Rose Anderson's Blog, page 24

Blog Action Day ~ Inequality #BAD2014

Greeting and welcome to my blog for this Blog Action Day 2014. My name is Rose Anderson and I’m a romance novelist.  But my writing doesn’t stop there. My penchant for storytelling takes me across many genres, including children’s literature and historical non-fiction.  I also blog a variety of thoughts each week. I consider myself to be a voracious learner — a dilettante in the truest sense of the word.

This year’s Blog Action Day topic is inequality.

That’s a hard one. As I long considered today’s post, I found nailing it down to one facet of inequality is tricky. Just turn on the day’s news and get an earful. Inequality is all over and wears many faces.

Oh sure, I could go on about economic inequalities in the USA. I could mention the powers behind the scenes who buy our government officials so laws could have their teeth pulled that nothing stand in the way of  the wealthiest acquiring more wealth — not the health of the planet, not the education of our youth, not the care of our sick and elderly, or myriad other things that make a society healthy and strong. Or, I could blog about the unequal global wealth  disparity that distills down to 2% of the population owning more than half of all the wealth in the world. More

I could talk about the full array of social inequalities. Now there’s an umbrella term. Under our gigantic umbrella sits racial inequality with all the prejudice, oppression, and stereotyping that goes with it hand in hand. Not to be outdone, ethnic and ideological differences have been topped off with an unhealthy dose of xenophobia. Thanks in part to media such as FOX News. Curiously, were we to examine the whys and wherefores, they’d lead back to the few at the top of the food chain mentioned above. In other words, the people behind FOX (and  other News Corp fomenters), don’t stir the race/ethnic pot for nothing.

I could talk about marriage inequality. My personal belief says I don’t have the right to tell another person who they may love. How heartless are we as a society that we would deny someone the opportunity to say goodbye to a loved one as they pass away? This precious final moment is to be denied because the people are the same gender? How cruel are we as a society that we would rather see children without a loving family to care for them simply because our offended personal code finds fault with a child having two fathers or two mothers?

I could talk about resource inequality. There are places around the world without food and water and hope. There are also opportunity inequalities such as adequate education and health services.  See what I mean? Inequality comes in all shapes and sizes. Still, I had to pick one…

Gender inequality

The first-world issues of American women are tiny compared to the tragic issues I’m about to mention here. Around the world there are terrible things that women and girls endure, and each one is more heartbreaking than the last. My post today is just about what I see in my own backyard.

I’m lucky to have been born in America. I could have been an eight year old girl about to have a wedding night with a man five times my age. I could have acid thrown in my face or be set on fire for saying no to a man’s advances. I could be raped and then honor killed by my family for my shame. I could be left to die on the side of the road because I was born female. I could have my genitals mutilated. I could be sold as a slave. I could be collected. I could be beaten with a hose or caned for going out without a male family member or for other offenses like driving a car, reading a book, showing my hair, my wrists, my ankles, or uncovering my face. I could be shot in the head for wanting an education. And this list goes painfully on and on. My heart aches for those mothers and sisters around the world waiting for help or waiting to die. Yes, I am a fortunate female, as is my daughter and my female friends and family.  

So many women work outside the home today, it’s hard to imagine a time when this wasn’t the norm.  Prior to WWII, women’s work generally revolved around housework, the family, and child-rearing. Women supported the country and kept the wheels of industry turning while their men were off to war.  They became the Rosies with cuffs rolled back and cool confidence written on their faces. By necessity, on farms and in cities, women stepped up to keep the country running, and by doing so stepped outside centuries of long-established gender roles. When the war ended and weary warriors came home to their jobs and families, it was time for women to return to their places. But things were different now. Those tough and often dangerous jobs declared to the world that a woman’s abilities were equal to a man’s. Remember, just 25 years before, the suffragettes fought  for full rights of citizenship by seeking the vote. Change came slowly. But more was coming.

As a middle-aged woman, I came into this world nearly 40 years after the 19th Amendment granted women the right to vote. Mine is the last generation wholly formed by centuries of gender specific roles. We’re the TV generation who grew up on programing and commercials geared to remind us that, yes, we built those Jeeps and bombers, but we were no longer needed for that work. It was now time to bake cookies. 

Mine was the generation of new advocates. We picked up the torch left by the suffragettes and we were determined to bring equality and fairness to the table. We took the Equal Rights Amendment of 1923 (a.k.a. the ERA) and continue to fight for equal rights for all women under the law. Since 1982, every Congress sees it across their desks. Unbelievably, the ERA has yet to be ratified.  To be added to the Constitution it needs 38 states saying yes women deserve to be treated as the equals they are. To date, fifteen states prevent this from happening. I’m left to wonder why.

