Ginger Simpson's Blog, page 47

Inspiration for Geriatric Rebels

Sometimes people ask where I get the inspiration for my books. The idea of Geriatric Rebels first came to me when my father was in a nursing home. Unfortunately, he couldn’t get out of bed, but he did refuse to eat or take meds. After years of working as a tile setter, it had taken its toll and he suffered with arthritis in his knees and back, so much so that he wasn’t able to stand or walk. During several of my visits, I noticed a little old lady walk past his room. She always stopped and looked in, but never spoke, just looked at us for a minute and went on her way. Something about her reminded me of my mother. Maybe it was her curly, silver hair, or her slight build. Whatever it was, she stuck in my mind and years later when I decided to write this story, she naturally came to mind.
This story actually had several different drafts. The original was a nonfiction assignment for a writing course I took. It was strictly about my father and his inability to get out of bed. From there it changed to fiction, and I brought Elsa into the story.  While her character is based on my mother – especially her love of playing jokes and her sense of humor, my mother predeceased my father by three years. And while Mike is based on my father, my dad didn’t have the same sense of humor. While I could picture my mother doing this stuff, even in a nursing home, I honestly couldn’t picture my dad. His sense of humor was much more sedate.Where I came up with these ideas, I’m not quite sure. I think Mike and Elsa thought of them. The story just took off on its own and flowed. I love when a story does that.Geriatric Rebels is the story of  seventy-two year old, Mike, forced to stay in the nursing home for therapy. He refuses to take his medicine, refuses to get out of bed, and won’t cooperate with the nurses. At least not until he meets Elsa. The spunky, seventy year old, Elsa was left in the home because her son took his family on a vacation. After an explosive meeting, she teams up with Mike and the nursing home is never the same. They become fast friends and later discover deception and fraud. Can the two find happiness together? Is there life after seventy?

You Think It's Only Veteran's Day... by Ginger Simpson

http://www.clipartsfree.de/Surprise..... Ginger's Eve.  Yes, I created this holiday years ago, but tomorrow is really THE big day, and one that has caused me a lot of stress.  I'm turning 70.  Yikes...it even hurt to type that.  Why is there such a big deal in one year over another?

My siblings and I are all 3 years apart.  My youngest is 60, then my second sister who will be 63 in January, a brother who will be 67 in February, and then me.  For a few fleeting moments, we all share the the same decade, and then I begin a new one.  I think that's what causes me angst...that and the old woman in the mirror and the wrinkled hag who keeps cropping up in my "selfies."

Today is, more importantly, the day we salute our military and remember the veterans who have given so much to keep us safe and free.  I suppose that should be higher on the list than anticipating a birthday, so don't feel bad for me if you prefer to be selective.  I normally give them preference, too, but this year is a big deal for me, and I'm being selfish.

Mom - 91So...when you take a moment to honor the Veterans, please remember me.  I haven't done anything as memorable or appreciated.  I guess living to be the age that Obama considers no longer viable for healthcare might not be a milestone one wants to recognize, but I'm here, Praise the Lord and I plan on staying.  My mom just turned 91 on the 1st, so there's hope.  I swear she's going to make 100, at least.

Me...right on her heels
I'd also like to remember my cousin, Barbara Ann.  Today actually is, or would be, her 70th Birthday.  She and I were born 14 minutes apart all those years ago, and I was so sad when I tried to locate her one year only to discover she had passed from Cancer.  Amidst feelings of sorrow, I also found a moment of sheer joy that I've been spared from such a horrific fate.  I pray I continue in good health if only to see my autistic grandson, Spencer, grow into the independent man I hope he'll be.  Having good friends is the best medicine I know, so I thank you for being one of mine.

If nothing else...call someone and tell them you love them!  Do it for me because I lost track of Barbara and never go a chance to tell her how much she meant to me.

