Larada Horner-Miller's Blog, page 45

I Can Promise You an Entertaining Read!

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The Famous Boxer Skit with Marshall Flippo and Gary Shoemake

Check out the page I added to my blog site about my newest writing project: The Authorized Biography Of Marshall Flippo.

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Fun Valley—Fun?

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For most of my life, I have been a participator in life–I don’t like watching life happen. I want to be in the midst of it all. Lin and I just spent a week at Fun Valley resort, near South Fork, Colorado for a square and round dance week with callers Gary Shoemake and Jerry Gilbreath and cuer, Steve and Lori Harris, and let me tell you–Lin and I participated, and we had an outrageously FUN time!

We arrived Saturday afternoon and went to dinner at the Firehouse Restaurant in South Fork with a rowdy group–a great way to start our week together. Lin has an obsession with ice cream, so his dessert of 6 different flavors didn’t surprise me one bit. The small bowl sitting besides his humongous bowl is mine!

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Lin’s Usual Serving of Ice Cream Compared to Mine!

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A Fun Evening With Friends

Sunday started with a breakfast potluck at Bill and Pat Mayberry’s RV and the food was sumptuous–we brought elk sausage due to request from last year. The lovely cool Colorado morning was filled with laughter and music.

I spent part of the late morning and early afternoon transcribing an interview with Marshall Flippo–I’m writing his biography and the transcriptions are taking longer than I expected.

Later that afternoon I watched the Denver Bronco’s game at the front office on my iPad in my Bronco uniform I wear each game day: autographed hat, Von Miller jersey and Bronco leggings. I forgot my orange and blue boa that usually finishes my outfit. I received lots of comments from passersby, and we won!

The square and round dancing activities started Sunday night with a high energy dance. Friends from far and near greeted us; as usual we also made many new friends.

Monday morning started with a round dance and a square dance workshop. After lunch, we had two more workshops. We danced again Monday night. The evening ended with hilarious skits by the staff at the After Party–lots of laughter.

Tuesday morning I participated in the “Fish for Dinner Hour.” I hadn’t fished in nearly 20 years, so I was proud that I was able to cast my line, not hurt anyone near me. Fishermen and women caught fish on each side of me, but I didn’t catch anything. It didn’t matter; I enjoyed the event. The volunteer fishing crew caught about 50 fish to feed the dancers for dinner. Again, I enjoyed the round and square workshop in the morning and the afternoon.

I savored the trout dinner and was proud I participated. We danced the evening away in the refreshing Colorado air. During the After Party, the staff wowed us with some fun-filled skits again.

On Wednesday, we caravanned to Creede, CO to dance in the firehouse dug out of side of the rock mountain. There was a glitch in the plan–the firehouse had been leased to a quilt show, so the callers set up right outside the firehouse and we dance there–square dancers are flexible. Six squares of dancers participated and enjoyed the beautiful mountain scenery. New dancers earned a dangle to add to their badges.

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Jerry Gilbreath & Gary Shoemake Calling Outside of the Creede Firehouse

At this point, we had choices: part of the group went to the Last Chance Mine to see the mine and square dance there. They also earned a dangle.

Our group went to Creede to shop! Veteran shoppers knew where to go first: Off Broadway and Holy Moses Gift Shop. I love the clothes in the Off Broadway store and bought some beautiful new wares. After our shopping spree, we ate lunch at ARP’s. Jerry Gilbreath and I (Mary Beth wanted to shop more and Lin wanted to find ice cream) led a group to see the Clear Creek Falls–what a stunning surprise. The falls are hidden from view.

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Breathtaking Clear Creek Falls

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Dancers Who Caravanned to the Falls

We returned to Creede to pick up our spouses. Jerry and I pre-ordered ice cream cones on the phone for the drive home.