It saddens me that so many young women are ambivalent when it comes to their standing in society and in the world. Now more than ever, young women need to be aware. There are so many negative things against women  that bombard our society every single day. Our women and girls are told they are less and this message is reinforced across every imaginable channel. You can’t be smart. You’re a bimbo. You can’t be sexual. You’re a prude. You can’t have opinions. You’re bossy, or worse, a man-hater. You can’t disagree. You must have PMS. You can’t enjoy physical activities. You’re a dyke.  You can’t be competent in your job. You’re a ball-buster or a chick with a d-ck. You can’t even protest the fact birth control is inexplicably not covered by your insurance when Viagra is, because some self-aggrandizing slob on the radio is going to call you a slut for weeks. Worse, the opinion that victims of rape just dressed wrong, made eye contact, smiled uncomfortably at a cat call or wolf whistle, and somehow asked for what they got. But worse than that are the politicians who say just lay back and enjoy it. Enjoy it! Gah that makes me furious.

[image error]This second-class standing women have creeps into our lives from every corner. We see it as the sexualization of little girls through clothing and pageants. We see it as self-help and diet books that reenforce we need to be better rather than just ourselves. We see it in the botox-frozen faces of TV and movie stars told by a superficial society that there’s nothing worse than an old woman. We see sex selling everything from coffee to cars to chainsaws. We see it in popular young adult fiction hyping the manipulation of women or fostering the idea that we are nothing at all without him. We hear it during election campaigns when the woman candidate’s appearance is either praised, questioned, or maligned. We hear it coming from the mouths of our men and boys when their worst insults are female-oriented jabs  of  p-words, c-words, and douche. Insults that go well beyond the “you throw like a girl” and “sissy” of yesterday.

When taken as a whole and really looked at, all of this is staggering. What’s happening to our society that half the population is derided and objectified? Why have we gone to this place that’s uncomfortable and at the least insulting? Was all of it really just clever marketing to sell products and now we reap what we’ve sown? I suspect yes. But that pernicious monster is out of the box and what will it take to feed it next?

Very recently I came upon the new generation of women picking up the torch for equality. Here are three worth listening to. With the three of them steering the future of women, I know good things will come.

This inspiring young actor gave a brave speech. Would you believe she was viciously attacked in social media for it? I ask you, what was it she said that warranted that

response?

Malala Yousafzai 2014 Nobel Peace Prize winner

 Madison Kimrey – 13-years old. Watch for this amazing girl. She’s going places.

More~

How the Media Failed Women in 2013

The Representation Project: Rewrite the Story (I recommend all the videos)

Gender inequality affects everyone. It’s time for everyone to get involved to end it.

http://equalrightsamendment.org/

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For 100 days, I’ll post something from my chosen topic: Clichés.

There are 20 entries to come. Here’s a cliché for today:

She’s been hit with an ugly stick

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Today our guest is Author Melodie Campbell. http://romancebooks4us.blogspot.com/

Romance Books ‘4’ Us ~ Our October contest is on!

20 prizes for 20 winners. :D

http://www.romancebooks4us.com

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Love Waits in Unexpected Places - Scorching Samplings of Unusual Love Stories

I write smart tales with strong, intelligent characters.

Find my novels wherever books are sold.

Sample my love stories for free!

The Big Sit

There’s a fun thing happening all around the world tomorrow — The Big Sit.



What is that exactly? It’s an annual bird count (bird census) event. It’s my understanding the Big Sit was started by the New Haven Bird Club in Connecticut. The New Haven Bird Club began in 1907 but I don’t know how long this event has been going on. All I know it’s an annual event for many years now.

This time of year a lot of birds are migrating so we all get to see species we wouldn’t normally see passing through our area. I’ve taken part in winter bird counts before and they involved driving and spotting. The Big Sit is different in that it’s a stationary observation. You designate a 17-foot diameter circle on the ground either  literally (with string, chalk, hose, etc) or as an imaginary circle. And that’s where you sit. The event runs from midnight to midnight and you jot down all the birds you can identify by sight or sound in a 24-hour period.

When thou seest an eagle, thou seest a portion of genius; lift up thy head!

~William Blake

We have a Big Sit happening here tomorrow. I wonder how many birds will show up? Bird watching is a popular hobby in my area because of the diverse habitat.  Oh so many odd sparrows and confusing fall warblers now. I’m forever asking my husband to identify these autumn visitors. A veteran of many bird inventories, he can identify them by flight and song and well as ID them by sight. We have friends who are even better at it.

Want to get involved? Gather your friends and family together. Bring a pad of paper and a pen, binoculars or spotting scope if you have them, a bird guide, and comfy clothing that makes sense for the weather in your area, and comfortable chairs. Don’t forget water. This 24 stint can be done in shifts so you can do things like eat or go answer another call of nature.  :)

Official details.

http://www.newhavenbirdclub.com/events/the-big-sit/

You can resister here. It’s free.

http://www.birdwatchersdigest.com/bwdsite/connect/bigsit/register.php?sc=hom_accordion

Last year’s Big Sit in Houston.

http://youtu.be/He9nLcQFPRI

Here’s a list of the best bird guides for identifying birds.

http://www.birdwatching-bliss.com/bird-field-guides.html

I’ve kept a life list for years (a list of birds I’ve seen in my lifetime). Here’s a printable one to get you started.

Printable Life List

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For 100 days, I’ll post something from my chosen topic: Clichés.