Cowboys & Christmas Blog Tour - Help a Cowboy

Welcome to the 2nd annual Cowboys and Christmas Blog Tour! Raising funds and awareness for the Justin Cowboy Crisis Fund Ring in the Holidays with a Helping Hand November 1 through December 24, ten percent of the net proceeds from all Shanna Hatfield book sales will be donated to the Justin Cowboy Crisis Fund . The JCCF is a non-profit organization that assists rodeo athletes who’ve sustained catastrophic injuries and are unable to work for an extended period. Every book purchased during this promotional period adds to the donation total. Don't forget to add books to your Christmas lists! USA Today Bestselling Author Shanna Hatfield writes character-driven romances with relatable heroes and heroines. Her historical westerns have been described as “reminiscent of the era captured by Bonanza and The Virginian” while her contemporary works have been called “laugh-out-loud funny, and a little heart-pumping sexy without being explicit in any way.”
~*~ New Releases To kick off the second annual Cowboys and Christmas Blog Tour and the JCCF campaign, two brand new holiday romances will release Nov. 12!
Capturing Christmas is the third installment in the sweet holiday western Rodeo Romance series.Life is hectic on a good day for rodeo stock contractor Kash Kressley. Between dodging flying hooves and babying cranky bulls, he barely has time to sleep. The last thing Kash needs is the entanglement of a sweet romance, especially with a woman as full of fire and sass as the redheaded photographer he rescues at a rodeo.Determined to capture the best images possible, rodeo photographer Celia McGraw is fearless and feisty. Not one to back down from a challenge, her biggest risk isn’t in her work. Danger lurks in the way her heart responds to one incredibly handsome stock contractor. Will Kash and Celia capture the spirit of the season?Pre-order your copy today! http://amzn.to/1FC8ZQj

Teaser
“Someone like you should be smart enough to know better than to do something that stupid, Miss McGraw.” The man frowned at her as he held her across his lap, riding over to the fence, out of the way of the horses and the men on horseback behind them.
Too stunned to reply, Celia gulped and continued staring at him, gradually comprehending she hadn’t been killed.
At least she assumed she hadn’t died, unless angels wore dusty cowboy hats, dark blue chaps, and were breath-stealing handsome.
Those engaging eyes bore into hers, making her heart skitter in her chest while an entire bushel of butterflies burst into flight in her stomach.
She observed her rescuer. He sat tall in the saddle and had muscles to spare, or so she presumed from the way he easily hoisted her off the ground and onto his horse. A hint of light brown hair peeked out from beneath the brim of his hat. The pale blue shirt he wore almost matched the fascinating shade of his eyes.
Celia experienced the most unreasonable urge to run her fingers along the stubbly expanse of his cheeks, down his square jaw, and over his strong chin. Mesmerized by his full bottom lip, she inhaled a deep breath and nearly choked.
The very scent of him hinted at a lethal combination of freshly fallen snow, a warm winter fire, and sweet seduction rolled into one incredibly enticing package.  
 Get all three books in the Rodeo Romance series!
The Christmas Vow is the fourth book in the Hardman Holidays sweet Victorian romance series.Columbia River Pilot Adam Guthry returns to his hometown of Hardman, Oregon, after the sudden death of his best friend. Emotions he can’t contain bubble to the surface the moment he sees the girl who shattered his heart eleven years ago.Widow Tia Devereux escapes her restrictive life in Portland, returning to the home she knew and adored as a girl in Hardman. She and her four-year-old son, Toby, settle into the small Eastern Oregon community, eager for the holiday season. Unfortunately, the only man she’s ever loved shows up, stirring the embers of a long-dead romance into a blazing flame. When her former father-in-law, a corrupt judge, decides he wants to raise Toby, Adam may be the only hope she has of keeping her son.You can pre-order your copy today for only $2.99! http://amzn.to/1KQHhvI

Teaser  No. Her fear was for the big, loveable lunk who’d scared her half witless when she saw him tumble off the roof.
“I believe that’s exactly the point.” Adam’s lopsided grin revealed his dimples and made her mouth water for want of his kiss.Aggravated with herself, Tia aimed her fury at Adam. “The point is your recklessness might get you or someone else horribly injured.” She turned around and strode toward the kitchen door. “I insist you…”A snowball caught her square in the back. Mouth hanging open in surprise, she spun around and glared at him.Adam worked to form another snowball, ignoring her scowl. Incensed, Tia surrendered to the need to stamp her foot. “How dare you!”“Just like this.” He grinned and lobbed another snowball at her, catching her on the shoulder. Bits of snow sprayed into her face and hair.“Oh! You are in for it now, Adam Guthry!” Tia bent down and hastily formed a snowball. With unmistakable precision, she threw it at Adam, hitting him on the chin.He spluttered and returned fire, barely grazing her arm as she twisted away at the last second.Peals of her laughter filled the quiet December afternoon and drew Toby outside as she and Adam continued to throw snow at each other.“Mama?” The little boy’s lip quivered. “Did you send me inside so you could play without me?”