One feature of the week at Fun Valley is a theme night on Wednesday night, and ours was “The Roaring 20’s.” The dance hall filled with flappers, spats, striped trousers, Bid Daddy and fun. Most of the dancers participated which really made the evening a joy. Jerry and Gary selected music from the 20’s, setting the mood.

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Lin and Larada Dressed to Kill in the Roarin’ 20’s

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Our Fun-loving Albuquerque Crew Dressed to the Nines!

The dancers provided the entertainment at the After Party that night, and our Albuquerque group plus a friend from Pueblo put on four skits–the practices were the most fun for sure! Several people participated, and the crowd enjoyed the entertainment.

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Father Giuseppe Talks to Mrs. Spaghetti (ABQ Dancers–who is this mysterious women?)

On Thursday morning I attended the round and square dance workshop and anticipated one of my favorite events of the week: the horse races. Six wooden horses race in the dance hall and the movement is governed by the throw of 3 dice for each move. Six people buy a horse for each race and they select a jockey for their horse.

 

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The Horse Owners Await the Race!

Lin bought the #6 horse for every race but one, and I was his jockey! I can tell you that I had a blast being the jockey. We won the first and last race, but the funniest race was when someone else bought the #6, so Lin bought the #3 horse. The #3 was only called 2 or three times, so I ran out in front of Gary and Jerry to remind them that I was sitting in the back of the field doing nothing. I thought Jerry was going to fall off the stage laughing.

Click to view slideshow.

Lin took his turn as jockey running besides Gale–we thought the change might help our luck–it didn’t!

Click to view slideshow.

Thursday night was Country and Western night–I wore jeans, western shirt and boots. Lin wore his black frock coat, red vest and black string tie, looking like Wyatt Earp or Doc Holliday.

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Lin and Larada Dressed Up for Country and Western Night

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Lin Arrests a Bad Hombre (Mujer)

During the evening dance, the four contestants for the men’s and four for women’s miniature golf tournament were announced. Lin volunteered to be Barbara’s caddy, so her partner, Paul, asked me to be his. To my surprise, two other golfers asked me to be his caddy–I wonder why??

Lin and I selected some of our costume pieces off of the costume rack in the dance hall. I selected a clown costume, rainbow-colored wig, and gold mask. Lin questioned me about the length of my costume, but I had a quick solution: I would wear one of my square dance petticoats to fill it out.

Instead of an After Party, Jerry Gilbreath sang music for us to couple dance–what an amazing voice he has! What a wonderful end to a fun-filled day.

I went home jazzed, planning and crafting my costume and my attack. The job of the caddy is to distract the other golfers, so I needed a variety of noise makers. Obnoxious music on my iPad would work, so I made a Caddy Playlist and added a variety of music. Right before I went to sleep–I remembered all the sound effect apps I had on my iPad, and then I couldn’t go to sleep.

Friday morning came quickly. We went to breakfast in normal attire, came back to the RV and put together our costumes. At 10:00 am, the tournament started–what fun we had! I screamed, I hollered and I played loud music to distract the golfers as they prepared to hit the ball. It was outrageous and fun. The winners were announced after the dance that night.

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Larada Kisses Paul’s Ball for Good Luck!

Click to view slideshow.

Lin dressed up a silky blue top, my multi-colored petticoat, my leggings, his boots and a hat with red hair–simply marvelous!

Click to view slideshow.




Click to view slideshow.

 

After the golf tournament, I played in the women’s team horseshoe tournament, and our team won!

Friday night we returned to our beautiful square dance clothes and enjoyed a wonderful night of dancing. After the dance, the dancers gathered to see who would collect trophies for the various events. My golfer won the men’s miniature golf tournament and Lin’s golfer won the women’s. We were so excited! My horse shoes team won the women’s horseshoe tournament.

Then the announcement was made for the coveted “Horses Patoot” trophy, and to my surprise I won it for my energetic enthusiasm all week–WOW!! What a way to end a glorious week.

