Home

Yesterday morning, after an eventful trip home, we finally made it. We left Cape Cod around 8:30 a.m. on Friday, and got home around 10:00 a.m. on Saturday. Needless to say, we were tired yesterday--and still are today. We drove to Boston, turned in the rental car, and caught our train from South Station. The trip to Albany was great--relaxing, comfortable, everything a good train trip should be.

From there, things went downhill. The Albany train station was blech. Only food available was this little coffee shop with sandwiches and lukewarm soup. But at least we got to get something to eat (it was around dinnertime). The train loaded up around 7pm, and wow--I felt like I was in a herd of cattle getting on the train. There were several groups traveling together (some seniors groups, a youth group), and for some reason, Amtrak thought it was good to load them up first, which left very few seats for the rest of us. But we made it on, and even got to sit together. Many of the travelers were going all the way to Chicago, so they had a long trip in front of them.

Things started to calm down on the train around 10:30 or 11:00. Remember--we had a sleeper car on the way out to DC. This trip we were coach all the way. It's a vast difference! I did get some sleep, but felt like I woke up at every stop (although the guys tell me I was always asleep every time they looked at me). What amazed me was the group of older women that got on around 5:00 a.m. somewhere in Ohio. They were so loud! Here's this train car full of sleeping people, and these women were hooting and talking like it was broad daylight. Sheesh.

Finally, we arrived back in Waterloo to a sad sight. Our old car was still parked in the parking lot, but with three windows shattered. Apparently, some vandal had had some fun in the train parking lot. Several other cars had been damaged as well. That poor Geo. When we lived in Pittsburgh, the rear window had been smashed out at least once by some vandal. This time, the windshield had at least four blows, the passenger front window was shattered, and the rear window was shattered. Sigh. The police came by right as we got off the train, and said that someone had gone through the parking lot, smashing car windows about three nights back. Nothing inside the car had been damaged (there isn't much to steal--a radio that barely works is about it).

So we called AAA, and made it back to Fort Wayne. We jammed in the cab of the tow truck with these two tow truck drivers. It actually reminded me of some outrageous scene from a movie like Little Miss Sunshine. We were totally smashed into this cab. Except for sending out the tow truck, AAA was useless--sending us to window replacement shops that don't exist. Dumb. Finally, we ended up at a Chevrolet dealer, where the body shop will take care of the windows. So, grrr...that is not fun, but the trip overall was great.

Here's the thing about train travel that I love. I love seeing the countryside zoom past the windows. It feels more natural to travel this way. Airplane travel is awful compared to the train. In a plane, you are jammed into these tiny seats, you have absolutely NO leg room unless you happen to be less than 4 feet tall, and it's all so stressful! Train travel (at its best) avoids all of this. You can walk around, have tons of leg room, you get to see things out the window. It's great. I read most of a novel on the way back from Boston. You can get something to eat in the dining car or snack car. This photo shows somewhere in New York state. The moon is in the corner of the photo. It was a beautiful sunset.

And then, here is this gorgeous shot of Ohio farm land. Isn't it pretty? That is sunrise--just before we arrived in Waterloo.

People used to travel by train, and that is sadly obvious in a lot of places. The tracks are old, and as cities built up and moved away from the tracks, the areas by the tracks decayed. So it's often like looking in a back alleyway of the city. You see old tenement houses, burned out, graffiti-covered rowhouses. An occasional oasis of urban redevelopment pops up, and then there's another long line of brick warehouses with the glass windows broken or filmed over with decades of grime. A billboard reads, "We buy ugly houses."

Our trip from DC to Boston was especially eventful outside the train. We went through Philly, NYC, Connecticut, and then trees filled up the windows again. We left the grime and noise and clamor of the city to the scrub brushes and clapboard houses of New England. We even got a glimpse of the ocean. And a white heron. Sail boats are nestled in blue sparkly harbors. Church steeples jut into the skyline.

Overall, I loved the train. The last leg of the journey was more trying, but by then I was also ready to be home, so somewhat cranky. But I highly recommend it for the adventure of it all. Jacob was at the perfect age to take the train. Much younger and he (and we) would've been miserable. As it was, we all discovered this wonderful mode of travel and got to see some fabulous sights!

More soon on my near-death experience at Cape Cod...

Last Day

Today is the day we travel back home. We're leaving our B&B on Cape Cod in about an hour, and then driving back into Boston where we'll drop off the car and board the first train on the way home.

While on Cape Cod, we spent time at Nauset Beach. Here's sort of an interesting link for surfing on Nauset. The main part of the beach is typical (and lovely) - tan, fine sand, with little pebbles and rocks dotting the shoreline. It's just like the postcards--sand dunes filled with spiky blades of tall grass, low shrubs, instead of palm trees.

We went to the beach on Tuesday afternoon, after we arrived on the Cape. That was fun--warm and sunny. It rained ALL day on Wednesday while made us a touch grouchy, but yesterday turned out beautiful--fair and, after the clouds burned off, sunny and warm.

In the rain, Jacob and I went to Skaket Beach, on the other side of the Cape--the harbor side as opposed to the Atlantic. There, at low tide, you can walk for up to two miles out to the water since the Bay is so filled with sand eroded from the Atlantic side of the Cape. That area is called the Mudflats, where we found TONS of hermit crabs, and even saw a weird looking squid.

I have lots and lots and lots of pictures to share once we're home.

Day...Whatever

We're now in Boston, enjoying a cosmopolitan and lively city. Yesterday we did the Duck Tour of the city, so we were able to see all the "land" sights (the State House, Beacon Hill, the U.S.S. Constitution, etc.) as well as take a ride on the Charles River. On the subway yesterday, I identified at least 3 or 4 different languages being spoken around us--and that was just directly around us.

I loved seeing the Boston Public Garden, the setting of Robert McCloskey's Make Way for Ducklings. It is the official children's book of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. I love that the Commonwealth has an official children's book! There are bronze sculptures of Mrs. Mallard and her ducklings in the park, which the toddler set thoroughly enjoyed climbing on. I even got a good photo of an real, live duck in the lagoon under the branches of a willow tree.

While there, we tried to find a letterbox, but it was too hot, crowded, and we were hungry, so we gave up on that one. We did get four in Salem's Woods after we finally were able to get hold of a car and drive to the park. That was fun. A good hike on a warm summer day.

Today is our last day in Boston. Tomorrow we'll be heading to Cape Cod.

Days 7 and 8?

I'm sort of losing track of days. I guess that's what happens when you are lucky enough to get away for two weeks!

Anyway, we are now in Salem, Mass. We got in late last night after a long-ish train ride from DC to Boston. I thought everything was arranged with the car rental from the train station, but, alas, no car rental office was open when we arrived at 7:30pm. So, we improvised, and got to our hotel here in Salem last night around 9:00ish by cab. (I am still irritated with Hertz which seemed to give misleading info on their website about a car rental site being available at the train station, but I think we have things figured out to pick up a car tomorrow. I would forego having a car altogether, but I don't think we'll really be able to get to or around Cape Cod without it.)

This morning, we headed out early-ish to see the sights of Salem (is that spelled "sites" or "sights"? I'm confused.). There are a TON of witch-y type shops, museums, etc. We got a lot of good pictures for later use. My goal was to get to the House of the Seven Gables and to see the harbor, both of which we did.

