Lisa R. Howeler's Blog, page 88

Sunday Bookends: The last swim, the passing of a queen, and a variety of books

Welcome to Sunday Bookends where I ramble about what I’ve been reading, doing, watching, writing and listening to.

What I/we’ve been Reading

I finished Junkyard Dogs, A Walt Longmire Mystery, by Craig Johnson yesterday. It was hard to put down, it was constant action, as usual. It is the sixth book in the series. The eighteenth book in the series came out last Tuesday and The Husband is excited. I don’t usually like books with harsh language but I’ve read a lot worse (or started to and put them down), there is no on-page sex (except in one book and it was thankfully really brief), and I love the characters.

I hope to finish Refuge of Convenience by Kathy Geary Anderson by today or tomorrow.

I was glad to have the two books to switch back and forth on since the Longmire book has heavier topics and isn’t as clean. Kathy’s books are all listed under Christian Historical Fiction and are engaging and make me want to find out what happens.

Up next in my list is The Cat Who Wasn’t There by Lilian Jackson Braun, a book from a cozy-mystery series I enjoy. It’s a comfort read to me.

Little Miss and I are reading either Paddington or Anne of Green Gables at night. She’s enjoying Anne so much that she has even been drawing photos of her. We are also reading The Year of Miss Agnes for her school lessons.

The Boy is reading War of the Worlds by H.G. Welles for school.

The Husband is reading Hell and Back by Craig Johnson.

What’s Been Occurring

Last Sunday we attended a picnic at our neighbors and my parents came as well. It was a super nice day.

It wasn’t a hot day, which made it even nicer, but Little Miss still took a dip in their little pool in the backyard. She talked me into going in as well and it was awful. It was so cold it was like standing in a large glass of ice water. I lasted about seven minutes.

It appears that it will be our last swim in a pool this season, unless the weather warms up this week.

It’s supposed to rain all day today and part of tomorrow.

Zooma the Wonder Dog even got some socialization in, visiting with the neighbors’ Shitzu dogs while Little Miss jumped in the pool.

Today we have a family reunion to attend. It should be interesting in the rain and will probably consist of me talking to former neighbors of mine who I am not actually related to but attend the reunion every year because they are like family.

Last week was our first week of homeschool and it got off to a bit of a bumpy start for Little Miss and me because neither of us has actually adjusted to being back at school. She wasn’t ready to sit and learn just yet and I was way too uptight about it all so on Thursday we both feels to separate parts of the house to have a good cry at one point.

What We watched/are Watching

Last week The Boy and I watched Clue as part of a feature Erin from Still Life, With Cracker Crumbs, and I are doing called Spooky Season Cinema. I talked more about that in this post. This week we are watching The Addams Family.

The Husband and I watched a Brokenwood Mysteries episode, some specials about Queen Elizabeth, and an episode of a hilarious old British sitcom called Yes, Prime Minister.

Sunday morning, I watched the coffin of the queen being driven from Balmoral Castle to the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh, Scotland, and will admit I felt weepy over it. I believe this queen was a very “grand lady” who had a great deal of dignity, unlike a few members of her family (*cough* Andrew. *cough* Harry lately.). With her gone, I’m not sure what the family will devolve into, though they had devolved into a pretty big mess in the 1990s with the divorces of Charles and Diana and Andrew and Sarah Ferguson.

As I mentioned on a post on Instagram last week, the world is not only mourning a person, who seemed very kind and compassionate, but an era of respect, dignity, and grandeur that is slowly being eroded away. I didn’t finish The Crown when we had Netflix, but I enjoyed watching it and later doing my own research on what parts of the show were accurate and which parts weren’t. I feel, somehow, as I am sure the people of Great Britain feel even more, that after watching and reading so much about her that I knew her personally.

Of course, I didn’t know her personally, her family did and I do feel for them as they mourn her. Some might say “Well, she was old, so it was to be expected,” but that doesn’t take away from the pain of losing someone who was more than a queen to her family. She was a mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother to her family and not having her around to interact with anymore, to not having her wisdom to rely on, will be extremely difficult.

In addition to all the queen news, I watched The Young Philadelphians as part of my “Fall of Paul” yesterday since I didn’t finish a couple of movies I wanted to watch with Paul Newman during my Summer of Paul movie-watching experience. I hope to watch Mr. and Mrs. Bridge with Paul and Joan (his wife) later this week.

I’ve also started a documentary on Mae West last week that I hope to finish this week.

What I’m Writing

I am working on The Shores of Mercy, but honestly, I am discouraged in my writing. I started writing fiction to have fun but for some reason I’ve been focusing too much on how poorly my books are doing in rankings, etc.

Sadly, I feel like I often start things and enjoy them for a bit and then feel depressed when I watch others get the “success” I worked for but could never reach. But at the same time, I feel like success for me is connecting with other people and by that measurement, I have had success and it’s all I really need. It’s a weird dichotomy of wanting to be popular with my writing yet loving that I am not popular and can write whatever I want.

I think one issue is that I have been writing books I think certain readers want instead of stories I want to tell, even though I have enjoyed getting to know the characters of my Spencer Valley books. I also appreciate, more than anyone knows, my blog readers who have faithfully supported me in my writing journey, especially Bettie who offers prayers for me and my fictional characters. I often feel like even if I am only writing for Bettie and my mom, it is worth it.

This week on the blog I shared:

Fiction Friday: Mercy’s Shore Chapter 18Spooky Seasons Cinema: ClueWednesday Hodge Podge: A collection of thoughtsBook Recommendation with Celebrate Lit Tours: Far From Home by Mabel Ninan

What I’m Listening To

This week I listened to Toby Mac’s new album again and I don’t love every song, but I really like most of them. I plan to listen to some sermons this week and maybe an audiobook since I’ve decided to check out Chirp, where you can buy audiobooks a you go, versus having a membership.

So far, this one is my favorite:

Now it’s your turn

Now it’s your turn. What have you been doing, watching, reading, listening to or writing? Let me know in the comments or leave a blog post link if you also write a weekly update like this.

Fiction Friday: Mercy’s Shore Chapter 18

This is a continuing/serial story. I share a chapter a week and at the end of the story, and after I edit and rewrite, I self-publish it. To catch up with the story click HERE. To read the rest of the books in this series click HERE. Let me know in the comments what you think.

Chapter 18

Ben stared at the television with bleary eyes, slumped down in a comfy blue recliner he figured was Adam’s.

He was in the den downstairs, gladly away from the rest of the family. What else could he have done? It wasn’t like they were going to hang out and watch tv like a family, since they weren’t an actual family.

He yawned and looked at his phone on the coffee table, guilt tugging at him.

He dialed his parents’ number and his mother answered.

“I just wanted to let you know I won’t be home until tomorrow in case you stop by.”

“Won’t be home? Where are you now?” She added quickly, “I mean you don’t have to tell us. You’re a grown man.”

A small laugh cracked its way through the exhaustion. “It’s okay. I’m in Lancaster. Car troubles so I have to stay the night.”

His dad’s voice, “How did you get there?” He must have picked up the other house phone. “You still shouldn’t drive, right?

“Right. Judi drove me.”

“Oh.” His mother again.

“Oh.” His father.

A brief silence fell over the conversation.

His mom spoke first. “So, is she as beautiful in person as she is in her photos?”

Ben leaned forward in the chair. “You’ve seen photos?”

