M. Jean Pike's Blog, page 19

How to spend a Saturday off

I usually get at least one Saturday off every month and yesterday was the day. Since our weather was cold and rainy and I’m still not feeling 100 %  I didn’t make any grand plans for the day. The biggest thing on my to-do list was to tackle the kitchen. I don’t have a very big house, so little bits of clutter can quickly add up to a messy space. Another blogger has inspired me to declutter, so I started with my antique pie safe/coffee bar. This holds a few neat kitchen items I have collected over the years, some family treasures, like an old fashioned scale and my grandma’s cookbook, as well as my everyday cookbooks and small appliances. I took everything out and wiped down the shelves, then put things back in a more orderly manner. There were a few cookbooks I never use, so I put them in a bag to donate.

Since my kitchen is also my laundry area, it can get pretty jumbled. I washed all the laundry, folded it and put it away. No more laundry baskets in the kitchen! Next I tackled the mess on the kitchen table;  a place for everything and everything in its place. I got out this cheerful yellow dishcloth and a cute folk art bumble bee to encourage myself that spring will come eventually.

Instead of just using the Swiffer I got down and scrubbed every inch of the floor, including the corners. What a job! After my kitchen cleaning adventures I made a cup of coffee and selected my next read from my bookcase. This one has been hanging out for quite awhile so I decided its time had come. I got about five chapters in and I’m really enjoying it so far. Has anybody else read it?

Not the most exciting way to spend a Saturday off, but it left me feeling so satisfied. And it was nice to get up this morning to a sparkling clean kitchen

Another Day, Another Barkfest

Miss Emma is in a bit of a snit this evening. She’s had a hard doggie day and she is taking it out on her mama by ignoring me. It started this morning with her inspection of the yard. Last week we had some high winds, and a neighbor’s trash can blew out of its place and landed against this tree. Miss Emma likes things to be as they should, and even though it is not technically her yard, she is not pleased. The trash can is still out of place and she let the whole neighborhood know about it at a rather early hour, so we had to cut her morning outdoor time short again, as we will each morning until the threat is removed.

The sun came up, and with it, the crew that did my other neighbor’s roof a few weeks ago returned to put up new siding. This created quite the barkfest in our house, since the work is being done right outside Miss Emma’s window. Since it is my day off and I had hoped for a little peace and quiet, I finally pulled the blinds, once again squashing Miss Emma’s fun.

Add to that that it’s the first week of the month, which is when I do her medicated bath, clip her nails and clean her ears. You’d think a girl would enjoy a monthly spa day, but it’s a fight every time!

She’s usually a very sweet and happy girl, but I guess the day has been too much. She’s mad at me right now, but tomorrow is a new day and I know that all will be forgiven

The sound of fiction

Sound plays such an important role in life. Our days are filled with it; roosters crowing and church bells tolling and fire trucks screaming and horns tooting and owls hooting. Sounds can evoke powerful feelings. Incorporated into a story, they can set a mood like nothing else.

Tell me the mood is lonely without telling me it’s lonely.

A lone dog barking in the night.

The howl of a distant train whistle.

The mail jeep rumbling past without stopping on your birthday.

Joy sounds like two friends sharing a belly laugh on the porch on a summer evening. Or the clacking of my dog’s nails across the floor when she’s coming to find me. It’s the chirpy song of a wren on an early spring morning, the roar of a Friday night crowd when a Hail Mary pass pays off with two seconds left on the clock.

 Sounds can be soothing, or stressful. I like to add layers to a story by showing the same sound from different perspectives. A pounding rain on the roof is much different in a cozy house than it is in a car speeding down the freeway. A dog growling at the Fed Ex truck in broad daylight. A dog growling at a dark window in the middle of the night. A random toddler having a meltdown in aisle seven can be annoying, but your toddler having a meltdown in aisle seven, well, that hits a little differently, doesn’t it?

In homes across storyland, coffee perks and silverware clatters in morning kitchens as families start their days. In a different house, doors slam and voices rise and sometimes the only sound is silence.

What child doesn’t love the happy chaos of a carnival?  But for a man suffering from PTSD, those sounds strike a different chord. Here’s an example from my book, King of Hearts.

