Do You Like Worms?

Are you looking for a Christmas gift that's fun, inexpensive and doesn't come from China or anywhere else that might get held up on a barge off the coast?

My memoir of growing up in the small town of Springfield, Vermont in the 1940s is a light-hearted read. The title, If You Don't Like Worms, Keep Your Mouth Shut refers to a trick my sister played on me while walking down a hill one day. She is on the left in this picture and I'm on the right. 

If you want a gift for someone over the age of sixty, they will enjoy this book as it will spark memories of years past. I was born in 1940, a year before the attack on Pearl Harbor. Even after the war, my dad was an air raid warden so while he was out on the street making sure the neighbors' lights were off when the alarm sounded, my mother, sister, and I were huddled under a darkened window with the shades closed waiting for the all clear to sound. It was also a time of ration stamps where staples, like sugar, were in short supply.

It was a time when in the evening we listened to radio as a family as we had no television yet. It was a time before computers, cell phones (we had a rotary phone with a party line), fast food, and any kind of hand-held device. Life was simple and easy.

The newspaper then and now, the Springfield Reporter, recently ran an article about my book, mentioning that Worms now sits proudly in the Springfield Arts and Historical Society as part of Springfield's history. The article included the following two excerpts from the book:

On cold icy mornings after a snowfall, Dad was afraid he wouldn't be able to make it up the hill to get to his job at the Gas Company where he was a meter reader and fix-it man. So Mom, Donnie (my sister Donna) and I would bundle up in our coats, hats, mittens, boots and scarves and sit in the back of his pick-up in order to make enough weight for him to make it up the hill. At the top of the hill, we piled out and walked in his tracks back to the warm house where hot cocoa and oatmeal would soon be waiting for us.

Summer was a different matter. Donnie and I were outside a good part of the day, usually playing baseball in the street. Normally it takes at least 18 people to play a game of baseball, but not so with Donnie and me. She was one team and I was the other. Home plate was at the end of the street a few yards from the woods. First base was the Hughes' driveway, second base was some unseen spot half-way up the hill, and third base was the telephone pole. Donnie would throw the ball and I'd swing at it with all my might and miss it. She'd yell "strike." She'd throw the ball again and this time I wouldn't swing at it. She'd yell "strike."  I never understood her umpiring. I also never hit the ball, but I did get plenty of exercise running down into the woods to retrieve all the balls I missed.

If You Don't Like Worms, Keep Your Mouth Shut is available through Amazon for only $12 plus shipping. It's a fun read for anyone who remembers that time as well as an informative read for those born more recently.  

Quote of the Day: We all have our time machines. Some take us back, they're called memories. Some take us forward, they're called dreams. Jeremy Irons

Take a Bath!

If you like to find new, interesting, out-of-the-way places, we found one last weekend. We went with Cyndi and Bill to a little town in North Carolina called Bath. So, if you consider I went to Bath, England in 1994 and now to Bath, NC, I’ve had two baths in the last twenty-seven years! Not bad. 😊

We read about Bath, NC in the AAA magazine and decided to check it out. We left this past Sunday and drove east for a little over two hours to Washington, NC where we spent the night. In the morning, we drove fifteen miles to Bath on the Pamlico River. 

Bath is a tiny town in Beaufort County incorporated in 1705. The town is less than a square mile in size. Six-tenths of that area is water, leaving only about three-tenths of a square mile for the town. The population in 2010 was 249. Not a lot of people, to say the least!

So what sets Bath apart from many other small towns? Just this:

            Bath is the oldest town in North Carolina

            Bath was North Carolina’s first port of entry

            Bath has the oldest church building in North Carolina, St. Thomas Episcopal

            Bath has North Carolina’s first library

            Bath, in colonial days, was the capital of North Carolina

            Bath has one of the oldest surviving homes in the state, the Palmer-Marsh house, built             
            c. 1744

            And finally, Blackbeard the Pirate, a/k/a Edward Teach, lived in Bath for a time.

Now that’s a LOT of history for one tiny town!  We wanted to get out and walk the sidewalks and have a chance to read the many historic signs posted; however, there were no sidewalks so we drove slowly down the three streets and took what pictures we could.