      Don't miss out on the Hardman Holidays series! You’re Invited to PARTY!You’re invited to join in the online Cowboys & Christmas Facebook Party , Thursday, Nov. 12 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. (PST). Drop in anytime during those four hours to enter to win great prizes, chat with guest authors, and more (many of the giveaways will stay open until the following morning)!Here’s the link to the party: http://tinyurl.com/cowboychristmasparty2 The talented guest authors joining in the celebration include: 10 a.m. - Carmen Peone 10:30 - Kayla Dawn Thomas 11 a.m. - Melanie D. Snitker, Author 11:30 - Julie Cerniglia Lence Noon - Author CJ Samuels 12:30 - Rachel Rossano 1 p.m. - Author Kristin Holt 1:30 - Dani Harper
Enter to Win Prizes! To enter the drawing for an Amazon gift card, Wrangler Tote Bag, Rock & Roll Cowgirl T-shirt, autographed books, chocolates, and more fun goodies, fill out this form. Winners will be randomly drawn and announced Nov. 16. http://tinyurl.com/cowboychristmasprizes2 Where to Find The Books  Start the Rodeo Romance Series with The Christmas Cowboy. Kindle | Amazon  Travel back to a time of grandeur in the old westwith the Hardman Holidays series. The Christmas Bargain begins the popular seriesand is available free for a very limited time!Kindle | Amazon About Shanna Hatfield Convinced everyone deserves a happy ending, hopeless romantic Shanna Hatfield is out to make it happen, one story at a time. Her sweet historical and contemporary romances combine humor and heart-pumping moments with characters that seem incredibly real.When she isn’t writing or indulging in chocolate (dark and decadent, please), Shanna hangs out with her husband, lovingly known as Captain Cavedweller.This USA Today bestselling author is a member of Western Writers of America, Women Writing the West, Romance Writers of America, Sweet Romance Reads, and Pioneer Hearts. Find Shanna’s books at:Amazon | Amazon UK | Barnes & Noble | Smashwords | Apple Shanna loves to hear from readers! Follow her online:ShannaHatfield | Facebook | Pinterest | Goodreads | You Tube | TwitterMake sure you sign up for her newsletter to get the latest on new releases and exclusive giveaways! Newsletter

