Kathryn Magendie's Blog: Lonely Woman's Guide to the Galaxy, page 12

All those whos in whoville and their noise noise noise! Am I a Grinch?

I fear I am turning into the Grinch. You know, scowlingabout Christmas commercialism and all the Whos in Whoville's noise wearing on my nerves.What's happened to me? When Christmas was always the most perfect, mostwonderful time of the year? Somewhere along the way I've let some kind ofmagic go, some kind of beauty of the season. I want it back. Lawdy be, can youhelp me? How? you may ask. Well . . . I'm open to suggestions. Perhaps: leave me Christmassycomments that enlighten and lighten? Email me cute Christmas cards? Post wonderfulholiday thoughts and send me the link? Then my heart will grow umpteen sizes too big and I'll be full of Christmas Cheer - whoop!

 I want to look forward to decorating the tree with glee and fiddledeedee. I want toinhale the scents that come only this time of year - spices and sweet and fresh. I want to gasp at the wonders.I will have no child running in breathlessly to tear open gifts, for my son andgranddaughter are many miles away in Oregon.Maybe that's part of it, too—my friends and family are far from me. Oh, I hatewhiners! Whos in Whoville and all that noise, noise, noise!
What do I want for Christmas this year? I want that spiritto come back with a big Bam-a-lammo. I can't force it, so I'm asking you all,anyone of you at all, to help me find that Christmas-Holiday Doodledeedahday. I knowit's somewhere. I must have just misplaced it in a corner, under a pile ofsweaters, in the sock drawer, in the hollowed out tree, behind the dresser,under the couch . . . somewhere, it's here somewhere.
 There is a Christmas special on Lifetime television where this jadedbook editor hates Christmas and is grumpy and yada yada the same old; but, as I watch it, I tear up a bit, as if I am seeing parts of myself in thiswoman. Thing is, at the end of the movie, I know she'll have found what she ismissing—will I find it along with her? Gee, I hope so.
 I think perhaps I will need to do something different,something to take me outside of myself. Yes. That's it. Outside of myself. And, I'll keep searching thoselittle corners and places for that old feeling—I just know it's there. It risesup and quickly flies away just out of my grasp. Maybe you've seen it? Floatingaround, my Holiday Spirit. If you do see it,grab hold of it and bring it back to me, and for that, I'll be filled withgratitude.
Perhaps I'll fly like the hawk over a jeweled city ofholiday shine and there I will find what I need . . . yes, right in Whoville. Yes. There it is . .. just ahead.

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Now, off with my bad elf-self, and I'll see you all on Friday with Linky Love.

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(and SWEETIE is doing well in the Amazon weekly deals - Friday is the last day to find it at this special before it goes back to its regular price - same with Firefly Dance. Thank you all for your support! Hmm, that's something to be grateful for this holiday season! - MY READERS! *heart is starting to grow* After this promo is over, I won't be mentioning it as I have been - you know how I like my "car salesman-free zone" here *laughing* :-D )

Where'd Monday go? Discombobulation abounds. No photos/videos: Bad Kat

Morning y'all. I'm late with my Monday post - I have been out of town to South Louisiana to visit family and friends. It was a quick trip, but here it is Tuesday morning and I don't have my photos/images/videos! *Bad Kat* I even woke up in my iron bed in the little log house in the cove at Killian Knob thinking this was Monday. Lawd.

So pardon my lateness and zippity do dah diggity didn't do-it-ness as I unpack and unwind and decompress. I will see you on Wednesday with my regular blog post!

By the way, SWEETIE is inching up the "Amazon Kindle Best Seller List" - she's at this moment no 29 in literary fiction. I'd love to see her head up to No 1 of course *haw!* but even the top 50 is very nice. THANK YOU for your support. She'll, Sweetie that is, will be on this "Amazon Weekly Deals" for a mere .99cents until Friday and then it's over and she's the regular price. (Firefly Dance is on that same deal.) Appreciate all of you.

See you Wednesday!

Linky Love - Blogger Community

Time for links, y'all! And today's links are from the blogger community.

And a big Thank You to blogspot Blogger for making it easy to open links to a new page - at last! yay!

Jessica Nelson BookingIt. Whenever I see her profile photo, it makes me smile. There is a sweetness about Jessica and it comes out in her blog and in her comments she leaves.

Diane Estrella "That's what I'm here for" has a fun Christmas quiz going on. She also reviews books and products, and her energy bounds off her blog page.