There are 21 entries to come.

Here’s a cliché for today:

Sitting in the catbird seat

 

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Today is Author R. Ann Siracusa’s blog day. http://romancebooks4us.blogspot.com/

Romance Books ‘4’ Us ~ Our October contest is on!

20 prizes for 20 winners. :D

http://www.romancebooks4us.com

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My recent projects~

Tasteful Murders

http://www.amazon.com/Tasteful-Murders-Paul-R-Lancey-ebook/dp/B00NG86P02/

 

Bake, Love, Write: 105 Authors Share Dessert Recipes and Advice on Love and Writing

In paperback and ebook. The e-version of our cookbook is sold everywhere for 99⊄. See My Other Projects page above for links to various formats.

http://www.amazon.com/Bake-Love-Write-Authors-Dessert-ebook/dp/B00NO2DPTY/

We hit #2 on Amazon’s Bestseller List!

۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞

Learn how you can help stop the pending internet takeover by heavy-hitting, well-funded Washington lobbyists. The FCC is taking comments now and wants to know what YOU think. Learn what’s at stake and how you can give your opinion to the FCC.

The window to be heard is ending soon.

http://www.savetheinternet.com/net-neutrality-what-you-need-know-now

۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞

Love Waits in Unexpected Places - Scorching Samplings of Unusual Love Stories

Find my novels wherever books are sold.

Sample my love stories for free!

۞>>>>۞<<<<۞

 

Blame it on the Bovine

We did go out pre-dawn this morning to watch the full lunar eclipse with the selenelion (see yesterday’s post). It was grand to see the eclipse while the sun rose directly across from the moon. The blood moon all but disappeared against the pale morning sky. By the time the sun broke the horizon line, the moon was just a sliver above the tree tops. And it was cold. :D

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If you’ve been to my blog before, you know I often mention growing up in Chicago. I haven’t lived there in nearly 34 years but I do enjoy returning now and then. The diverse city is filled with wonders: world-class museums, renown zoos, and all sorts of theater. There are also beloved sports teams, outstanding architecture, and giants in trade and commerce. It also has prohibition gangsters, a baseball curse, Chicago-style hotdogs and pizza, and its own jazz. The city has always been noteworthy.  ;)

Before 1833, Chicago was a land occupied by several native populations. The European encroachment saw a trading post and a fort built there. This was prime real estate with access to major river ways and lakes. Approximately ten years later, Chicago was a very important railway and waterway hub and goods and livestock came and went. From the north woods came lumber. By 1848 the Illinois and Michigan Canal connected the Great Lakes to the Mississippi River. From there an easy paddle boat to the Gulf of Mexico where goods from all over the world were sent back upstream. Needless to say, with all that business happening, Chicago grew quickly. And it was mostly made of wood.

Before I married, I worked at the Chicago Historical Society just to take it all in. The city has rich history and so does the land it sits on.  The scope and breadth of which I’ll leave for future posts.  :)

The reason I’m talking about Chicago today is because October 8th is the anniversary of the Great Chicago Fire.

There was a rather intense drought that summer in 1871. Records say from July to early October, less than three inches of rain had fallen. The small district firehouses were kept busy stomping out small blazes here and there. The dry wind didn’t help. On October 7th, a blaze took off and the firehouses were called to put it out. It was a grueling endeavor but the city was saved from a major disaster. The following day, they were simply too exhausted for what was to come.

As the story goes, a fire began in a barn owned by the O’Leary family. The culprit — the cow.  She is said to have kicked over the lantern at milking time.

However it began, fueled by drought and high winds, the blaze was completely out of control by the time the tired firemen came. It rampaged northward destroying three and a half square miles of the city. People took refuge as best they could by boat or by standing in the waters of Lake Michigan as the flames lit the sky. The city burned for 36 hours and would have likely kept going had not rain came on October 10th. In the end, more than 18,000 structures were destroyed, and a full third of Chicago’s 300,000 residents lost their homes. Some people were never found and it’s said at least 300 perished.

An outpouring of charity dollars came in from around the world and Chicago rebuilt itself bigger that ever. It was also better planned. The new Chicago was built with parks, tree plantings, and other amenities, and lots and lots of bricks. The world would see it in all its glory in the World’s Fair Colombian Exposition of 1893. You can read my post on the Colombian Exposition and the White City for more details on that.  Just scan the tag cloud to the right to find either tag and it’ll take you to that post.  :)

Here’s a interesting clip. If you don’t see the video here, follow to the PBS site to watch.

http://video.pbs.org/viralplayer/2149056878

More~

The Exoneration of Mrs. O’Leary’s cow

Here’s an excellent site for all the details

http://www.greatchicagofire.org/

Here’s another with pictures

http://www.chicagohistory.org/history/fire.html

What the insurance companies of that era thought about it all (audio)

https://librivox.org/great-chicago-fire-by-charles-cole-hine/

The very same day a fire broke out in Peshtigo, Wisconsin. More than 1,200 people perished. Here’s a news clip with a recap.

