Pat Mcgauley's Blog, page 8

Seasons . . .

As the first day of autumn settles upon us I am becoming absorbed in the ‘climate chage’ (do I dare use that refernce/) evidenced in the fall colors becoming manifest in the northern Minnesota forests where i live. In a couple of weeks Gail and I will walk the road on Beauty Mountain south of Hibbing. As always, I expect that it will be a golden experience. If you live up here, check it out.

God’s paintbrush is something to behold. But, somehow, it never seems quite in sync with how we define things. To most of us, Summer begins when school lets out around the first of June and Fall begins after Labor Day when school resumes. Being a teacher most of my life that’s how it’s always seemed. Winter, of course, begins with the advent of that snowfall that will stay put and not be melted away until . . .spring.

Calendars aside, I cannot help but realize that there are ‘seasons’ of life as well–a time to be ambitious, a time to be responsible, a time to take it easy, a to reassess our youth and middle years, a time to face aging (hopefully with wisdom) and then . . . that which we can only contemplate with a sense of spirituality. ‘A time to embrace and a time to let go of embraces’, ‘a time to bind and a time to loosen’. In the coming weeks, there will be significant changes in the lives of many who are close to me. Best wishes for every happiness to Charla and Josh, and prayers of healing for Erin and Jim. And, prayers of Chris and Susan and Cali as she is off to college at the U.

For me, this is a very busy time. My new book, “The Last Moran’ is finally off to the publisher. Believe me, it is far more satisfying to write the story than for the many tasks that follow. Writing is the crative experience–everything else is promotion. I expect to have the new book in my hands by the end of October–or, I should say–I hope to have . . . Now comes the scheduling of events–book signings, libraries, craft shows, book store outlets; along with press releases and any ‘tool’ to effectively market the product. I think that ‘The Last Moran’ is my best work so far–being my eighth novel it probably should be. According to my preliminary readers the plot works nicely and the characters are drawn to perfection. We’ll see!? (More coming in my next blog.)

As you all know, my TWINS have had another horrible/pathetic season in most regards–especially in their pitching staff. They are on a pace to loose 90+ games for the fourth year in a row. I for one believe that it is time to completely revamp the management–from top to bottom. New leadership is needed to develop the young talent in the system. Earlier this year I made some bold predictions in ‘Hope Springs Eternal . . .’ If you didn’t read it–Don’t. You will lose any confidence you might have had in me as a prognosticator. Do I go out on limb in predicting that the Vikings will win only four games this season?

All-things-considered, my life is full and I feel blessed daily. I don’t feel retired in any way and have yet (in 13 years) to greet a new day with nothing to do. Thank God for that. Yet, I do have much to pray for and many prayers awaiting answers. I think anyone with children knows that there is always something to worry about.

Today I will resume my ‘de-gardening’ and cut back the jungle I’ve created in my back yard. With all the rain this summer my flowers were spectacular. I hate to cut them back and lose the colors that have brighten my every morning. C’est la Vie!

In a few weeks I’ll share more on my new book and urge all of you to get a copy before they run out. Oh, you might want to find a copy of ‘The Sons of Marella Windsong’ at your local book store–especially at a Barnes and Noble store if you live in the Twin Cities. I’m trying to become a fixture in their market. And, if you purchase ‘The Sons . . .’ you will not be disappointed–guaranteed!

‘Til next time . . . God bless . . .

Home on the Range . . .

The ‘weather-guessers’ predicted a cool and damp summer in northern Minnesota. So far they have been right on–this morning is cool and misty with heavy rains to come . . . again! And, on another note, the predictions for my beloved Minnesota Twins are right on (see ‘Hope Springs Eternal). Today they are near .500 and only 3 games out of first place in the Central Division. As of this writing, I am becoming even more optimistic in my prognostications– the Twins could very well win their division. That’s right! My individual player’s profiles, however, are not what I expected. Anyhow, my last blog was back at the end of March and we are now well into June with Father’s Day coming tomorrow. (Best wishes to all of the fathers who read this posting).