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Saturday morning we had breakfast, said our good-byes & until next year to many friends and unhooked our RV. The week was over, and we were exhausted, in a good way. My FitBit report came in on how many steps I had last week at Fun Valley: 106,808!

Yes, Fun Valley is appropriately named–especially if you participate!

Have you ever been to Fun Valley? Are you a participator or an observer? Can you enjoy activities like this as much as an observer? Do square and round dancers have fun? I’d be interested in your comments.

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Visit the Fun Valley Resort web site for information about the place and book a week next summer–preferably the last one with Jerry Gilbreath, Gary Shoemake, and Steve & Lori Harris!

Check out my web site for my books: https://www.laradasbooks.com

My Etsy Shop Has Fall Specials: Larada’s Reading Loft

Pre-order the authorized biography of Marshall Flippo

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My First CALLERLAB Experience–Through the Eyes of a Dancer

I wrote the following article for the June issue of Square Dance Magazine–enjoy!

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“Why don’t Lin and you ever come to CALLERLAB?” Eric Henerlau asked me four years ago as I drove him to the airport after the Spring Fling festival in Albuquerque, NM.

“I’m not a caller” was my quick response. He explained CALLERLAB wants dancers to attend and would welcome us because we have promoted square dancing locally and nationally and would have ideas to share.

When I heard that CALLERLAB was coming to Albuquerque in 2018, I remembered Eric’s suggestion and made the commitment to attend. The decision was worth it.

As I tentatively stepped in the hallway Sunday night for the Social Hour to kick off CALLERLAB, I felt at home immediately as I scanned the room and realized how many of the callers I knew. Different callers and their wives warmly welcomed me, and not once did I hear, “What are you doing here?”

When Denise Hogan saw me, she rushed over and hugged me, and we reconnected after not seeing each other for a while. Mike joined us shortly and told me that our local club, Duke City Singles and Doubles Square Dance Club, would be mentioned in his keynote address the next morning.

And so he did—we were one of the case studies mentioned. Mike had me stand up and be recognized as being on the board when major changes happened for our club. After his speech, I was shocked; women quizzed me in the bathroom. I just happened to have the postcard we used to promote our lessons with me, and they

took a photo of it. Throughout the week, people stopped me and wanted a quick summary of what we did. We had several old postcards left over, so I gave them away.

I so appreciated that CALLERLAB provided a strand of marketing and promotional seminars because that’s my passion. I also attended a couple of caller seminars, and my respect of what callers do before they go on stage increased 1000%.

I was thrilled with the Marketing Manual created by the Marketing committee and plan to use it this year when we promote our lessons. In fact, we’re having Mike Hogan do a Marketing Seminar in Albuquerque, NM, the Sunday afternoon of Hot August Nights this year.

I thoroughly enjoyed the panel of the Legends and enjoyed the presenters’ stories, but was so sad that Bob Brundage couldn’t attend.

At each one of the marketing and promoting sessions, I gleaned an idea to incorporate into our advertising plan—great strategies from a variety of presenters all over the United States.

One caller workshop I attended was on Sustainable Square Dancing, facilitated by Vernon Jones. For the last five years, I have been involved in promoting our lessons, and it breaks my heart to see how many people we lose each year. We have to make the lesson sequence shorter to retain more dancers. Hearing the success stories from the panel and attendees convinced me that this might be a viable solution.

I’m writing the authorized biography of Marshall Flippo. In my weekly interviews with Flippo, in describing his lessons experience, he said, “We had 10 lessons and then we were square dancers!” Do we need to rethink what we are doing—could

Sustainable Square Dancing be the answer? After the workshop, I was excited with the possibilities.

I had the privilege of meeting Jim Mayo, Elmer Sheffield and Melton Luttrell. Since CALLERLAB, I’ve interviewed Jim Mayo and Melton Luttrell for the Flippo biography. I also had a special time with Flippo to work on his book.