The House of the Seven Gables was thoroughly enjoyable. I totally recommend seeing this very, very old house (old by American standards). This house inspired Hawthorne to write his book about Hepzibah and the Pyncheon clan. Hawthorne's birthplace was moved to the grounds of the House too, so we got to walk through that as well.

We're staying at the Salem Inn, which is another old house (built in 1834). A journal in the sitting room of the West House (where we're staying) says that some visitors have heard ghosts (such as a baby crying in the next room--when it's empty--or a woman sniffling). People come here, it seems to me, because they want to have some sort of paranormal experience.

We walked through the Burying Ground, the oldest cemetery in Salem. The oldest gravestone we found read 1681. There is a memorial adjacent to the cemetery with the names of the 20 who were hung or died after the Salem Witch Trials. The cemetery itself is beautiful--picturesque and tucked in a quiet corner in the town. A gnarled old oak shades one corner of the graveyard.

Tomorrow it's back to Boston for a couple of days, and then we'll head to Cape Cod, where we hope to crash on the beach for 3 days straight.

Day 6

Just a quick update. Today we spent some time by the pool (which was awesome), and then walked about 2 miles (or more?) to several of the monuments and memorials. It was a great way to spend our last day in DC. Tomorrow morning we head back to Union Station to catch the train to Boston.

Day 5

Back to the hotel after more sight-seeing, heat, and crowds. Honestly, I'm about at my limit in terms of dealing with hoards of tourists. But still really enjoyed the day.

This morning, we had a staff-led tour of the Capitol. I had previously contacted Mark Souder's (our congressman's) office about tours of the White House. No tickets available, sadly. However, we had a scheduled tour of the Capitol building, which ended up being quite a treat this morning. Our two favorite stops on the tour: the rotunda and the House gallery (photo). The rotunda is impressive in size and, well, it's just plain cool. Weirdly, though, in the center of the rotunda is a tapestry of George Washington surrounded by angels, like he's some sort of deity. Still, though, very cool.

From the photo (I've included here--obviously not my own), and from all of the times I've seen the State of the Union address, I somehow thought the House Gallery would be larger. But the gallery itself is really not much wider than this photo shows. Congress is almost ready to adjourn for the August holiday, but they were not in session this morning (apparently, they were in committee meetings). We had to go through two levels of security, eventually leaving in the foyer all of our bags, phones, cameras, etc. But it was still a treat to see it.

After a brief respite, we headed out again to the International Spy Museum. Eh. It was cool, but I am kind of museumed out. We did the "Operation Spy" combo to the visit in which you get a secret op and have to figure out--with ten other strangers--how to use a spy's equipment and techniques to find a nuclear trigger device. That was fun.

Then we went to Jaleo for dinner. It was another awesome tip from Mollie (dang, that girl is spot-on with her restaurant advice!!). It is a traditional Spanish restaurant, which serves tapas--small portions of all sorts of different dishes. Delicious!

Tomorrow is a do-nothing day. We may swing back by the Lincoln Memorial (which is the one thing we couldn't really see from the tour bus) or just hang out by the pool. I had originally thought of going to Mt. Vernon (Washington's home), but 5 hours of a tour bus sounds, well, exhausting right now.

On Thursday (boy, the time is going fast!) we'll take the train to Boston, so that's going to be a big reading/writing day.

Oh--Mom just reminded me (thanks!) that I was in DC in 1976 the day the Air & Space Museum first opened. Cool! Yes, I remember being totally impressed by that museum--even more so than the White House.

Day 4

Tonight, we're all a little worn out after our sightseeing adventures today. We're really enjoying our trip though--don't get me wrong. It's been great so far. Wandering around in the heat, though, does tend to be a little tiring.

Yesterday, after a lovely church service and lovely brunch, we wandered around the Air & Space Museum where we saw the Wright Flyer and the Spirit of St. Louis. We also saw the Apollo XI command module and touched a real moon rock! 

Mollie (thank you!) gave us a great tip about an Ethiopian restaurant, Etete, so we went there for dinner. It was delicious!! And a fun adventure.

Today, we played tourist again and went on a tour bus to the National Cathedral. There again, we saw a moon rock in the Space Window as well as the beautiful Rose Window. The cathedral is quite the impressive structure. I especially enjoyed seeing several of my books in the bookstore there. Yea! Jacob: "Are you seriously taking a picture of your books on display?" Of course.

Next, we went to the Holocaust Museum. What I found most moving were the poems and first-hand accounts on walls of the exhibits; one quote was from Elie Wiesel, an Auschwicz survivor. Here's the quote:

Never shall I forget that night, the first night in camp, which has turned my life into one long night, seven times cursed and seven times sealed. Never shall I forget that smoke. Never shall I forget the little faces of the children, whose bodies I saw turned into wreaths of smoke beneath a silent blue sky.
Never shall I forget those flames which consumed my faith forever.
Never shall I forget that nocturnal silence which deprived me, for all eternity, of the desire to live. Never shall I forget those moments which murdered my God and my soul and turned my dreams to dust. Never shall I forget these things, even if I am condemned to live as long as God Himself. Never.

The museum's website looks extensive. Check it out. 

On our tour bus today we also saw: Ford's Theater (with some weird happy music playing in the background--for some reason the tour bus company thought that was appropriate at the place where Lincoln was assassinated), the White House (from about a mile away), lots of security surrounding the White House, charming Georgetown, the many Memorials, the Potomac, Chinatown, Union Station, the Capitol--the whole kit and kaboodle. 

In our down time, I'm reading two books (well, okay, three): House of the Seven Gables (for this weekend's adventures in Salem, MA), the EQ Edge (super practical and interesting book on emotional intelligence), and Picture Writing (for children's writers). 

Tomorrow it's onto the Capitol tour and the Spy Museum! 

Day 3

We made it to DC late yesterday afternoon. Now we're up and heading to church this morning. We walked around the National Mall a little bit last night to get the lay of the land. Even though I've seen images of the Washingon Monument and Capitol building thousands (?) of times, it's still exciting and impressive to see in person. A couple of funny notes:

• On our way to the Capitol building, a man and woman got out of their red pickup truck and asked us (in a Texas drawl), "Do you know where the White House is?" I didn't have my map along, so I couldn't help her. So she asked a follow up: "Is that," pointing to the Capitol, "our nation's Capitol?" I told her yes. She gave her husband/boyfriend a look and said, "See! I told you!!"

• We ordered some food from room service, and it was like pulling teeth trying to understand what the person on the other end of the phone was asking. I said we wanted some beer--a Molson (on the menu). I was told they didn't have that. So she listed off the other beers (pronounced like this): younglin, doshkeesh, kingsred. What???? I felt like going down and tutoring her in ESL right then and there. BTW we ended up getting Amstel.

•In the grassy area between the Capitol and Wash Mem, there were people playing soccer. Jacob thought they shoud be playing football or baseball--a more traditionally American sport. (he was kidding) But it was neat to see that area with those symbols of our great country to draw people from all over the world.

Day 2

Here we are in Cumberland MD, at a station stop. So far we've been on board the train for about 12 hours. After a fairly good night's sleep, we had French toast in the dining car.

At about 6:30 this morning we passed through Pittsburgh. The sun was just coming up and shining on the rivers and the buildings
downtown. We kept moving through the back streets of the city. It looked like home. Then we saw Kennywood! From the other side of the river! Awesome stuff.