My next story, ‘The Last Moran’, is being scrutinized by some very insightful friends who will give me a candid critique knowing that I have thick skin. Rich Dinter has already read my preliminary draft and offered many valid character insights. Jim Huber, like Rich, is a member of the Greater Mesabi Men’s Book Club (GMMBC), and he is currently giving the story his scrutiny. I’m hopeful that the final version of this story will become a published book by autumn. It still boggles my mind that this will be my 10th novel!

Next weekend is the annual GMMBC outing at Crane Lake up north. It’s always a great get-together and the book we will be discussing is a wonderful read. ‘Ordinary Grace’ by William Kent Krueger (another Minnesota author) has won many awards–including the NEMBA just weeks ago– but of all his best-sellers, this story is my favorite. Kent is a wonderful man, a great writer, and a supportive friend. Kent has given me a very generous ‘blurb’ for my next book cover. The weekend following the ‘up north’ excursion will be a ‘McGauley’ family reunion down in the Cities hosted by my nephew, Kevin, and a graduation party for my granddaughter, Cali, the following Sunday. Cali graduated from Shakopee HS with ‘special honors’ and I’m so very proud of her. It will be fun to see my relatives and celebrate the two occasions.

Lately, the national/international news has been even more depressing than Hibbing’s weather. I like to avoid political controversies but I’m a news-junkie and a concerned citizen. I think that, regardless of any political persuasion, America is facing some very perplexing problems these days. Last night’s news focused on three major stories: Iraq becoming overrun by the Islamic militants, our southern border being deluged with illegals (tragically, most are children), and the return to the US of a controversial POW along with potential serious implications of the prisoner swap. I bring these matters up only because I spent several hours last week watching some old movies I had recorded. First, I watched ‘Pleasantville’ for the tenth time, and later I viewed ‘Peggy Sue Got Married’–both are throw-backs to an earlier time–a mellower time. Maybe it’s a sign of my age (over sixty already) but I still have a fond nostalgia for how things once were in our wonderful America. I often wish that I/we could turn back the clock about 50 years as the changes we’ve experienced–mostly technology related– in our society don’t strike me as cultural improvements from the ‘Beaver’ days. I get the same feelings when I listen to music on my Ipod (do I contredict myself?)–I’m still stuck on the 50’s and 60’s when my favorites were Paul Anka, Ricky Nelson,Roy Orbison, and . . . yes . . . Elvis! (Many of my favorites include Willy, Waylon, Kris, and Johnny Cash). Call me a generational misfit or pathetic nostalgic if you’d like . . . I probably deserve it.

Being home (Hibbing) offers me a place of peace and the wonderment of our Creator. When I returned from Florida at the end of April one of the first things I did was take a walk through my backyard gardens. Everything– every flower and shrub, and tree–appeared to be as dead and as lifeless as my pickup’s battery. Brown on brown without a single sprout of green. This ugly picture after months in the lush green of southern Florida. Of course, I knew that, given time, my perennials would bloom, new leaves would sprout, and apples will ripen on the trees . . . but for two weeks I wondered if that was likely to happen before mid-July. The spring–if you could call it that–was cool and gray and every plant was weeks behind where it should have been. In mid-May, however, the sun came and the showers, and almost overnight there was the emerging color of many shades of green. My garden is both my pride and my passion in near-equal measure. I spend hours planting and relocating and weeding and mulching and . . . despite a very sore back . . . I love every minute of it. Gardening and writing give me more satisfaction than golfing or fishing or . . . dare I say it? . . . watching the Twin’s games on TV. There you have it!

Not to my surprise, it’s begun to rain again. In closing this post, I’d like to ask your prayers for my family. We are going through some difficult times these days and I believe in the awesome power of prayer. I wish you all a wonderful summer, and . . . if you are a Hibbingite or an HHS Bluejacket grad, I’ll hope to see you at the ‘All-Class Reunion’ in July. I might even be signing/selling my books on some street corner in town durning the event-packed celebration.

God bless . . .

Hope Springs Eternal . . . and the 2014 Twins.