        

 

After leaving Bath, we stopped at various country stores on the way home. I purchased home-made raspberry jam at one store, a pumpkin at another, and odds and ends at yet another.

So if you live in this area and want a nice ride, go for a Bath!

 

Quote of the day: It is a blessing for a man to have a hand in determining his own fate. Blackbeard

 

Warmed Up and Miked Up!

Hello everyone. It’s been two months since I’ve written on this blog. Wish I had a good excuse, but I don’t. I have been busy writing my new novel and loving every bit of it. I had an exciting experience about our 9/11 book which I’ll tell you about in a minute. My book, Redeeming Rob, won a Firebird Award. And then, Stewart and I actually got to go away for two days.

It took a village to get us to the Outer Banks, but we did it. His granddaughter Dana and her boyfriend Ezekiel loaded up the car and truck, along with Bill. We had to take a scooter, wheelchair, walker, rollator, bag of medicines, luggage, etc. I took less when I had two babies and had to take diaper bags and furniture in order to go anywhere!

Dana drove their rental car with me, and EZ drove our truck with Stewart and when we got to the Comfort Inn South Oceanfront on Nags Head, they unloaded everything and carried it up to our room. Their room was just one floor down from ours. We went out for breakfast both days, but at night they went out to get dinner and brought it back to our room. And, of course, when it was time to leave, they carted all our stuff down to the vehicles for us. It would have been very difficult indeed to have made the trip without them!

Stewart and I spent most of the two days sitting on our private balcony watching the waves roll in and out and listening to the ocean’s roar. It was pure Heaven! I did manage to read a few chapters of the book I’m currently reading, by Mike Lindell called Against All Odds, From Drug Addict to CEO. I very much recommend it.

On our last day, we packed up and drove to a pier where we inhaled the air, sound, and sights of the ocean, talked to the fishermen, and then ate breakfast at an outdoor restaurant on the pier. Wonderful, wonderful time.

Okay, I told you I did something else very exciting this month. I was on TV! Along with four other writers in our writing group—Ellen Kennedy, Nancy Panko, Terry Hans, and Jim Lewis. We talked about our group project, 9/11 That Beautiful, Broken Day. We met at Ellen’s house with Scott Mason of The Tarheel Traveler television show and his cameraman. Scott talked with each of us, had us read our contribution to the book and discussed our feelings about that historic day. One at a time, we got miked up, the camera was aimed at us and we talked for about fifteen minutes each. This was a whole new experience for me. Scott’s show lasts five minutes which means he had to condense an hour and a half of recorded time down to only three minutes. And may I say he did an excellent job! Hopefully, you can click here and see the show that was aired on September 9.  https://www.wral.com/tar-heel-traveler/17382329. Scroll down to the September 9 program headlined: Twenty years later, authors pour heart into reliving September 11 through their books. 

Jim, Me, Ellen, Terry, Nancy

Order the book!

I mentioned to you last month about a book our writer's group put together called 9/11, That Beautiful Broken Day. 

I have now read all the stories in it and highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to relive, or better understand, the events of September 11, 2001. There's no better way to honor the ones who gave their lives then than to relive the day and how it affected real Americans who were going about their lives one minute and who would never be the same the next. 

I remember happily standing on top of one of the WTC towers many years ago and admiring the city below. I also remember being glued to the television set twenty years ago and watching that same tower collapse in front of my eyes in an unbelievable pile of smoke, ash, and metal. 

There are stories in this book by writers who were in New York City at the time or who had friends and loved ones in the city. A story by a woman who saw the plane fly over her head in Pennsylvania. Stories by writers who didn't live nearby but although distant, still felt the immense horror of the day. 

For a teaser, here's a poem I've contributed to the book.

Once Upon a time
I lived in a snow globe
It was a peaceful time and place.
There was snow, but it wasn't cold,
Birds sang, flowers bloomed,
People were happy.
Then one day,
One fateful day,
Planes crashed into my glass dome
And shattered it to pieces.
Instead of snow,
Ash
Was now falling from the sky.
Jagged pieces of glass lay in a heap.
People cried as their world,
Like mine,
Shattered,
Never to be the same again.