After passing through Pittsburgh we went into the beautiful southeastern PA countryside.

Day One, American Heritage Tour

Well, here we are in our living room of Day One of our "American Heritage Tour." Why are we in our living room? Because our train doesn't leave until 11pm! We've got a sleeper car to ride out our 14 1/2 hour trip to Washington DC, where we'll arrive tomorrow afternoon. I just realized that I think our train might go through Pittsburgh. I wonder when?? Well, to our friends in the 'burgh, watch for us waving from the train! :) While in DC, I'm looking forward to seeing Arlington Nat'l Cemetery, the White House (but it'll probably just end up being the visitor's center...grrr), the Smithsonian museums, the memorials, and I want to go down to Mt. Vernon to see Washington's home. We'll also be at Immanuel, Alexandria! We've also got tickets to see the International Spy Museum. We might do some letterboxing along the way. We also have a tour of the Capitol, arranged by Mark Souder's office, so that should be interesting.

After the DC tour, we'll be onto Boston after another train ride. There we'll see Salem, the Boston sites, Fall River, and then out to Cape Cod.

More soon...

Death, Dying and Grief

Lately, because of different events, I have been thinking about death, dying, and grief. One of those events is the death of Vivian Gregory, the infant daughter of a seminary family. Vivian was born prematurely and died last week after being hospitalized for six months. My heart goes out to Vivian's parents and all who are grieving because of the loss of this tiny baby.

Second, I was given a manuscript to review that is about coping with grief during the first thirty days of a loss of a loved one. It is well-written, practical, and speaks to the emotions of everyone who has experienced loss.

Third, I have been toying with the idea of writing about grief for children for quite awhile now. And finally now, I think I can write something.

Funerals remind us of all of our losses. As we stand in the pews, we might remember other funerals we've attended. We remember the widow's bewilderment and tears. The widower's trembling hands. The children's faces full of confusion and fear. We know what grief looks like. We've felt it ourselves. And it all comes sweeping back over us when we attend a funeral.

At the funeral of a baby, the pain in the church is palpable. It is so wrong, so evil, so terrible that this baby with little fingers and toes, with the little smiles and the hopes and dreams of her parents is the one lying there in that tiny coffin. We feel the outrage of it all. We can't understand it.

On the afternoon of the funeral this week, Jane posted one of the hymns we sang. This hymn, "God's Own Child, I Gladly Say It" is wonderfully comforting. It also brings back a lot of Pittsburgh memories for me. I taught the kids in our church to sing it, and for awhile, I had the kids sing it at most baptisms, so whenever I hear it or sing it myself, I imagine those little voices in the choir loft singing away. The hymn has a wonderful melody and even better text. And it spells out in poetic verse what we cling to at all times, but especially during times of loss: I am God's own child and because of the death and resurrection of Christ, I have no fear of death or loss or pain or grief. Yes, death and loss are painful; it should hurt. This is not the way God intended for our existence to be. Death is not a natural part of life. But God provided the way out of death, pain, loss, sin, and sorrow. He gave us Jesus. "I am baptized into Christ; I'm a child of paradise."

Reading Challenge

Thanks to Jane at Indiana Jane who is very diligent about her reading challenge list (and inspires me in the process), I am going to update mine and add a few more:

Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson (finished 6/08) - This is the true story of a failed attempt to climb K-2 in Nepal. The co-author almost died on his way down the mountain and ended up in a village where the locals took him in and brought him back to health. Then he discovered that in this tiny village, they had no school. The dozen or so children of the village sat in the open air, sharing one slate with no books, desks, or teachers. The rest of the book is Mortenson figuring out how to fund and build schools for children all over the region (mainly the mountains of Pakistan). The book started out wonderfully. It sort of stagnated about half-way through, but I still really enjoyed it.

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini - on my list to read this summer

The Wild Blue: The Men and Boys who Flew the B-24s over Germany by Stephen Ambrose - still on my list

Shadow Divers by Robert Kurston (finished 5/08). Great read! Fascinating nonfiction story about shipwreck divers who discovered a German WWII submarine - a U-boat off the coast of New Jersey. Not only is the story enthralling, but the writing is phenomenal.

Now reading:

(on audio) - Stop Whining, Start Living by Dr. Laura Schlessinger - great so far

EQ Edge: Emotional Intelligence and Your Success by Steven Stein and Howard Book - I'm reading this for a class I'm teaching this fall, but it's a great read so far (will write more about emotional intelligence in another post)

The House of the Seven Gables by Hawthorne - we're going there week after next, so I figured I'd better re-read it. What great characters and juxtaposition between Hepzibah, the old withered maid and Phoebe, her beautiful young cousin. Hawthorne's poetic turns of phrase are not only true, but a delight to read.

I'm also currently reading a biography of Charles Lindbergh with Jacob since we're going to see the Spirit of St. Louis in DC next week. What an incredible life Lindbergh led! From triumph to tragedy! We are currently reading about the surveillance he did for the US government as the world was headed to war in the late 30s. He had the credentials to view German aircraft as an observer, and then he reported back to the US what he found.

10 Years Ago

Jane tagged me for this one:

What was I doing ten years ago?
Ten years ago we were...in Fort Wayne! Scott was two years into his admission counselor job, Jacob was three, and I was just getting into writing. I believe it was around ten years ago that my very first book, Things I See in Church was either accepted for publication or published. The next year in 1999, we moved to Pittsburgh.


What 5 things are on my to-do list for tomorrow?
1. Work on my Portals of Prayer outline.
2. Prepare to sub for literature classes on Wed. and Thurs.
3. Work on revising a picture book
4. Go to Blockbuster
5. Figure out the luggage we're going to use for our trip (leaving July 25!)

Snacks I enjoy:
Tootsie Pops
Granola bars
Mike & Ikes
almonds
raisins
donuts (of course)

Things I would do if I were a billionaire:
Buy a house and cars
Give to charity
Save for Jacob's college

Places I've lived:
Lakewood, CO
Seattle, WA
Ann Arbor, MI
Fort Wayne, IN
Temple City, CA
Pittsburgh, PA

Jobs I have had:
Writer
Editor
Teacher - 6th, 7th grade, ESL, adults, children, college
Receptionist for lawyer's office
Receptionist for veterinarian's office (also cleaned the kennels!)
Custodian for Concordia College in Ann Arbor
Cared for a disabled woman
Probably more I'm not remembering

People I would like to know more about:
Adriane
Carol

More fun cowboy stuff

I'm still working on my picture book text set in the Old West and found some fun quotes at this website. First, insults:

-He was mad enough to swallow a horn-toad backwards.

- He's so mean he'd steal a fly from a blind spider.

- He was so mean, he'd fight a rattler and give him the first bite.

- He was mean enough to steal a coin off a dead man's eyes.

Now from the Cowboy's "Code":

• Don't inquire into a person's past. Take the measure of a man for what he is today.

• Never steal another man's horse. A horse thief pays with his life.

• Defend yourself whenever necessary.

• Look out for your own.

• Remove your guns before sitting at the dining table.

• Never order anything weaker than whiskey.

• Don't make a threat without expecting dire consequences.

• Never pass anyone on the trail without saying "Howdy".

Also, here's a website where you can generate your own cowboy nickname. Mine's Julie "Rides-again" Stiegemeyer.

