APHORISMS

Words of wisdom from people with razor-sharp insights.

            If God wanted us to vote, he would have given us candidates.

                                                                        ~ Jay Leno ~

             The problem with political jokes is they get elected.

                                                                        ~ Henry Cate VII

             We hang the petty thieves and appoint the great ones to public office.

                                                                        ~ Aesop ~

             If we got one-tenth of what was promised to us in these State of the Union speeches, there wouldn’t be any inducement to go to heaven.

                                                                        ~ Will Rogers ~

             Politicians are the same all over. They promise to build a bridge even where there is no river.                                                                  ~ Nikita Khrushchev ~

             When I was a boy, I was told that anybody could become President; I’m beginning to believe it.                                                                         ~ Clarence Darrow ~

             Why pay money to have your family tree traced; go into politics and your opponents will do it for you.                                                            ~ Author unknown ~

Politicians are people who, when they see light at the end of the tunnel, go out and buy some more tunnel.                                                                   ~ John Quinton ~

            Politics is the gentle art of getting votes from the poor and campaign funds from the rich, by promising to protect each from the other.

                                                                        ~ Oscar Ameringer ~

 

            I offer my opponents a bargain: if they will stop telling lies about us, I will stop telling the truth about them.                                       ~ Adlai Stevenson ~

            A politician is a fellow who will lay down your life for his country.

                                                                        ~ Tex Guinan ~

 

            I have come to the conclusion that politics is too serious a matter to be left to the politicians.                                                      ~ Charles de Gaulle ~

            Instead of giving a politician the keys to the city, it might be better to change the locks.

                                                                        ~ Doug Larson ~

   

These wise words of wit and perception are offered with a sense of humor and a big smile, in the hope that some of them will bring a big smile to your face.

 

LAKE ARROWHEAD STATE PARK

For many years, this pretty lake, near Wichita Falls, TX, has offered an annual fishing tournament, an 18-hole disc golf course, an equestrian campground and a fully populated prairie dog town.

I last visited Lake Arrowhead in June, 2013. At that time, the crappie, catfish and white bass were plentiful. Many anglers were fishing from the pier which is lighted the year wound. Many brought their own gear but some were using fishing poles and tackle furnished by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Youngsters could learn how to fish through the angler education programs.

The golf course, strategically situated in the mesquite plains of the park, offered challenges to the novice and advanced disc golfer. A championship tournament was sponsored annually.

Horseback enthusiasts could saddle up for a mounted exploration of the Texas Rolling Plains on 5.5 miles of equestrian trails. A special equestrian campground featured campsites, picnic tables, fire rings and a corral with covered stalls and hitching posts. Onion Creek Trail offered true Texas experiences such as prickly pear and armadillos.

Lake Arrowhead State Park is one of the few places where you can see an active prairie dog town. Towns of these lively "barking dogs" of the prairies and plains covered much of West Texas and the Panhandle before the l900s. You can find a viewing spot and watch as the prairie dogs pop in and out of their mounds., Scientists have found that prairie dogs use at least 12 distinctive calls to communicate with each other . You'll be able to locate the sentry that calls out danger alerts if you get too close. You may see one of the little "dogs" do a "jump-up", launching straight into the air and making a "wee-oh" sound. Hours of entertainment can be spent watching these smart, resourceful animals.

Today after two years of devastating drought, Lake Arrowhead is quiet and almost deserted. It is a mud puddle, and the prairie dogs have a hard time finding water. But in the fullness of time, as the world turns and the rains come, this park will again beckon to people who want to get outdoors and enjoy a relaxing day in nature.

GENEALOGIST

Definition according to Webster: student of the history of the descent of a person or family.
Definition according to everyone else: Fanatic

It is true that genealogists are dedicated, determined and driven. No courthouse basement is too dusty; no abandoned cemetery is too overgrown or snake-infested; no vague clue is too nebulous - a genealogist on the trail of a six-times great-grandfather is too focused to eat, sleep or change clothes. Even though we often believe a sense of humor has no place in family research, I do try from time to time to lighten the mood, to ease the strain and to elicit a brief smile. The following poem is dedicated to all genealogists everywhere.

 

A Genealogy Poem

By Grandpa Tucker

 

I saw a duck the other day,

It had the feet of my Aunt Faye.

Then it walked, was headed south,

It waddled like my Uncle Ralph.

And when it turned, I must propose,

Its bill was formed like Aunt Jane's nose.

 

I thought, Oh no! It's just my luck.

Someday I'll look just like a duck.

I sobbed to Mom about my fears,

And she said, "Honey, dry your tears,

You look like me, so walk with pride.

Those folk are all from Daddy's side!"

 

Respectfully submitted by a genealogist with over 3,000 names in my Family Tree Maker file.

 



 

 

THE KOI POND

Nothing is more soothing or fascinating that a koi pond. With its colorful varieties of Japanese carp darting among rocks and plants, this touch of nature transforms any backyard into an oasis.

Our neighbors built a koi pond, and we watched with attention and interest. We assumed they would purchase a ready-made pond and water kit. Instead they chose a local specialist in the construction of water gardens. He was experienced in addressing building ordinances as well as the proper maintenance of the pond, its plants and fish. In this time of drastic water conservation, he also had to know the rate of evaporation and details of recycling water.

First they chose the site, hoping to reduce maintenance while providing maximum safety and enjoyment. A location fully exposed to the sun will create overheating and algae accumulation. Full shade will prevent plant life from prospering.

With every detail settled and all items installed, it was time to select the fish. Koi are distinguished by brilliant colors and patterns. Our friends chose the popular white-skinned, red-marked Kohaku, the Asagi with light blue and red markings and the yellow-skinned with black spots Bekko. Koi are hardy, resisting most parasites, and can live for 50 years. They are omnivorous, eating peas, watermelon and lettuce. But a special commercial food is recommended. It is nutritionally balanced and made to float, bringing the fish to the surface.

Koi will become accustomed to feeding times and the feeder and can be trained to eat from the feeder's hand. Feeding is not recommended when the water temperature falls below 50F.

Steps must be taken to protect the fish. The bright colors draw predators like cats, raccoons and birds. Ponds need a section deep enough for the Koi to hide in as well as underwater ledges to prevent animals from attacking.

A Koi pond adds a decorative element to any yard or garden and will enhance one's love of nature, aid the environment and provide family fun for generations. We never pass up any invitation to visit the fish we have chosen as our favorites, and we delight in offering them their evening dinner.

DOOMED TO REPEAT?

During this midterm election year, all 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and 33 of the 100 seats in the U.S. Senate will be contested in the election scheduled for November 4, 2014. That's 535 people who'll be elected to govern us and determine the course of our lives. Each of us has the American privilege and constitutional right to make our choice and express our opinion by going to the polls and voting. This action is doubly important in the presidential election in 2016. The decisions and actions of these politicians will determine laws regarding our health, our monthly income, the goods and services that will be available to us, and whether or not our young men will go to war.