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For 100 days, I’ll post something from my chosen topic: Clichés.

There are 22 entries to come.

Here’s a cliché for today:

All up in smoke

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My monthly post is still up at Romance Books ‘4’ Us. I’m talking about Autumn as the Season for the Senses. I’m offering a very nice fall recipe too. Come see!

http://romancebooks4us.blogspot.com/2014/10/a-season-for-senses-by-rose-anderson.html

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Today’s guest is Author JoAnne Myers   http://romancebooks4us.blogspot.com/

Romance Books ‘4’ Us ~ Our October contest is on!

20 prizes for 20 winners. :D

http://www.romancebooks4us.com

۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞

My recent projects~

Tasteful Murders

http://www.amazon.com/Tasteful-Murders-Paul-R-Lancey-ebook/dp/B00NG86P02/

 

Bake, Love, Write: 105 Authors Share Dessert Recipes and Advice on Love and Writing

In paperback and ebook. The e-version of our cookbook is sold everywhere for 99⊄. See My Other Projects page above for links to various formats.

http://www.amazon.com/Bake-Love-Write-Authors-Dessert-ebook/dp/B00NO2DPTY/

We hit #2 on Amazon’s Bestseller List!

۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞

Learn how you can help stop the pending internet takeover by heavy-hitting, well-funded Washington lobbyists. The FCC is taking comments now and wants to know what YOU think. Learn what’s at stake and how you can give your opinion to the FCC.

The window to be heard is ending soon.

http://www.savetheinternet.com/net-neutrality-what-you-need-know-now

۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞

Love Waits in Unexpected Places - Scorching Samplings of Unusual Love Stories

Find my novels wherever books are sold.

Sample my love stories for free!

۞>>>>۞<<<<۞

Now you see it. Now you don’t

Every time I think I’ll be able to finish my thought on acorns, some time-sensitive thing worth mentioning pops up. There are a few of those this week so once again I’m setting the acorns aside. One of these days I’ll surprise you with it. It is truly fascinating and just may fill in a few blanks you’ve always wondered about. There, that’s cryptic enough.  ;)

In case you don’t yet know or have yet to read the news, tomorrow’s lunar eclipse is unusual for a few reasons. I thought to blog about it tomorrow. The thing is, were I to inspire you to go watch the eclipse, by the time I posted here it would be over. Hence the topic change today.

So how is it unusual?

First off an eclipse is also a syzygy. Here’s the definition:

an alignment of three celestial objects, as the sun, the earth, and either the moon or a planet (from Latin and Greek meaning yoked together)

Secondly, it’s a Blood Moon. This total lunar eclipse earns that grisly name by the fact it turns a deep red when the moon passes into the earth’s shadow. Here’s a great explanation by NASA.

And lastly, this event is also a selenelion. For some people in North America, tomorrow morning will not only show a blood red moon in the western sky, they will see the sun rise in the east. Both will be visible at the same time exactly 180 degrees apart in the sky. It’s interesting to note that celestial geometry says this is impossible. The earth is in the way. The reason we can see something that is mathematically impossible is actually pretty cool.

Our earth’s atmosphere refracts light. Whenever we see the moon and sun rising or setting, we’re really seeing it a few minutes before or after the fact. An optical illusion. This is because the image of the moon and sun are optically bent.  Imagine light coming in through a prism (in lieu of that, picture that Pink Floyd album with the bent rainbow). That’s what’s happening to our view of the sun and moon. The images of both are lifted above the horizon by atmospheric refraction. I’m in the central United States so I’ll be able to see the selenelion tomorrow. A first for me. :D

Here’s another brief explanation from NASA.

More~



Find the viewing times here. (thanks E!)

http://weather.weatherbug.com/weather-news/weather-reports.html?story=16384&zcode=ZBETAT

NASA explains the Tetrad of eclipses we’re having.

http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2014/27mar_tetrad/

Throughout history, eclipses were considered portents of great change. Here’s a nice selection of historic eclipse quotes. Some speak of the changes in battle and crown tied to such celestial events. http://mreclipse.com/Special/quotes3.html

The first thing that always comes to mind when I think of eclipses is Shakespeare.  If you’ve been to my blog before you know I’m a fan of the bard. He wrote eclipses as metaphor and added them to many of his works because they were harbingers of change. There’s a reason he did. In his time there were a few remarkable celestial events that coincided with world change.



Here’s a list of 12 eclipses that heralded other changes.

http://listosaur.com/history/12-famous-eclipses-in-history

۞>>>>۞<<<<۞

For 100 days, I’ll post something from my chosen topic: Clichés.

There are 23 entries to come.

Here’s a cliché for today:

Now you see it. Now you don’t

۞>>>>۞<<<<۞

My monthly post is still up at Romance Books ‘4’ Us. I’m talking about Autumn as the Season for the Senses. I’m offering a very nice fall recipe too. Come see!

http://romancebooks4us.blogspot.com/2014/10/a-season-for-senses-by-rose-anderson.html

۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞

Today’s guest is Dianna Love and she’s giving away book prizes http://romancebooks4us.blogspot.com/

Romance Books ‘4’ Us ~ Our October contest is on!