I relished the conversations about square dancing and promoting shared at any meal time. It was rich conversation and an opportunity to network with like-minded people from around the world.

One highlight for me was the banquet Tuesday night. I sat at Mike Hogan’s table and had the pleasure of visiting with Mike and Denise Hogan, Mike Seastrom and Lisa, Andrith Davis and Michael Turley. At this banquet, I witnessed Jim Mayo receive the Milestone award—so deserving.

Tuesday night during the square dance, a couple of young women and a man stood outside in the hall, and they asked me what was going on. They were fascinated by the square dancing—a perfect opportunity for the promoter that I am. We talked, and I encouraged them to go in the hall and watch. I also found out where they lived and assured them that there was square dancing in their area.

The three days were jam packed with activity, but my most noted observation was the fraternity CALLERLAB is for callers—many special relationships that have spanned many years.

I highly recommend CALLERLAB to any dancer.

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What do you do for fun with your spouse? Where do you go?

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Check out my web site:  https://www.laradasbooks.com

Visit my Etsy Shop for Fall Specials:  Larada’s Reading Loft

For more information about square dance lessons starting Thursday, September 20, 2018, visit Duke City Singles & Doubles Square Dance Club

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Who is the Biggest Gambler in the World?

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Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

What’s your guess?

Their livelihood depends on Mother Nature
They have no control over what they need to prosper
They watch the skies, hoping and praying for rain!
They go about their daily business while their hearts ache for a reprieve!

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Photo by Brett Sayles on Pexels.com

My dad said repeatedly, “Ranchers and farmers are the biggest gamblers in the world–always depending on Mother Nature for the precious rain they need for crops, for reservoir water, and to grow grass.

Could you handle the stress? the strain? the not knowing? If you have a predictable payday, then you have no idea what these men and women face every day.

I agree with my Dad, a rancher his whole life, “Yes, they are the biggest gamblers, but the perks are worth it.”

Let it rain!

Could you be a rancher, a farmer?

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Check out my books about the ranching life at my web site: https://www.laradasbooks.com

Visit my Etsy shop for my books:  Larada’s Reading Loft 

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What’s a Traditional Labor Day?

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Another Labor Day is almost over–I want to share my traditional Labor Day with you. Today my brother and I went to the Las Animas Country Rodeo in Trinidad, CO, like so many years before. Neither of us had attended the rodeo in years–we wondered how much it had changed since our last visit?

As a child, this was an every year event–coupled with the annual 4-H Fair. It was our only family vacation, starting on the Thursday before Labor Day. Our 4-H commitments lasted through Friday, then we enjoyed the daily rodeo Saturday, Sunday and Monday and a big country and western dance each night on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. All of the 4-Her’s in Las Animas County came to Trinidad for the duration of these events and was a big party for us all. Usually a carnival with rides filled the parking lot–the bright lights and noise were absent today.

Today, we were pleasantly surprised to see the attendance was good at this year’s rodeo–neither of us knew very many people in the grandstands. We enjoyed each event and watched a late summer storm come in over Fisher’s Peak. The sweet, fresh smell of rain wafted over us before the rain hit the arena. The cowboys and cowgirls continued the rodeo through the rain–no, the latter events were not canceled due to the rain.

The Westernaires, a high school riding group from Denver, entertained us with a variety of horse riding skills–it was good to see them again.

All in all, the ghosts of the past whirled around me, but I was able to enjoy the present day rodeo as it was, celebrating our Labor Day tradition once more.

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Why We Square Dance–Why I Dance!

Here’s my poem explaining why I dance – hope you enjoy it!

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It’s a Friday night

Or

A Saturday night

A dance night!

 

The week lasted for eons

grueling

I had my work face on for five days

and I kept going.

I finished this week

Exhausted!

 

My family needs drained me

I am welted

and

am ready to dissolve into bed!

 

But it’s my dance night.

I breathe deeply,

and I know!