I just finished reading In the President's Secret Service by Ronald Kessler. This book provides insights into the innermost character of our elected presidents and their families, the vice presidents and their families, and all other government officials guarded and protected 24/7 by the members of the Secret Service.

Kessler takes us back to the assignation of Abraham Lincoln forward through other successful assignations and those that failed, to the inauguration of Barack Hussein Obama. Through historical data and many years of personal job experience, Kessler proves that voters must learn as much as possible about each candidate, their track record and their qualifications, prior to casing a vote. If a person exhibits hypocrisy and lack of good judgment before being elected, he will maintain those traits after he's elected.  The voting public needs to be aware of evidence pointing to arrogance and deceit.

Over the years, the White House has been plagued by theft from departing officials. Historic items have disappeared from the Lincoln Room and other exhibits - a bed from Walter Reid Hospital left with one ex-president.  Some of the items have been returned but not all.

Kessler's book educates us to the serious flaws in some of the people elected in the past. At times we have chosen some dangerously unprepared, unqualified people. If we don't learn from these mistakes, we are destined to repeat them.

Vote with your head, vote with your heart, vote as if your life depended on the outcome. Get out and vote!

“Crazy Water” is Booming Again

Twenty miles down the road from our home is Mineral Wells, a town made famous in 1904 by a highly mineralized spring whose waters have healing powers.

In the early years, Mineral Wells was a happening place. People came by the thousands, motoring in, arriving by wagon or in droves by rail. Health seekers, politicians, A-list movie stars, rich cattlemen and the curious – they all came to the “City Built on Water.” They could stay at the elegant, “high-rise” Baker Hotel featuring dining and dancing along with the beneficial waters. As interest in Botox, collagen, and the Adkins diet increased, the restorative powers of Crazy Water waned.

Then in 1999, Scott and Carol Elder purchased the Famous Mineral Water Company and brought new life to Crazy Water. They spent the next few years reintroducing the once nationally known waters locally and regionally. They kept the historic part of it going and enhanced and built on the heritage/tourism aspect, always remembering their dream for a bathhouse.

The bottled mineral water is now sold in Whole Food stores, Central Market and Albertsons with Kroger coming on board soon. With the bottled product thriving, The Elders focused on the longed-for Crazy Bath House which is now a reality. They kept the turn-of-the-century look and feel, appointing the house with period pieces that help create the experience of an old- fashioned, take-a-load-off soak in mineral water. Patrons can schedule mineral bath treatments during the day or stay overnight in the guest rooms with private mineral baths. The Crazy Bath House also offers a Micro Bubble Tub. The bubbly apparatus injects countless oxygen-rich micro bubbles into the bath, resulting in natural cleansing, exfoliation and moisturizing of the skin. A number of massage techniques and services are also available.

Once again, things are good down at the well. If your Rhumatiz or Arthur-itis is acting up, take the long “Crazy” road to the bathhouse.

The Misfits

America’s wild horses don’t really belong anywhere – yet nothing symbolizes the spirit of the American West like the Mustang. And some of them are finding love and sanctuary in Parker County, Texas.

Megan Parks, a photographic artist, loves beautiful, wild-spirited things so she was naturally drawn to the mustang. She and husband, Gary, own several and say that they are gentle and easy to train. They purchased them from the Bureau of Land Management, a federal agency that has legal oversight of mustangs. The Parks search BLM websites where they view photos and profiles. Confirmation (how well they’re built) is a priority. And the horse must be sane. Gary and Megan say they love mustangs because they tend to be hardy, beautiful and sweet- tempered.

Their latest acquisition is Wakita, cremello-colored with crystal blue eyes, who they found in a Herd Management Area in Colorado. Megan began working with him the morning he arrived. Now, two weeks later, Wakita is completely focused on Megan. He follows her around the pen and leans his head on her shoulder.

The BLM reports that there are some 40,000 mustangs, or about 14,000 more than the federal regulations allow. The herd, which has not been culled for years due to lack of money, increases a fifth every year. Some groups want the mustangs slaughtered because they get in the way of commercial land use. Advocates for the mustangs say they should be allowed to roam freely. Ranchers say failure to manage the herds has sharply cut the availably of range grasses needed for grazing their cattle. Whatever happens politically in the rest of the world, The Parks’ mustangs know that here, they are safe.

The Parks say the mustangs are awesomely intelligent. They are examples of survival of the fittest. If they aren’t smart, they don’t live long out in the wild.

Grace After Fire

When you hear the phrase, “troubled veteran” and you think of a bearded guy in worn combat fatigues sleeping under a bridge with a dog, you may want to think again.

Far too many veterans in this country fit that stereotype, but the number of women veterans with serious issues is on the rise. In fact, women veterans are the fastest growing homeless population in the nation.

The non-profit organization, Grace After Fire, has a mission to help female veterans help themselves by providing resources to boost their emotional health and careers upon returning home. Women coming out of military service don’t have the support that men do. A woman is expected to immediately switch roles and be a wife, mother and career woman. That’s a tough assignment. Since Grace After Fire was started, unemployment for female veterans has dropped from 16 percent to 8 percent, the number of homeless female veterans has greatly declined, and they have not had a female veteran suicide in four years.

You might like to get involved in a branch near you. They can use volunteers and funds.

Just Peachy

Last week-end, Parker County, TX put on a hoe-down, hootin’-nanny, wing-ding with all the trimmings.


More than 35,000 peach lovers descended upon downtown Weatherford for the 30th Peach Festival. Popular attractions featured over 200 food booths, arts and crafts, children’s activities such as boat rides, and live music. The Peach Pedal Bike Ride had 2,227 riders and raised big bucks for various charities.


All entrances into the downtown courthouse square were blocked off with local policeman on hand to help direct walking visitors. The entry fee for adults was $5.00. Businesses and churches offered shuttle service. The church I attend served as one of the rest stops, supplying air-conditioned comfort and ice-cold bottles of water. Twelve dozen bottles were dispensed.

This year, patrons could expect an especially sweet time. Our mild spring, with adequate rainfall, but no late freezes or hail storms, helped Parker County produce a bumper crop. The area’s signature fruit was in abundant supply, ripe for the picking amid the numerous peach vendors.


Our community enjoyed a bumper crop of funds as well as fruit. The admittance fees added up nicely. One church sold individual servings of home-made peach ice cream totaling 40 gallons. One long street of peach vendors sold their wares in baskets of 1 peck, 1 quart, 1⁄2 bushel or 1 bushel. Several reported being sold out by noon.