“Well, yes Leona sent us some over the years.”

“You never said anything.”

 “We didn’t know if we should,” his dad said.

Ben cleared his throat. “I understand. And yes, she’s even more beautiful in person.” He rubbed a hand across his face. “Judi and I are heading back in the morning. There was some fog  and Leona asked us to stay.”

He chatted with his parents a few minutes more and when he slid his finger over the end call button he fell back in the chair, closing his eyes against the burning pain of tears. He’d been able to be tough for four years. Why was this all kicking him in the gut now?

He was exhausted. That’s why. That and he hated to hear the pain in his parent’s voice, knowing how much they’d love to meet Amelia and get to know her. Plus, this was yet another opportunity for him to be reminded he wasn’t as good of a father as his had always been and still was.

It also hit him with a sickening twist in his gut that he hadn’t prayed this entire weekend. For the past two years he’d been going to church with his parents, reconnecting with the faith he’d abandoned in junior high. He’d prayed his way through the self-directed anger and shame, the self-loathing that held him down day after day. He’d asked God to help him not hurt Angie and Amelia ever again and yet here he was, in the middle of the lion’s den, so to speak, poised to do just that if he didn’t leave soon.

He obviously hadn’t been thinking when he came down here. Not clearly anyhow. He had been worried something was wrong with Angie, Amelia or her parents, but he could have learned more about that over the phone. Why had he felt like he had to see for himself that everything was okay?

Maybe because he was a control freak. He’d been able to let go of that control over the situation with Angie but only with prayer and he should have prayed before he agreed to this trip.

He stood and dragged a hand through his hair. He needed some fresh air. Walking gingerly upstairs, he was glad the house was dark and everyone else was asleep. He gently opened the patio door and stepped out onto the patio and then down the steps into the backyard. Finding a bench under a maple tree at the end of the fenced in area, he sat down, looking out over flat land, void of the tree covered hills he was used to in Spencer. Taking a deep breath, he looked up at the sky, at a vast array of stars, and then closed his eyes.

“God, you know I’m not good at this whole praying thing,” he whispered. “Yet, or still. I don’t even know what to pray for other than to help me get out of here tomorrow without hurting Angie or Amelia anymore than I already have over the years.”

He tipped his head forward, into his hands and let out a long breath, sitting there for several moments, mental berating himself again for agreeing to this trip in the first place.

“You okay?”

Adam’s voice startled him, and he looked up to see the man standing in the dim light of the moon, looking at him with a concerned crease along his brow line.

“Yeah.” Ben rubbed his hands across his eyes. “Just needed some fresh air.”

Adam gestured toward the other side of the bench. “Can I sit?”

Ben slid over. “Yes, of course.”

Adam stretched his arms over his head and yawned. “I like it here but not as much as the place we had in Spencer. It’s too flat here. If my friend Lewis hadn’t offered me a place in his farm store to sell my furniture, I doubt I would have ever moved down here.” He lowered his arms and laid one on the arm of the bench, the other across the back of it. “I’ll be glad to get back to Spencer. Mom’s place is up on Hobbs Mountain – near the overlook that looks over the valley near the Tanner’s place.”

“Yes, I’ve been there before.”

Adam laughed. “Of course you have – what am I talking about? Mom practically adopted you as another grandchild when you and Angie were together.”

Ben simply nodded and looked out over the empty field again, his eyes focusing on a lone tree in the distance.

Adam broke the silence a few minutes later. “Boy, noses really bleed, don’t they?”

Ben laughed softly, leaning forward, and propping his elbow on his knees. “Yeah. I remember one I got when I was hit in the face with a baseball when I was about ten. They thought my nose was broken, but it wasn’t luckily.”

“Yeah, Amelia’s will be swollen a couple of days, but I’m glad it wasn’t broken. Kids are pretty resilient, I guess.”

Ben tilted his head to look at Adam. “Adam, what’s really going on here? Why did you want me here? I know about the move, but is something else going on? You could have easily called me and told me about the move.”

Adam rubbed a hand across his chin. “Yeah, that’s true, but I guess — I don’t know. I guess I felt like I should see you in person, talk to you about it all and see your reaction to Amelia myself, understand if you really didn’t want anything to do with her or if that’s just what Angie told us.”

Now they were getting somewhere. “They’re better off without me, Adam.”

“Are they?”

“I don’t know. You tell me. They’re happy, right? Amelia seems bright and well cared for. Angie has a doctor boyfriend. They certainly don’t need someone like me.”

“Amelia should know her dad,” Adam said. “Don’t you agree?”

“Not if her dad is a screw up like me.”

Adam shook his head slowly. “People change, Ben and I believe you have. Am I wrong?”

“I’m doing a lot better than I was, yes, but —” Ben let out a slow breath. “Listen, you meant well, Adam, but do you really think that I’m the father she needs? The man who walked away from her and her mom four years ago? The man who has stayed away and didn’t make an effort to contact them?”

“Did you ever want to?”

“Ever want to what?”

“Contact them.”

“Of course I did, but I knew — I know that I’m not what they need. I can’t do anything for Angie and Amelia but make their lives more complicated. They’re happy without me, right?” He didn’t wait for Adam to answer. “So, then what good will it do for me to come back into their lives?”,,,

Adam leaned forward until he could look Ben in the eye. “Are you drinking anymore?”

“No, sir, but that’s not the point. The point is I’m still not father material. I’m still selfish and there is still the potential for me to mess up again. I can’t take that risk and even more than that, Angie doesn’t want to take that risk. She’s happy with William. Amelia is happy with William. Let them have William.”

Adam let out a frustrated grunt. “I’m not saying you have to have a romantic relationship with Angie again. I’m just suggesting a relationship with Amelia at least. I won’t force you into anything, Ben. This isn’t the 50s. I’m not going to come after you with a gun, but I hope you’ll at least consider it. Especially now that we’re going to be living so close to you.”

Ben kept his gaze locked on Adam’. “What else is going on, Adam? Is it just your mom’s health pushing this move back? Level with me.”

Adam leaned back again, rubbed a hand across the top of his short, graying hair. “You always have been perceptive. I guess that’s why you became a lawyer.” He folded his arms across his chest. “Yes, my mom’s the main reason for the move. She’s got dementia and she’s also failing physically. At the same time,” he lifted a shoulder quickly. “I’ve got a bad ticker.”

“How bad is it?”

“Doctors haven’t said it will kill me any time soon but …” Adam shook his head, looking out into the darkness again. “What if it does? I’ll need someone to take care of my girls when I’m gone and I’d rather have them back in Spencer where the boys are, my brothers and, well, you.”

Ben laughed softly. “You included me in that last? Really? After all I’ve done to your daughter and granddaughter? They’ve got William, right? He’s a doctor, he can take care of you and them.”

Adam smiled. “He’s a pediatrician, Ben, not a cardiologist. But not only that — Angie doesn’t really love William. He’s a nice guy, don’t get me wrong, but he’s safe. It’s the only reason she’s seeing him. It certainly isn’t passion.”

Ben kept his gaze on Adam. “Safe is good after what she had before.” He rubbed a hand across his jawline. “Why didn’t you give up on me, Adam? I definitely would have if I was in your shoes.”

Adam tipped his head back and sighed. “Because I knew someday you’d realize you were headed in the wrong direction. I knew that at some point you’d hit rock bottom and start climbing out again. I knew that someday you’d realize what you were missing out on and want to be part of Amelia’s life.”