 Order the book. Read it. And Remember. 

9/11, That Beautiful Broken Day can be ordered from Amazon. All proceeds from online sales will be donated to Military Missions In Action (MMIA) a local non-profit organization dedicated to assisting disabled veterans and active-duty military and their families. https://www.militarymissionsinaction.org.

Quote of the day: Getting over it doesn't mean forgetting it, it just means reducing the pain to a tolerable level, a level that doesn't destroy you. Kevin Brooks
 

Jim Munroe and The Sneezing Toucan

Happy almost July everyone. To start the summer off, I’m pleased to introduce you to a friend and fellow author, Jim Munroe. We’ve known each other for a couple of years, through a writing group and church. 

Welcome, Jim. Tell us a little about yourself. 

I live in Angier, NC with my wife, Cathy. I have two daughters, Bailee and Kiylee and one nine-year-old granddaughter, Harper. I work in Raleigh as an energy trader for ACES power. 

Jim Munroe

Talk to me about your writing. 

My writing is probably different than most. I have been writing in rhyme for over 25 years. I really can't explain how it happens, it just does. It started off with writing what I call personalized poetry and then a few years later, the stories started coming along. 

Yes, and you’ve just published your first children’s book, The Sneezing Toucan. What was that like? 

I wrote The Sneezing Toucan about 20 years ago and it has been rewritten a number of times, including just last year. The Sneezing Toucan is a story about a young boy struggling to find a pet that Mom will approve of. What he finds is a most unusual bird but he must find a way to get Mom's approval despite the bird's condition. He solves the problem in a unique way that will keep you sneezing until the end! I wrote the book one Saturday morning after watching some cartoons and then two commercials back to back. One was for Fruit Loops with Toucan Sam and the next was an allergy commercial. I laughed so hard when I thought about a sneezing toucan and I went to the computer and started typing.

Do you have a favorite line from the book? 

I do, but I am afraid that it might tip your followers off, so I will just let them find out on their own! 

If I may, let me share just a small sample of the book. His neck a bright yellow, his feet a pale blue/His nose painted orange, and red and green, too/ “What a beautiful bird!” I said to myself/”I wonder why he’s back here on the shelf.” 

Did you do the beautiful vivid illustrations? 

No, I can barely draw two sticks together, so I hired an illustrator here in North Carolina, Samantha Bell. That is very non-traditional because most large publishing houses have their own stable of illustrators. 

Is it published and, if so, when and by whom? 

It was published this year by Parson's Porch which is a small publisher based in Cleveland, Tenn. Their company's byline is "Turning books into bread and milk." David Tullock, a retired pastor, is the face and voice of Parson's Porch. 

How can my readers get a copy? 

They can get a copy from Amazon and Barnes and Noble as well as other online stores. They can also order directly from Parson's Porch at www.parsonsporch.com, or contact me directly at rhymes4life@gmail.com. They can also see more of my writing on my website at www.rhymes4life.com. 

What is your advice to would-be writers? 

Just keep at it and put in the work and the time it takes to be successful. Then at some point in time, you will have to take a leap of faith and put yourself out there. Join a writers group or a critique group and be open to suggestions. You can learn so much from others who are willing to share their stories, counsel and advice. I never set out to be a writer, but here I am, with over 500 poems and now a children's book. There is a lot of information out there to absorb, some good and some bad. But ultimately, you have to forge your own path. It may not be the traditional way, but I believe you can still be successful. Success might not be defined in monetary measures. It just might come from the satisfaction of setting a goal, chasing a dream and then watching it unfold in front of you. 

What’s next for you? 

I have four or five more stories to share and I am currently writing a brand new book. I have also written a few songs and a friend of mine in Alabama has put one to music. I hope to share that one day soon. 

Well I’m looking forward to hearing more from you. Thank you, Jim, for stopping by. 

Thanks, Linda for allowing me to share today! 

Folks, if you have kids, grandkids, nieces or nephews, I urge you to get a copy of The Sneezing Toucan. They’ll absolutely love it!