Local eateries got in the spirit of the event by offering special concoctions. The Wild Mushroom served Parker County Peach Cheesecake. Generously stuffed and glazed with fresh peaches and a hefty splash of peach schnapps, this chilled delicacy was a big hit.


The Fire Oak Grill developed a recipe for seared scallops with butter-poached local onions and pickled Parker County peaches. The chef used local honey, vinegar and sea salt to quick-pickle the peaches.


The Back Home Bakery offered Mama’s Peach Cobbler using a Depression-era recipe. The ingredient list was short and sweet – and rich with real butter and condensed milk – but the taste and satisfaction was long-lasting.


The local Chamber of Commerce president reported all systems functioned smoothly, due in large part to scores of sponsors and volunteers working long hours in almost-100-degree heat.

The festival provided wholesome family-friendly entertainment – and folks got their quota of vitamins C and D. 


P.S. Recipes are available on request.

People You Should Meet in Parker County, Texas

Seven years ago, when downsizing became necessary, we chose Parker County because of its proximity to our children and grandchildren, its excellent medical facilities and its progressive expansion of schools, churches, businesses and residential communities. We didn’t know about its extra benefit of being filled with interesting, extraordinary people. Of the 100 interviewed, nine are listed below.


There’s Dr. Joseph Daniels, orthopedic surgeon, whose life is based on the simple mission of improving patients’ access to health care.


Tucker McGee is a painter inspired by Norman Rockwell. He paints life and everything in it. He loves to be in his studio with a brush in his hand.


Catherine O. Oseni recently opened Alpha Care Pharmacy and River of Life Health Food Store. She was drawn to anti-aging by her love of people and passion to help them.


Then there’s Shelly Burmeister Mowery whose portfolio includes, Mare Care, Inc., Mowery Stallion Station, Mowery Cutting Horses and Westernlifestyles TV. Her life is centered around horses from raising, selling, breeding, promoting to competing. She spent 30-plus years in equine sports broadcasting from rodeo to cuttings and nationally televised events.


Local attorney, Mac Smith, became a trial lawyer/litigator 40 years ago because the work is challenging, unpredictable and enjoyable. He was born, raised, lives and works (and plans to be buried), in Parker County.


Educator Patti Young’s degree in special education enables her to teach children with disabilities. Her life’s ambition is to be the voice and promoter of the student and their families who often are voiceless.


Coach Mike Osina has spent 23 years coaching and teaching at Weatherford College. He believes that being a good teacher and athletic coach is truly a calling of the heart.


We often see Kyle Williams, a teller at the bank where we do business. When he’s not at work he can be found singing his heart out or mentoring young men in fatherless households.


Van N. Houser, a local pastor, knew from age 14 that he wanted to make a difference in the lives of others regardless of their social position, race or life situation. He works to help people understand “that Christianity is not a religion, but a relationship with a loving God that wants them to live free, loving and full of joy.”


The diversity, dedication and uniqueness of the Parker County residents are the most valuable assets of the county.

Destination Diner

All-American diners serve comfort food with a heaping side of nostalgia.


Call it a coffee shop, greasy spoon, or lunch counter, but if the eats are cheap and no-frills, as well as hot and hearty, then chances are good you’re being served a burger, hash-browns and eggs or a fresh-from-the-dessert-case piece of pie in an all-American eatery known as a diner.


There is one a couple of miles from our home, and we eat there every week on beef-pot-roast day. The beef is velvety tender, the carrots, potatoes and onions are cooked to perfection and the brown gravy is to die for. The iced tea and a serving of cake come with the meal. We sometimes have a burger and onion rings, and they’re great, too.


Today’s diners are usually chrome-trimmed, railroad-car-shaped structures outfitted with a counter, stools and a bustling open kitchen. They trace their beginnings to the late 1800s when there was a large increase of factory workers. The diner met the demand for quick, affordable meals – and lots of them. Around l858, a smart gentleman in Providence, RI began serving sandwiches and coffee to night workers from a horse-drawn food cart. By the early 20th century, manufacturers were building moveable structures big enough to accommodate both tables and customers and the diner was born. By the early 1940s, most diners and the cheap comfort food they offered became fixtures in American life. The 1950s were the golden age of diners when nearly 6,000 diners opened across the country.



Remember Arnold’s in Happy Days, where Richie, Potsie and the Fonz congregated? And Mel’s Diner where Mel, Alice, Vera and Flo served up laughs from a fictional truck stop in Phoenix in TV’s Alice?


For over 60 years, white-apron-wearing waiters and waitresses have served blue-plate specials, saying, “Thank you for coming.” I say, “Thank you for existing. This is what America is all about.”

Scratching Forever

My husband always claimed, “I could walk through a field of poison ivy and not get it.” Famous last words!


Once while clearing fence rows, he learned people can develop an allergic reaction to poison ivy after many uneventful exposures to the plant’s oily sap, urushiol. Once sensitized, your skin is likely to react to every subsequent exposure. You don’t have to touch the plant to react. Gardening tools, sporting equipment, even a pet that has been in a patch of poison ivy, can cause a reaction.

Urshiol shows up elsewhere, including in the skin of mangos and the bark and leaves of the tree. Cashew shells also harbor the toxin. That’s why cashews are sold shelled and processed at a temperature high enough to destroy urushiol.


Poison ivy has two equally evil relatives, poison oak and poison sumac. And we must learn to recognize all three.

• Poison ivy grows as a small ground plant or a shrub or vine. The vines, green in summer, turn bright red in winter. The leaves, stems, roots, flowers and berries all contain urushiol.
• Poison oak, with compound leaves of three or five leaflets, usually grows as a shrub. In my area of Texas, it’s a vine.
• Poison sumac grows as a tall shrub or small tree. It produces leaves with rows of paired leaflets and a single leaflet at the end. It is found in wet habitats in the Northeast, Midwest and swamps in the Southeast.

Urshiol can penetrate clothes. Long sleeves, pants and gloves cannot guarantee protection. Even rubber gloves can be breached. If you are likely to contact poison ivy when gardening, wear vinyl gloves. Never try to burn a poison plant. Burning releases the toxin, which may land on skin or, worse, be inhaled. Should you contact a urushiol-containing plant the American Academy of Dermatology recommends washing your skin immediately. Luke-warm, soapy water is best but even plain water can limit the exposure to the sap. Take care removing contaminated clothing, and wash them item separately and soon. The sap is so hardy, it can cause a rash in the dead of winter, or even a year after contaminating clothing or shoes.


Beware this evil monster – just ask my husband!

The Shell Game

It’s peak beach season and as beachcombers know, shells – washed up on the seashore and dotting the sand – are ripe for the picking.


I never saw a seashell until I was 13 years old. They’re scarce in land-locked, dry West Texas. But I visited a relative who had lived along the Texas coast for many years. She tried to teach me the fine art of shelling. She gave me a bucket and sent me out in the shallows. When I returned, she examined each shell in my bucket and discarded all but two. In my enthusiasm, I had collected ALL the shells – the chipped, the cracked and the broken. But I learned.