I have a new Blogger friend whose blog I am exploring - From Sarah, With Joy. And "joy" does describe what I've experienced stopping by her place.

Hilary Melton-Butcher has such an interesting blog "Positive Letters . . . Inspirational Stories," chock full of information on things you don't realize you longed to know until you get there, and Voila! She's told you all about something so interesting, you leave feeling smarter and more wordly.

I laughed when I watched Carolyn V's "Checkboard Squares" video on Zombie Love - and I HATE zombies . . .  ungh - but danged if I couldn't get that song out of my mind.

Reader Unboxed - it's all about books and reading and it's the sister site of Writer Unboxed. I love both of these blogs, and am a member of Writer Unboxed, for which I've linked to before.

Folks, if you haven't stopped by John Bord's Ink Spots, then slip on over there. His writings are starkly beautiful, and he's just a nice guy to boot. Sometimes he writes of social issues and whether I agree or do not, I always leave his blog thinking.

Colby Marshall Spittin' out words like a llama is quirky and fun, and, ohhh!, I do believe she has a form of synesthesia, so that makes her my new "writing interest" - I want to study her, for I have a character who will probably be in my next book who has synesthesia.

Click on over to Eryl at The Kitchen Bitch Ponders . . . because she's just cool and I like her and I love that title, too.

And finally, last one for this Friday's Linky Love is Titus the Dog - I have two of her poetry collections and have ordered the latest. The words are gorgeous and profound, yes, but, the covers are exceptional as well.

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As an aside - I am writing this on Wednesday because I have to unplug all of Thursday and perhaps into Friday. However, from what I understand, beginning on Saturday the 17th is the Amazon Kindle Promo for Sweetie  (and as well for the anthology The Firefly Dance). Sweetie, and Firefly, will be priced by Amazon for $1.99 for one week only - through the 23rd. After that, it goes back to regular price. So, there you go, a Christmas Kindle Book Promo. Thank you for your support - without my readers, my writing is lonely and unloved :-D .
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See y'all on Monday!

Finding the Rest of Your (life) Story - Don't Give Up

As my brother and I left Blanchard Cavernson our Odyssey trip, one of the tour guides called out, "Watch out for deer.They come out this time of the evening."

It wasn't ten minutes later, as we carefully drove along anunfamiliar road in the soon-to-be-coming dusky dark, that I saw a deer by theside of the road and said, "There's one; be careful." We passed thedeer without incident, both laughing at how we were just warned and then there adeer was.

 A few miles more, and I saw her. She darted out quickly andin the time it took me to open my mouth and yell, "Watch out!" she'd alreadyran right into Tommy's truck. The sickening sound of WHAM! against metal, andour cries of "Oh no!"
Tommy said, "I can't go back. I just can't." The strickenlook that formed his features into grief must have mirrored my own.
 I said, "I know, Tommy. I understand."
Yet, despite our words, he'd already slowed topull to the side of the road. We both knew we couldn't leave a sufferinganimal. We'd just lost our father and the thought of dealing with death of anykind caused our faces to fall into folds of worry and sick and sad. And if she was suffering, what could we do? How to help her? The Odysseyhad barely begun and already we were ready to call it Done. It was all toomuch. Too much. Too much.
 Tommy looked into his rearview and said, "Hey wait! She'sup! She's running into the woods."
"That means she's probably okay. Oh I hope so. And Tommy," Isaid, "even if she's not, we can't go searching for her in unfamiliar woods,especially with dark coming soon."
 "Yeah, I know," he said. And we went on our way down that lonelydarkening road. The night tainted, unfamiliar. Grieved. It felt as if Tommy andI were the only humans left in the world. Visions of the beautiful animal hurtin the woods pummeled my thoughts. I know Tommy was feeling that too.
We drove in a silent dark that became a deeper dark, nothing around except for a smattering of farm houses here andthere far back from the road. Then, at last! There! Lights in the distance. We soon came to a gas-stationand stopped to fill up. As Tommy went inside, I looked around, trying togauge my bearings, feeling disoriented and exhausted. There were a few menstanding around but they didn't look approachable. Another woman filled hercar, but she had an angry expression. I felt uncomfortable there, as if I werean interloper upon their space and place and time.
A young woman pulled up to fill her tank. Her friendly face calmed me, so I made my decision and walked up to her, "Excuse me," Isaid, "But where are we?"
She laughed, and told me.
"Is there a hotel nearby?"
She laughed again, then said, "Not one you'd want to stay in, that's for sure."
 At my stricken look her face softened. "Hey, look. You cango to Hardy. It's a little town but it has a couple of decent hotels. And!" Shesmiled and said with mock excitement, "it has a Wal-mart anda McDonalds!"
 "Sold!" I grinned at her, then said, "Thank you so verymuch."
 "No problem. Drive safely. There's some construction on theway."
We followed the woman's directions and soon Tommy and I were checked-in toa hotel. We set out to the McDonalds for salads and to Wal-mart for a fewsupplies. Our moods were lighter, our faces lit in relief. I told Tommy I wished I'd have thought to ask her name, for she didn't know what her kindness meant to me, and to my brother.
The next morning was bright and beautiful. Tommy and I preparedagain for our Odyssey, our faces as bright and beautiful as the morning. "Offwe go!, I cried, "into the wild blue yonder!" We laughed, speeding off to thenext adventure.
 I often think what if we'd have given up because of that eveningwe were so tired and sad and distraught? I think, what if we'd have consultedtechnology and sped our way to an interstate where everything is The Same,given up the discovery we had been so excited about—the old back roads usingonly our sense of direction and a paper map. I think what if we'd have said thetrip was too hard, and we were too tired and disoriented and defeated. We'd have missed theRest of the Story. We'd have never known the days ahead of that evening. We'dhave slapped the face of the evenings before The Deer & Lost in the Darkincident, when everything was about that discovery.
 Everything doesn't have to be easy. Everything doesn'talways go our way, or the right way. Everything we do has ups and downs, hasdisappointments and successes. It's when we decide to keep going, to let thedark times teach us to reach out to someone, and to find The Rest of The Story, that welive the life we were meant to live—one well-lived.
 Will you give up? Or will you drive through the scary dark to a friendly face, right into the bright and beautiful to find The Rest of Your Story?