9/11 That Beautiful Broken Day

This is a Press Release of a book our writing group has put together and published. I have a poem and an essay included in it alongside the memories and reflections of the others in our group. Get your copy through Amazon and let your future generations know what happened that day and how it affected all of us. And if you would, please leave a review on Amazon; it would be most appreciated.

Seventeen American authors share their memories of that “Beautiful, Broken Day,” September 11, 2001.

Where were you when you heard? or were you even born yet? This collection of stories, poetry and essays make clear the deep impact this day had, not only on New York City, Washington, D.C. and a field in Pennsylvania, but in hearts and minds all over the United States. We were all eyewitnesses to history, no matter where we were and when we heard.

Many of us in our writers’ group in Fuquay Varina, North Carolina are of retirement age, so the Kennedy assassination is the one we remember most. For our parents, it was Pearl Harbor. But 9/11 trumps them all for shock, anger, tragedy, and fear.

We want the younger Americans to know that the day after the attacks, American flags were flying from every house and business across the country. The nation was united in shock, grief, and a profound sense of patriotism. We stood shoulder to shoulder against an unseen enemy and we had faith that the country could come together in solidarity.

The authors in our group have written works that reflect a wide variety of emotions, insights, and perspectives to commemorate the 20th anniversary of a brutal terrorist attack. It is our hope that this book will inform subsequent generations of the impact that 9/11 had on everyday Americans.

9/11 That Beautiful, Broken Day can be purchased from amazon.com, https://amzn.to/3i7WO58. All proceeds from online sales will be donated to Military Missions In Action (MMIA) a local non-profit organization dedicated to assisting disabled veterans and active-duty military and their families. https://www.militarymissionsinaction.org

For more information or questions, contact Nancy Panko at gnnpanko@yahoo.com.

Number Six is Born!

Ta daa! I'm very pleased to announce that my sixth historical novel has been born and is enjoying life out of the womb of my mind. Soon it will be crawling and standing like the book it was meant to be.  

This book is called Redeeming Rob. It comes after Willard Manor, Leaving Mark, Finding Gary, Saving Lou and Remaking Danny and, of course, it takes place in New Haven, Connecticut as do most of the others.

Since all of the books are connected in one way or another, this one's no different. In Willard Manor, near the end of the book, the last occupant of the old house passes away so the attorney calls in the two closest heirs, Annabeth and her twin brother Billy, to tell them the house will go to them. Billy says he doesn't want it because he just bought a home on the lake with his wife, and Annabeth mentions that she and her preacher husband, Rob, were living in the parsonage of his church and couldn't afford Willard Manor. They suggest the house get sold and they'd split the profits.

Redeeming Rob is about Annabeth and her husband Rob in 1990 prior to her aunt's passing. Rob discovers to his surprise that he'd unknowingly taken part in a tragic event twenty years earlier and when he learns of it, he feels unworthy to be pastoring a church. Annabeth is shocked and wants to keep the event a secret forever. 

I self-published the book last week and it is now available on Amazon, in print and on Kindle.

I do hope you enjoy it. 

On another note, recently both Willard Manor and Saving Lou won the Speak Up Talk Radio Firebird Award and I was interviewed about the books this week. You can hear the fifteen-minute interview here: 

https://www.speakuptalkradio.com/author-linda-loegel

If you can't open it, you may have to copy and paste onto a new file. 

I was very honored to receive the awards, both for the recognition and because I can now call myself an award-winning author. Who'd have thought it! 

Quote of the day:  If you want to keep a secret, you must also hide it from yourself.

― George Orwell, 1984

The Vacation That Wasn't

You know what they say about the best laid plans of mice and men . . . well it’s true, they sometimes DO go astray.

Stewart and I planned a two to three-week vacation to get out of the house, see sights and visit friends.

The Plan. Drive the back roads through North Carolina and if we saw something we wanted to stop and explore, do it. Then go into South Carolina and tour Fort Sumter and Charleston for pleasure and to do research for my current book in progress about the Civil War.