Serious shellers hit the beach at least five times per week. Being first on the beach at early morning and later in the evening may reward you with Angel Wings, Shark’s Eyes, Hairy Tritons, and Wentletraps.


I learned the Florida Gulf Coast is the best place for Cockle, Whelk, Coquina, Olive and Scallop. Kitten Paw can be found in the Southeastern U.S., Conch in Southern Florida, Oyster in Chesapeake Bay and Limpet in the Pacific Northwest and Southern Florida. Whelk are also plentiful along the Texas Gulf Coast.


For shelling success, you need to find a place to stay that is close to the beach. The richest days for hunting are one to two days after a storm when thousands of shells are dumped on beaches. Peak times to hunt are one hour before and one hour after low tide. Full and new moons, having the most extreme tides, provide excellent conditions for shelling. If seas are reasonably calm, step out into the shallows which may extend out 100 yards in places. Lucky shellers may scoop up a treasure before it is exposed to air. Don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty – search clumps of seaweed or grass where many fine shells hide out.


Remember these items of major importance:
1. Always check each shell for an inhabitant. Only empties should leave the beach.
2. States have shelling regulations. Learn them in advance, especially when visiting state parks, national parks and wildlife refuges. Some areas post limits or prohibit collecting certain types of shells.



There’s no finer souvenir from the lazy, hazy days of summer than the perfect shell or two (or more.)

Book Review: Written In My Own Heart's Blood by Diana Gabaldon

It’s hard to believe that the author of this book also wrote Outlander.

Outlander poured out in a seamless, riveting flow, whereas Own Heart’s Blood seems forced, contrived and disjointed. We are left to drown in descriptive detail of every leaf and twig between Philadelphia and Valley Forge. It is a good story, however. And I read every word. We again meet Claire Randall, who stepped through the standing stones on a hill in Scotland in 1945 and arrived in the same spot in the year 1743. Soon she meets and marries a young Scots warrior, James Fraser. Own Heart’s Blood focuses on Claire and Jamie in 1778 in Philadelphia, USA as the War for Independence rages. Their lives continue in this eighth book of the series. The dear characters from previous books, such as Fergus, Brianna, Roger, Jem and Mandy, Ian and Jenny plus a minimum of 100 new ones keeps one entertained and engaged. I was happy to see Clarence the mule and Rollo the dog still alive and functioning.

We are exposed to the plots and intrigues of both the Loyalists army and the Continental forces. Of course, Jamie and his nephew, Ian, fight for the cause of freedom, while Jamie’s illegitimate son, William, is an officer for the British.

In addition to the horrors of war, there are weddings, births, preparation of food, descriptions of clothing and uniforms, and extreme situations of healing performed by Claire. Overcoming impossible odds, the entire flock of Frasers and friends return to their homestead in North Carolina in a most satisfying ending to the book.

I do wholeheartedly recommend this book. However, DO NOT read it as the first in the series. Your senses would be totally overwhelmed, crushed and blown away. The sheer volume of 850 pages of words boggles the mind. Ideally these books should be read in chronological order beginning with Outlander.

Book Review: In The Blood by Steve Robinson

Robinson’s writing reflects two of my own passions – genealogy and crime stories.

This is a tale of murder – several murders, both old and new. In 1803 Mawgan Hendry is slain on board his fishing boat off the Cornish coast of England. It’s up to American, Jefferson Tayte, a professional genealogist, to solve this ancient crime as well as modern ones. And Tayte is hardly a two-fisted, gun- toting hero. He’s rather bookish, quite and studious and is deathly afraid of airplanes.

Wealthy Walter Sloan of Chicago has hired Tayte to trace his ancestor, James Fairborne. Although James and his family left America in 1783 and returned to England, all of them apparently vanished into thin air. Tayte’s research uncovers the tragic life of a young Cornish girl and the discovery of a dark secret that he believes will lead him to the family he seeks. But a calculated killer is out to stop him.

Along the way Tayte encounters people, both good and evil, who are tied to the Fairbornes’ mysterious disappearance. People are killed because of his interference, and he almost loses his own life. But he prevails in a spectacular ending.

In The Blood is the first book in the Jefferson Tayte mystery series. I plan to read them all.

* * *

Quote for the day:

A writer is someone who tortures the alphabet for fun and profit. ~ Sarah Bird

Book Review: The Witness by Nora Roberts

I hereby apologize to Nora Roberts, aka J. D. Robb, and any other of her pseudonyms or co-authors. I was wrong!

Since many of her books are classified as “Romance”, I never read them. Years ago I tried the “Romance” genre, but when I read “her luminous, alabaster thighs,” and “his eyes were twin pools of shimmering sapphire,” I closed the book and switched to “Mystery/Suspense.” I preferred the blood and violence.

The Witness is Elizabeth Fitch, age 16. The product of a coldly calculating chief of surgery and a carefully chosen sperm donor, Elizabeth speaks five languages, plays both piano and violin and has traveled the world. She has also been accepted to Harvard. But she has never made a single choice or decision. She obeys her mother’s every dictate.

At last she rebels. Naïve and unworldly, Elizabeth becomes involved with the Mafia and witnesses events that can get her killed, and quickly. But she is smart and resourceful and twelve years later, we find her as Abigail Lowery living in a small town in the Ozarks. Enter Brooks Gleason, the local police chief - of course.

The book is fast-paced and engrossing. I only left this outstanding story to do laundry and meals and finished it at 3:00 am.

Will I read more Nora Roberts? Absolutely – after I check for thighs and sapphires.

Book Review: Color of Blood by Les Coalson

Color of Blood

Author: Les Coalson, a Texan writer
Background reading: Sever the Darkness
Setting: Texas Hill Country
Underlying focus: Environmental concerns such as water, unrestricted population growth, zoning, access to recreational sites, private property rights and citizen rights.

Color of Blood is peopled with flesh and blood characters like Clay and Mary Frances who meet and fall in love. We watch Sharkbait Guy and Bert Taylor as they scheme to steal Mary Frances’ Guadalupe Adventures Campgrounds in a land fraud deal. There’s Ranger Ramirez and his search for a murderer on the Guadalupe River. The believable characters arouse our interest and sympathy while the events, characters and their actions flow smoothly – never herky-jerky.

An interesting sidebar is the discovery and excavation of La Salle’s ship, LaBelle, which sank in the Matagorda Bay system in 1686.

Coalson used prodigious research material to substantiate facts and descriptions. Over 30 publications are listed as references.