Time for Video/Photos No/Few Words: Jingle Dogs Reunion & Secret Places & etc

Morning Y'all! Time for video/photos no/few words!Now this is just silly but it still made me laugh:-D

My Secret Place - this made it into the SWEETIE novel *shhh* very secret
What I can see on way to Secret Place and where Sweetie and Melissa sometimes ran to hide
close up
ice crystals in the grass


mushrooms on a log

wasp nest in our Christmas tree - we have "nature things" and regular ornaments - our tree is on the porch

"Not Quite Fat Dog" Jake helped decorate by looking cute
the christmas decorations made shadows which kept the frost in same pattern -at Lake Junaluska

Friday Linky Love in this wonderful Community of Bloggers we are!

bffs are wunnerful - in blogland too!Yes, folks - I am back to three days a week posting, after months  of wailing and gnashing my teeth over my deadline I thought I'd never make (of course I will and the final in the Graces Trilogy will be out in a few months!), and after my father's illness and passing - oh how wonderful you all are and were for supporting me, and for your understanding I am appreciative.

Which takes me to how much of a community Blogger Land is, and why I have missed my thrice-weekly posting, and my visiting your  blogs. What a wonderful community of people there are out there in Blogger Land!

Friday is Linky Love day, so here are a few offerings. As always, I invite you to tell me about any gooey noughty goodness you find out there so I can share it - yes, even if it is your own site.

What brought me back to excitement over my blog? Why Kristen Lamb's blog and her book "Are you there blog, it's me, Writer." I've mentioned Kristen before, but she bears mentioning again if this whole Social Networking thang has you beating your head against the wall (as the bruises on said pea-head of mine will attest).

I was curious what would happen if I clicked on "Next Blog" - something I never think to do, and it brought me to The Simple Woman's Day Book blog - where "thoughts of those who are focusing on simplicity...beauty of the everyday moments." Looks interesting, so I think I'll check it out further.

Jan O'Hara is one of the blogs I miss visiting regularly - she makes me laugh and think and giggle and go "hmmmmm." Miz Tart at Tartitude is wunnerful.

I have also missed the Amazing Voyages of the Turtle, Sandra Leigh's blog about her travels here there and yonder. She is amazing.

Author Jody Hedlund always has interesting and informative posts for writers. I learn a lot about myself as it pertains to my writing life from these posts and sometimes find I am writing much too long comments! lawd!

Hungry? Like to "pass a good time" with music and food and a really nice person down in the Louisiana Swampland? Then visit Marguerite at Cajun Delights. I lived in South Louisiana many years and her blog reminds me of the food and fun and people there.