20 prizes for 20 winners. :D

http://www.romancebooks4us.com

۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞

My recent projects~

Tasteful Murders

http://www.amazon.com/Tasteful-Murders-Paul-R-Lancey-ebook/dp/B00NG86P02/

 

Bake, Love, Write: 105 Authors Share Dessert Recipes and Advice on Love and Writing

In paperback and ebook. The e-version of our cookbook is sold everywhere for 99⊄. See My Other Projects page above for links to various formats.

We’re #2 on Amazon’s Bestseller List!

۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞

Learn how you can help stop the pending internet takeover by heavy-hitting, well-funded Washington lobbyists. The FCC is taking comments now and wants to know what YOU think. Learn what’s at stake and how you can give your opinion to the FCC.

The window to be heard is ending soon.

http://www.savetheinternet.com/net-neutrality-what-you-need-know-now

۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞

Love Waits in Unexpected Places - Scorching Samplings of Unusual Love Stories

Find my novels wherever books are sold.

Sample my love stories for free!

۞>>>>۞<<<<۞

Habits

It always amazes me that we can live all our lives without the technical gadgetry of our time and be just fine. I remember life before our internet, cellphones, and microwaves. My husband and I didn’t even have a TV for the first several years of our marriage. By choice. We managed to exist without these things. But have them then lose them. Unthinkable.

The internet has made me a lazy writer. Once I would have gone for the thesaurus on the shelf. But why bother when I have online access to many thesauri at my fingertips?  Fact check–it’s here. Name dictionary–it’s here. International time zones — it’s here too. My writing life is akin to a new balloon taken from the package and inflated. Even if I let all the air out, that balloon will never be the same size it was when I began. The world of information at my fingertips is my opiate. I’d need at least a week to fully withdraw, and even then I’d lament not having it because I love having a world of information at my fingertips. I would imagine for social media addicts, breaking their online addiction would take even longer.

Where am I going with this? Heck if I know, it’s nearly 6 am.



Oh…here it is…

Internet reception here has been terrible lately with stalls and lost information. That’s why I haven’t blogged much. The first time I lost a full post was the last time I tried. But I now have a rebuilt receiver sitting on top of my barn. We’ll see how that goes.  One shouldn’t be on a first name basis with one’s internet service provider, but we are.

Our ISP man a very nice guy (with a very nice family) who wants his customers to be happy, so he’ll occasionally rush over to climb to the barn roof peak to try to fix things. He’s been up there in pending storms, sleet, and wind. I’ve seen lightning hit that barn’s lightning rods many times over the years (even rare ball lightning), and he works right beside one of the rods. Once in a pending storm filled with thunder and lightning, I went out on the lawn and called up there to ask him to come down. He didn’t. My being online is far less important than him risking his life up there. I was a nervous wreck. But that’s another tale.

Before my internet connection became impossible to work with, I was talking about trees, oak trees specifically.

I mentioned last week that one of the trees we planted long ago was mislabeled. It’s a bur oak like the others, but native to the southern United States. Because it’s a different species of bur oak, it has enormous acorns, perhaps three times the size of the other acorns in my yard. I also mentioned I’ve been monitoring these by the day, waiting for them to go from green to brown because I want to bring a few acorns inside for fall decorating. I’ve said before how the acorns are so huge every animal around here wants them. I went looking yesterday and they’re all but gone. Damn. They were just starting to turn brown. My husband found two in the grass when he was mowing but I don’t want those. Like the critters, I want the plump impressive ones.  :)

Tomorrow ~ More on acorns

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My monthly post is still up at Romance Books ‘4’ Us. I’m talking about Autumn as the Season for the Senses. I’m offering a very nice fall recipe too. Come see!

http://romancebooks4us.blogspot.com/2014/10/a-season-for-senses-by-rose-anderson.html

۞>>>>۞<<<<۞

For 100 days, I’ll post something from my chosen topic: Clichés.

There are 24 entries to come.

Here’s a cliché for today:

Squirrel it away

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Today is Author Tina Donahue’s blog day.

http://romancebooks4us.blogspot.com/

Romance Books ‘4’ Us ~ Our October contest is on!

20 prizes for 20 winners. :D

http://www.romancebooks4us.com

۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞

My recent projects~

Tasteful Murders

http://www.amazon.com/Tasteful-Murders-Paul-R-Lancey-ebook/dp/B00NG86P02/

 

Bake, Love, Write: 105 Authors Share Dessert Recipes and Advice on Love and Writing

In paperback and ebook. The e-version of our cookbook is sold everywhere for 99⊄. See My Other Projects page above for links to various formats.

We’re #2 on Amazon’s Bestseller List!

۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞

Learn how you can help stop the pending internet takeover by heavy-hitting, well-funded Washington lobbyists. The FCC is taking comments now and wants to know what YOU think. Learn what’s at stake and how you can give your opinion to the FCC.