Then on down to Savannah, Georgia where I’ve never been. Then into Jacksonville, Florida and beyond to visit friends of mine, and to St. Augustine. From there, we planned on driving across the panhandle west and into New Orleans. I’ve never been to New Orleans and wanted to experience it and Stewart wanted to revisit the food that he remembered so fondly. From New Orleans we were going to head due north to Eureka Springs, Arkansas to see the statue, Christ of the Ozarks, then due east to Atlanta, Georgia to visit with his nephew before heading home. A considerable undertaking for two octogenarians!

The Actual Vacation. We left Wednesday, the 14^th, drove to Georgetown, South Carolina and spent the night at Econolodge, having seen and done nothing. Thursday we went to Mt. Pleasant, SC and spent the night at Quality Inn, again, having seen and done nothing. Friday, we learned we couldn’t go to Fort Sumter because as we were told, “Depending on the tides, it could be difficult for Stewart to get onto the ferry with his walker and once he got to the fort, there are stairs going up to the museum.” Since the trip took three and a half hours, it wasn’t as though he could say, “I’ll wait here while you go check it out.” So instead, we went to the Naval Museum on Patriot’s Point. There he waited in the car while I checked out the gift shop and bought a book about Fort Sumter, which is the closest I got to it. The museum consisted of two ships docked close by: the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown and the destroyer USS Laffey. Stewart was exhausted by trying to walk to the gift shop, so exploring a ship ­­­­­­­­­­ was out of the question. Besides, being a Navy guy, he knew what a ship looked like. That night we stayed at the Quality Inn again. Three days into our trip and our big event so far was going to the gift shop!

Saturday morning he had trouble breathing after the least bit  of exertion, even walking across the room. We drove the ten minutes into Charleston and enjoyed the architecture of the town. We parked at the sea wall and got a good look at historic Charleston Harbor. Still didn’t see Fort Sumter, though, even by scanning the harbor. 

A short drive took us to where we arranged for a mule and carriage tour of the city. The mules were sisters named Rhyme and Reason. That tour was the highlight of our trip. It lasted an hour and gave us a good insight into the old city. We saw many stately homes with gas lights on the sides of the front doors, and LOTS of wrought iron railings. Really really beautiful. 

Back in the car, we headed south as far as Walterboro, SC. And spent the night at Comfort Inn Suites. 

Sunday morning, Stewart was having such trouble breathing, even with his portable oxygen device, that I gave him an ultimatum—we start for home or you go to the hospital. He chose the hospital so the next three and a half hours were spent in ER where he was treated for a COPD flare up. It seems that the fifty foot of tubing we brought so he could easily move around a hotel room, is way too long for the Inogen oxygen concentrator. At home, it works well with the large oxygen generator, but it doesn’t work with the smaller machine. I let our children know he was in the hospital and immediately Cyndi and Bill made plans to drive down and get us. It had taken us four days to get to where we were, so I couldn’t see them spending time on the road to come for us. Until, that is, Cyndi said they were only three and a half hours away by taking I-95. I couldn’t believe that what we did in four days they could do in under four hours! I was so exhausted from lifting luggage and his walkers in and out of the car and into and out of hotels, that I said, "Come get us."

They drove our truck down and Bill and Stewart drove home in the truck while Cyndi and I drove back in my Prius. The next day we relaxed and recuperated and realized we had bitten off way more than we could chew. The only sight we saw on the four-day trip was two hours in the beautiful city of Charleston. And oh yes, a gift shop.

The Lesson Learned. Take trips in small doses and don’t expect the Inogen to work well with fifty feet of tubing! It was like trying to siphon gas out of a car with a fifty foot hose instead of a six foot hose. It was no wonder he didn’t have enough air in his lungs.

Now we’re planning on buying a scooter for Stewart so he can get around much easier AND be able to carry some of the luggage. Our next trip should be a breeze! 😊

Quote of the Day: I haven’t been everywhere, but it’s on my list. Susan Sontag.

 

The Best is Yet to Be

Can you believe it’s been a year since Stewart and I said “I do” in front of God, family, and friends? Well it has. We managed to get our vows in before the country locked down for a year. We didn’t know then how fortunate we were to have planned our wedding when we did.