Random things I've learned lately:

1. The House of Seven Gables in Salem, MA is the oldest surviving wooden mansion in New England. I'm currently re-reading the book by Hawthorne. We plan on visiting the house when we're in Salem in about 3 weeks.

2. One of my students taught me a new word: "ghettofy," which I think is the modern version of "jerry-rig." It is used in a sentence like this: "Now we have our own ghettofied computer system!"

3. Plato's Closet, a re-sale clothing shop in Fort Wayne is awesome if you're looking for some stylish, more reasonably priced clothing.

4. Letterboxing is a fun hobby!

Some updates!

Phew! It's been a long time, it seems to me, since I've been able to regularly update my blog. Hopefully, today's update will be the start of many more posts on a much more regular basis.

First, you must look here to read about my dear friend's book, Mimi. How exciting that CNN.com covered it! It's an adorable book. You simply MUST get it for any children in your life.

Second, on a personal note, I am so thankful to have a respite from teaching. I really enjoyed working with students in the past few months. Having the freedom to write whenever I feel like it, go on whatever errands need to be done, etc. is nice, but I also found myself getting a little stir crazy. Teaching has been a nice outlet, earned me some regular income, and reminded me how much I do love working with students.

I'm still trying to find that perfect balance between family, writing, teaching, volunteer work, etc. (and likely will never find it), but a new part-time teaching position this fall will hopefully help me balance the teaching/writing parts of my life a little better. So, now, I have some time to write. I am determined before vacation (we're leaving July 25) to finish two picture books, maybe more. We'll see how I do! I also am working on a couple of other projects.

Grammar Quiz

Whenever you might feel the need to sharpen your grammar skills, take a grammar quiz!! I might tell y'all my score if you post yours.

Out of steam

I am finishing up a month-long teaching stint of composition. I've got 35 students, two classes, and lots of papers to grade. What I miss is the extra creative energy to write and...think. Some people thrive on busy schedules and find anything less to be boring. I have enjoyed getting back into teaching. But balance--as in all things--is best. So I'm hoping after I finish these classes, I can have more time to write, and blog!

The bonus is that once I finish teaching, I get to go with a group to Cedar Point on Friday. Yea!

The Mouse Story

So finally, here's the story about the mouse. About a month ago, it was a chilly morning on the way to school, and I turned on the heat. Right away, we knew something was wrong because there was a funky sound coming from the heater. I turned off the heat and we just stayed chilly. The car needed some other work, so we had that checked as well. The mechanic said it found a mouse nest in the blower for the heater. A mouse nest? The car is normally parked in the garage, so we figured there must be a mouse (or mice?) living in there. But I figured we'd just see what happened.

Two days later, the blower made another noise that was sounding a little too familiar. Crud. Had it never really gone away? Or had those mice been at work again? The next week, I took the car back to the mechanic again. Sure enough, there was another mouse nest in the blower. I asked him to save this one for me, so he put all the nesty stuff in the plastic bag--which is what is shown in the photo. There are bits of kleenex, an old towel, leaves, and other miscellaneous stuff.

So, $200 later, I decided the time had come for some D-con. I'm sorry mousies! Today I found a very sad, very pathetic-looking, very dead mousey on the floor of the garage. I had an impromptu funeral and buried him in the lovely woods behind the house. Sigh...

Cowboy Slang

So I'm working on this story set "out west" with coyotes, stage coaches, and cowdogs. As I was browsing the library shelves yesterday for some writing books, I found The Cowboy Dictionary by Ramon F. Adams. It's got a pretty awesome subtitle: "The Chin Jaw Words and Whing-Ding Ways of the American West." Being from Colorada' I understand the west, and while I love the steadiness and calm of the Midwest, I do get a hankerin' for bein' out west where (at least in the movies) no one pronounces their r's. But seriously, back to the Cowboy Dictionary. I thought I'd add some words over the next few days to give y'all a taste of some cowboy lingo.

"airin' the lungs" - "What the cowboy calls 'cussin' which seems to be a natural part of his language (p. 4)

"all horns and rattles" - "said of someone displaying a fit of temper. A man in his mood, as one cowboy said, 'maybe don't say nothin', but it ain't safe to ask questions.'" (p. 5)

"ankle express" - "The feet. To walk." (p. 6)

While y'all are at it, you might enjoy this site.

Gobble-Gobble!

I just got the fall catalog from the Penguin Young Readers' Group, which includes Dutton Children's Books, which is releasing my book Gobble Gobble Crash this fall. (Whew! That was a long sentence.) It's always awesome to see the book being promoted in catalogs. No longer is it a private text that I revised and reworked through many drafts. Now it is public! (which is great and a little scary)

Until its release date (in Sept. 08), you can be amused by this video showing two turkeys fighting on a highway. I liked the title: "Gobble! Gobble! Them's Fightin' Words!"

Baby chickens and Alpacas

This past week, I got to see a chick hatchery at the Museum of Science and Industry. Here are some of the adorable photos.








In one section of the hatchery, there were eggs still "percolating." One little guy had just hatched. He would take two or three wobbly steps and then need a little nap.

Then on this past Sunday, I went to the Alpaca Invitational at the Fort Wayne Coliseum. Alpacas are related to camels and llamas. Llamas are taller than alpacas, and are usually pack animals. The alpacas are used for their fleece. They are herd animals and seem to love being close to each other, like these two.

Book Review

A couple of weeks ago, I read a short little book by Julia Cameron called "How to Avoid Making Art." It's a humorous take on why artists don't make their artwork--whether that be art, dance, music, writing, whatever. Each page has a "reason" why you would want to avoid doing anything artistic along with a little comic. Here are some of my favorites:

• Be in a big hurry
• Take seriously every negative thing anyone says
• Slide into despair rather than take one small exploratory action
• Consider the odds against whatever you make ever selling (ouch, that one hurts)
• Demand that what you do be absolutely original, totally brilliant, and never done before.
• Only share your good news with those who will immediately dampen it.
• Tell yourself that your job keeps you from making art and then work overtime just to prove it.
• The minute you have an idea, ask yourself: how much cold, hard cash is it worth?
• Think of all the other books that have been written. Why write this one? (Ouch again)
  
• Under no circumstances make any art just for fun.
  
• Never venture into new artistic territory, no matter how tempting.
  
• Never celebrate a job well done. Always think about "more" that needs doing.
  

Julia Cameron is my favorite writer on writing. Her books The Right to Write and The Sound of Paper have really changed the way I view my writing and creative process (I sound so high-faluting when I say that!).

This was the backdrop for some of my thinking when I visited the Art Institute in Chicago last week with my family. I wondered if the artists who are now considered "masters" ever thought their work would be viewed in a museum. Did they think, "oh, this is crap, I better just throw it out"? Did they get frustrated or have trouble with deadlines or feel trapped in a job that wouldn't let them do their art? Did they "venture into new artistic territories"? Did they doubt the quality of their work?

My guess is that most, if not all of them, had self-doubt and frustrations with their artwork, their time limitations, their small pay. They probably felt "blocked" at some point in their career, were frustrated by the market, what was selling, what they had to do to get by.

It makes me thankful for the writing career that I've sort of stumbled into. There are no guarantees it'll continue, that I'll continue to have my books published. That scares me, but it also makes me glad for what I have been able to produce. And that's why I love Julia Cameron's advice so much. Make art, whatever it is, just because you can. Don't worry about finishing that poem or the painting or the song. Don't worry about how much time you have or don't have. Just create and enjoy the fact that, being made in God's image, you long to create beauty in a world where it is often missing.