As a native of West Texas, I found the Hill Country to be the polar opposite of my familiar landscape. The world of bays, rivers, estuaries, ports, lush greenness and the denizens who occupy this world were foreign to me. I was excited to be introduced to cypress trees, colorful buoys and a variety of boats. I cheered the good guys, booed the villains and thoroughly enjoyed this book.

I’ve read Coalson’s first two books; now I look forward to Ransomed Earth. 

Get Color of Blood on Amazon!

The Way to a Man's heart...

...Is through his stomach.

I heard this old adage all my life, and Southern ladies proved it’s true. If you want to impress a gentlemen caller, bake him a pie. The kind you make depends on the impact you wish to evoke. Each variety can arouse a unique response.

• Buttermilk pie: This smooth, silky pie says to its eater, “Hello, I’m sweet and simple. I go down easy, but I’m a little unsophisticated.”
• Apple pie: Use firm, tart apples and this pie evokes an all-American wholesomeness reminiscent of one’s beloved and recently deceased granny.
• Pecan pie: With its rich, dark and gooey nuttiness, this sweet treat whispers gently to its recipient a mouthwatering love sonnet, a beautiful poem written with corn syrup and sugar upon a flaky crust. If you think this suitor worthy, a fresh-baked pecan pie is the pie you’re after.
• Fruit cobbler: My greatest success was a result of fresh-picked peaches, cherries or blackberries lovingly placed over a tender, flaky crust and covered with a lattice-work of crust strips sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon. Served warm and topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, a serving of cobbler inspires awed appreciation every time.

I’m living proof of the success of pies. I’ve created hundreds. We celebrate our 64th anniversary in August.

Gesundheit!

CEDAR FEVER SYMPTOMS: runny nose, itchy eyes, nasal congestion, incessant sneezing, clogged ears, sore throat, aches about the face and head, malfunctioning sense of smell, fatigue, general malaise, and the nonstop grumbling about all of the above.

A friend relocated from Portland, Oregon to the Edwards Plateau region of Texas (Austin), and believes that Cedar Fever will be the death of her. Since I suffer from the same debilitating allergies, we often complain, sympathize and discuss remedies.

THE CAUSE: Ashe juniper, also known as mountain cedar or post cedar or Mexican juniper or Texas juniper or the more colloquial &*^%#@ing #@$%^&*. During winter, when these abundant evergreens release the pollen in noxious clouds of microspores, they become the bane of allergy sufferers. These evil plants also suck up precious water and offer poor forage for livestock. But they also prevent soil erosion and provide good habitat for wildlife, including the endangered golden-cheeked warbler and the never-endangered white-tailed deer. Ash juniper has been a part of the Texas landscape for thousands of years. And despite cries for the tree’s total eradication by pitchfork-and-torch and Kleenex wielding mobs, it’s here to stay.

THE REMEDIES: We can’t cure it, but we can become temporarily less miserable. Options include cocktails of over-the-counter and prescription-strength antihistamines, decongestants, corticosteroids, and anti-inflammatory drugs. There are also nasal irrigation techniques, submersion in mud, staying indoors, moving to Siberia and “the bottle.” If Ashe juniper is your only allergy, you only have to survive December, January and half of February.

Because I’m also allergic to all grasses, shrubs and trees (excepting the Banyan), I have no time off. In addition to corticosteroid injections in September, I swallow a Zyrtec tablet every night and use Nasonex nasal spray.

With a little experimentation and the help of a good allergy specialist, you can find relief and survival – at least until the Texans Against Cedar can get legislation passed that will eliminate this enemy.

A Second Earth

Somewhere out there are worlds that can support life.

For life as we know it to exist, we must have a nice, solid hunk of planet we can plant our feet on. We need lots of water and other friendly chemistry, some of it forming a quilt of atmosphere to keep out the cold. And we need to be just the right distance from just the right star – not too close, not too far; not too hot, not too cold. A terrarium like that incubating for, say, a billion years, might have a fair chance of cooking up something living. Those just right conditions don’t occur often, which explains why it’s been so hard to find life on the tiny handful of worlds we have even a remote chance of visiting: the moons and planets in our solar system. For a long time, scientists didn’t know much about planets elsewhere, so the rest of the cosmos looked like a biological washout.

That has changed. In the past 15 years or so, astronomers have discovered more than 4,200 potential exoplanets – planets orbiting distant stars – and confirmed the existence of more than 1,050 of them. In a galaxy with 300 billion stars, there are surely untold billions of other planets out there. Is anyone home on any of them? Because telescopes cannot yet allow us to view exoplanets, their existence and nature are inferred mostly by how they cause their parent stars to wobble and by the amount of starlight they block as they pass in front of them.

In 2017, NASA will launch the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite, specifically looking for exoplanet atmospheres. Other important tools are NASA’s James Webb Telescope and the European Extremely Large Telescope in the Chilean desert.

One astronomer says, “With billions of rocky worlds available, life would have to be extremely picky not to be able to evolve out there.”

El Niño

When the Pacific Ocean warms, the weather gets weird.

For many Americans, 2013 ended with an unusually bitter cold snap. Late November and December brought early snow and bone-chilling temperatures in much of the country. For the first time in two decades, record-cold days outnumbered record-warm ones.

But the U.S. was the exception, globally, November was the warmest ever. Early data indicates that 2013 was the fourth-hottest year on record. Enjoy memories of 2013. Chances are good that 2014 will be even hotter – perhaps the hottest year since records have been kept. That’s because 2014 will be an El Nino year.

El Nino, Spanish for “the boy,” occurs when the surface ocean waters in the southern Pacific becomes abnormally warm. Because the Pacific covers 30% of the planet’s surface, the additional energy generated by its warming causes an assortment of weather changes around the world.

Los Ninos are associated with abnormally dry conditions in Southeast Asia and Australia and a weakening of the Indian monsoon. They may cause extreme rain in parts of North and South America, even as Africa experiences drought. Marine life may be affected, too, since El Nino can reduce the up-swelling of cold, nutrient-rich water that supports large fish populations. And unusually warm ocean temperatures can destroy coral.

The strong Los Ninos cost the U.S. an estimated $25 billion, and studies have linked the phenomenon to outbreaks of tropical diseases and higher rates of civil war. Research shows that a powerful El Nino from 1789 to 1793 devastated crops in Europe, which helped spark the French Revolution. The three warmest years on record, 1998, 2005 and 2010, were El Nino years. In order for climatologists to declare an El Nino in effect there must be three months of ocean temperatures that are at least 0.9 degrees F. higher than average. Predictions are that temperatures greater than that will be reached in 2014. So be prepared.

2014 may be a record breaker on many fronts.

The Doctor Will Skype You Now

We’ll be hearing this phrase more often as telemedicine apps replace non-emergency visits.