Deb Shucka's blog "Catbird Scout" is another for whom I have missed reading regularly - her intimate, poignant, and beatifully-written blog never ceases to amaze me with just how lovely a person, and a writer, Deb is. She's also an editor at our Rose & Thorn journal.

Anita from Life with a Cherry on Top is one of those quiet blogs that doesn't announce itself and make a lot of noise, just as Anita herself is! But I adore Anita and her blog. Visiting her makes me feel calmed and warm and toasty.

Another of our Rose & Thorn editors is Janna Qualman over at Something She Wrote. We both stumbled upon Rod McKeun's poetry books and that makes me smile. She is also one of those quiet writers who doesn't shout out, but she should!

Terri Tiffani's blog is titled "Inspirational Writer" and that is just what she is, which is why she has such a loyal following, and I've missed reading her blog.

And there are many more - and I will be linking to those in the coming Fridays.

Ah, feels good to be back, y'all!

You all have a wonderful weekend!

The Sheldon Cooper in Me

sheldon cooper & me -okay, not me *laughing*Sometimes when I'm watching The Big Bang Theory, I have thissemi-uncomfortable feeling that I am oft-times too much like Sheldon Cooper. That Iunderstand too much of what he says and does and it makes perfect sense to me,so that while I, and the studio audience, are laughing, I am also going,"Um . . . wait . . . we are laughing because this is a bit of theridiculous . . . and so I am a bit of the ridiculous." Teehee.


I know I have tics and weirdness and "ways I must do things." Iknow when I go into a hotel room, I first put down my luggage on a woodensurface and not on the floor in the case there are critters there hiding justso they can crawl into my luggage and snuggle in for the trip home. And then I immediatelywalk to the bed, lift the covers, and check out the sheets and the mattress. IfI am in a Hampton Inn, which is where I try to stay because they sanitize their comforters and they are white--which shows everything!--I mostly feel I don't haveto remove the bedspread, but if I have to stay where there is one of thosecolorful bedspread, off it comes! Colorful bedspreads are made that way to hidestains and other icky nasty. The sheets best be white without any stains—stainswill send me into apoplectic fits of EWWWWWWW. The mattress check is for signsof critters. And, to make things more weirdly embarrassing: during the middleof the night, at around 2 a.m., since that's when an article said certaincritters come out, I have to shine a light under the covers to make sure nocritters have sneaked up on me and are feasting on my wittle legs. Well, sofar, so good, I've not had to go screeching into the hotel hallway as if myhair's on fire.

My place is at the left end of the couch. When company comes, I hurry to siton that end, because it is My End; however, if someone beats me to it,unknowing that this is My End, then I will toss and turn upon the other end ofthe couch; I am displaced! I am uncomfortable –ungh! Ungh! I would never sayanything to the displacer but as soon as they go home, I pounce upon My End ofthe couch and nestle it back to its former Me-ness. I have a few moments of, "Itfeels weird because someone else has been here," which I must quickly overcomeso I can enjoy My End again. Huhn.

I have rules about food. I'm not much of a meat eater, but when there isMeat Food prepared, it must be eaten within a certain amount of time. Usuallyabout two days, preferably one. Yes, this is so. GMR will eat meat ormeat-dishes a million days after it has been prepared, but not so I! I imagineit is spoiling almost immediately, growing nasty crawling critters, and souring,and I just will not eat it. Meatless food items may stay a little longer in my "Iwill eat this" category, but there are more Food Rules—I will not get into thisright now, but they all make sense to me. erk.

When I shake a stranger's hand, my hand tingles afterward. Because I beginto think, "I wonder where that hand's been?" And the thought grows and growsuntil my hand tingles and I am just so AWARE of my hand! Sometimes this happenseven if it is not a stranger and for this I can only ask for forgiveness. Noone will ever know, because it is only me who can feel the critters crawlingall over my hand. Ungh. Ungh. Sometimes this may be my "People Radar" going off—theradar that tells me something ain't right about a person and I am taken abackby the force of those feelings, and sometimes it's because I am just Weird.

Sometimes when I'm walking, I will step on a root or bump or somethingelevated in my path. Say I step on it with my right foot. Well, then the leftfoot begins to feel cheated. It wants to step on something elevated. I try toignore it, but eventually, I give in and make sure I step on something elevatedwith the left foot. Sometimes, just to be mean to my left foot, I will step onsomething elevated numerous times with my right foot and say, "HA! THERE! Tryto control ME will you! hahaha!"