Superfoods

I've been reading in the last couple of days about 14 "super foods" that are supposed to keep you healthy and less medicine-dependent into old age. I've been skimming through the book, Superfoods Rx. Some of the super foods include: broccoli, tomatoes, beans, oats, soy, and blueberries. Jane posted on something similar to this about another book. Basically, we should eat stuff that grows in dirt. That's the bottom line.

Thoughts on Cancellation of Issues, Etc. Radio Show

Every organization, religious or not, has its own political wrangling; such is the case within my own denomination.

When I was 19 years old, I joined the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, which is rooted in biblical truth, historic liturgical practice, sacramental worship, and doctrinal clarity. I love my church and my congregation. After the cycle of Holy Week services culminating in Easter last week, I was reminded again how grateful I am for the historic roots of my faith--the passion readings from John, the darkened church at the Easter vigil, the sweet smell of hope in the Easter lilies. But this is not merely an intellectual exercise. It is a personal, deeply comforting message I hear in every worship service, assuring me of a loving God who daily rescues me from my own failings and from the broken world we live in.

Last week, the powers-that-be at our denomination's headquarters decided to cancel a popular radio show called "Issues, Etc." I don't understand, nor do I pretend to understand, all of the reasons behind this. But it is troubling and disappointing on many levels. Here is an article written by M.Z. Hemingway, a friend of mine, about the topic in the Wall Street Journal. Very nicely put, Mollie.

To-Read; Beatrix Potter; Allen Say

So I was glancing over at Jane's blog and noticed this post on a reading challenge.
I'm not sure I could name 56 books I want to read before the end of the year, but I can start with a short list:

Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
The Wild Blue: The Men and Boys who Flew the B-24s over Germany by Stephen Ambrose
Shadow Divers by Robert Kurston

I'm almost finished with a book called The Tale of Beatrix Potter, which is a biography about the children's author by Margaret Lane. I'd like to find a couple of other biographies to read about authors. The thing I love about reading biographies, especially biogs about children's authors, is I am reassured that every author has ups and downs in his or her writing life. I've had some frustrations lately, in the midst of some nice school visits, and it's always good for me to hear about other authors who have gone through the same sort of thing. Here's a really nice section about Beatrix Potter's work from this book:

"Conveying truth by means of fantasy, enlarging our perception of life by poetic means, is one of the highest functions of art, and it is not extravagant to say that in her small and special sphere Beatrix Potter performed it. ... Displayed in the trappings of their human counterparts [the animals Potter created] reveal their own true natures by oblique methods, and we ever after know more about them from having observed their behavior in significant disguise" (p. 106).

Last, this afternoon I stopped by the Fort Wayne Museum of Art, where Allen Say, another children's author/illustrator was doing a book signing. There is a nice display of his beautiful original artwork from three of his books.

Gobble Gobble Crash

At the end of last week, I got my first proofs of Gobble Gobble Crash: A Barnyard Counting Bash. It's so exciting to see this new book coming together. I decided to take a couple of snapshots to show everyone how it's looking at this point in the process.

I wrote Gobble, boy, about 8 (?) years ago. The manuscript had a long and eventful journey, eventually ending up at Dutton Children's Books and it will be published this fall. I will definitely have to go to Pittsburgh for a book signing for this book since that is where the inspiration for the book came from.

One late afternoon, I was with my family, and we were driving on a road in Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh is an unusual city in that it is very hilly and divided up by three rivers. So, getting around town is a bit of a challenge--but it's also an adventure. We were on Streets Run Road (I think) which is like going up the side of a mountain. The road is lined with thick trees.

Well, on this one afternoon, we were driving home and all of a sudden, a huge bird flew over our car, over the road. Scott was driving and had his window down and said he could hear the beating of the wings of this huge bird. This happened shortly after we moved to Pittsburgh, and we didn't know what the heck that thing was that flew over our car.

We asked around and found out that there are tons of wild turkeys in the Pittsburgh area (and I'm sure all over the state). So, we actually had a wild turkey sighting. It was cool.

A couple of years later, I saw a mother turkey with seven little baby turkeys trying to cross another road, but this time on foot. One poor little guy got stuck on one side all by himself. Don't know if he ever made it.

Anyway, little incidents like that are what inspire my stories. I had an idea for a counting book about wild turkeys making a big ruckus at a barnyard. This manuscript went through SO many revisions. It was crazy. But finally, after getting guidance from other writers and editors, I settled on a story, and now...here it is!

Valeri Gorbachev illustrated the book. His artwork is fantastic! I completely love it. Anyway, the book will be released this fall (in September, I believe), so I'm looking forward to seeing it all bound and finished. It's a great treat, however, to see it in these earlier stages.

Jane Austen Awesomeness

Check it out! Why did I not know about this sooner!!??

Birds, Lunar Eclipses and Misc.

So, I tried to do the Great Backyard Bird track, but alas, I've seen almost NO birds at my feeder lately. Then I saw this article. I know hawks are definitely in the neighborhood, so maybe one is lurking around my backyard too.

Did you see the lunar eclipse? I tried to take some pictures with our new camera, but they looked like weird white blobs. At about 10pm, the moon was pinkish-red as the shadow of the earth blocked the light of the sun. A rare and beautiful event to witness. The thing about the moon in winter that I love is the soft light it produces as it reflects off the snow. But it was dark last night with this shadowy moon looming overhead.

Cute Cat Picture of the Day

This is our kitty-cat Penny. Ahhh...the bliss of cat-naps.

Great Backyard Bird Count

As some of you know, one of my hobbies is bird watching. I saw a great blue heron flying over campus a week or so ago. Awesome! And I love watching the cardinals in my backyard--especially in the winter. I noticed a couple of nuthatches yesterday at my feeder too.

Anyway, from Feb. 15-18 is the Audobon Society's Great Backyard Bird Count. For 15 minutes at some point this weekend, people from all over the U.S. (and Canada?) will be counting birds in their backyards. So I'm going to force Jacob to help me count for 15 minutes. Gotta go fill up the bird feeder!

More thoughts on teaching writing

Thank you, Carol, for your helpful comments about my last post. That book sounds awesome. I will definitely take a look. I was particularly frustrated that day when I last posted, but I have to say that now that I am teaching a new group of students and giving them assignments that are more creative, it's been a joy to see what they come up with. There are a few in the class who are poets at heart, and to see their writing has been a ton of fun for me this week. Here are the writing assignments I gave (nothing fabulous, but good creative writing starters nonetheless):

1. Write what comes before or after the action of a short story we read in class. This was awesome--several wrote about Jim and Della Young from "The Gift of the Magi" and put them in interesting scenarios. For example, what would happen if these two selfless, but poor people found an envelope full of money? Another two or three students wrote about what caused Montresor in "A Cask of Amontillado" to become so vengeful toward Fortunato. What were those "thousand injuries" that Montresor endured in order to bury Fortunato alive? Still others chose to tell the Misfit's point of view in "A Good Man is Hard to Find." Interesting stuff, indeed!