After a bad fall, my friend awoke in the night with a swollen, throbbing knee. She grabbed her phone and opened Doctor on Demand, a new app that allows users to video-chat with doctors to get medical help in real time. She typed in her symptoms, got paired with a nearby specialist and sent him several photos of her knee. Within minutes, the doctor advised my friend that the knee appeared to be dislocated. They agreed on a time for an MRI the following week.

Telemedicine – or soliciting live medical expertise from afar – is becoming increasingly mainstream. Doctor on Demand is very popular and HealthTap boasts more than 1 million users. Asking text-based questions on HealthTap and AskMD is free and a 15-minute appointment through Doctor on Demand costs $40 and doesn’t require insurance.

For patients, telemedicine apps are a cheap, easy alternative to nonemergency consultations. For doctors, the apps are a tool to build a public profile, attract new patients and make a little extra cash during their downtime. For hospitals, they’re a means to streamline care for existing patients.

Of course, there are concerns. The medical apps can be useful for diagnosing routine illnesses like the flu and minor injuries like dislocated knees, but they’re not meant to totally replace in-person doctor’s exams; especially for potentially serious ailments like chest pain. Also, patients should get prescriptions from a doctor who has their medical-record history on hand.

One physician interviewed said, “If telemedicine is a way of keeping healthy patients out of the doctor’s offices, that’s a good thing.”

We are going to see a major shift in how medicine is practiced and where.

Run Pony, Run

Quickly, can you name the automobile that symbolizes America?

It’s the Ford Mustang. Making its debut on April 17, 1964, this car was sporty and European looking, and it was affordable. For just over $2,000, you could buy a bare-bones model. By paying a little more, you could add options such as a radio, power steering or air conditioning. On that spring day, dealers nationwide took orders for Mustangs in colors from Twilight Turquoise to the super-popular Rangoon Red.

One year later, sales reached 417,000, more than quadruple Ford’s expectation. Within two years, sales topped 1 million.

My husband and I were aware of the Mustang in 1964. It represented doing fun things, creating great memories, and it exemplified freedom and optimism. But we drove a Chevrolet station wagon – necessary for transporting three little girls, my parents and various pets. Our workhorse Chevy made countless trips to schools, grocery stores and Ruidoso, NM.

Today, fifty years after its first appearance, 9 million Mustangs have been sold. More significantly, the Pony Car has maintained a firm grip on car lovers’ hearts. The Mustang has more than 5.5 million Facebook fans, and has long affirmed its place in pop culture in hundreds of songs beginning with the 1966 hit “Mustang Sally.”

The Pony has appeared in over 3,000 TV shows and movies, from the original white convertible in the 1964 James Bond movie, Goldfinger, to the blue and white striped 2015 model in the new film Need for Speed.

From 60s convertibles with long, sweeping hoods and sharp, sculpted flanks, to current models with 400 or more horsepower, the Mustang is a car that inspires something in everyone.

Write Now

There are different ways of preserving and sharing your story. You can choose the one that works for you.

You can try the early method of pounding on a manual Royal using the hunt and peck system. Ernest Hemingway is said to have written his vast body of work using this method.

Stephen King required some apartness and solitude for writing. In the beginning, the only place he could find that atmosphere was on the front porch in summer or in the laundry room in winter. Many of his early efforts, including Carrie, were written in those locations. It is rumored he balanced a legal pad on his knee and wrote in longhand. Perhaps this approach will work for you.

Ernie Pyle, a renowned war correspondent during WWII, wrote his articles on the backs of envelopes, in small hard-backed journals or on any paper available. Unlike Stephen King, Ernie didn’t require silence or solitude. He wrote crouched under trucks and in muddy foxholes to the accompaniment of machine gun fire, flame thrower flashes and bombs bursting nearby. Surely you can find less stressful conditions for your writing.

Modern-day authors simply sit down at the computer and let their thoughts flow from their brains out through their finger tips. Then they hit “print.”

Some lady writers face challenges as they struggle to transfer words from thought to paper. They must be flexible and creative. Diana Gabaldon, with a busy husband, three small children and a multitude of pets, fit writing into a standard wife-and-mother’s life. She could only write when everyone was in bed asleep and the housework was done. So she scheduled the hours between 1:00 am and 4:00 am for writing. This schedule worked well for me for years. You might try it.

Finally, many writers don’t write at all. They dictate into a recording device and someone else types it up. There are advantages to this method. The author needn’t worry about page layout, punctuation or spelling. These responsibilities belong to the transcriber. I’ve longed to adopt this method, hoping to talk a child or grandchild into the role of typist. I’ve had no luck. So I remain chained to my computer, trying to drown out the sound of the TV, the ringing telephone, and the cat who constantly wants in and out.

Believe me, when all else fails, perseverance in the face of difficulty does work.

Everyone Has A Story

Very often, someone says to me, “I wish I could write, but I cannot. I’ve lived a boring and routine life. Nothing interesting or exciting has ever happened to me.” I don’t believe it. 

Did you meet your spouse in strange circumstances? Was your wedding day unusual? An entertaining story I read was entitled, You Have to Kiss a Lot of Frogs Before You Find Your Prince. The author was married (once for only six weeks), and divorced three times before she found her fourth and happily-ever-after love.

How about your occupation or career? There may be a story there. I’ve just finished Nora Robert’s Blue Smoke with a heroine who’s a highly trained arson specialist. Her work is up close and personal. She’s often the first person to enter burning buildings. Currently I’m reading Dream of Orchids, by Phyllis A. Whitney for the third time. It’s about a person who was an expert in raising hybrid orchids from seeds. Another character in the same book recovers ancient ships wrecked off the Florida coast. There are several good books about beekeepers. The intricacy of breeding and raising honey bees makes an interesting story.

You may have an ancestor with an intriguing past. I’ve never forgotten The Bootlegger’s Daughter. It was written by a lady who discovered her great-grandmother led an exciting and prosperous life during Prohibition. A friend learned that the Texas outlaw, Belle Starr, has a place in her family tree. She’s gathering family lore and legend preparing a story about Belle. Have you survived a life-threatening illness or tragic loss? I have a story about the death of my 22-year old grandson and the lives he touched. You may have a similar story. Sometimes through our own grief, we may help others.

If you possess a vivid imagination, you might excel in the realm of fantasy. I’ve read with delight every book written by Anne McCaffrey about the dragons of Pern and the special humans who ride and care for them. Fantasy is in big demand. Remember Avatar?

You do have a story! You just need to discover its roots and make the decision to tell it. In the next blog entry, I’ll tell you how.

Stress Relief

What is your strategy for relieving stress?

For six months, I’ve been conducting a mini-survey by asking that question to a wide variety of friends and acquaintances of all ages. I polled bankers, musicians, educators, auto salesmen, chefs, seamstresses, beauticians, writers, engineers and physicians. The results have been surprising.