Ben scoffed. “My rock bottom should have been when Angie left me. When I wasn’t at the hospital when Amelia was born. It took me another year and a half to get to rock bottom. It was pathetic. I’m not real quick on the uptake sometimes.” A dark barked somewhere in the distance. “Adam, seriously — what if it happens again? What if I fail them again?” He snorted a sardonic laugh. “Again? None of this really matters because Angie hates me anyhow and doesn’t want me around.”

Adam shifted his weight to face Ben even more. “Like I said, I’m not saying you have to marry her. I just want you around for them. I don’t know much about what it takes to stay sober but I know you’re a determined man. When you want something, you get it. You wanted that law degree and you got it and —

“Yeah, I got it. At the expense of my personal life. My family. My dignity.”

“Yes, but you regret that now, right?”

“I do. Yes.”

“Ben, do you still love my daughter?”

Ben held up his hand. This conversation had gone into the awkward long ago but it was now downright uncomfortable. “Adam —”

“Because she still loves you. She tries to act like she doesn’t, but she does.”

“Are we talking about the same woman? Did you see the way she looked at me today? If looks could kill — well, you know where I’d be.”

Adam rejected Ben’s attempt to bring reality to the conversation. “How long have you been sober?”

Ben rubbed a hand across his forehead. “A little more than a year and a half. Six months away from two. That’s not long in recovering alcoholic terms but I don’t crave it like I did. I don’t have an urge to go back to who I was. I’m told that’s progress.”

“You won’t go back to where you were.”

Ben was becoming irritated now. He ran a hand through his hair. “You sound so sure. I’m not even sure.” He shook his head, his jaw tightening. “How can you be?”

Adam’s smile gleamed with confidence. “Because you’re an Oliver. It’s in your blood not only to get what you want but to do what’s right.”

Spooky Seasons Cinema: Clue

Erin from Still Life, With Cracker Crumbs and I, are switching gears for September and October and instead of watching simple classic movies we are watching funny and quirky, or suspenseful Halloween-themed movies. Erin, who is a fan of horror films, was gracious enough to not try to talk me into any gory horror films, since I am not a horror film fan at all.

Instead of each watching a movie we choose for each other, we are both watching the same movie and each giving our impression of it.

I have never seen most of the movies we are watching, including our first movie, Clue, a dark comedy cult classic, which is, of course, based on the classic game.

The blog Creepy Catalog describes the movie this way. “The film’s plot is set in 1954 where six strangers are invited to a mansion on a dark and stormy night. The six guests are addressed by pseudonyms: Colonel Mustard (Martin Mull), Mrs. White (Madeline Kahn), Mrs. Peacock (Eileen Brennan), Mr. Green (Michael McKean), Professor Plum (Christopher Lloyd), and Miss Scarlet (Lesley Ann Warren). Also in the mansion is the butler, Wadsworth (Tim Curry) and maid, Yvette (Colleen Camp). After they arrive, a seventh guest, Mr. Boddy, is murdered and the rest of the film follows the guests as they attempt to unravel blackmail plots and motives and figure out who the murderer among them is.”

The movie was released in 1985 and though it isn’t a strict Halloween movie, many consider it a movie they watch around this time of year.

According to Creepy Catalog, the movie wasn’t exactly a hit when it was released, making only $14 million when it cost $15 million to make. Fans, however, loved it, including Horror fans who like it because it is an early roll of Tim Curry who would later star as the dancing clown, Penny Wise in the TV mini-series of Stephen King’s It, which was the first movie I told Erin I would NOT watch under any circumstances.

Incidentally, the board game was invented between 1943 and 1945 by an English musician and factory worker trying to solve his boredom during the Blitz of World War II. He was inspired by his love of Agatha Christie novels and by detective games his parents used to play. The game was first called Cluedo, a combination of Clue and Ludo, which mean “I play” in Latin. Read more about the game on the History Channel site.

I watched this with my son and thirty minutes in he said, “Wait, a minute. Is this supposed to be a comedy?”

“Yes!” I told him.

“Well, then it’s not that funny. I thought these people were trying to be serious.”

That made me laugh even harder and made me think of the time my parents watched The Pink Panther with my grandmother, who didn’t have a sense of humor, and every time my grandmother said she didn’t see what was so funny my parents would laugh harder.

Later he decided he did like the movie because he said “It’s like the actors are trying to take it all very seriously and then, ‘boob joke.’” In other words, it grew on him.

The movie is very fast-paced with a lot of quick verbal exchanges that include a series of play on words. The end of the movie was so fast-paced that Tim Curry apparently had to be treated for high blood pressure toward the end of filming from all his running around, according to a couple articles I read.

I may have to watch it at least a couple more times to try to catch all the comments, innuendos, and jokes that I missed the first time around since it was going so fast.

The exchanges between the characters were funny and the ending had my head spinning trying to figure out who did it. Part of the reason the movie wasn’t a huge hit when it was released was because it featured three different endings and what ending you saw depended on which theater you went to.

I liked the idea of the endings being presented as possible endings along with the real ending in the version that is on streaming services now.

Next up on our “spooky season” movies list is The Addam’s Family.

After that it’s:

Shaun of the Dead

Hocus Pocus

Young Frankenstein

Transylvania 6-500 or Practical Magic (wild card)

Creature from the Black Lagoon (Classic Creature Feature)

Legend of Sleepy Hollow 

And …. If I can take it… Halloween from 1979.

You can read Erin’s impression of Clue over on her blog today.

Wednesday Hodge Podge: A collection of thoughts

Thank you to Joyce at From This Side of the Pond for her Hodge Podge feature, which she hosts every Wednesday. For more information about it, click HERE.

Tell us a little bit about the best birthday you’ve ever had. 

It’s hard to really think of the best birthday I ever had because there isn’t a birthday that really stands out to me as “amazing” exactly. In 2020 we traveled two hour to Seneca Lake in Watkins Glen, NY and picked up something from a restaurant, sat outside and watched the waves lap up on the rocks.

My niece called me out of the blue, which was a shock because my five nieces rarely talk to us even when we try to reach out. Her call, and especially her voicemail, meant so much to me that I actually cried. It was the last time she called me and now she rarely answers my texts so it is a bittersweet memory, but I usually try to focus on the sweet.

2. In what way(s) have you changed in the last five years? 

Oh, that is a deep question that could turn into an entire blog post at some point. First of all, I don’t hinge my worth on whether or not people approve of me now. I don’t wait around for others to show me that I am important to them. When people make it clear I am not wanted in their life, I walk away and accept that. I also no longer stress when others are upset at a decision I make that is right for my family. I used to focus way too much on what others thought of me and I’m not going to say I never do, but it is much, much better than it used to me.

I ruminate much less now on how I believe a person perceives me and instead have learned to let it go. I have also let go of the idea of super close, movie-like friendships. I wanted that so much for so long that I was desperate and would let people walk all over me just to be sure I didn’t lose their friendship.

Now I am myself and if they don’t like it or aren’t interested, oh well. Life is too short to sacrifice my happiness to try to be liked.

3. What’s your favorite thing about the street on which you live? 

My street actually feels like a community, unlike the street we used to live on in another town. In our previous home we had one neighbor who invited us to her house or acted like we were real friends. We lived there for 18 years and were never invited to anyone’s house for dinner or to hang out, other than the house of the neighbor behind us who is a grandmother and just a super sweet woman. I still keep in touch with her.