2. Another fun writing exercise which I LOVED was when I had my department chair break into my class and stage a scene. Then I had the students write about what they saw. It was a great exercise in showing how word choice differs a lot between people. So my department chair, right in the middle of me talking about "The Yellow Wallpaper" opened the classroom door and said, "Julie, I need to see you right now!" He really sounded mean about it too. I said that I was in the middle of class, could I talk to him later, etc. But no, he "needed" to see me then. So I left, and giggled in the hallway while the students wondered what the heck was going on. Mike left to get me a tissue to make it seem even more real, and then after a few minutes, I came back in, obviously flustered and shaken. (Not difficult for me.) One of my students said, "Do you want me to open a can of whoop-ass for you?" They stuck up for me! It was so sweet. (That was--in that moment--a highlight of my teaching "career"!) Then, after a few seconds, Mike came in and reassured the students that it was all a set up. Then, the pens started flying as they wrote down what they experienced.

3. I also asked students to take an everyday event and exaggerate it to make it into a more interesting piece of fiction. Those were fun to read.

4. Yesterday, I had students look at a photograph on the wall of the second floor of the building. I had noticed this photo (kind of Ansel Adams-ish) when I taught on the second floor last month of a couple standing on a railway platform, watching a train chug into the distance. So I had the students write about what was happening in the picture. I love those type of story-starters.

While I've been teaching this class, I've been sick and extra busy, so it's becoming a little frustrating to me that I haven't had as much time to write. But this is coming at writing from a different angle, and it's teaching me some things too.

I just don't get it

So I've been teaching this class on the Fundamentals of English. For the most part, I enjoy it, but I do not understand the idea that writing is some dreaded activity like I hear sometimes from students. Yeah, grammar can be a big pain with all the exceptions, rules, etc.

But why would you not want to improve your writing, so that you can communicate better? Express yourself more easily? Enjoy the sound of words? Experiment with word play and rhyme?

I love this quote from E.M. Forester (at least it's most often attributed to him): "How do I know what I think until I see what I say?" That quote so captures my daily experience. Some people think out loud by talking. I think by writing.

My Record Album

So, my friend Jane, over at Indiana Jane recommended this fun activity. You create your own record album cover. By going to various websites, you randomly find your band name, the title of the record, and the cover art. I'm not high-tech enough to figure out how to photoshop the cover art, but after doing this according to the directions, I came up with:

Ashley Heath (my band name) [which came from the Wikipedia site on the Ashley Heath railway station]

and "Life's not the movies" (my album name) [which came from the random quote website]

Pretty good, eh?

Directions:
1. The first article title on this page is the name of your band.
2. The last four words of the last quotation on this page is the title of your album.
3. The third picture on this page, no matter what it is, will be your cover artwork.
4. Take the artwork, your titles, and use a photo-editing program to paste them together.

Because you MUST love kitten pictures

There is NO way you can't say this is cute, right?

A Poll - Which is your favorite song?

Choose between the two extremely serious songs below:

Looking for My Leopard

OR

We Like the Moon.

Erin Bode, Jazz Singer

Last night we were treated to Erin Bode and the Erin Bode band which played at Concordia Theological Seminary's annual symposia banquet. It was great!

Here is a link to Erin on the Prairie Home Companion.

Even more impressive is Erin's work with the South African Themba school. She has now made two recordings with the girls' and boys' choirs at this boarding school. Here is the link to the recording with the girls' choir. She announced last night that she made a recording with the boys' choir this past fall, so I'm looking forward to hearing that when it comes out.

Take a peek at these websites. You will be glad you did.

Best Kitten Picture of the Day

You can NOT tell me that this guy isn't the sweetest thing you've ever seen--even those of you who *claim* to not like cats. And...this photo is so perfect for today when I am revising my story about the lost kitten trying to find her way home.

A Funny Story

So, yesterday I made lamb stew for our third annual Epiphany middle-eastern foods night. We decided that since Epiphany celebrates the wise men coming "from the east" that we should have a dinner with middle-eastern foods, like lamb stew, pita bread and hummus, honey cake, etc.

Thursday night, I had a hunk of lamb I was chopping up (and trying not to think about the cute fluffy lamb he once was). I was hungry and tired. I had a sip (one inch, no more) of wine as I was chopping, and suddenly, the empty stomach, tired body, wine in my belly, and super-bloody lamb on the cutting board made me very close to passing out. I started feeling woozy and light-headed. I felt the blood draining from my face. My hands started shaking. Maybe I was thinking a little too much about the cute fluffiness of the lamb or feeling grossed out by the blood oozing on the cutting board. I don't know. But I went and found Scott and told him that I thought I might pass out. He told me to sit down, so I did. Then I had a bowl of cereal and felt much better.

It was kind of funny because I never remember that happening when I've chopped up beef or goose or turkey or anything else. I think I'll let the butcher do it the next time.

The Blessings of Experience

Quick survey: in general, do you think life is better or worse as you get older?

Lately, I've been thinking about the blessings of experience. This week, I started teaching a Fundamentals of English class for the second time. Wow--what a difference! I am more prepared, more confident, feel like I can handle tangents or interruptions better, etc. I can think. My friend Carol mentioned to me yesterday that having expectations adjusted to the proper level helps a lot. She is completely right. Also, just going through all of it before helps a ton. I have a better grasp of the scope of the course, etc.

I had a discussion with my class today about how most people are afraid to speak in public. Many of my students agreed that that was their #1 fear. I told them that I get nervous with public speaking too, but that I can overcome that fear if I'm prepared. I showed them the huge binder of materials I put together in order to teach the class. With that, I am in good shape. But I KNOW that I can NEVER "wing it." Some people have that gift; not me. One of my students seemed surprised to hear that I didn't like public speaking. "You're a teacher after all!" she said with surprise. She's right. It is kind of bizarre, but true. To me, teaching a small-ish class is a lot different than speaking before a crowd of hundreds of people (which I, thankfully, have never had to do). But even in front of a small class, I can be a nervous wreck if I'm not sure what will come out of my mouth. And experience is so helpful in this regard. With experience, you know what to expect, are better prepared, and remember what has worked before. As I near 40, I sometimes think about what it would be like if I were younger again. And then I realize that I wouldn't want to go back. Because--for the most part--it seems to me that experience can be a blessing.

Potpourri

So the past few days I've been doing a little bit of a lot of different things.

1) I finished up my last round of lessons for the Growing in Christ Sunday school curriculum for Concordia Publishing House. The entire curriculum is done. It was a great project. It took lots of time, but I learned so much while I was writing the lessons.

2) I'm getting ready for another round of teaching. In January, in the mornings, I will be teaching Fundamentals of English at Brown Mackie College. This is basic grammar. Since it's my second go-round, I'm feeling much better about my preparations. I was asked to teach Intro to Lit in February, and I'm getting kind of excited about this. I could be teaching Hamlet, Hemingway, and more...oh my!

3) I'm working on various writing projects, including a third book in the Cheeps series. Yea cheeps!

4) And last, and by far the most exciting, I read an article in the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette about my hubby.

The Joys of Old Books

In the last couple of weeks, I've been reading two old books. One is My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell, published in 1956. The other is an English textbook called Writing Good Sentences by Claude W. Faulkner, which I borrowed from a teacher who lives down the street from me.

I love a new book, hot off the press. I especially love my new books. :) But...after reading these two books, I am reminded that there is simple joy in reading what others have read before me. I love the fact that this memoir by Gerald Durrell has been sitting on the shelf of the library for years and years. How many people before me have read and enjoyed it?

