal to host a Virtual 5K to bring attention to suicide awareness. They used the "Just Move" app to record your progress. I signed up to do it and took my 13 yr old with me. We walked 5K's around Castaic Lake, but we did after work. I'm glad to walk and bring awareness to this issue. (FYI... I am a 911 Dispatcher for LAPD. I take 911 calls for the city of LA as well as talking to the officers on the radio.) Here's a video by LAPD. FIRES The air quality sucks. As usual, California is on fire. But just so you know, it's fire season and California is always on fire. It burned last year, and the year before that, and the year before that too. My governor says the number one reason is because of climate change. Now this is a divisive topic, and I don't mean to stir up the dust here. But I found this guy, Bijorn Lomborg out of Sweden, who makes a lot of sense. Climate Change is real, but it isn't quite the force some think it is. Here's Bijorn's Article: https://nypost.com/2020/09/14/sorry-solar-panels-wont-stop-californias-fires/?fb... So Bijorn is my climate change guy. I believe part of California's problem has to do with the lack of forest management. Causes for some of the most recent fires have been lightening and a gender reveal party. While I believe like Bijorn, that the climate makes a favoritable enviornment due to the hot conditions and dry heat, the lack for forest management has made California a tinder box. I say give Bijorn Lomborg a read and see what he says rings true to you. OUt of all the things I've read and watched, Bijorn rings true to me. READING I've been a bunch of political books trying to round out my thoughts and ideas. I read Mary Trump's book and I just finished reading Don Jr's book. I know, more division. Sorry. What's the saying? Knowledge is power? Well, I'm working on my knowledge. Also reading "The Great Influenza" and "Carnegie's Maid." I like the historical stuff, can you tell? WRITING It feels good to be back writing. Mind you, it's slow, but due to COVID restrictions, I'm finding time. I am working on updating an "older" tale. It was published in the Victory Tales Press "Stimulating" anthology back in 2010. It was called "Christmas in Bayeux." Victory Tales Press went out of business in 2018 and it's taken me a bit to start to get my stories back out there. Here's a little preview of "new" scene: *** "But if the stock does well, it will earn you money."Annabelle buttered one side of her crossaint. "What did Marchand say?" "Buy." Noel let out a long breath. "He says Amazon is the future." "Have you asked your friend?" Noel raised an eyebrow. "Oh, you mean Aiden?" "Yes." Author's note: In 2010, the year the story takes place, Amazon stock was between 100-114 dollars a share. Hard to believe, but true. ********** Hope September has treated you decent. Smiles to all Steph   |
 There are just events that happen which are burned into our memories. They may fade over time, but the emotion you feel years later is still strong. For the older generation who fought in World War II, Pearl Harbor is that day. (The Greatest Generation, 1901-1927) For some, JFK's assassination is the moment. (the Baby Boomers) For others, the Challenger destruction, moments after launch in 1986 is another. This is a moment that hasn't faded and powerful emotions can have me in tears in seconds. (Generation X) Another moment was when American Airlines Flight 11 and United Airlines Flight 175 struck the Twin Towers. American Airlines Flight 77 struck the Pentagon. United Airlines Flight 93 crash landed in Shanksville, PA after the crew and passengers fought back and attempted to regain control of the Airplane which was headed toward Washington DC. (the Millenials) 9-11 still resonates with me. I was in the military from 86-97. In Feb 2000, I was hired as a 911 dispatcher for LAPD. I was 19 months into my new career and 3 months pregnant. I woke up, went downstairs, and turned on the TV. The north tower was ablaze. I watched the second plane crash into the south tower and my heart sunk into my chest. What was wrong with the world? I thought. What kind of world am I bringing my child into? I didn't even now the sex of the child at the time! (Nowadays my son is 18. The world has changed - its different from my growing up years and his experiences growing up are different from mine.) I still wonder to this day what kind of world I brought my boys into and if I gave them a solid start to tto live in this world. I gave Roll call training today. It was supposed to be about terrorism in LA, but I blew through that and spent a bunch of time on 9-11 and the events that lead up to that event. For me,its personal. We will never forget. My remembering this event and honoring it (like we do the anniversary of D-Day) we think about what's important in our lives. Our families. Our jobs. Our way of life. I challenged the shift to just spend a moment or two in silence. Say a prayer for those lost their lives, and their families. Do one kind thing today. I think UA Flight 93, who knew the danger they were in and tried to fight back, would appreciate that small gesture. I will never forget their heroism or the bravery of every person on every flight,the unsuspecting people in the twin towers just getting to work,and the courgeous firefighters, police officers and port authority officers who responded. |
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I've havested and dried marigold petals to use with rice. I can still pick some calendula. 
Plus some I just don't remember out of context. My first blog goes back that far though (mostly) so not all is lost.