The other night my new next-door neighbor (new for two years anyhow.) texted me and asked if I had any flour. She was making cookies for a Labor Day party she was having the next day that she had invited my entire family to (including my parents who do not live here). You know how in the movies people go next door to borrow a cup of sugar? I’ve always wanted that to happen and here she was asking for a cup of flour (well, more like two but who cares!)

“I have to go outside and meet Dawn!” I told my husband, practically jumping up and down. “She needs to borrow flour! Like in the movies when people buy a cup of sugar!”

I ran downstairs and told my teenage son where I was going (since it was dark) and he said, “Oh my gosh! It’s like when neighbors on TV borrow a cup of sugar!”

We were both so excited that it was  . . . a bit sad, actually.

But my neighbor made the best chocolate chip cookies with that flour, so it was totally worth us being absolute dorks about it. We also had a great time the next day at her house for the cookout. My daughter went swimming in the small pool in their backyard (it was ridiculously cold! I stood in it for seven minutes with her and couldn’t feel my legs), our dog socialized with their dogs, and my parents enjoyed chatting with the father of my neighbor and another friend.

4. The Hodgepodge lands on National Beer Day…are you a beer drinker? What’s a recipe you make that lists beer as one of the ingredients? If not beer, how about yeast?

I am not a beer drinker, no. I am not a consumer of alcohol at all. Part of the reason for this is that I was brought up by tee-totaling parents, but another reason is that I had a heart condition when I was younger that made me very dizzy and feel out of control, which I hated. I don’t want to get drunk and feel that out of control feeling so I stay away from alcohol altogether and don’t feel I have suffered at all from not drinking it. I am not against others enjoying alcohol in moderation but my mom always said she never saw anyone who was improved by drinking alcohol (at least to excess) and I tend to agree.

5. As I grow older, I would like to be a woman (or man, if there are any men in the HP today) __________.

Who focuses more on my relationship with God than what the world thinks of me.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

We started our new year of homeschooling yesterday and I am looking forward to learning with my almost 16-year-old and almost 8-year-old. Neither of them, however, is actually that happy about learning. Pray for us. *wink*

Book Recommendation with Celebrate Lit Tours: Far From Home by Mabel Ninan

About the Book

Book: Far From Home

Author: Mabel Ninan

Genre: Christian / Non-Fiction / Spiritual Growth

Release date: July 12, 2022

What is my purpose? Why do I exist? A sense of self and belonging are two questions many of us struggle to answer.

And what if you are a foreigner in another land?

How does one adjust to a new culture? Discover their place in a new society?

For Mabel Ninan, born and raised in India and an immigrant in America shortly after marriage, the search for those answers sent her on a journey that led to an unexpected and exciting discovery.

God revealed she was not only an earthly immigrant but also a spiritual one, created with a unique calling to impact His kingdom. Mabel’s renewed perspective imbued her with joy and hope, urging her to share the message with others.

Drawing from her personal experiences and by examining the lives of biblical heroes, Mabel sheds light on what it means to live as a citizen of Heaven on earth. Far from Home will inspire you to:

Embrace your identity as a foreigner on earth.Make your home with God.Find community and common purpose with fellow sojourners.

Explore the intersection between culture, identity, and faith in this new release from an earthly immigrant who gained a spiritual perspective.

Click here to get your copy!

My Thoughts

Not Of This World by Mabel Ninan is a meaningful, inspirational, and powerful devotional written from the perspective of a woman who was a physical immigrant to the United States, but who also recognizes that humans are spiritual immigrants in a world we do not belong in.

Mabel Ninan moved to the United States from India in 2008 with her husband and was thrown into an unfamiliar world. There were days that her only comfort was Jesus who she’d known her whole life after being brought up in the church in a minority Christian community in India. Over the years, Mabel has lived in different countries and on different continents and no matter where she goes, she has found that Jesus is her one constant.

 During her time of adjustment in the States in 2008, during her first move with her husband and family, she came to know Jesus in an even more intimate way, leaning on him during a time when she was lost, confused, and lonely.

The lessons she learned during that time are captured in this wonderful devotional that reminds all Christians about their need to call out and reach for Jesus instead of material things which will not sustain them during the hardest times in their lives.

The words of encouragement in this devotional came at the perfect time for me. I was given a free copy of the book in exchange for a review but was not required to give a positive review. I have no problem giving a positive review, however, because this devotional helped me remember that even when I feel like I don’t fit in with others, I do fit in with God.  

This devotional’s main focus is to remind us that our identity is in Christ and not in what we, or others, believe our identity to be.

 I thought I’d take a moment to share a personal reason for choosing to review this book. I had a good friend named Rev. Charles Reynolds who was a Christian missionary to India for over 50 years. He brought Indian tea home with him and had it stored in his and his wife Maud’s shed in a small town near where I grew up for years. One day I stopped by and I was suffering from a cold. He offered me a cup of tea and said tea solves a myriad of problems, including illness. I didn’t believe him but after a few moments of sipping the tea, I did actually feel better.

He often told me stories about his time in India, once raised money for victims of an earthquake there, kept in contact with the women’s medical school he helped build up when a missionary there, and wrote a book about he and his wife’s time there. Over the years his stories and mission somehow made me feel like I had a connection to the Indian people. I enjoyed reading about Mabel’s journey partially because of this, but also because of my own struggles to find my identity in an often chaotic and uncertain world.

About the Author

Born and raised in the minority Christian community in India, Mabel moved to the US in 2008 shortly after getting married. In nearly thirteen years of her marriage, her family has called ten different places across two continents and seven cities home. The challenges Mabel faced as an immigrant on the move led to a spiritual crisis that drew her nearer to God’s side where she learned valuable lessons about how to live as a citizen of heaven. Her mission is to inspire believers to embrace their pilgrim journey on earth and boldly pursue their heavenly calling.

A contributor to Guideposts’ All God’s Creatures: Daily Devotions for Animal Lovers 2022, Mabel’s writings have appeared in The Upper Room, CBN.com, Leading Hearts Magazine, and (in)courage.me. She hosts a YouTube podcast called Immigrant Faith Stories where she shares testimonies of immigrants, refugees, missionaries, and cross-cultural ministry leaders. She has been serving in various roles in women’s ministry for almost a decade.

Mabel enjoys reading, traveling, and dancing, but nothing gives her more joy than having conversations about the Bible.

Mabel is pursuing M.A. in Theological Studies from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. She lives with her husband, son, and Maltese pup in Northern California.

More from Mabel

When the idea of this book was birthed in 2018, I wanted to publish a collection of letters to my son. I wanted to keep a record of God’s faithfulness to me in a foreign country. How He became my all in all when I had nobody to call my own. How He gave me His all when I was empty. I hoped my stories and learnings would strengthen not only my son’s faith but also other immigrants like me. But God had a different plan for this book.

By 2019, the book underwent a complete change in its content and organization. It also targeted a different group of readers. I wrote for those who were coping with changes, those who wanted a deeper walk with God, those who found it difficult to belong or cling to hope in the midst of suffering, and those who were tired of going through the motions. My agent and I replaced the title of the book from This is not Home to Far from Home.

After facing rejecting from almost eight publishers, Far from Home found its home in Harambee Press, an imprint of Iron Stream Media that publishes ethnic writers. I was thrilled!