A Great Sale on a Great Holiday Book - Check it Out

HAZARDOUS UNIONS
Maggie and Me… Sharing a Relationship with Coffee
HAZARDOUS UNIONS: Two Tales of a Civil War Christmas is about two sisters, written by two authors. Maggie Becker is my creation and we share a love of coffee. Why? Because when the world is falling apart around you, it’s the little things that make a difference, like a decent cup of coffee, or the lack thereof. Besides, I wanted her to make acorn coffee. It’s a family thing.I learned how to make acorn coffee while researching. The important thing is to soak the acorns overnight and shell them before roasting. If you don’t, the taste is horribly bitter. I know from experience.My father built us a playhouse when my sister and I were little. It was constructed out of odds and ends from the near continuous home renovation that our Victorian house required, and furnished with castoffs. One of our prized appliances was a wooden, hand-cranked coffee grinder. It joined us in the playhouse the day after we tried to make acorn coffee.My mother had read about acorn coffee and how settlers used when coffee beans were not available. Acorns, chicory and dandelion roots were roasted and used for ersatz coffee during the war as well, but my mother’s family were strictly tea drinkers. We had a yard full of acorns, having a rather enormous oak tree beside the house. She told us about acorn coffee and my sister and I happily gathered the necessary ingredient.We didn’t know about soaking and peeling them. Mum washed and put the acorns in a pan in the oven. There’s something else I learned later, when roasting coffee, the beans have to be kept moving so they roast evenly. Soon the kitchen was filled with the stench of burnt acorns. Nevertheless, once my mother started something, she never let small obstacles like that stop her. She picked out the best of the acorns and put them through the grinder. Half an hour later, Mum and I were trying acorn coffee with lots of sugar and cream.It didn’t help.My sister went back out to the playhouse at the first whiff. She was not very experimental as a child.The coffee grinder was never the same. It became our toy. Truth be told, Mum preferred tea anyway and my father couldn’t tell the difference between fresh ground coffee and instant.It was quite the eureka moment when I read about the proper way to make acorn coffee. I wasn’t going to pass up including it in HAZARDOUS UNIONS. I can’t say I have any desire to go collect acorns, however.
Excerpt (with coffee)About an hour later, I had a mixture of roasted acorns and dandelion roots brewing on the stove. In another pot, raw acorns were soaking. By tomorrow they'd be peeled and ready to roast. Patience declared it was foul stuff and once said I was trying to poison her. Mrs. Hamilton politely declined in favor of tea. Mammy, Thaddeus and I needed our morning coffee and put up with my poor imitation. I was betting that Captain Stone's men would feel the same. Speaking of whom..."You have coffee, Miss Becker?"Captain Stone was disheveled and looking worse for wear. I hoped he was feeling the effects of last night's carousing."Something like coffee. I'll have a pot ready soon if you want to try it."His nose wrinkled at the bitter smell. "Thank you. I think. That isn't what I came to speak to you about, however. Your watchdog was out late last night. He was almost shot by one of our sentries.""Thaddeus?""I believe so. He said he was hunting.""That would explain the brace of rabbits hanging in the larder," I said, turning back to the stove."Twilight and daybreak are the usual times for hunting, not the middle of the night.""That's probably what the rabbits think, too. In any case, Thaddeus doesn't hunt rabbits. He traps them and then breaks their necks. If he left them out all night, other predators might get them.""Regardless, please tell your boy not to go out after dark without clearing it with me first."I slammed the pot down on the stove top. The cast iron responded with a dull clang and a splash of water from the pot sizzled on the hot surface. Across the room, Labelle drop a pan she had been drying. Mammy scolded the girl for being clumsy."Thaddeus is a free man, manumitted by Major Hamilton many years ago," I said, brandishing the coffee pot as I turned to face the Captain. "He is employed by the family, just as I am. And, I might add, if he is a boy, you are a babe in arms."
Twin sisters separated by war, bound by love…
After the death of their father, twin sisters Maggie and Matty Becker are forced to take positions with officers’ families at a nearby fort. When the southern states secede, the twins are separated, and they find themselves on opposite sides of America’s bloodiest war.
In the south, Maggie travels with the Hamiltons to Bellevue, a plantation in west Tennessee. When Major Hamilton is captured, it is up to Maggie to hold things together and deal with the Union cavalry troop that winters at Bellevue. Racism, politics and a matchmaking stepmother test Maggie’s resourcefulness as she fights for Bellevue, a wounded Confederate officer and the affections of the Union commander.
In the north, Matty discovers an incriminating letter in General Worthington’s office, and soon she is on the run. With no one to turn to for help, she drugs the wealthy Colonel Cole Black and marries him, in hopes of getting the letter to his father, the governor of Michigan. But Cole is not happy about being married, and Matty’s life becomes all about survival.Two unforgettable stories of courage, strength and honor
HAZARDOUS UNIONS IS ON SALE FOR ONLY $1.99 FROM NOVEMBER 8-12 (or banner) http://www.amazon.com/Hazardous-Unions-Tales-Christmas-ebook/dp/B00EXA735I
Authors:
Alison Bruce has had many careers and writing has always been one of them. Copywriter, editor and graphic designer since 1992, Alison has also been a comic store manager, small press publisher, webmaster and arithmetically challenged bookkeeper. She is the author of mystery, romantic suspense and historical western romance novels. Three of her novels have been finalists for genre awards. http://www.alisonbruce.ca
Kat Flannery’s love of history shows in the novels she writes. She is an avid reader of historical, suspense, paranormal, and romance. When not researching for her next book, Kat can be found running her three sons to hockey and lacrosse. She’s been published in numerous periodicals. This is Kat’s third book and she is hard at work on her next. www.katflannery-author.com