The window to be heard is ending soon.

http://www.savetheinternet.com/net-neutrality-what-you-need-know-now

۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞

Love Waits in Unexpected Places - Scorching Samplings of Unusual Love Stories

Find my novels wherever books are sold.

Sample my love stories for free!

۞>>>>۞<<<<۞

Fun day Sunday

If you’ve been here before then you know Sundays on my blog are all about wonder and smiles. In honor of mentally kicking back once in a while, Sundays are Fun Days! Each Sunday, visitors will find a fun, interesting, or unusual something here. I’m a nerd with a complex sense of humor and absurd wit. It could literally be anything.

Today I’m sharing an odd bit of concept art by Dutch artist Theo Jansen. The fanciful things are called Strandbeests. I think these otherworldly wind-walkers are pretty remarkable…if not a tad creepy. :D

Check out the artist’s youtube channel for more Strandbeests. They come in all sorts of shapes.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCw4BFxLFguznor-MnYNwGTg

۞>>>>۞<<<<۞

My monthly post is still up at Romance Books ‘4’ Us. I’m talking about Autumn as the Season for the Senses. I’m offering a very nice recipe too. Come see!

http://romancebooks4us.blogspot.com/2014/10/a-season-for-senses-by-rose-anderson.html

۞>>>>۞<<<<۞

For 100 days, I’ll post something from my chosen topic: Clichés.

There are 25 entries to come.

Here’s a cliché for today:

Take a walk on the wild side

 
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Today is Author Paris Brandon’s blog day.

http://romancebooks4us.blogspot.com/

Romance Books ‘4’ Us ~ Our October contest is on!

20 prizes for 20 winners.  :D

http://www.romancebooks4us.com

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My recent projects~

Tasteful Murders

http://www.amazon.com/Tasteful-Murders-Paul-R-Lancey-ebook/dp/B00NG86P02/

 

Bake, Love, Write: 105 Authors Share Dessert Recipes and Advice on Love and Writing

In paperback and ebook. The e-version of our cookbook is sold everywhere for 99⊄. See My Other Projects page above for links to various formats.

We’re #2 on Amazon’s Bestseller List!

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Learn how you can help stop the pending internet takeover by heavy-hitting, well-funded Washington lobbyists. The FCC is taking comments now and wants to know what YOU think. Learn what’s at stake and how you can give your opinion to the FCC.

The window to be heard is ending soon.

http://www.savetheinternet.com/net-neutrality-what-you-need-know-now

۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞

Love Waits in Unexpected Places - Scorching Samplings of Unusual Love Stories

Find my novels wherever books are sold.

Sample my love stories for free!

۞>>>>۞<<<<۞

It’s my blog day at Romance Books ‘4’ Us

It’s my blog day at Romance Books ‘4’ Us. I’m talking about Autumn as the Season for the Senses. Come see!

http://romancebooks4us.blogspot.com/2014/10/a-season-for-senses-by-rose-anderson.html

 

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For 100 days, I’ll post something from my chosen topic: Clichés.

There are 26 entries to come.

Here’s a cliché for today:

Cold as a witch’s ___  ;)

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Romance Books ‘4’ Us ~ The October contest is on! 20 prizes for 20 winners. A little something for everyone!

http://www.romancebooks4us.com

۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞
My recent projects~

Tasteful Murders

http://www.amazon.com/Tasteful-Murders-Paul-R-Lancey-ebook/dp/B00NG86P02/

Bake, Love, Write: 105 Authors Share Dessert Recipes and Advice on Love and Writing

In paperback and ebook. The e-version of our cookbook is sold everywhere for 99⊄. See My Other Projects page above for links to various formats.

We’re #2 on Amazon’s Bestseller List!

۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞

Learn how you can help stop the pending internet takeover by heavy-hitting, well-funded Washington lobbyists. The FCC is taking comments now and wants to know what YOU think. Learn what’s at stake and how you can give your opinion to the FCC.

The window to be heard is ending soon.

http://www.savetheinternet.com/net-neutrality-what-you-need-know-now

۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞

Love Waits in Unexpected Places - Scorching Samplings of Unusual Love Stories

Find my novels wherever books are sold.

Sample my love stories for free!

۞>>>>۞<<<<۞

Mighty acorns

I walked the little dog a while ago. The air is cold, not so cold you can see your breath, but cold enough to wear a jacket. The leaves are changing fast and falling faster. We’re expecting frost at the end of the week. To that I say yay! I hope all the little biters freeze so we can have our evening fires and drumming with friends.

The last emergence of mosquitoes has thwarted many a social gathering in the back yard.

Many years ago we planted some bur oak trees around the house to add to the huge beauties standing here more than 100 years. Needless to say, the ground is covered with acorns this time of year. They pop and crackle as cars pull in and out. Every day mourning doves patrol my driveway looking for convenient car-cracked morsels to stuff their crops with. The squirrels and chipmunks come later in the morning. The little dog’s first order of business in the morning is chasing the birds away. Her first order of business in the afternoon is chasing the squirrels and chipmunks away. I spend my time telling her not to kill things.