The ear-splitting wail of a siren rose abruptly above the carousel music, slicing through his nerves. After six weeks with the carnival company, he should have been used to the commotion; the children’s happy shouts, the balloons popping like gunfire, the wailing siren from the High Stakes game. But the siren took him to a dark place every time. Growing up in Cleveland, sirens had been nothing more than background noise, a part of the deafening soundtrack of life that he never even noticed. They had nothing to do with him. Until the day they did.

So much of life is in fiction, and so much of fiction utilizes the senses. I rely heavily on sound. I’d love to hear amazing ways sight, sound, smell, touch and taste have been used in books you’ve read and written!

Another One Done!

A few weeks ago I raided my sister’s puzzle cabinet. It was well past Christmas, but we were in for some snowy weather and this one was cute, so I brought it home and started it, thinking it would be fun. I was wrong, lol. At least at first.

This is what my sister and I refer to as a “piece an hour” puzzle. You know, the kind where you stare at it and manage to fit in about one piece every hour. I don’t always finish these, but I decided to give it a chance. I have a hard time giving up on books and puzzles. This one did a thing I hate. It had flat edged pieces that appeared to be edgies but weren’t. I finally gave up on putting the edges together and worked on the barn instead. It took four full sittings for me to find my groove with this puzzle, but I’m glad I didn’t give up on it. After I finally connected with it, it did turn out to be fun

But I’m done with cold weather puzzles until at least November. Next up, Black Bears and Butterflies…

January, a month of challenges and blessings…

January 2025 has come to an end, and it certainly was a month of challenges for me, but also a month of blessings. An unexpected snow and ice storm made getting out and about rather difficult this month, but with a little help from my friends, I got everywhere I needed to be With this week’s warmer temps and today’s rain, I am finally seeing more driveway than snow, yay! A nasty bout of cold and flu has also knocked me down this month. I went for a checkup yesterday and discovered I have a double ear infection. My doctor prescribed a strong antibiotic, so I am hopeful that I will finally start feeling better soon.

I set two goals for the month, No Spend and No Sweets. I did surprisingly well with both and was able to make a double payment on one of my debts this month, which was such a good feeling!

I read five really good books in January and am very close to finishing a sixth, which is about twice the number of books I normally read in a month. I am also working my way through the Old Testament. I am currently reading the book of Numbers. This is a challenging book and one I have not spent nearly enough time in. I am struck by how hundreds and hundreds of years can pass, and yet human nature remains the same.  I think of the Bible Greats as being superheroes, but reading their stories reminds me they were just regular people, chosen and enabled by God to do amazing things!

Speaking of Superheroes… my new book is on track for a 2025 release! I got my cover art last week and as usual, it is gorgeous! I will share it when I have a firm release date. Unless I decide I can’t wait, lol. I know I say this every time, but I’m so excited about this book. Having worked for many years in Special Ed in the public school system, and having a nephew with special needs, I have always wanted to feature a special needs person in one of my stories but struggled with how to do so with dignity and gentleness. As I sat down to write Superheroes, my hero’s younger brother, Ollie, came to life before my eyes and I knew the time had come. He is loosely based on my nephew, who loves Superheroes and coloring books. By the time I finished writing the story, I had fallen in love with Ollie. I hope my readers will too

So I have set a couple new goals for February. I want to keep saving as much money as I can and keep being careful about sweets. I am hoping the weather will shape up enough that I can get Miss Emma down to the park for some walks. I have a to-do list of appointments and tasks I have put off for far too long, so I want to knock at least a couple of them off my list.

How did you do with your January goals, and what are your plans for February?

Dinosaur Invasion!

We had a dinosaur invasion at work this week. Some sweet soul stashed literally hundreds of these “tiny diny’s” all around the store for us to find.

They lurked behind magazines, in between bottles of shampoo, and peeked out from rows of cold medicines. I even found one guarding the soap dispenser in the ladies room! Each one brought a smile.

You wouldn’t think these colorful little hunks of resin could spark so much joy in a workplace, especially among adults, but believe me, they did. They brought out the kids in all of us.

Because after all, it’s the small, unexpected smiles that drop into our days that make life such a wonderful adventure

Two beautiful things

So in the middle of my day of resting and relaxing, I received notice that King of Hearts was reviewed over at Reading Is My Superpower. It was a ray of sunshine in what has been a very difficult week. I’ll be honest, I’m not the kind of author that gets hundreds of reviews. To even say dozens would be pushing it, lol. So each one is a treasure. And it’s not just because any writer likes to hear good things about their work– of course we do! It’s more about the joy that comes with knowing someone enjoyed, even loved, my story and my people, and caught a glimpse of Jesus between the pages.