It’s opening day! The much maligned Minnesota Twins are in Chicago to play their rival White Sox and most lauded baseball pundits are predicting another dismal campaign. With me, however, hope springs eternal. I wish, on this 31st day of March (2014), to make my own–and far more optimistic–prognostication. After three horrible seasons and not too many personnel upgrades, I can see light at the end of the tunnel . . . let me explain myself. First our opening day line-up and presumed batting order:

Brian Dozier-2base

Kurt Suzuki-catcher

Joe Mauer-1base

Josh Willingham-LF

Jason Kubel-DH

Trevor Plouffe-3base

Oswaldo Arcia-RF

Aaron Hicks-CF

Eduardo Escobar-SS

Not too intimidating for Chris Sale the Sox ace lefty. It will be chilly in the Windy City–if they can play at all today. Anyhow, I won’t despair if the Twins drop this game and probably eighty more. I predict an 81 win season–that’s .500 baseball in a competitive division. Here’s why . . .

Mauer will his over .300 again and show more power than last year.

Willingham (healthy now) will come close to his epic 2012 season–27 HR’s

Suzuki will yield to Josmil Pinto enough to get power from behind the plate–more so than Doumit provided.

Kubel . . . I can only hope.

Now the ‘ify’ stuff. Hicks will move up the order and have the break-out season we all expected last year. Both average and power numbers will be greatly improved.

Arcia will duplicate Hicks’ numbers and lead the team in RBI’s

Plouffe will hold down third with improved defense and 20-plus HR’s

Now the improved starting pitching staff. Ricky Nolasco (our 47-million-dollar man) will earn his large $ contract and win 14, Phil Hughes (former Yankee) will thrive in Target Field’s huge pastures and win an additional 14, Mike Pelfry will win 12 and keep his team in most games, Kevin Correia will be solid and give us over 200 innings . . . then our number five starter . . . Kyle Gibson will have a 16 win season and an ERA in the mid-3’s. And, add to that, we’ve got Sam Deduno in the bullpen this year and ready to fill-in at any time . . . along with some pretty good supporting arms for relief roles and Glen Perkins to closeout nearly 50 wins. Late in the season we will get a taste of Byron Buxton and Alex Meyer . . . two big pieces of the franchise’s future. Miguel Sano will be on board next year.

So, that’s it!

On another page, I’m flourishing in Florida. My next novel (working title: ‘The Last Moran’) is coming along nicely–I think. My grandson, Jack, is having a good baseball season with his school’s JV team and his sister, Grace Ann, what a delight! She will have her first birthday on 4/17. My friend, Dick Nierengarten from Minneapolis, has been down here in Naples since the first of March and will be heading back to Minnesota about the same time I will be–end of this month. Next week the two of are taking a one-day cruise to Key West. And,our Gophers are in the NIT ‘Final Four’ . . . life is truly good, even great! I hope all of you (despite the snow shoveling and subzero’s) are prospering as well. Until my next posting, God Bless . . .

PS: As I read all the positives I’d written about the Twins . . . I’ve upgraded their season to 82 wins.

A Golden Day . . .

When we have a ‘golden day’ we want to savor it . . . then share it with others. Tuesday was that kind of day. Not only was it a sun-splashed Florida day but there were other enhancements as well.

Early that morning I witnessed something quite incredible. A Comorant bird with it’s wings spread wide was sunning itself on the bank of a pond across from where I’m living. Nearby a gator was creeping with a predator’s stealth it’s direction. His eyes were on a light breakfast. Only inches from it’s demise, the Comorant leaped into flight . . . denying the frustrated gator a meal. (The gator would have to settle for some fish).

Next, at mid-morning when I opened my email for the second time I found a most flattering ‘Linkedin’ note. Dr. Shari is a syndicated columnist and a former student from my years at the beloved HHS. Anyhow, her kind words put a bright smile on my face–any teacher will tell of how the unexpected recognition from a student is a day-brightener of uncommon worth. Shari, thank you for remembering.