Far from Home is a nonfiction book but it is also part memoir. I’ve described what life was like growing up in India and I also recount a few experiences as an immigrant in the U.S. What makes Far from Home unique is also that the book introduces the reader to another culture, the Indian/South Asian culture. Some parts of the book read like a devotional while others are rich in biblical character studies and teaching.

Overall, I feel the book reflects who I am—an Indian, an America, an Indian-American, a storyteller, an immigrant, and a Bible teacher—though that was not my aim. I find it fascinating that I could be myself and tell my stories and use all aspects of my identity to declare the goodness and greatness of God.

There is a need for more diversity in our stories. I’m not saying this because diversity is the new buzz world these days. We need diverse voices and ways of worship because they reveal God’s power, beauty, and creativity. Testimonies from other cultures can open our eyes to a new way of experiencing God and His Word. They engage our brains and touch our hearts in a unique way. Reading books by diverse authors can enlarge our capacity for empathy, push back our defenses, and even turn our fear of the unknown into appreciation.

I hope my writing helps you see God from a different lens, a different angle. I hope it makes you want to read books by authors from varied cultures, races, and ethnicities.

And my desire, more than anything else, is that Far from Home convinces you that you’re never really far from home. In the triune God, you always have a home here on earth while you await a better one in heaven. A home that will be shared with people from all nations, tongues, and tribes.

Blog Stops

Texas Book-aholic, September 1

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, September 2

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, September 3

A Reader’s Brain, September 4

Beauty in the Binding, September 5 (Author Interview)

Boondock Ramblings, September 5

Inklings and notions, September 6

deb’s Book Review, September 7

Locks, Hooks and Books, September 8

Simple Harvest Reads, September 9 (Author Interview)

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, September 10

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, September 11

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, September 12

Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, September 13

Jodie Wolfe – Stories Where Hope and Quirky Meet, September 14 (Author Interview)

Mary Hake, September 14

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Mabel is giving away the grand prize package of a Paperback copy of book, customized notepad and bookmark (these eco-friendly products made by rural artisans in India help sustain endangered art forms and secure livelihoods), access to digital resources (recipe booklet, teaching videos, and audio prayers), and a $30 Amazon gift card!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/21362/far-from-home-celebration-tour-giveaway

Sunday Bookends: The Wonder Dog gets a spa day, Anne of Green Gables and big words, and western mysteries

Welcome to Sunday Bookends where I ramble about what I’ve been reading, doing, watching, writing and listening to.

What I/we’ve been Reading

Right now I am reading Junkyard Dogs, A Walt Longmire Mystery by Craig Johnson.

For those who are curious, it is not a clean book, but it is also not as graphic as some books. There is some coarse language.

Here is the description:

From the New York Times bestselling author of Land of Wolves, a modern-day ranch war takes place in the sixth Longmire novel 

Junkyard Dogs, the sixth installment in the New York Times bestselling Longmire Mystery Series, the basis for LONGMIRE, the hit Netflix original drama series, takes us to Durant, Wyoming. It’s a volatile new economy in Durant when the owners of a multimillion-dollar development of ranchettes want to get rid of the adjacent Stewart junkyard. Meeting the notorious Stewart clan is an adventure unto itself, and when conflict erupts—and someone ends up dead—Sheriff Walt Longmire, his lifelong friend Henry Standing Bear, and deputies Santiago Saizarbitoria and Victoria Moretti find themselves in a small town that feels more and more like a high-plains pressure cooker.

Walt Longmire is up to his badge in the darker aspects of human nature, making his way through the case with a combination of love, laughs, and derelict automobiles.

I am also reading a devotional called Far From Home: Discovering Your Identity as Foreigners on Earth by Mabel Ninan which I will have a review of on Monday.

A description of that book:

Explore the intersection between culture, identity, and faith in this new release from an earthly immigrant who gained a spiritual perspective.

What is my purpose? Why do I exist? A sense of self and belonging are two questions many of us struggle to answer.

And what if you are a foreigner in another land?

How does one adjust to a new culture? Discover their place in a new society?

For Mabel Ninan, born and raised in India and an immigrant in America shortly after marriage, the search for those answers sent her on a journey that led to an unexpected and exciting discovery.

God revealed she was not only an earthly immigrant but also a spiritual one, created with a unique calling to impact His kingdom. Mabel’s renewed perspective imbued her with joy and hope, urging her to share the message with others.

Drawing from her personal experiences and by examining the lives of biblical heroes, Mabel sheds light on what it means to live as a citizen of Heaven on earth. Far from Home will inspire you to:

Embrace your identity as a foreigner on earth.Make your home with God.Find community and common purpose with fellow sojourners.

As you look at my choices of books you can see my tastes are eclectic. Books like the Longmire books are not my normal reads (I usually read much cleaner/tamer prose) but I love how Johnson weaves a story and makes you fall in love hard with his characters.

Next up after the Longmire book is a book by an indie author, Kathy Geary Anderson, called A Refuge of Convenience (It features a marriage of convenience trope, which is not my thing, but I like Kathy’s writing) and then either A Crooked House by Agatha Christie or A Cat Who Book I’ve had sitting on my shelf for a bit.

Little Miss and I are reading Anne of Green Gables at night.

The one fun thing about reading a book like Anne of Green Gables to Little Miss is the vocabulary she picks up. She asked me what the word exhibition meant and then kept saying it to get the pronunciation correct. Then she heard the words dreadfully inadequate and asked what inadequate meant. I told her and then joked with her that she could show her brother how smart she is by telling him the next day he is “dreadfully inadequate as a brother” as a joke.  Well, by the next day I even forgot the word we had learned but when I said, “What was that word I was going to have you call Jonathan,” she piped up “inadequate. And that’s what you are.” And then she grinned. Of course, she assured him she was kidding.

She will be 8 years old in October, by the way.

The Boy isn’t really reading H.G. Wells, War of the Worlds, but he likes to pretend he is.

The Husband just finished a Hercules Poirot book and is anxiously awaiting the latest Walt Longmire Mystery, To Hell and Back, which comes out Tuesday.

What’s Been Occurring

Last week was supposed to be my “do-nothing” week, other than planning for homeschooling to start Tuesday, but as often has been happening this summer, the week filled up rather quickly.

On Monday I received a call from Little Miss’s dentist saying she had a cleaning scheduled the next day. I didn’t remember this at all but apparently, we had scheduled it six months before. While there we learned that she has a lot of dental issues, which isn’t a shock since my son did as well. They both have soft enamel.

After that appointment and the prospect of more work to be done on her teeth in the future, I was looking forward to a day to decompress Wednesday. This didn’t happen, but in the end, it was a lot more fun since I went to my parents to hang out with my mom and swim what could be our last swim of the summer at my parents’ pool.

On Friday we drove to New York State (not to be confused with New York City) to have Zooma The Wonder Dog groomed. While she was being pampered Little Miss, The Boy and I went to the playground, or rather Little Miss and I did because The Boy had an upset stomach after eating fast food, which we don’t eat often these days.

Sometimes we have to explain to friends from out of the area that New York State is more than just New York City and that the area we used to live in was maybe two miles from the NY State border so it wasn’t like it was that different over there. The scenery is about the same but the “rules” are often much dumber. Right now the gas prices are lower, which was not the case when we lived there.