The paramount fact to emerge is that stress levels have a great deal to do with personality type. There are some people who gather stress into themselves like a mother hen gathers her chicks. Once they have it, they nurture it, build it and are loath to let it go. They think about it, talk about it and wear it on their sleeves. Others have found unique ways to dispel it.

The musician said, “Music is a great stress reliever for me. When I play the piano, the rhythmic movement of my hands on the keys and the harmonic sounds I create help me to zone out, distancing myself from realities that add tension to my life.”

“I play golf,” said the banker. “Daily I deal with a high degree of stress. As the pressure builds, I remind myself to deal with each situation as it occurs and try not to anticipate the next one. I need to manage my time and energy Monday through Friday, knowing that I will be able to unwind on the golf course for the next two days.”

A teacher reported, “I hang upside down on an inversion board for 10 minutes at 180 degrees. For really bad days, I make it 20 minutes.”

“Bubble baths,” said a beautician. “At the end of the day, in addition to the job stress, I also have aching feet and legs. I light candles in my darkened bathroom, fill the tub and add my favorite bubbles. I soak until I‘m relaxed, then pull the plug and watch all my discomfort swirl away down the drain.”

A busy mother of four with a husband, home and a full time career says, “I hike. At the beginning of the hike, I identify what has me the most stressed. As I walk, I think about the reason for the problem and the different ways I can solve the situation. By the end of my hike, I’ve often found a solution, my head is clear and I can enjoy the scenery.”

I hope you have already found what works for you. If you haven’t, keep searching. There are numerous, effective ways from yoga to baking cakes that can help you cope.

The Fort Worth Nature Center and Refuge

One hundred years ago, the city of Fort Worth just wanted clean water. Fifty years ago, the Audubon Society members just wanted a small nature preserve where they could watch birds.

The two conservation efforts grew into Fort Worth’s wild, green jewel. At 3,621 acres, the center and refuge became one of the largest city-owned nature preserves in the nation. The center, adjacent to Lake Worth, contains eight soil varieties, 997 species of plants, and the pond boasts 308 species. The refuge is home to 40 bison. The wetland, Greer Island, teems with bird life. The preserve has become an outdoor laboratory for the natural world.

The non-profit Friends group provides $160,000 to $180,000 annually. The judicious use of these funds maintains, expands and protects the wild state of the center. Volunteers donate many hours of service in every area.

If you are among the 50,000 visitors who arrive every year, you will feel you are out in the wilderness. All you can hear are birds calling and armadillos rustling in the grass. As you walk a trail, you may meet a fox or possum, and you never know when a bobcat or a wildflower display is just around the corner.

In this special place, you are still in the city limits, but it’s an absolutely wild environment.

Fort Worth Nature Center Website

Praise and Pans

Pride and Prejudice was only half the story.

Jo Baker has created an irresistible answer to Jane Austen’s classic. Her novel, Longbourn, takes us beyond the drawing rooms of rigid Regency England during the Napoleonic wars, into the domain of the stern housekeeper and starry-eyed kitchen maid. The characters are totally believable and we learn to sincerely care about them.

My preferred genre is mystery/suspense, but my resolution for 2014 was to try new titles and new writers. Longbourn was a lucky choice. Who knew?? Baker creates a vivid, fascinating story of life in the servants’ hall. Her construction and placement of words causes me to wonder if we use the same alphabet. This book rates four stars.

After the euphoria of Longbourn, I picked a lemon – Pines by Blake Crouch. Classified as a “thriller,” I found it horrifying and repulsive. The same plot wound round and round and a satisfactory solution was beyond hope. By chapter four, I thought I’d made a bad choice. But I slogged onward telling myself it would get better. It didn’t. I stopped struggling at chapter twelve. I cannot finish this book.

On the bright side, I’ve found several writers whose work I recommend. Among them are two fellow Texas authors – Caroline Clemmons and Les Coalson. Clemmons writes contemporary romance with a western flavor. Her characters are vivid and memorable. Coalson cares. His books are studded with resources that must be preserved and people who strive to accomplish that goal. Conservation facts are woven into a very good story.

I recently read three books by Todd Borg. A Dalmatian named Spot and his owner live in the Lake Tahoe area and make a great detective team. They solve many mysteries, and I found them entertaining. A friend said Borg’s style was reminiscent of Dick Frances, but no one writes like Dick Francis.

Two female authors new to my realm are Kathy Reichs and Lisa Scottoline, but they’re not for the faint of heart. Their heroines are brilliant career women and forces to be reckoned with. They are prolific writers, and I heartily recommend every book they’ve written.

I still enjoy my old friends – Dana Stabenow and Nevada Barr. I’ve read all of their books published to date and hope amazing stories continue to pour from their pens. Sue Grafton is always good for a light, uncomplicated read. However, she is near the end of the alphabet and may retire after “Z.” Janet Evanovich’s books are fun and witty, and I read them, but they’re a trifle smutty. I do not read erotica.

Lillian Jackson Braun’s “The Cat Who…” books offer clean, uncomplicated comfort and fun. I read them years ago but still pick one up to be amused again.

Never stop trying different genres and unfamiliar writers. For every Pines there are 100 Longbourns.

Essentiall to Life

For me, reading is not an option – it is as necessary to living as air and water.

My first book was a Christmas gift from Mrs. Gardner, my second grade teacher. I treasured it always, and it remains safe in the cedar chest. This gift triggered a response that lasted throughout my life. From Christmas at age seven to the present day, I read. I’ve been known to read Progressive Farmer, Wall Street Journal and Ranch Romance if no other printed word was available.

As a general rule, I’ve always selected books according to author rather than title. Then I read every book written by that author. The early writers included Louisa Mae Alcott, Zane Grey, Mark Twain and Carolyn Keene. Later I read Agatha Christie, Ernest Hemingway and Louis L’Amour. In addition to my choices, I read every book on the school required list and happily gave book reports.

As a young married woman, I discovered Victoria Holt, Phyllis A. Whitney, Mary Stewart and Barbara Michaels. My heart pounded through every word written by Mary Higgins Clark. Over the years, I read Margaret Mitchell’s Gone With the Wind six times. With maturity came Willa Cather, Beryl Markham, James McBride, W. Somerset Maugham and Sue Monk Kidd.

In later years, I’ve read every book by Patricia Cromwell (even the ones I do not like), Anne McCaffrey, Jean M. Auel and Diana Gabaldon. I eagerly await Gabaldon’s next book due out in July.

Of course, we all require different genres and different writers at various times of our lives. Sometimes I read to expand my boundaries, to enrich my mind or to replenish my soul. But those books are not listed here – only the ones I read for sheer pleasure and escape made today’s list. In the category of absolute, life-time favorites stand Anne Perry and Dick Francis. I own every book they’ve ever written, and I grieved when learning of the death of Dick Francis. How sad to know he will never write another.