And I love using a textbook that a seasoned English teacher has found helpful over the years. I think about her students, the quiet time she spent grading papers, and how she taught her lessons.

The words sit there quietly on the bookshelf, waiting for a reader. And then, the story opens up in the imagination of that person who picks up the book and reads.

Happy New Year!

Happy 2008 to everyone! A couple of random thoughts and some reviews for this first day of January '08.

Between Christmas and today, I skimmed most of my new book, Woe Is I by Patricia T. O'Conner. I like the subtitle: "The Grammarphobe's Guide to Better English in Plain English." I loved this section in the last chapter: "A good writer is one you can read without breaking a sweat. If you want a workout, you don't lift a book--you lift weights. Yet we're brainwashed to believe that the more brilliant the writer, the tougher the going. The truth is that the reader is always right. Chances are, if something you're reading doesn't make sense, it's not your fault--it's the writer's" (195).

I agree. It is very difficult to explain things clearly and well. In order to explain something clearly, it must be clear in the mind of the writer (or explainer). This is one thing I admire about my husband. He has this great ability to explain things well, to make them clear to just about anyone.

It is up to the writer to explain rather than the responsibility falling on the reader to decipher. Anyway, it's a good book for English teachers or writers or anyone else to likes fun books about language.

We watched "Stardust" last week and really enjoyed this family-friendly movie.

Also watched part of the "Band of Brothers" mini-series. Love it! Damien Lewis is one of my favorite actors these days.

My Dog's New "Puppy"

This is our dog Lucy with the new toy she got for Christmas. I figured that this, like all of her other toys, would last a little while. She'd bite it, chew it, squeak it, throw it around, etc. One time we gave her a plastic hamburger which was bitten into five million pieces only minutes after she got it. So I figured that this plastic tiger would last at least for Christmas Day.

When we gave Lucy the toy amidst all of the Christmas unwrapping and opening present frenzy, she suddenly got very nervous. She started pacing. She was panting. She was crying. I couldn't figure out what was wrong with her. Finally, we decided that the toy was not really working out, so I put it away in the cupboard while we went to church.

When we got back, I decided to see how she would do with the tiger. Instead of her normal behavior of pulling apart the toy until she can get the squeaker out of it, she was incredibly gentle with it. She carried it around in her mouth, but never once squeaked it. She was never at all rough with it. If anything, it seemed to upset her. She cried and whimpered. That night, she went to bed with her new toy and never let it out of her sight.

It's been two days, and she is still totally attached. We think that she has adopted this as her baby. She won't go outside without her tiger. She sleeps with her tiger. She makes sure that he's close by at all times. Just now, someone came to the front door. She was sleeping on the couch with her tiger, and when she tried to get up, she bumped the tiger, made it cry, and stopped in mid-bark. She never stops in mid-bark, but we figure that she was upset about making her baby cry.

I thought this was so odd that I checked around online and found that this is quite common for female spayed dogs which never had pups. They adopt a stuffed animal, "take care of it" for awhile, and then eventually decide it's old enough to be on its own.

On a related note, I recently heard about this story on the radio. The Red Sox closing pitcher for the 2007 World Series got the game ball, but subsequently lost it. He now blames his dog, Boss, for chewing it to shreds.

We'll see if "Baby" gets ripped up any time soon.

A Christmas Goose

For the last several years, off and on, we've had a goose for Christmas dinner. I decided to chronicle our goose adventure this year.


Step 1 - Find a goose at a specialty meat store. I bought ours at Jamison Specialty Meats in Fort Wayne.



Step 2 - Thaw goose, and a) Try not to be sad that you are planning on eating him.


Step 2, part b) Try not to think of cute pictures of goslings, like this:












Step 3 - Unwrap and get out all the innards.

[Note: disturbing images of goose innards below.]








Step 4 - Wash goose. Marvel at his wingspan. Salt and pepper him.


Step 5 - Pour boiling water over the goose throughout the cooking process. This helps to get rid of the extra fat. Put goose in oven for one hour on 400 degrees.









Step 6 - Go and watch part of A Christmas Story on TBS for 45 minutes. Fall asleep until buzzer sounds.

Step 7 - Pour more boiling water over goose. Suck extra water out of bottom of pan out with basting bulb. Find multiple containers for water/fat solution. Turn heat down to 350 degrees. (Repeat step 2x)

Step 8 - Take goose out of oven and let him rest for 20 minutes. Talk to family and wish them merry Christmas. Then start carving.









Step 9 - Serve goose!


Merry Christmas!

A Christmas Eve Poem

Yet

I look east on Christmas Eve morning.
The skies, marbled gray and bitterly cold
will not let the morning sun through.
Yet the sun will shine again.

We are wrapped in winter,
frozen by icy winds,
mummified in layers of blankets.
Yet the days will warm again.

Families are broken,
despair threatens.
Yet laughter will return again.

Days trudge on,
frustrations mount.
Yet.
Yet we are ready--
a tree stands, tinsled and gilded,
gifts pile expectantly,
Christmas cantatas wait to be sung,
and our hearts,
sprinkled with mercy,
buoyed by hope,
confess yet again:
Hodie Christus natus est.

Random things

Here are a couple of random things:

- Here's a game called Know Your World? It's addicting. I'm sure many of you can beat me. I got up to level 7 the first time I tried it. It's fun.

- Two years ago, I posted a link to an Elf game, and it's been my most popular post ever. So, here's an early Christmas gift to you: Elf game.

- Also, I stumbled upon this website: What Should I Read Next? Apparently, the way it works is you record some of the books that you've read and liked and from people's recommendations, the site will link you to titles of other books that match your taste. I got some book recommendations, but haven't read them yet.

An Awesome Book

I'm currently reading The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls. The Publishers Weekly review on the back says, "The Glass Castle is nothing short of spectacular." And the review from People says: "Walls has joined the company of writers such as Mary Karr and Frank McCourt who have been able to transform their sad memories into fine art." Anyone who liked Angela's Ashes should definitely read this book. It is amazing.

Historical maps

I'm doing some research this afternoon on bodies of water in Israel. I'm finding all sorts of cool websites. I found one with satellite images of the Middle East. I found another with all sorts of historical maps, going back to the sixteenth century. The map to the left is a Lucas Cranach map, interestingly. The thing I like about these old maps is the artistic flare of the cartographer. There are these frothy waves in the Mediterranean with ships' sails billowing in the wind. It's awesome. I also like this one, which shows the faces of the four winds.

The Old and the New

For me this fall has been an interesting mix of the old and the new. I think it all started when my family and I went to Colorado for my dad's 70th birthday party in August. Both of my brothers were able to come, and we celebrated with gifts and a nice dinner out. My mom had pulled out lots of old pictures for one of the gifts we gave my dad, and later, my dad reminisced about his parents, grandparents, and his Uncle Steve as well as memories from childhood.

In the month of November, I traveled to Pittsburgh, our home for seven years. It's been just over a year since we moved, and yet, driving on those windy, narrow streets made it seem like I never left (including the sinking feeling of being lost amid the hills of the city). What struck me about that trip was stepping back into those friendships. The conversations were easy. The connection is still strong.

I also trekked up to Ann Arbor, MI, where we attended college. My husband and I took our son on a tour through the Manor, what used to be our student commons. We found the secret passageways, the trap doors, and all the fun and interesting spots where we made all of those college memories. We attended the Boar's Head Festival, we chatted with old friends and professors.