 

I select my square dance outfit.

What do I feel like tonight?

Red or turquoise

Southwest design or frilly lace?

 

The familiarity of my weekly routine

takes over

Systematically I put on my outfit

and

as each layer goes on,

my perspective and energy level changes!

First my hose

With a deep breath, I release part of my stress

Then my pettipants

Oh my, it’s going—another deep breath

Then my top and skirt

My goodness—a glimmer of hope

Then my belt

A smile slowly crosses my lips

Next my matching petticoat and shoes

Yes, I sigh with relief

Finally, my club badge

To identify who I am—

A square dancer!

A spray to finish my hair

a touch of lipgloss

A final look in the mirror

A pirouette and a spin

crinoline flowing

I am complete!

My exhaustion replaced with anticipation!

The drive to the dance hall

becomes a time tunnel

a vacuum

a timeless space

void of the demands of this world

stress free

relaxing

 

Either soft music in the background

Or

a compatible silence

Or

a casual conversation

A bridge between the world out there

With its demands

And the dance world

With its pleasures!

Friends greet me as I enter the dance hall—my dance family

The music starts

I step onto the dance floor

and I am free!

The carefree child within me

spins round and around

claps her hands

and

Shouts for joy!

I am free!

The tip starts,

and I am safe

to spend two hours

In sheer joy and ecstasy!

 

I drop the world’s cares and concerns,

at the door,

kicking them out of view!

 

So if you have problems in your world, join me

and

leave them at the door!

 

If you are angry or sad

The magic begins

when you show up

and

dress up!

The music starts

and

I step onto the dance floor!

And then the real magic takes over!

 

Cares melt down my shoulders

and flitter away on a breath

giving a lightness to my step

Sorrows cluster together

and ride away on an angel’s wings.

 

Music playing

surrounded by dear friends

I step onto the dance floor

It is a safe place

And

I am free!

That’s why I dance!

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Do you need a release from the stress and strain of the week? Have you ever tried square dancing? It’s available across the USA and the world! Try square dancing!

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Duke City Singles and Doubles Square Dance Club – Lessons start Thursday, September 20, 2018.

Check out Larada’s web site

50% off on Labor Day Sales at Larada’s Etsy Shop: Larada’s Reading Loft

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Live Lively, Square Dance!

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Hot August Nights Committee

Hot August Nights in Albuquerque, NM is a square and round dance festival that I have chaired for 12 years. We just finished it, and I am exhausted–but a good exhausted. My feet hurt, I laughed so much I’m hoarse, and I can hardly wait until next year!

Square dancing is my passion–my Mom danced one tip (about 10-15 minutes) the night before I was born, so I was born dancing. I danced as through my twenties then took a twenty year break and have been back dancing now for about twenty-five years.

Why square dance in 2018–isn’t it ole fashion? Look at our dresses–are you kidding! Today’s square dancing is different than what you did in junior high many years ago. Modern Western Square Dancing

is one of two American types of square dancing, along with traditional square dance.  As a dance form, modern western square dance grew out of traditional square dance in the American West. The term western square dance, for some, is synonymous with “cowboy dance” or traditional western square dance

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modern_western_square_dance

We dance to all types of music and we have many more calls than the Traditional square dancing did that you’re familiar with from junior high school.

What are the benefits of square dancing?

For me, the social element is key–I now have friends all over the USA and the world who I have met in a square. It’s fun exercise for the body and mind–I don’t even know I’m dancing!
I love to square dance–I’m challenged to be a good listener to the caller, I work with seven others to complete the calls and I do all this to music. Our callers use a variety of music genres–in fact, this weekend our caller, Mike Hogan, used 80’s and 90’s rock songs, and it was fabulous.
You may ask if square dancing is good exercise. My husband and I usually dance Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights each week.