Today we are having a cookout with our neighbors and tomorrow we are probably doing nothing, but I had hoped we could get one more swim in before school starts and the weather gets too cold. I’m not sure about that because we are supposed to get storms on Monday.

What We watched/are Watching

Last week I didn’t watch a lot other than some vlogs and sermons.

This week I will be watching a Halloween or Spooky Season movie with Erin from Still Life, With Cracker Crumbs, a Paul Newman movie (hopefully The Sting), and probably a lot of Dick VanDyke to help me survive various life stressors.

What I’m Writing

This week on the blog I shared:

Looking back at August and ahead to SeptemberFiction Friday: Mercy’s Shore Chapter 17Classic movie impressions: Breakfast at Tiffany’s (with spoilers)Wednesday Hodge Podge: A bit of laboringFaithfully Thinking: You have to water the plants every day

I am working on The Shores of Mercy, hope to finish that by the end of September, and then plan to delve into a book called The Devil’s Been Talking, which will be a departure from my earlier books.

What I’m Listening to

This week I listened to a lot of Needtobreathe, a bit of Matthew West, and our local Christian radio station.

Now it’s your turn

Now it’s your turn. What have you been doing, watching, reading, listening to or writing? Let me know in the comments or leave a blog post link if you also write a weekly update like this.

Looking back at August and ahead to September

August was a full month, but not as rushed and crazy as July.

It kicked off with my mom’s birthday and a trip to a lake on the state game lands near us with some friends.

We spent a lot of time with my parents either eating dinner or playing in the pool or just enjoying the view. The kids helped dad pick vegetables out of the garden and The Boy helped my dad on various projects throughout the summer.

We also played in the water quite a bit.

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We went to the Outhouse Races in town.

The Husband worked a lot, including attending a press conference with the president one day during this last week of the month at a college a couple of hours away.

Photo by The Husband

The most exciting thing about that to my husband (besides some really odd mix-ups uttered by the prez) was the university band, who was performing some nice jazz numbers.

During the last two weeks, I have watched the leaves start to slowly turn orange, red, and yellow and that’s freaked me out a bit since I am not in the least ready for fall and feel I did not plan for school the way I had planned to do. Oh, I had grand plans. We were going to work on math for Little Miss and do a bit of math for The Boy so he isn’t just being tossed into it next week, but alas, we followed the path of other summers and only had fun instead.

Looking ahead to September, school starts for us on Tuesday, and I know the kids are not excited about it, but they are resigned to it and may even be glad to get back into a bit of routine. Scrap that last part. They hate routine and school! Who am I kidding? It’s me that is looking forward to getting back into a routine and maybe a little bit to school again.

There will be plenty of learning going on, including from this mom who likes learning along with the kids. I especially enjoy the history and literature, but have even found math and science fun at times.

I hope to finish writing my current book (The Shores of Mercy) and reading a few others this month as well. I’m sure we will watch plenty more Brokenwood Mysteries, a couple more other mystery shows (most likely all British as we haven’t found any American mystery shows we actually like), a few movie classics (including a couple more Paul Newman movies I couldn’t fit in for my Summer of Paul), and take some walks in the falling leaves. We will also be home more since we have math, reading, history, and science to learn for school and this excites me because there is nothing more delightful than telling someone I am unavailable to do something I didn’t want to do in the first place because we have school.

As for reading, I have a huge list I’d love to tackle.

The Husband picked up a Garrison Keillor fiction book at one of those “little libraries” for me and I also have another stack of books I haven’t been able to dig into yet, plus a huge list on Kindle.

On Kindle, I am currently reading Junkyard Dogs: A Longmire Mystery by Craig Johnson.

This month I hope to read or finish:

High Adventure by Donald Westlake

The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis,

Savage Run by CJ Box,

Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz

And Death Ever After by Eva Gates

I also hope to toss some lighter reads in there. We will see how it goes. I almost never read as many books as I plan on.

I guess I should mention that my birthday is also in September but I’m going to be old this year so, well, I’m trying to forget about it. My parents are also celebrating their 59th wedding anniversary on September 8.

How about you?

What are your plans for September and how did your August go?

Fiction Friday: Mercy’s Shore Chapter 17

This is a continuing/serial story. I share a chapter a week and at the end of the story, and after I edit and rewrite, I self-publish it. To catch up with the story click HERE. To read the rest of the books in this series click HERE. Let me know in the comments what you think.

Chapter 17

Judi was back in Angie’s room, feeling as awkward as she had before. Maybe she should have helped Ben tell the Phillipis that they needed to leave, but, honestly, she wasn’t ready for the drive yet. She was still struggling to process Jeff’s phone call and she didn’t want to process it while Ben demanded answers from her.

Plus, Angie’s dad had had an odd look on his face when he’d urged Ben to stay. Judi didn’t know Mr. Phillipi at all, but he seemed like a nice man, and he was giving her a vibe that he needed to talk to Ben. Maybe staying over would give them a chance to clear the air, if it didn’t give him and Angie time.

She answered a text from Ellie, telling her the full story of why she was in Lancaster and about the car, the accident on the highway, and that they were staying over. She didn’t tell her, obviously, about the call from Jeff.

After she hung up, she laid back on the bed with a pillow hugged to her chest. The call had certainly thrown her off her game. If she hadn’t received it, she wouldn’t have thought twice about getting in that car, rejecting the Phillipi’s pleading requests to stay, and instead driving her and Ben home so she could reconnect with Evan and forget about the calls from the lawyer and now Jeff.

She rolled onto her stomach and sent another text.

Hey, you okay? Just heard about a tractor-trailer accident and hoped it wasn’t you. This is Judi by the way.

She didn’t know why she told Evan who was texting. He’d put her number in his phone, but who knew how many girls he was receiving texts from on any given day? There was no way someone that good looking didn’t have a girl in every town.

She yawned and stretched then winced as her stomach grumbled in protest. She’d declined Mrs. Phillipi’s offer for dinner, instead wanting to hide away and not have to put on a fake smile. Ben had declined as well, hiding away in the den in the finished basement of the house.

She guessed they both were fighting battles with their thoughts. Better now than tomorrow on the road.

She glanced at the gold-framed clock on the wall. Nine o’clock. She’d heard Angie take Amelia to bed an hour ago. Hopefully, Angie’s parents were also early-to-bed people and hopefully, they also didn’t mind if she snuck down to the kitchen to find a snack.

She walked slowly down the dark hallway and staircase, turning left toward the kitchen, feeling along the wall for a light switch. Somewhere outside an animal howled or screamed or made some noise that reminded her that they might be four hours from Spencer but they were still in a rural area. She slid her hand along the wall with a little more purpose.

The kitchen flooded with light before she found the switch. She looked up to see Angie on the other side of the room by the refrigerator with her hand on a square light switch. Her dirty-blond hair was up in a messy bun, the makeup that had been meticulous and flawlessly applied earlier was gone, but she was still a natural beauty, which sent a swatch of jealousy through Judi, who felt like she had to work for her beauty.

“Guess I wasn’t the only one who needed a snack,” Judi said with a quick smile, shrugging a shoulder.

Angie didn’t smile as she folded her arms across her chest and leaned her right shoulder against the doorway. “I needed a drink.”

“Oh.” Judi gestured toward the fridge. “Please don’t let me stop you.”

“No. Go ahead.” Angie’s words were said through a tight jaw. “Grab your snack.”