Terriers are exhausting.

Anyway…

One of the trees we planted long ago was mislabeled. It’s a bur oak like the others, but this one is native to the southern United States. It has enormous acorns, perhaps three times the size of the other acorns in my yard. I’ve been monitoring these by the day because I want to grab a few for fall decorating inside. Timing is everything. Because they’re so huge, every animal within five miles wants them. If I wait until they get brown and ripe for optimal decorating, some critter will have the tree stripped before I can even put my shoes on. I went looking today and they’re just starting to turn brown. I may have to go out with a flashlight at midnight to get a few!

In case you don’t know the taxonomy of oaks, (a.k.a the scientific nomenclature and classification of organisms), it’s taken from Latin — Quercus = Latin for oak. The name Quercus is called the Genus. From Latin (or Greek) meaning race or kind, the Genus is the family. In this case, the family of oak.

If I mention oak it probably makes some sort of image in your mind. Oaks have acorns, for one. Before I knew better, I assumed that oaks all had a particular leaf shape too. Not true. There are about 600 kinds of oaks around the world and some have very atypical leaves. In fact, some oaks look like willow trees with willow-ish leaves. That’s not all that’s different. Some have acorns so large they would fill the palm of your hand. Given there are many types of oaks. How do you tell one oak from the next?

Science has given us precise ways to label everything. First you determine the family, then you decide how it looks. Once you have the details down you name the species. (Latin for appearance). Science takes the appearance, breaks it down into Latin or Greek, and calls it a species. 

Quercus alba — White oak. Alba means white for the light grey bark it has.

Quercus macrocarpa — Bur oak. Macrocarpa means macro=large, carpa= to hold onto (like a bur) Bur oaks have fuzzy acorn caps like burs.

Quercus rubra —Red oak. Rubra meaning red.

Quercus stellata — Post oak. Stellata for star. The leaves look like a Maltese cross/star.

Quercus acerifolia — Maple leaf oak. Acer = maple, folia= leaf

Quercus ellipsoidalis — Pin oak. Ellipse= long oval. The acorns are long and pointy.

These oaks grow around the USA and are the only ones I know the scientific names of. I believe my country has close to 100 different kinds. Were you to track down the rest, you’d see how the family name stays the same and the species name gives clues to what it looks like. We can thank Swedish scientist Carolus Linnaeus for our hobby of slapping a name on every living thing.

Obviously Latin fascinates me. It was well out of the public school system when I was growing up, so I’ve been teaching myself. Know Latin and Greek and all the words of the western world are yours. Every writer needs words. :D

Tomorrow ~ more on acorns. You’ll be surprised.

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For 100 days, I’ll post something from my chosen topic: Clichés.

There are 27 entries to come.

Here’s a cliché for today:

Even a blind squirrel finds an acorn once in a while

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Today is Author Suzanne Rock’s blog day.

http://romancebooks4us.blogspot.com/

Romance Books ‘4’ Us ~ Watch for the October contest!

http://www.romancebooks4us.com

۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞
My recent projects~

Tasteful Murders

http://www.amazon.com/Tasteful-Murders-Paul-R-Lancey-ebook/dp/B00NG86P02/

Bake, Love, Write: 105 Authors Share Dessert Recipes and Advice on Love and Writing

In paperback and ebook. The e-version of our cookbook is sold everywhere for 99⊄. See My Other Projects page above for links to various formats.

I’m also participating in Fall Into Romance — a month-long event hosted by The Romance Reviews. Hundreds of authors and industry people are participating and that means hundreds of prizes. Find my bit on my satellite blog:

http://calliopeswritingtablet.blogspot.com/

۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞

Learn how you can help stop the pending internet takeover by heavy-hitting, well-funded Washington lobbyists. The FCC is taking comments now and wants to know what YOU think. Learn what’s at stake and how you can give your opinion to the FCC.

http://www.savetheinternet.com/net-neutrality-what-you-need-know-now

۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞

Love Waits in Unexpected Places - Scorching Samplings of Unusual Love Stories

Find my novels wherever books are sold.

Sample my love stories for free!

۞>>>>۞<<<<۞

Suspension of disbelief

I’m hoping I’ll have reasonable internet reception this week. It’s been lousy for a while. Saturday I had a weak hour then nothing. There were several times where I went to fact check and couldn’t. That’s frustrating. I’m finishing a historical now. I need facts! I constantly hunt down facts and check dates on common words the entire time I’m writing. You have to be careful with colloquial speak. Just because we say something now doesn’t mean it was said in the 1870s. It jars the brain to see it.

Writing fiction with any degree of finesse requires the suspension of disbelief.  In historicals, suspending disbelief allows the reader to be transported to that time.  Take a story with paranormal elements. The best are those with enough truth woven in that the unlikely or downright preposterous seem perfectly plausible. I suppose that’s one reason I enjoy writing paranormal/fantasy elements. I like the challenge of suspending disbelief.
:)

We see this all the time in movies. Picture a WWII story set in Nazi Germany. All the German actors have British accents and we’re good with it. For Americans, there’s just enough “other” quality to it. This allows us to suspend our disbelief long enough to imagine we’re in Germany. My blog day at Romance Books ‘4’ Us is coming on October 4th. I just may expand this thought.