Sunday Snippets with Ginger Simpson #sundaysnips

Today, I'm sharing another sample from my current WIP, Sarah's Soul, releasing next year from Books We Love.  I don't have a cover yet, but I'm plugging along on te story and I hope you enjoy it.
Sarah's  Soul - Excerpt
The phone was ringing when Sarah unlocked the door.  The police had removed the tracking device right after George died so Sarah had had the telephone mounted to the wall.  She left the door open and rushed to pick up the receiver, hoping for good news.  “Hello.”
“You feeling safe, Sarah?”  An eeerie voice turned her blood cold.  The mechanical sound indicated the person obviously spoke through some sort of machine.
“Who is this?” 
Her frantic motions toward the phone grabbed Marie’s attention.
“Someone who plans to finish the job poor ol’ George started.”
“Why?  Do you know me?”  Sarah’s fright drove her determination to discover who wanted her dead.  She put her hand over the mouthpiece.
“Marie,” she whispered. “Phone Daniel on your cell and tell him the calls are starting again.”
“Oh, I know you very well.” Her attention was drawn back to her nightmare.  “Enough to know Marie is still there and most likely calling the police, but they aren’t going to find me by trying to discover where this call originated.  I’m not that stupid.  I won’t call again because you already know George is gone, but I wanted you to know I’m going to make sure to take Sarah’s Soul.  See you soon.”
Sarah hung up and sagged into a dining room chair. “Not again.  Please Lord, not again.”  She lowered her head into her palms to mask her tears.
“There is no bottom,” Sarah straightened and sniffed.  “The man on the phone said he won’t call again because I already know I’m going to die.  There’s nothing Daniel can do. The killer only wanted to torture me with one last call.  Unlike George, he’s through with these ridiculous warnings.
”Marie shook her head.  “Daniel didn’t become a detective for nothing.  He’s got skills and he’ll find this guy.  Stop doubting him and trust he has your back.”
“Easy for you to say.  You aren’t the one who’s looking death in the face.” Sarah stood and walked into the bedroom and closed the door behind her.

*******************************

Now...I hope you'll hop on over to the two dear souls who are carrying on this Sunday tradition:

http://connievines.blogspot.com (Connie Vines)
http://yesterrdayrevisitedhere.blogspot.com/ (Juliet Waldron)

Don't forget to come back next week for more Sunday Snippets.

Welcome J.Q. Rose to Dishin' It Out #guestblogger

Hi Ginger and Readers,
Thanks, Ginger. I’m excited to have the opportunity to “dish” about my new mystery, Deadly Undertaking. This story was a lifetime in the making. My main character is Lauren Staab who is the daughter of a funeral director. I am the daughter of a funeral director too, so many of the elements in the story are taken from my life experience. But, let me clarify. The story is fiction, so you can bet not all of the mess Lauren gets into is actually from my real life.
I mean we never actually found a murdered man in the garage of the funeral home. I never had a boyfriend who treated me like Chip DeYoung treated Lauren. I never actually took love advice from a shadow man. Hmm, now that I think of it, I guess there’s not much about my real life in there except I did dust the caskets in the casket room and set up flowers for visitations and funeral services.
When you read the story, you’ll have to decide what I’m telling is from my experience or just made up for your entertainment.
Back of the Book:
Lauren Staab knew there would be dead bodies around when she returned home. After all, her family is in the funeral business, Staab and Blood Funeral Home. Still, finding an extra body on the floor of the garage between the hearse and the flower car shocked her. Lauren’s plan to return to her hometown to help care for her mother and keep the books for the funeral home suddenly turns upside down in a struggle to prove she and her family are not guilty of murdering the man. But will the real killer return for her, her dad, her brother? Her mother’s secrets, a killer, a handsome policeman, and a shadow man muddle up her intention to have a simple life. Welcome home, Lauren!Amazon http://amzn.to/1Lu6GxIBarnes and Noble http://bit.ly/1H72tvV Books We Love Bookstore http://store.payloadz.com/go/?id=2395820 BWL is having a BOGOsale. Buy one book and get the second one FREEfor a limited time.
Bio: After writing feature articles in magazines, newspapers, and online magazines for over fifteen years, J.Q. Rose entered the world of fiction. Her published mysteries are Sunshine Boulevard, Coda to Murder, and Deadly Undertaking. Blogging, photography, Pegs and Jokers board games, and travel are the things that keep her out of trouble. She and her husband, Gardener Ted spend winters in Florida and summers up north camping and hunting toads, frogs, and salamanders with her four grandsons and granddaughter.
Connect with J.Q. Rose online atJ.Q. Rose blog http://www.jqrose.com/Author website http://jqrose.webs.com/Facebook http://facebook.com/jqroseauthorGoogle+ google.com/+JQRoseJ. Q. Rose Amazon Author Page http://tinyurl.com/aeuv4m4Goodreads- http://www.goodreads.com/jqrosePinterest http://pinterest.com/janetglaser/

Hello

First off, thank you, Ginger, for allowing me to share your blog. Second, Jamie, we'll miss you. You always posted such interesting blogs. I hope I can accomplish half of what you did.