Then, friends moved into a house here in Fort Wayne where we lived when Jacob was a baby, and I walked through the halls of those memories again too. When I think of Jacob as a baby and preschooler, I think of living in that house. He took his first steps there. He sat on the couch and "read" his first books there. That was our first house.

And yet, all of those memories are wrapped up with the new ones we're making day by day. I continue to cherish friendships over the years and build on those relationships. I meet new friends, attend a new church, live in a new home. And through it all, God's tender mercy follows me day by day.

Saint Nicholas Dramatization

Last weekend, a brave group from Concordia Theological Seminary enacted the story of Saint Nicholas based on my book of the same name. Here is a link to my website where there are more photos.

Writing as Process

Over my years of writing, I have come to realize that one thing about writing is absolutely true: whatever I write is never finished.

After the original idea comes to me, it is all about process after that. I start with a vague idea of a storyline and characters. Maybe I'll play with rhymes in my head for awhile--a day, two weeks, two years. Maybe I'll ponder the characters and figure out a good conflict. I've learned, through patience and experience, that this process mostly happens in the background of my everyday life. While driving kids to school, folding laundry, washing dishes, or walking my dog, those ideas are percolating. Sometimes I'll hear a rhythm in my head which flows well for whatever it is I am writing. Sometimes I draw a blank. That's all part of the process.

Then, once I jot my notes in my journal, transfer notes onto a legal pad, and then type the manuscript onto the computer, I continue revising and revising and revising.

Last night, I attended a Christmas party where my St. Nicholas story was dramatized. As I sat listening to the text read to an auditorium full of people, I tried to not revise in my head. But it was impossible.

"Ooh," I thought. "That really wasn't the best word to use there. You should have drawn out the introduction more. You should have used a more descriptive verb, blah, blah, blah." This book was published several years ago, in 2003, perhaps? And still, it feels unfinished to me.

That is the joy and the curse of creative work.

Thank you to everyone who braved the cold to come to my book signing last night at Borders in Fort Wayne. Other than the gorilla with the santa hat scaring the toddlers, it was a great success. : ) It was fun to see the kids enjoy the stories, especially Merry Christmas, Cheeps! My illustrator, Carol Baicker-McKee suggested making props to go along with each page, so that made the story interactive and fun for the kids. Thank you, Carol, for the idea!

Tonight at the seminary Christmas party, some daring folks will be acting out the story of St. Nicholas. I'm looking forward to seeing it--fourth century costumes and all! I just asked that I wouldn't have to read it aloud, so Katie Schuerman (brilliant organizer that she is) asked Dr. Fickenscher with his booming baritone voice to read it. Fabulous!

Thank you to Pastor Petersen, also, for plugging my St. Nicholas book. I like it!

Boar's Head Festival at Concordia University, Ann Arbor

It's been awhile since I've actually posted something of substance on my blog, so I decided to just begin where I am. Right now, I am with my family in Ann Arbor, MI. Scott and I attended college here at Concordia Univ., graduating in 1991.

One of the things I've really wanted to do since graduating is return here to see the Boar's Head Festival. (Read my husband's post about it here.) Boar's Head, as it is (oddly) affectionately known, refers to a very old custom which can be traced back to Roman times. The boar, considered to be the most dangerous animal in the forest, was hunted down and killed in order to show the triumph of good over evil. In the first half of the festival, the boar's head is presented along with lords, ladies, a jester, wassailing men, and of course, good King Wenceslas.

In Concordia University's presentation of the Boar's Head Festival presents in the first half the "Courtly Story," of the yule sprite entering the darkened church, representing the light of Christ coming into a darkened world. Then there is singing, dancing, all sorts of merry-making, the presentation of the Boar's Head, the gathering around the yule log, and so much more.

The second half of the festival is the Christmas story. Mary and Joseph enter the church, the Christ child is presented to the congregation in a dance--a bouree, the singing gradually crescendos into "Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence" until all gather around the Christ Child to celebrate His victory--God come to us in the infant Christ.

It has been many years since I've seen the Boar's Head. Scott and I once went to a festival at Plymouth Congregational Church in Fort Wayne, but nothing (of course) matches the experience of Concordia's Boar's Head.

My memory for names is not good, but after many years, I could still have sung every part of the Boar's Head with no preparation at all. There have been a few minor alterations which have only improved the production, in my opinion.

Last summer I was elected to be on the board of regents for Concordia Univ. The past two days, I have been in meetings all day to discuss issues that affect the continuing success of the university. The Boar's Head is an example of everything that is good about Concordia, and I was privileged to see the festival once again.

You are invited!

Come to see Carol Baicker-McKee and Julie Stiegemeyer at a book signing for their new book:

Merry Christmas, Cheeps!

At Barnes and Noble – South Hills Village, Pittsburgh, PA

Saturday, November 17, between 11:00 a.m. and noon

Hope to see you there!

8 rules for writing fiction by Kurt Vonnegut -- Awesome!

Eight rules for writing fiction:

1. Use the time of a total stranger in such a way that he or she will not feel the time was wasted.

2. Give the reader at least one character he or she can root for.

3. Every character should want something, even if it is only a glass of water.

4. Every sentence must do one of two things -- reveal character or advance the action.

5. Start as close to the end as possible.

6. Be a sadist. Now matter how sweet and innocent your leading characters, make awful things happen to them -- in order that the reader may see what they are made of.

7. Write to please just one person. If you open a window and make love to the world, so to speak, your story will get pneumonia.

8. Give your readers as much information as possible as soon as possible. To heck with suspense. Readers should have such complete understanding of what is going on, where and why, that they could finish the story themselves, should cockroaches eat the last few pages.

-- Vonnegut, Kurt Vonnegut, Bagombo Snuff Box: Uncollected Short Fiction (New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons 1999), 9-10.

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Do you speak American?
Paul McCain posted a link to a fabulous website which showed all sorts of variations of dialects and accents from all over the U.S. I have been trying to find it again, but can't!

Today, I did find this website, though. Take the test and see if you are a Yank or a rebel. Fun!

Merry Christmas, Cheeps! Poster

Go here to find a poster with Merry Christmas, Cheeps! as well as info on reading with children at the holidays. (Thanks, Todd, for your help with this!)

Mid-grade novel writing --
So, lately, I've been working on a mid-grade chapter book. I imagine 8 and 9 year olds reading this. It's been really fun to see it grow and develop. Sometimes these writing projects really do take on a life of their own. I am enjoying "getting to know" the character I've created.

So, thanks to Grant K. for helping me with my title. And thank you, Grant and Pam, for all of your encouragement! It's easy to feel stuck, and that encouragement really helps.

Writing in a different genre is a little bit like starting over and learning the ropes all over again. But I hope to have some material in the next few months for field testers--like Renee and Audrey!

A Nice Review
Here's a nice review of my new Cheeps book. I loved her line about readers being reminded that this is definitely a "chicken Christmas." :)

Merry Christmas, Cheeps!
Illustrated by Carol Baicker-McKee

The new cheeps book is out! And I even saw it on a Borders bookshelf last week--so it's really officially out! Check out Carol's blog where she's way too nice about my writing, but also gives some insight into how she created her adorable illustrations.

If you'd like to be healthier...
Take a look at this website: BMI Calculator. You put in your weight and height and learn if your body mass index is underweight, normal, overweight, or obese. Helpful!