Judi pushed a hand back through her hair and sighed. “I didn’t think your parents would mind but if it is an issue. . .”

Angie’s expression softened and she unfolded her arms, letting them drop to her side. “No, of course, they wouldn’t.” She walked toward a cupboard next to the stove, opened it, and took out a glass. “Sorry I’m so grumpy.” She turned around, a glass in her hand. “Please, help yourself. There is some pizza left over from the party if you’d like any of that.”

She took a paper plate off a pile by the toaster and slid it onto the island. “Here is a plate if you need one. The bread is in the breadbox if you’d like a sandwich. We have turkey and ham, salami, and some lettuce.”

Judi pulled out a couple of slices of pizza from the refrigerator and laid them on the plate while Angie filled her glass with water from the sink.

She leaned back against the counter as Judi placed the plate in the microwave.

“So, how long have you and Ben been seeing each other?”

Judi raised an eyebrow and looked over her shoulder. “Seeing each other? As in dating?” She shook her head. “We’re not seeing each other. I thought you knew I was his secretary.”

Angie shrugged a shoulder. “Well, that’s what he said, but . . .”

She let the implication hang in the air.

“And it’s what he meant. I’m filling in for his secretary. Her husband is going through chemo treatments, so she needed some time off. I drove Ben down here because his doctor advised him not to drive until he stops having headaches and dizzy spells from his concussion.”

Judi took the plate out of the microwave, set it on the island, and sat on a stool. “I’m also the reason he has a concussion and a broken food but no, we are not seeing each other.” She snorted a small laugh. “Ben is good looking, don’t get me wrong, but he’s way too uptight and strait-laced for me.” She grimaced. “And boring. So boring. I don’t know how you ever dated him.”

A small smile tugged at Angie’s mouth. She sat on a stool on the other side of an island, across from Judi.  “Well, he wasn’t always boring.”

“Yeah, probably not since he was still drinking then,” Judi said.

Angie made a face. “Actually, he wasn’t a fun drunk. He was an angry and depressed drunk most of the time.”

Judi swallowed a bite of pizza and bit her lower lip. Sometimes she really needed to think before she spoke. “Sorry. That was a bad joke.” She focused her gaze on Angie’s. “Really. I know firsthand how not fun it can be when a person drinks too much.”

Angie cupped the glass in her hands, her arms propped on the island. “Were you in a relationship with an alcoholic too?”

 “No. I was the alcoholic.”

Angie dropped her gaze. “Oh.” She cleared her throat and lifted the glass. “I didn’t know that.”

Judi smirked. “Guess you haven’t talked to anyone from high school in a while. I figured you’d already heard all about my stupid behavior over the years.”

“I don’t really talk to anyone from high school,” Angie said softly. “I don’t like remembering who I was back then.” She twirled the glass in her hand. “I had heard you moved to the city, though. What brought you back?”

Judi shrugged. “Needed a break from the hustle and bustle I guess.”

“I can understand that. The city was a bit too crazy for me, honestly. It made me realize I’m more of a country girl than I realized.”

Judi folded the pizza in half and shoved into her mouth, speaking around it. “I love the city. I’m not a country girl at all. Too dull around Spencer Valley.” She wiped her mouth with a napkin and swallowed. “Sorry to be so blunt, but it’s the truth. If you don’t want to go to a bar then you’re pretty much stuck reading a book or joining the quilt club.” She rolled her eyes. “Or join my sister’s Bible study.”

Angie smiled and propped her chin in her hand. “So how did you give Ben a concussion?”

Judi took another bite of the pizza. “I accidentally pulled out in front of him on Drew Road. He swerved to miss me and slammed into a tree.”

Angie winced. “Ouch.”

“In his new BMW too. Then he got out, bleeding from the head, yelling, pointing and gesturing while this vein in his head popped out. I thought it was going to explode.”

“The one right above his right eye?

Judi laughed. “Yes. It was popping to the rhythm of his words.”

“How about the neck one? Right below his left ear?”

“Working overtime.”

“How red were his ears?”

“Like a lobster. I can tell you know Angry Ben too well.”

Angie’s smile faded briefly. “Yeah.” The smile slowly returned. “Sometimes it was funny though. It wasn’t all bad anger. Sometimes he was upset about a class or because he couldn’t get the garbage bag open. It wasn’t always directed at me.”

Judi took another bite of pizza and a comfortable silence settled over the kitchen for a few minutes.

“People can change,” she said after a few moments, even though she wasn’t sure she believed it herself.

Angie nodded and picked up an apple from the fruit basket in the center of the island. “Yeah. They can.”

“I think I am seeing a different Ben than you did.”

An orange cat rubbed against Angie’s leg and she reached down and stroked its head. “Yeah. I think you are.”

 “Maybe you’ll see that version of Ben someday too.” Judi stood and tossed the empty plate in the trash can.  “Anyhow – I’m going to head to bed. It’s been a long and crazy day.”

Angie’s voice stopped her in her tracks, and she turned back around. “Did Ben ask you to drive him down here?”

Judi knew she should lie and said he had. It would probably make Angie feel better and make Ben look better. There was that whole private promise she’d made herself to be honest, though.

“No. Not exactly. I offered. He didn’t want to come.”

Angie drank the last of the water and placed the empty glass in the sink. “I see.” She turned to face Judi. “Why did you offer?”

Judi didn’t want to get into it, try to sound like a good person. She just wanted to go to bed and try to forget about the earlier phone call. Angie was looking at her with an expression Judi couldn’t read. Either she was hoping that Ben had shown some sort of interest in doing the right thing or she was afraid Judi had forced him to come.

“I figure he’d eventually regret it if he didn’t see his daughter.” She smiled and laughed softly. “And I really needed to get out of Spencer for a few hours. Like I said, the place is seriously dull.”

Angie responded with a laugh of her own. “I know and I’m going back there in a few weeks. What am I thinking?”

Judi placed her hand on the bottom of the banister. “Look me up when you get there. Maybe we can find something fun to do there together.” She raised her hands in a defense motion. “Something that won’t involve alcohol. I promise.”

Angie tossed the apple up and caught it again. “I may take you up on that. Hey, would you like a pair of pajamas? I’ve got an extra one in the second drawer of my dresser. We look about the same size. I’m sure it would fit.”

The two walked upstairs together, Judi thanked Angie for the offer of the pajamas, and they said goodnight.

She changed into the nightshirt and pajama pants Angie had offered her, turned the lights off, pulled the covers around her, and started to set her phone down when Evan texted back.

Evan: Hey, Judi Lambert. How sweet of you to be worried about me. Yeah, I’m good. Dropping my truck off and then heading back out on the road to Spencer. Hope to catch up with you when I get there. You back in town yet?

Judi: No. Car problems again. Still in Lancaster.

Evan: Ah, man. I should have looked a little longer. Sorry about that.

Judi: No problem. Really. Angie’s brother found some dirt on the connection to the battery.

Evan: Dang. Didn’t think to check that. Guess I was too busy checking you out.

Warmth spread across Judi’s cheeks and she immediately felt ridiculous. Plenty of guys had flirted with her over the years. She was used to it. Evan was no different so why was she reacting this way?

Judi: Very funny, McGee. Glad you are safe. We’re headed out tomorrow. Angie’s mom was worried about the fog and had us stay over.