A little about me. Much more later as I like to blog about my life, past and present.


I’m a product of the Midwest. Yep born and raised in Northeast Ohio. I moved to Florida back in October 64. Didn’t stay long, came back to Ohio in May of 65. Guess I’ll always live here. I’ve no desire to live anywhere else. Visiting, on the other hand, yep, I’d love to visit. In fact, hubby and I are thinking about going down to GA for a month or two next year, provided we can afford it that is.


I’ve been married to the same man for 53 years. We raised six children who married and gave us fourteen grandchildren. Now the grandkids are having children of their own. Time sure passes quickly when you’re having fun. Heck, time passes quickly regardless, and the older I get the quicker it passes. Besides, it’s not always fun.
I was a stay at home mom until my youngest went to kindergarten then I became a school secretary – at their school of course. They weren’t too happy about it, but it worked well for me I was home when they were home and worked while they were at school.
When I turned 50, my youngest child left home to become a truck driver just like his daddy. For the first time in 50 years I was alone in the house. I’d gone from my parents’ home to my husband’s and always had someone in the house with me, even if it was just the kids. I don’t mind telling you, I had a hard time dealing with that. At least for a few weeks. It didn’t take long to get used to doing what I wanted, when I wanted, and how I wanted. I didn’t have to answer to anyone. My time was my own. Oh, my husband, being a truck driver, was on the road. I will say, it took a long time to adjust to being in the house alone at night.
I remember the first time my son came home after being gone for several weeks. He sat in the living room with me, picked up the remote control and turned on the TV. I asked him if he was going out. He said maybe later. I was like, you don’t have to stay home with me. Is it your turn to watch me or something? Of course, he just gave me that look that said he didn’t know what I was talking about.
Since hubby retired, I now share my space with him. For the most part it’s not too bad. He’s often in the office watching what he wants on TV and leaves me to the peace and quiet with my lap top. We do a lot of camping in the summer with and without the kids, which is fun. We’re hoping to head south for part of the winter, as I said, we’d like to go to Georgia for at least a month. We’ll see how it goes.



My hobbies are quilting and embroidery, especially combining the two. Lately, I’ve been chip carving also. I make a lot of Christmas gifts.
My first novel was published in 2006 and sold 35,000 copies. I don’t mind telling you I was surprised and impressed. I’ve written 14 more novels since then and many short stories.
 Books 1 and 2 of my current series, A Family Affair, are now available from Bookswelove.net They’re also available from Amazon and other online booksellers To learn more about me and my books check out my website www.roseannedowell.com

No Sunday Snippets Today...Something'smore important

Mom with her TN Moonshine last year...me and my siblingsToday is much more special than promoting my books...today is a day to celebrate the birth of the woman who gave me life and helped inspire me to write...especially in the western genre.

Today, my mom is 91 years old.  I took her to the doctor recently, and the report from her physician is she's in great health.  Yesterday, I took her to the eye doctor, and her vision is better than mine.  Her favorite hobby is sweeping leaves and when you live in TN...you definitely get lots of opportunity.  Of course when she lived in the Arizona mountains, she was constantly raking pine needles.  Yep...she's obsessive about things like that.  She's also the most unconfrontational person I know...and unlike my sister's, I inherited that trait.

So...Happy Birthday, Mom.  I love you more than you can imagine and I'm so thankful you're still with me.  Dad will just have to wait a little longer to see you again.


BTW...Today Starts a new month and a new blogging partner.  Say Hello to Roseanne Dowell when she starts blogging.  I'm tickled to have her here and I'm certain you'll enjoy her  posts.

How We Age - or Does the Mirror Lie?