Book Review: King of Hearts by M. Jean Pike

Last week, fellow blogger and poet Kimberly Vargus Agnese had some lovely words to say about one of my older titles, Frankie’s Heart.

Two beautiful things that really made my day

Sick (and tired)

I’ve never loved cold weather, but the older I get, the more it seems to settle deep inside my bones and make my entire body ache. Especially with the single digit and below zero temps we’ve been having lately. I don’t often get sick, but this week I have come down with the mother of all colds. My days are a vicious cycle of sneezing, couging, sleeping, and mountains of tissues. Today I feel slightly better and my impulse is to “up and at ’em” get caught up on all I haven’t had the energy to do this week. But I’m going to curb that impulse and do only what needs to be done today.

If I haven’t checked in on your blogs lately, know that I will! And when I feel a little more human, I’ll be back with a little news of my own. Be well, friends!

Foods that belong to the dog (that I’m not allowed to eat!)

Aren’t dog’s wonderful? I like to put them in my stories. They make such great characters. My Miss Emma possesses a never ending supply of doggie quirks. They are so adorable. Until they’re not. I adopted her ten years ago after the death of my precious little poodle, Leo. I went to the pound fully intending to find another poodle, or at least something small and fluffy. Miss Emma was neither of those things. But oh, those eyes…

She was a year old at the time and had been picked up while running wild with her mother and a sibling. If she ever had an owner, they didn’t teach her much. The mother and sister were taken to a rescue. Emma ended up in the local dog pound. For weeks. I could not leave her there. Those eyes got to me.

Peanut Butter

It took her awhile to settle in. At a year old, she was still a puppy, and she loved to chew. I bought an endless supply of toys. Gone in 60 seconds! The vet suggested I try the Kong. They were indestructible and would give Miss Emma a job. Well, she loved her new job of trying to get the frozen peanut butter biscuit out of the Kong! We had one for years until I somehow lost it. In a pinch, I spread a small amount of peanut butter on a biscuit, and she was fine with that. And now it is an essential part of the daily routine. Peanut butter is the love of Miss Emma’s life. I keep a jar in the house at all times. I am not allowed to eat it, not in peace. It is Miss Emma’s.

Tuna Fish

At the time I adopted Emma, I was working three jobs, seven days a week. Afraid she would get lonely, I got Emma a playmate, a little tabby I named Darby. They were instant BFFs.

No matter where in the house Darby was, when I opened a can of tuna he came running. Which caused Miss Emma to also come running. We lost Darby after only two years and I don’t think either of us ever got over it. A can of tuna opening still brings Emma running. I’m not allowed to eat it without sharing. As a healthy snack, I like to bake her up a batch of tuna treats. She knows when they are in the oven, and as you can see, she can’t wait for them to come out!

Rice

One year after a horrible bout of diarrhea a friend suggested I give Emma a boiled dinner of chicken and rice. It did the trick. It also added to the list of things I am not allowed to eat without sharing. Emma loves rice. I eat a lot of it, and if I don’t save out a cup to put on top of her dog food she gets quite bossy. But those eyes still get to me, and I cave every time.

Do you have a pet with an interesting food quirk? I’d love to hear about it

Candles and Coffee

I didn’t break my No Spend January goal this month, but I bent it a little by buying a baby gift for a friend from church. Between the weather and my work schedule, this was the first chance I have had to go and see her baby daughter. My friend does not allow photos of her children to be posted on social media, but trust me, she is gorgeous! The only problem was, I had to deliver the gift to my friend’s place of business. A candle shop. Oh, my…

After sufficiently oohing and aahing over the new baby (Who can resist a beautiful little bundle, fresh from the hand of God :)) I took a moment to look around.

They make all of their own candles and have every scent imaginable! I was good though, mostly…

I couldn’t leave without getting my fix of fresh ground New York Maple coffee (A little taste of home!) and my favorite Reiter Ridge meltees, Frankincense and Myrrh. I have both going right now, and the house smells like heaven!

Candles and coffee are two of my favorite things, so I don’t feel too bad about a little splurge. Especially with more freezing temperatures on the way next week. These items will go a long ways toward warming heart and home