 Evan: Good idea. The fog was rough. Took me an extra hour to get back to my garage and I’ll be taking my time back to Spencer. Call me as soon as you’re back in town, k? I’d love to see you again.

Judi smiled at his words.

Judi: Same here. I’ll be sure to let you know.

Evan: Night, Judi. I’ll be remembering that cute skirt you were wearing tonight in my dreams.

Judi clicked the screen off and laid the phone by the bed. She’d met a lot of guys over the years, most of them after one thing. Evan McGee probably wasn’t any different but right now she wasn’t sure she cared.

Flirting with him was a nice distraction from the situation with Jeff. She’d have to face it all at some point, call that lawyer and tell him she didn’t want anything to do with the case, but for now, she was going to pretend the only worry she had was how soon she could get together with Evan once she got back in Spencer.

Classic movie impressions: Breakfast at Tiffany’s (with spoilers)

I have been exchanging classic movie suggestions with Erin from Still Life, With Cracker Crumbs this summer and I think we are going to continue doing it into the fall because it has been a lot of fun and a nice distraction from life stressors.

Today I am discussing Breakfast At Tiffany’s and Erin is discussing my suggestion of The Philadelphia Story.

You can find Erin’s post HERE.

On to my impressions of Breakfast At Tiffany’s:

I think this is the first movie I watched at Erin’s suggestion that I really didn’t enjoy as much as I hoped I would. I didn’t completely hate it by any means. In fact, there were aspects of it I liked very much, but I did not love this movie and I think it was because of one very specific reason — Audrey Hepburn’s accent.

I feel awful saying that, since I have never actually had an issue with her accent, but in this movie, she was supposedly a girl from the South running away from her problems but he had some odd European accent the entire movie. I mean, she couldn’t at least fake a Southern accent? Isn’t that what actresses are supposed to do? Except for Kevin Costner in Robin Hood, of course. Har. Har. In all the reviews of this movie I saw, not one of them seemed to have an issue with her accent for this character, so I’m pretty sure this is just a “me problem.”

The whole back story for Audrey’s character in this movie just wasn’t believable at all because of her accent, but I am sure it was more believable in the book by Truman Capote that it was based on. He released the book in 1958.

The idea behind this movie is that Audrey is a free-spirited young woman living alone in New York City when she meets Paul, played by George Peppard (who would later star in the A-Team), a gigolo who gets paid to sleep with a married socialite, living in her apartment the next floor up from Audrey.  He is supposed to be a writer, but that avenue has dried up so he’s earning money by selling his body. I think we, as movie watchers, are supposed to see this as normal behavior in some ways, but also see that it isn’t what he wants for his life — to be used and dragged along with the promise of a publishing career someday.

Audrey has reinvented herself as Holly Golightly, changing her name from Lulamae and leaving behind an extremely odd and rather inappropriate upbringing.

The entire movie is essentially about her making a number of bad decisions in an effort to be on her own, yet at the same time not having to support herself. She is always looking for a situation where an older, richer man will take care of her and let her live her laid-back life where she imagines going to Tiffany’s jewelry store and buying whatever she wants for her breakfast, so to speak.

Honestly, I think Audrey’s character is a horrible brat, yet I don’t blame her for wanting to get away from the terrible situation she grew up in and I think that’s the point of the movie. She acts like a spoiled, selfish brat because she’s been traumatized. She’s not tied down to anything and she’s afraid to be because when she was tied down, she was told what to do at a very young age.

I really loved the end of the movie, but I won’t share it here in case someone reading this has never seen the movie  . . . . then again the movie is 61 years old this year and I did write a disclaimer in my headline that there would be spoilers so — [SPOILER ALERT ABOUT THE ENDING OF THE MOVIE AHEAD!!]

I love that at the end Holly realizes that Cat (which is her name for her cat, that she never really named because naming the cat would mean she has to commit to something and that is a very frightening idea for her based on her past childhood issues) is the one constant in her very unstable life. When she goes back to look for the cat – after she tosses him from a cab and tells him to get lost in the city – she also realizes that Paul is her other constant and she is ready to open herself up to at least a couple constants in her life.

This ending is not how the novel ends, however. In the book the reader is left with not actually knowing whatever happened with Holly

So it doesn’t sound like I totally hated Audrey’s portrayal of Holly, I do want to say that I loved how Audrey was so laissez-faire about life, even if that attitude was leading her into a life void of real love.

She reminded me a lot of a friend I had in college, except my friend wasn’t trying to run away from anything in her life, she was simply extremely laid back and casual about things. She was also a little bit ditzy and that could make her both aggravating and a blast to be friends with.

One quick warning too — this movie does contain an absolutely racist portrayal of an Asian person by Mickey Rooney. I didn’t even believe it was Mickey Rooney when my husband told me it was him.

The bottom line on Breakfast At Tiffany’s is that I do recommend it, even if I didn’t like that Audrey’s accent was not authentic.

Wednesday Hodge Podge: A bit of laboring

This post is part of This Side of the Pond’s weekly Wednesday Hodge Podge feature. Please check out her blog for more participating blogs.

Something you’ve labored over recently? 

Sometime in the spring, our dishwasher died so lately I have been laboring over dirty dishes, which is one chore I just absolutely abhor! But, our dishwasher wasn’t cleaning well before it died so at least our dishes will be a little cleaner now. Hopefully, we will get a new dishwasher someday.

2. How will you rest on Labor Day? 

I think on the actual day we will be swimming at my parents if the weather cooperates. Our neighbor has invited us, and my parents, to a cookout at her house the day before Labor Day. We will try to take it easy because the day after Labor Day we start school (we homeschool).

3. Margaret Mead is quoted as saying, “I learned the value of hard work by working hard.” Would you agree? Where and how did you learn the value of hard work? 

Yes, I think I would agree. You need to work hard to understand why hard work has value. Some would say that instead of working harder you work smarter and that’s good advice too.

I worked for 14 years in small town newspapers where you did a little bit of a lot of things. You were the reporter, the writer, the photographer, sometimes answered phones, occasionally had to cover a sports event, and if someone didn’t get their paper you might even end up delivering it. I worked anywhere from 10 to 14 hour days there and one time even worked about a 22-hour day (thought I was going to the hospital that day). I wish I could say that it taught me that hard work means you get paid well, but that being paid well isn’t really a think at small town newspapers. It didn’t really teach me that hard work means success either, but it did teach me that hard work teaches you how to be resilient, how to build up a business brick by brick (moment by moment even, and can also bring you a lot of cool experiences.

4. It’s National Eat Outside Day (August 31st). Will you? Do you enjoy dining ‘al fresco’ or prefer indoor seating? 

I might eat outside today, yes. We like to eat outside as long as the weather is nice and there aren’t a lot of bugs around. We go to a little restaurant about 40 minutes away from us and we have eaten inside and outside and I prefer outside. We’ve also been to restaurants along one of the Finger Lakes in Upstate New York and I prefer eating outside there too so we can see the gorgeous views.

5. Somehow it’s the end of August. What was the best day of the month for you and tell us what made it so? 

I think I have a tie for the best day. One day a friend texted and asked if we wanted to join her and her kids at a lake in a state park near us. That was such a fun, full day in the sun and left with us a lot of memories.

My mom’s birthday was also at the beginning of August and it was a wonderful, fun-filled day with a lot of laughter.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

This is the best Needtobreathe song, especially the ending.