Shall I go on? Well, I shall not because I'm of the belief that you mustleak out your crazy a teeny bit at a time. Let people become used to it. Lullthem into a sense of how they think you are quirky and slightly sweet andloveable, and then they accept all the crazy-arse stuff you throw at themwithout blinking an incredulous eye hardly one bit, hardly.

 What about you? Have any quirks you want to share?

PS - As an aside - whenever I find out there is going to be a "Special Promotion" for my books, I always want to let y'all know they are coming. From around December 17th until 23rd, The Firefly Dance and Sweetie will be on a special Amazon Kindle promo. I believe they are pricing them for $1.99 for just that time. A head's up - in case you are interested. You all know I get all irkity talking about my books because I want this to be a "car salesman free zone" :-D haw! But, dang, this is a deal! Later y'all.

Images, few words - You Go Girl Accomplishments I should be "proud" of instead of whining about what I haven't done. Huhn!

more about Tender Graces
More about Secret Graces
More about Sweetie
more about the Firefly Dance
Well, you all know I rarely put stuff up here on my blog, or anywhere else, about my books - but over the last weeks I've been all whiny - thinking about what I have NOT accomplished. Then, this morning, I slapped myself upside my head and thought, "Hon; dear; look at what you HAVE accomplished." And among those things are these. I'm taking today to give myself a "you go girl."

Along with those novels, a novella, and a novel to be released in March, I've written and had published poetry and essays and stories and photographs - have I stopped to think, "Hey . . . cool!" or have I thought, "Yeah but . . ." or "Don't talk about your stuff because it sounds like bragging and that's UGH and unseemly" . . .

Those Yeah Buts and other admonishments are sneaky lil stinkers, aren't they? Huhn.

What about you? What's your "you go girl/guy" moment(s)?

see you Wednesday!

Pushing Through the Pain for What we Desire

"It's almost eight miles, Kat," he says. The morning ischilly, but the sky is a deep blue, too blue to be atmosphere and must beinstead something tangible, touchable, bending in at the pressure of my handsas I press. Around the corner, I hear the creek rushing. I shoulder my pack andsay, "Let's do it." The trail lollipops through the woods—meaning, we start outand end on the "handle" of the lollipop, and make our way around the outside ofthe "sucker" part.
We follow the creek a while, then begin the incline. I munchnuts and fruit, and drink the water I've brought. It's silent save for ourbreaths. At the end of the steepest climb, my right leg begins to complain; Iignore it, move on. We round the top of the lollipop and make our way down. Thedecline is easier, but the terrain is rougher—the trail narrows, we step overslippery rock, climb over a giant fallen limb from a tree that looks a thousandyears old. The pain in my right leg is expanding across my lower back and to myleft leg; I ignore it. We come to an ancient tree that reaches forever into thesky, its trunk as wide as Texas,and there's a hollowed out space that I slip into. I stand inside its walls,and make up a story about a woman who hides in a tree so no one can find her,until she wants them to. I reluctantly step out of my sanctuary.
We come to a sign that reads: .8 miles to the trailhead. It'sbeen hours and we're hungry for the wine and cheese we packed. But the pain screamsloud now. I hold my head high, pretending, so no one would know I'm hurtingthis bad. But, by time we are to the trailhead, I can no longer hide it; I'mlimping, and my lips are pulled in a grimace. It's another "lil' piece" beforewe make it to the bridge that leads back to our car, and by then my limp is muchmore pronounced, my lips pressed, my teeth gritted. But I don't care; I'mexhilarated. I hiked the entire lollipop, and it was sweet! Once in the car, my grimace turned to a grin, Isay, "When can we do it again?"
Sometimes we just have to push through the pain to be wherewe want to go. Sometimes the painful struggle is worth it if we appreciate what else isgoing on around us--if we see what we long to see and do what we long to do and be who we long to be. Sometimes there is just pain and that'sjust how it is but there's much more to the experience so that the pain doesn't completely define us, but as well, the journey to where we want to be.
Thanks for the day,Mother Earth, Father Sky.

What pain will you push through for what you love or desire or where you want to be? Will you say, "It was worth it and I'll do it again?" or give up before you complete what you desire?

Photos/Videos - Pisgah & strumming the ipad

I wanna iPad . . . :-D

Cold Mountain from Pisgah Tower
tower perspective, Mt Pisgah
enlarge pic to see where Boopmobile is parked :)

on the Pisgah trail
on Parkway to Pisgah
looking glass rock in shadow
a cool accident with the camera
from Pisgah trail


pisgah trail