Later that afternoon, my daughter Erin called with some incredible news. “You won’t believe . . .” she began. Her husband was participating in a trial in San Francisco that day. He had called to tell her that he had seen something quite remarkable. Outside of the courthouse was a young woman reading a book durning a break for the trial. Jim was close enough to see the cover of her book . . . she was reading ‘The Sons of Marella Windsong”. Can you believe that! My book. Jim asked if she was enjoying the story and she said she was before excusing herself to return to the courthouse.

When my ego settled down, I went back to my email for a third time. The frosting on my cake came in the form of an inventory Amazon order for my last book.

But . . . that wasn’t all. For months I have been working on my next novel and it has been building some tension for the past several days. I’m never quite sure of where my characters might take me from day to day. Being near the end and wondering what will happen next . . . a light came on. Not from me, of course, but from my sometimes elusive Father Mickey Moran. He told me, as only he could, what was going to be coming next. Now all I have to do is tell it like he wants me to.

Now it’s late Wednesday morning and nothing out of the ordinary has happened. Mickey had taken me a few steps closer . . . but . . . I still have a ways to go. I can’t help but believe that a gold nugget is somewhere out there waiting for me to discover it. I’ll keep my eyes peeled. I’m hoping your day is as wonder-filled as mine are. God Bless . . .

Back to School

For the first time in a few years I went off to school in the morning. My grandson (Jack) had mentioned to his English teacher that I was a writer and his ‘boast’ resulted in an invitation to participate in ‘Writer’s Week’ at the Community School of Naples. I wasn’t quite sure of what to say to several classes of eighth graders as most of my teaching career had been with seniors in high school. I might have been a little nervous about standing in front of a classroom again. Mrs. Carvelli, however, was a marvelous host and her students were not only bright but eager to learn more about writing. I thought it went quite well and their diverse questions were not too difficult to answer. I was impressed with their interest as well as their aptitudes. One girl stood out as an ‘author’ to be. I hope that what I had to share with them about the writing process will be of value in whatever writing they do in the future. Their teacher and my grandson were appreciative.

Today I am back at my writing. I shared my early chapters with my son-in-law who has read all of my books and is familiar with my ‘style’ and my protagonist–Father Mickey Moran. Jim found a signifiant flaw that was easily repaired and several minor wording errors. I’ll hope to get more critiques as I go along. The story is progressing quite well. I have three primary characters and an evolving plot that seems to be working.

Where I am living this winter is a few miles from the Gulf beaches that I have come to love. But, my place is very comfortable. I’ve been able to some of the furnishing and its been fun. Treviso Bay is a growing community and the building where I live is in the middle of ongoing construction. I expect that by the time I head back to Minnesota this neighborhood will have five complete buildings. It’s interesting to watch how rapidly a forty-unit condo building can be constructed and landscaping completed. After my writing time–from about five in the morning until nine or ten–Im free to bike or golf or head to the beach. I won’t mention the weather we’ve had for fear of alienating my fellow Minnesotans. Each morning when I get on my computer I am informed of the temps in Hibbing. I know it has been brutally cold.

The other day while biking I discovered a trail that I didn’t know existed. The trail winds through a wilderness preserve that is Evergladian in every respect. There was a group of bird-watchers (some from Germany) with their binoculars and cameras. Having a subtropical climate,there are many different bird species down here . . . I’ll have to invest in a good bird book so I’ll know what I looking at.

On the 19th I’ll be going to an ‘Irish Rovers’ concert (a Christmas gift from Erin and Jim) and on March 1st I’ll have my book-signing event at the Naples Barnes and Noble store. If the event goes well I may be able to get my titles in Ft. Myers and Sarasota up the coast.

More than anything else, however, on February 16th, the Twins begin their spring training up in Ft. Myers. Most interesting is getting a look at our highly touted prospects like Buxton and Sano and Meyer. I’m an eternal optimist and think Terry Ryan has does just enough with the pitching staff to make us competitive. I hope to get up there often. Lastly, my wishes that all of you have a wonderful Valentine’s Day. God bless.