This week we dance Wednesday and Thursday night at our weekly club before the festival. At this festival, we danced Friday afternoon and evening, Saturday morning, afternoon and evening and Sunday morning. I wear a FitBit, so I can tell you my steps for these days:

Wednesday – 13, 158
Thursday – 13,836
Friday – 22,869
Saturday – 26,800
Sunday – 10,114

So you can see from these numbers that I get a lot of exercise out while dancing.

Square dancing has been around for around 200 years and is honored all over the United States and the world. It is the state dance for twenty-three states: Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, and Washington.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._state_dances

One last thing I love about square dancing–I get to be rowdy, shout and holler and have a great time. At this event, we did a Congo Line around the squares and the caller joined in. We did all girl Chorus Line in front of the caller during the afternoon. We scatter promenade throughout the weekend, mixing up the people more–just for fun!

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Hot August Nights Committee A Little Crazy!

Have you ever square danced? When? Where? Do you need to exercise and just don’t want to because it’s no fun?

Check out my web site: https://www.laradasbooks.com

Check out my Etsy Shop for August Sales: Larada’s Reading Loft

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Oh, Those Hummingbirds!

 

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Part of the line up of hummingbird feeders

Lin and I live in the east mountains above Albuquerque, New Mexico in the piñon pine trees at about 7100 feet and have had the pleasure of hummingbirds over the years, and this ones a good one.. Lin is the driving force behind our hummingbird attraction–he diligently fills and refills the feeders to attract these magnificent miniature birds.

Every season is different. A couple years ago, he fed 1000 hummingbirds a day, and they kept him busy filling the feeders, then last year we had hardly any.

This year started out slow but the crew finally arrived about a month ago and now he’s feeding between 600 – 700 birds a day, so we have a feeding frenzy at times.

Lin moved the feeders on our upper deck out the patio door of our bedroom because the bears love the sweet nectar in the hummingbird feeders. These little lovelies rise early, so the feeding frenzy in the morning often wakes us up to their squeaky sounds.

There’s nothing more relaxing than a break from the day and sitting quietly on this deck. They scatter when I first go out there but returned quickly once they feel safe, and then the show starts. The Rufus hummingbirds push and shove the others away from the feeders and scatter those gathered around a feeder, but they come back after a while to try again. They swarm, they drink and often one flies near me.

Lin has added hummingbird attractive flowers in his garden and I’m sure that’s the reason they have returned in droves.

Enjoy the hummingbird scenes from our house looking west towards the back side of the Sandia Mountains.

Click to view slideshow.

Do you feed hummingbirds? Wildlife? Let me know–it’s a quiet, refreshing joy to be a part of nature this way.

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64% discount until Wednesday, August 15 on the e-book of A Time to Grow Up:  A Daughter’s Grief Memoir–only $1.99. Go buy a copy now at Amazon.com

Check out my books on my web site:  https://www.laradasbooks.com

Visit my August specials right now at my Etsy Shop: Larada’s Reading Loft

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Can You Be More Than a Poet?

I love writing poetry–it’s the expression of my heart and soul, but I write prose also. So can you be more than a poet? A writer? A wordsmith? An Author?

I’m all of those and more! Are you?

Here’s my most recent poem–enjoy!

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Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

The View Down and The View Up

Larada Horner-Miller

The view down is different today!

At exercise class

sitting on my mat cross-legged, I looked down at my belly.

Recently, I lost fifteen pounds;

the bulge of my tummy has shrunk!

I love the loss!

My tummy doesn’t stick out like before.

The shrinkage is good!

Having just turned sixty-five.

I see my body changing,

delightful yet sad!

Arthritis cripples several fingers

and my thumbs.

Once I had straight lovely fingers,

hands I loved to view.

Now I see my mom’s and grandma’s hands

crooked and achy,

where mine used to be.

I still wear beautiful turquoise rings;

pain screams through the beauty.

My right knee hints of hurting today.

I have a brace I keep handy

just in case.

Arthritis too!