The subject of aging came up recently in a group I belong to. I had a difficult time turning 50, but since then, aging hasn't bothered me all that much. That year my youngest child left home. For the first time in 50 years I was alone in the house. I had gone from my parents' home to
my husband's. There had always been someone in the house with me even if it was one of my children. Okay, not every minute of the day, but someone always lived there with me. Came home for dinner, slept there, etc.  My husband was on the road, so when my son left, that was it. I was completely alone for weeks at a time.
Of course it didn't take long to get used to doing what I wanted when I wanted and how I wanted. With the exception of being alone at night. I kind of liked it.
Someone else in the group pointed out that for whatever reason, she looked better in the mirror than she did in pictures.

I have to agree for the most part. I mean really, I style my hair - never managed to make it look like the beauty shop did - put on my makeup, and think I look halfway presentable. I attend whatever function
called for my fussing, and inevitably someone takes a picture and posts it on Facebook. Hours later, I see the post and wonder how I could possibly look so bad when I looked so good only a short time before.
Does the mirror lie?
I didn't think it did, because years earlier when I wasn't quite as heavy as I am now, but still overweight, I stayed at my sister in law's cottage. Her bathroom closet had a full length mirror. I never paid much attention to it. I avoid full length mirrors like the plague.
However, upon getting out of the shower one day, I was met head on by a fat naked lady staring at me. Scared the heck out of me, I'll tell you. I couldn't imagine who came in the bathroom while I was showering.
Okay, you're right, I'm not that stupid. But it sure did startle me. I don't mind telling you I wanted to throw a sheet or something over that mirror every time I showered. Instead, I ran the water so hot before I got out, it steamed up the mirror. Problem solved.
We recently bought a motor home (1989 model, quite old, but all we could afford). It has a full length mirror that you can't avoid. I told hubby it has to go. He just laughed at me. One of these days, I will remove it.
Of course that doesn't change the fact that I'm overweight and getting older. But at least I won't have to see it. They say age has its privileges. Wish I knew what they were.

Happy Halloween

Taken from WikipediaToday, I'm going to share the origin of what some consider an evil holiday, specifically one listed as celebrated most frequently.  Sadly, I outgrew celebrating when my children aged out, and I tend to hide in the basement to avoid answering the door.  Yet another sad fact...the doorbell hardly rings anymore, so hiding the past few years has been a total wasted effort.  I think stangers lurking in the dark who aren't part of the holiday, razor blades in apples, and poison candy or popcorn balls has spoiled what was once an opportunity to bring a smile to a young face.  While often deemed the "day of the dead", I don't think any youngster sees anything but candy in their future when October 31st rolls around.  :)  I know my grandson was really upset when the school deemed costumes could no longer be worn there...you know, we must be politically correct at all times. I have mixed emotions about this issue since the school thinks it's fine to have sock hops during school hours and charge admission.  It's not okay to make those who don't celebrate feel otracized, but it's okay to ostracize those who can't afford to attend.  Huh?  But I've gotten totally off topic.

I'm copying this directly from Wikipedia (sans the footnotes):

Halloween, or Hallowe'en (/ˌhæləˈwiːn, -oʊˈiːn, ˌhɑːl-/; a contraction of "All Hallows’ Evening"), also known asAllhalloween,] All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve, is a yearly celebration observed in a number of countrieson 31 October, the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Hallows' Day. It begins the three-day observance ofAllhallowtide the time in the liturgical year dedicated to remembering the dead, including saints (hallows),martyrs, and all the faithful departed believers.According to many scholars, All Hallows' Eve is a Christianized feast influenced by Celtic harvest festivals,with possible pagan roots, particularly the Gaelic festival Samhain.Other scholars maintain that it originated independently of Samhain and has solely Christian roots.Typical contemporary festive Halloween activities include trick-or-treating (or the related "guising"), attending costume parties, decorating, carving pumpkins into jack-o'-lanterns, lighting bonfires, apple bobbing and divinationgames, playing pranks, visiting haunted attractions, telling scary stories and watching horror films. In many parts of the world, the Christian religious observances of All Hallows' Eve, including attending church services and lightingcandles on the graves of the dead, remain popular, although in other locations, these solemn customs are less pronounced in favor of a more commercial and secular celebration. Because many Western Christian denominations encourage, although most no longer require, abstinence from meat on All Hallows' Eve, the tradition of eating certain vegetarian foods for this vigil day developed, including the consumption ofapples, colcannon, cider, potato pancakes, and soul cakes.
So...for those who participate...Happy Candy Gathering!!!!