A lot has happened in this last year. I finally finished the novel I was writing, Stewart turned 84 and I turned 80, we got our Covid-19 vaccinations to help stem the tide of this most annoying year-long pandemic, and to top it off, we actually went away for our one-year anniversary!

Thanks to his new Inogen battery-operated oxygen system, we’re no longer tied to the house and his big oxygen generator. We’re free to go anywhere we want to overnight and we can go alone without needing family to come with us to lift the generator. Yahoo!

So, last weekend we drove down to Myrtle Beach for two days. We brought along a fully outfitted picnic basket that Cyndi and Bill had given us for our anniversary. By the time we got to the hotel Saturday night, we were too tired to get back in the truck and go out to eat, so we spread the checkered cloth on the table in our room, lit the candle from the basket, opened up the bottle of sparkling blush, laid out the plates and napkins, cheese, crackers, bread, jelly, cookies and nuts, and had ourselves the perfect little feast.

Our only requirements from the hotel were an ocean view, a balcony overlooking the ocean, and handrails in the bathroom. 😊 We got exactly that and spent a beautiful sunny Sunday morning on the balcony watching the waves and seeing people and dogs enjoying the beach. It was heaven on earth.

We thought about going bowling but didn’t know if they’d allow a walker on the alley! We’re both prone to falling and it wouldn’t be a pretty sight. Funny, but not very pretty. So in lieu of bowling, we opted to go to Outback for our anniversary lunch. And got way more than we planned!

I entered Outback and asked the girl at the reservation station if there was a table for two available. She said nothing, just pointed to her left. I turned to look where she was pointing and burst out laughing when I saw Cyndi and Bill waiting for us. They’d driven down all morning to be there to have lunch with us since having lunch together has become our Sunday tradition. Bill went out to the truck to let Stewart know that, yes, there was a table available, and Stewart was as surprised as I’d been. That wonderful impromptu visit was the highlight of our weekend.

We were happy to get home Monday night, tired but with pleasant memories that will last forever. Now, as soon as the cruise lines open up again, watch out!

Quote of the Day:  Grow old with me, the best is yet to be. Robert Browning

Life in the Cuckoo's Nest

You’ve probably read the book or seen the movie, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. If you haven’t, have no fear. Come and visit us and you’ll feel like you’re IN the cuckoo’s nest!

Our parakeet Charlie used to make an airborne trip around the house a couple of times a day, then land on his playpen in the window to watch the outside birds, then sit in his cage for the remainder of the day. When he was almost four years old, we bought him a playmate, Chip. Chip is young, energetic, and full of life.

Now, Charlie is kept busy from morning til night as the two of them make fifty trips a day flying from the living room to the kitchen and back. You’d better duck if you’re in their flight pattern! It looks like they’re racing to see who can make the flight in the shortest time. Then they land on the playpen and plot their next round of mischief by leaning into each other and chatting a mile a minute.

Since he was raised in a pet store cage, it’s been a riot watching Chip at home learn to fly, and navigate, and land. For the first week or so, he reminded me of a terrorist that only learned to fly a plane, not land it. Chip would fly from the cage to the playpen, no problem, then crash land on the window blinds. Then he would go back to the cage and try again. Each time landing closer to the playpen until he finally set his feet on the playpen perch. Ah, success.

One minute the two of them are rubbing beaks in an oh so tender moment, the next they’re chasing each other around the cage while the chasee tells the chaser to “Bug off and leave me alone.” They’re never quiet except when it gets dark and they retreat to their cage for the night.

Stewart and I don’t need television with these two around. They provide us with a boat load of enjoyment that keeps us laughing. And I hear that laughing keeps us young!

I’m waiting for the bluebirds to come back next month, but for now there’s a beautiful goldfinch hanging around outside that puts a smile on my face and a song in my heart. For Christmas, Cyndi and Bill gave us a clock that sings a different bird song on each hour. As a sign in our kitchen says, THIS PLACE IS FOR THE BIRDS. No truer words were ever spoken.

 

Quote of the day: Birds are a miracle because they prove to us there is a finer, simpler state of being which we may strive to attain.  Douglas Coupland