As I age,

the worst part so far–

I pee my pants

when I cough

when I sneeze

when I laugh too hard.

Thankfully, pads ended years ago

when my period stopped.

I celebrated.

Now I have returned to pads

for protection

for safety

for security.

I fear an inexplicable puddle.

Will Depends be in my future?

Dance

exercise

Zumba

movement

massage

keep my body nimble, limber and moving.

Writing

reading

meaty conversations

laughter

friends

responsibilities

keep my mind nimble, flexible and alive.

Facing this next phase of life,

I wonder?

I want to meet and greet

the elderly Larada.

I want to accept her limits,

to challenge her mindset,

to embrace her idiosyncrasies.

I don’t see me as a feeble ole lady

wearing nylons rolled up to my knees

wobbling unsure.

I will continue to wear hot pink and leggings

wobbling with style and grace.

I want to redefine being

a Senior Citizen.

I have “Hot Tamale” red spiked hair

instead of gray.

I saw the gray and white coming

and opted to hold onto my youth.

And besides,

I’m a red head at heart,

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I’m young at heart.

I’m trim today

because I have to be.

Echoes of family genetics

keep me steadfast.

My maternal grandmother and her sisters

overweight German stock.

I have a life partner

that shares my attitudes.

We travel and enjoy life.

We laugh. We talk. We dance.

We start many days with a rousing Cribbage game.

He’s older than me

and

I watch his wise ways

of handling these changes.

I have dear friends and family who encourage me

to be the authentic Larada God created me to be.

The future is bright.

The day is calm.

Serenity overflows.

I like all of me

the helpless baby I was

the energetic five-year-old

the obnoxious thirteen-year-old

the sixty-five-year-old crone

I honor each one and their influence on me today.

Yes, years bring wisdom

patience

acceptance

a strong knowing

I’m ready

for God’s next phase

a new uncharted adventure

The view up at this glorious world graces my day.

A verdant green forest of pinon pine

A luscious purple mesa lit up at sunset

Cholla cactus in full fuchsia bloom

My fifteen-year-old Siamese cat who struggles

with feline diabetes yet meows his love to me

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Summer newness exploding in our garden

with anticipation

and joy






The view down

into my soul

I like what I see!

The view up

out of my world

reaches to the clouds and back.

I’m ready!

I would love to hear your thoughts about aging–is 65 the new 45?

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For more of my writing, visit my web site: https://www.laradasbooks.com

Or go to my Etsy Shop for End of Summer Specials: Larada’s Reading Loft

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What Do You Like to Read?

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Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

I ended my travelogue about our trip to Ireland and England a couple weeks ago and now wonder what to write about in this blog. I love sharing my life through this blog, but  what I’ve posted recently hasn’t been received well.

A friend told my husband if I wrote about sex, drugs and rock-and-roll, I’d sell more books–that’s an interesting comment on today’s society. I’m afraid it’s true though, and this attitude permeates the blog world, too.

Here are some topics near and dear to my heart:

Travel – Lin and I have taken several cruises since we married and I have traveled to Mexico and Guatemala–adventures all of them
Writing–I’m a self-published author of four books and three cookbooks and have a wealth of information about writing
Retired Educator–27 years as a English, Spanish and computer middle school teacher who spent the last seven years of my career working at the district level with lots of education stories
Retirement–what it is and is not
Turning 65 years old–interesting pivotal change in my life–can I be sexy at 65?
Co-manage a ranch in southeastern Colorado and northeastern New Mexico–during this drought, I have wondered how my Dad dealt with previous droughts when the ranch was his sole financial means
16 year old cat, Jesse–has feline diabetes and it’s been a struggle but it blesses me every day
Dancing–my husband and I square and round dance all over with friends from as far away as Sweden and Germany
My Recovery work

I’m at a crossroad and would love your help.

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What do you think? Let me know because I would like to share about any and all of these topics.

 

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