THE DELIGHTFUL DAYS OF AUGUST

The month of August once kicks off its first day with an ancient festival called Lammas Day. Celebrated on August 1st by early Christian communities, it marks the start of the wheat and grain harvest, giving thanks for the first crops. Its name comes from the Old English words hlāfmæsse, meaning "loaf-mass," because people baked bread from the new grain and brought it to church to be blessed. 

 

Besides Lammas Day, The International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples is celebrated on August 9^th’; National Aviation Day on the 19^th; and Women’s Equality Day, which celebrates the 19th Amendment, on August 26^th. Lastly, the month of August invites us to relish the last joys of summer. 

In Pennsylvania, August is usually hot. Temperatures can range from 70 to 80+.  If the rainfall is also favorable, our gardens are filled with mature vegetables to harvest: squash, cucumbers, tomatoes, bell peppers, sweet corn, and more. 

                                                            

As part of a farm family growing up, I was always in awe about the largeness of our garden. My mother both canned and froze the produce. We had learned quickly not to tell her that we were bored. Those words would send us outside with a trowel, hoe, or hand cultivator to weed a row of onions or corn or whatever vegetable she decided needed care after peering out the kitchen window at the garden. 

 

I often enjoyed the task. It was an effortless one which allowed me to daydream while tiny insignificant weeds were laid to rest in the sunshine and wilt. I also make a connection with nature as I watched the plants grow. It brought a quiet sense of patience and inner peace-- and self-satisfaction to see a clean, weed-free row evolve when I was finished.

  

 I was the child who disliked inside work like sweeping, dusting, and cleaning. There was something magical about outdoor work where a gal could be alone and conjure up her muses. Although I will admit, I also liked ironing for the same reason—entering la, la land in my head.     

When signs of autumn start to sneak up on the horizon, I become a little melancholy realizing the long hours of daylight will fade once September draws near. 

But until then, I’m overjoyed to be outdoors with the plants, the birds, and the bees. . . and those delightful summer days of August.

                                     

                                    NEW RELEASE - Finding Love in Pine Valley  

 

 

FINDING LOVE IN PINE VALLEY  

 

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MIDSUMMER HAS ARRIVED

The Fourth of July celebrations have passed, but midsummer days have arrived to give us the “good ol’ summer time” we look forward to. Often called blueberry month, July is the heart of summer in Pennsylvania. Days are long and evenings pleasant. 

The solstice has also passed. Even though we know we’ve begun our long slide downhill to the short light days of December, we have much to enjoy. On the hillsides and fields, fresh hay drying in the heat of the sun is fragrant and sweet. Roses, lavender, honeysuckle and dianthus are also nature’s delightful perfumes spilling out into the air. 

                                        

There is movement and activity around us. Birds flutter in the bushes. Squirrels and chipmunks scamper over the ground. Swallows swoop and dive to catch insects in flight. Once darkness falls, fire flies dance above the ground putting on nature’s evening light show while bats take flight to snap up the pesky mosquitoes hovering in the air. 

July also brings plentiful fruits and vegetables. Berries have ripened and are ready for picking—blackberries, blue berries, raspberries, and wild strawberries. Apples, peaches, and pears are swelling on tree boughs. Vegetable gardens flourish, and those green beans and tomatoes we all anxiously waited for have finally arrived. But get ready. squash will overrun the land. Soon gardeners will try to pawn those zucchinis off on every neighbor and visitor they meet. They might even end up unannounced on your doorstep! 

Ah, yes. It’s midsummer in July and time to enjoy the height of the season while we porch or patio sit, enjoy our favorite beverage. . .and watch old man sun sink below the Pennsylvania mountains.

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A Look from . . . UP ON THE ROOF

Released in digital and print, Up on the Roof and Other Stories is a unique collection of nineteen humorous and serious stories exploring the lives and relationships of the young and old. 

Digital is now $2.99 and Print is $9.00 on Amazon.  I've always enjoyed writing short stories and pieces that be read in one sitting. Currently, I'm working on a new collection and hoping to release it this year.                                                                       

 

Here are a few synopses of stories included in Up on the Roof:

BALD REVELATIONS  
A first grade teacher believes her husband of twenty years is leaving her and their two teenage sons when he purchases ten pairs of new dress socks and starts reviewing their insurance policies. Despite her mother’s assurances, Maureen is further convinced he’s cheating when he starts singing Beach Boy songs and tries to persuade her to buy a sporty red convertible. 

COMPUTER JUNKIE   
 When Rita and Jane decide to start a small woodworking business, they never expect their husbands to get involved. But get involved they do. Mitch and Bill decide their wives need their expert computer advice and their meddling could spell disaster even before the business gets off the ground.

HOOKED ON SILENCE   
Two young professional couples decide to go to the lake to fish. Jerome believes that women are not necessarily equal in all masculine tasks, but Angela, his girlfriend, is about to prove him wrong.                                                                                                           
STRAW PONIES  
Brita Larson saved the life of an Arapaho brave, Nitis, who now believes he's indebted to her and routinely brings gifts to her ranch.When she then helps rescue his sister, Onawa, from some evil white men selling guns to the renegades, Britta is certain she will never get rid of this gift-bearing Indian. More importantly, how will she explain him to Deputy Sheriff Wyatt McGee? 

                          NEW RELEASE - Finding Love in Pine Valley  

 

 

FINDING LOVE IN PINE VALLEY  

 

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PRODUCTIVITY IS NOT A SYNONYM FOR HAPPINESS

Have you recently discovered that having a stress ball isn't for throwing at people who stress you out? 

Everyone has stress. It's a response to challenges in life. And let's face it, a life without challenges would be dreary and boring.

If you’re a writer, stress manifests itself when you write and when you don’t. If the writing flows, we say we’re in the zone. When it stops, we agonize over how to kick-start ourselves. When we end a piece, we fuss over the editing process. And when we’re finally finished with it, we ponder whether our creation is worthy enough, then lapse into the insecurity of “what will we write next”?

I’ve decided, after a half-dozen books, there is no happy medium to getting the right balance in life that will completely relieve stress levels. But there are small things that everyone who is stressed can do to ease  anxieties.

We all know we have to eat healthy and exercise, but there are other things to consider. One is to stay as organized as possible, and simplify routines, commitments, and clutter. A messy desk doesn’t cause us stress. Not finding the papers we need which are buried in a chaotic heap on our desks causes us to stress.

We also need to let go of multi-tasking constantly and slow down. We’re in a society that says we can do it all. We want to accomplish a task, but not upset our family’s routine or our commitments to others, so we rush, rush, rush. Maybe it’s time to go back to the single task philosophy our parents used. Maybe it’s time to streamline our time and eliminate unnecessary commitments. Instead of the mental “to do” list which stretches for miles in our mind, it’s time to write down a realistic “to do” list and only put down five essential tasks we want to complete in a given time.                                                                                             

And lastly, here is my favorite de-stressor idea. I’m giving myself permission to have free time for myself—whether it’s to do a hobby, read, travel, or just take time off from writing without guilt. Life doesn’t have to be about always accomplishing things—always placing the next word on the page or doing the next to-do chore. After all, productivity has never been a synonym for happiness.

                                   NEW RELEASE - Finding Love in Pine Valley  

 

 

FINDING LOVE IN PINE VALLEY  

 

New Release:  

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