Back in 1992 I went to see the movie The Last of the Mohicans. It was a visually spectacular rendition of the James Fenimore Cooper tale. For me there were two takeaways from the film — the first was an intense kiss that kissed my mind to see. I consider it one of the best kisses in film history.  Take a peek.

The second takeaway was a jarring bit of screenwriter lapse. Sadly I couldn’t find a bit on youtube to show here.

In a nutshell, there’s a point in The Last of the Mohicans’ story where the main character Hawkeye arrives at the fort with the commanding officer’s two daughters he rescued from an Indian attack. One of the chief officers says something disparaging out of jealousy and Hawkeye turns to him and says something like this, “One of these days mister, you and I are going to have a serious disagreement.”

No big deal, right? It is. The phrase doesn’t fit the time period of 1757. Picture those exact words coming from Robert DeNiro with a strong New Jersey accent. Picture them coming from Al Pacino in a movie like The Godfather. Picture them coming from John Wayne at the Alamo.  See what I mean? Once you hear John Wayne say it, it can’t be unheard. lol

Twenty-two years later and my brain was jarred enough to recall those out of place words.  But oh that kiss…

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For 100 days, I’ll post something from my chosen topic: Clichés.

There are 28 entries to come.

Here’s a cliché for today:

Seeing is believing.

۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞

Today is Author Sandra K. Marshall’s blog day.

http://romancebooks4us.blogspot.com/

Romance Books ‘4’ Us ~ Watch for the October contest!

http://www.romancebooks4us.com

۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞
My recent projects~

Tasteful Murders

http://www.amazon.com/Tasteful-Murders-Paul-R-Lancey-ebook/dp/B00NG86P02/

Bake, Love, Write: 105 Authors Share Dessert Recipes and Advice on Love and Writing

In paperback and ebook. The e-version of our cookbook is sold everywhere for 99⊄. See My Other Projects page above for links to various formats.

I’m also participating in Fall Into Romance — a month-long event hosted by The Romance Reviews. Hundreds of authors and industry people are participating and that means hundreds of prizes. Find my bit on my satellite blog:

http://calliopeswritingtablet.blogspot.com/

۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞

Learn how you can help stop the pending internet takeover by these heavy-hitting, well-funded Washington lobbyists. The FCC is taking comments now and wants to know what YOU think.  Learn what’s at stake and how you can give your opinion to the FCC.

http://www.savetheinternet.com/net-neutrality-what-you-need-know-now

۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞

Love Waits in Unexpected Places - Scorching Samplings of Unusual Love Stories

Find my novels wherever books are sold.

Sample my love stories for free!

۞>>>>۞<<<<۞





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Fun Day Sunday

If you’ve been here before then you know Sundays on my blog are all about wonder and smiles. In honor of mentally kicking back once in a while, Sundays are Fun Days! Each Sunday, visitors will find a fun, interesting, or unusual something here. I’m a nerd with a complex sense of humor and absurd wit. It could literally be anything.

Today I’m posting a handful of smiles in small sizes. Gotta love those who find humor in the small things and share them so we can smile too. Boy I wish I’d captured that jumping mouse vs. frog and toad in my window well. (if you haven’t read that tale, scroll down a bit) :D

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For 100 days, I’ll post something from my chosen topic: Clichés.

There are 29 entries to come.

Here’s a cliché for today:

A laugh a minute.

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Today is guest Author Adrienne deWolfe.

http://romancebooks4us.blogspot.com/

Romance Books ‘4’ Us ~ The September contest is almost over. SO many prizes!

http://www.romancebooks4us.com

۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞
My recent projects~

Tasteful Murders

http://www.amazon.com/Tasteful-Murders-Paul-R-Lancey-ebook/dp/B00NG86P02/

Bake, Love, Write: 105 Authors Share Dessert Recipes and Advice on Love and Writing

In paperback and ebook. The e-version of our cookbook is sold everywhere for 99⊄. See My Other Projects page above for links to various formats.

I’m also participating in Fall Into Romance — a month-long event hosted by The Romance Reviews. Hundreds of authors and industry people are participating and that means hundreds of prizes. Find my bit on my satellite blog:

http://calliopeswritingtablet.blogspot.com/

۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞

The internet was created to be a free system with access to knowledge and level opportunity for all. Right now several large telecommunications corporations want to make you pay them for the privilege you’ve had for free since the internet began. Learn how you can help stop the pending internet takeover by these heavy-hitting, well-funded Washington lobbyists. The FCC is taking comments now and wants to know what YOU think.

Learn what’s at stake and how you can give your opinion to the FCC.

http://www.savetheinternet.com/net-neutrality-what-you-need-know-now

۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞

Love Waits in Unexpected Places - Scorching Samplings of Unusual Love Stories

Find my novels wherever books are sold.

Sample my love stories for free!

۞>>>>۞<<<<۞