In future blog entries, I’ll discuss new authors I’ve tried and make recommendations. I’ll also have suggestions about ones to avoid. Book selection is a highly personal choice, and we all have definite opinions as to good and bad. But I will offer my mine -- take it or leave it.

So turn off the TV, find a comfortable chair with a good reading lamp, lift up your Kindle and READ.

The Yogurt Explosion

There’s an international invasion in the yogurt aisle of most mainstream grocery stores.

Russian, Bulgarian, Icelandic, Asian, Australian and Greek-style yogurts are popping up next to all-American brands like Yoplait and Dannon. They’re all trying to keep up with the growing wave of consumers who’ve enthusiastically embraced yogurt as part of their diet.

How did this happen? How did we go from happily buying frothy, whipped Key lime pie flavored yogurt to the far tangier, less sugary yogurts with hard-to-pronounce-names? Most likely it was boredom. Americans love novelty, but novelty as new versions of what we already know.

Yogurt’s versatility and portability also make it desirable to its biggest consumers – women and children. You can eat it for breakfast, lunch or dessert, and you can get it in any flavor and any thickness. It’s also available in regular, low-fat and fat-free.

All yogurts are made from milk that has been fermented with bacteria cultures. What happens after that is how they differ. Some are strained to remove whey, lactose and natural sugars. Kefir is drinkable, originally from Eastern Europe. Adding active bacteria cultures makes the yogurt easier to digest.

Yogurt is packed with protein, calcium and flavor. What’s not to like?

I may have uneducated taste buds. To date I’ve worked my way through the Greek and the Asian flavors and plan to try others as I find them. So far, I still prefer Dannon’s Activia vanilla.

One brand of Yogurt isn’t better than the next. It really depends on what you like and what you’re used to.

Chasing The Wind

Dark clouds form, thunder rolls and lightning flashes, planting fear and causing some to flee or hide. 

In my hometown there is a group of men called Storm Chasers who do not fear storms. They settle down in a specially outfitted van and go out to meet them. Their interest and love for storms developed at a young age and has intensified as they gained experience and knowledge.

Their first up-close and personal event was with Hurricane Rita. Later they chased Gustav, Ike and Isaac. When Ike made landfall, they stood on the seawall watching waves bounce 40 feet into the air, while being interviewed by Geraldo Rivera. They describe the experience as “exhilarating and amazing.”

Chasing hurricanes differ considerably from going after tornadoes. Hurricanes provide more warning. Experts track them long before they make landfall. Storm Chasers watch satellites and use other equipment. They know pretty well where and when the storm will hit.

A tornado is an entirely different environment. While weather technology provides immense data, no one can predict when, where or if one will develop. On a day when conditions seem perfect for activity, our local team may travel as far as Kansas and see nothing. On May 15, 2013, weather channels and other meteorological sites expected little or nothing. But sixteen tornadoes appeared that day, including the deadly EF4 that hit nearby Granbury.

As May 2013 ended, our team of chasers witnessed a historic event in El Reno, Oklahoma. A tornado developed a quarter of a mile from them. Internal winds of 296 mph twisted, drawing in debris from every direction. The 2.6-mile wide tornado, the widest reported in history, remained on the ground for 43 minutes. The van suffered damage but no chaser was injured.

In spite of the risk and danger, storm chasers hope the knowledge and data they collect will save lives.

Making the World Greener - One Tree at a Time

For more than four decades, the Nebraska City-based Arbor Day Foundation has planted and distributed more than 10 million trees annually.

Why? Because trees cool cities, buffer rivers and streams, serve as windbreaks, and help control erosion and pollution. And they provide nesting sites for our feathered friends. This non-profit conservation and education organization has one mission: To inspire people to plant, nurture and celebrate trees. It grew out of the 19th century work of J. Sterling Morton. A visionary and conservationist, Morton encountered a nearly treeless prairie when he moved with his bride from Michigan to Nebraska in 1854. Staking a claim in Nebraska City, the newspaper editor began importing and experimenting with trees. He gave away saplings, many to pioneers heading west. In 1872, Morton initiated Arbor Day to spread his passion. That year, Nebraskans planted one million trees.

My own mother did her part. Living in dry West Texas, she was thrilled to discover that a cottonwood tree had come up in our arid, hard-as-rock back yard. From then on, she faithfully carried buckets of rinse water from the laundry and carefully poured every drop on the tree. By the time I was a teenager, that sole tree could be seen from miles away.

The Foundation and its partners, Tree Cities, USA, work to preserve forests across the globe, restore habitat and forest ecosystems, encourage and maintain urban forests, replace trees in areas hit by natural disasters, and design playgrounds that connect children with nature. America’s forests are national treasures. They provide wood for our homes, habitat for wild life, clean air and drinking water for millions.

Our forests are our future.

Moving

When your whole life is in a new place, you need familiar tasks and belongings to help calm the chaos.

It’s 7:00 a.m. Do you know where your toothbrush is? If you do and you can also find your phone charger, put your hands on a clean towel and have all you need to make a cup of coffee, be grateful.

During my first year of marriage, we moved four times. Moving wasn’t a hardship at that time. Our primary housekeeping belongings were a radio and a coffee pot. We did have a few extras such as bedding, table cloths and pictures for the walls. And we had all those lovely wedding shower gifts. We just stowed everything in the back seat and trunk of the car and towed a piled-up trailer. The only stressful event on that first move was discovering that my pillow never survived the trip.

After the Korean “police action” ended and my soldier husband came home, we settled down in one place for 28 years. Let me assure you that the next move took years off my life. That relocation was hard on my fingernails and made me pop Advil like jelly beans. I even considered sitting on the curb by the garbage cans swilling Jack Daniel. But there was no time for that.

The physical aspect of a move - the packing, loading, unloading and unpacking, is hard. But the hardest part is mental – making tough choices regarding what to discard, what to keep and how to move it is almost too much. Then there are the thousands of small interconnected decisions in short order about where to put everything.

That move was eye-opening and educational. I learned to live more efficiently. I carefully considered each of our acts of daily living and streamlined them. Now the hair brushes and combs were with the hair appliances. The can opener was with the canned goods. Toothbrushes, toothpaste and floss were together in the same, narrow drawer. All you have to do is think about what you do, when, where and with what and pull it all together.

Twenty-five years later when faced with the empty-nest syndrome and an urgent need for down-sizing, I was ready. In touching distance at all times was my clip board of lists, room dimensions, paint swatches and moving company phone numbers. It was a piece of cake!

Living well is a lot less about where we live and far more about how we live.

Failure is an Option

Sometimes focusing on perfection is beside the point.

In his book, Little Failure, Gary Shteyngart explains that eventual success is often the result of failures.
Those who raise organic vegetables for a living, or bake cheesecake or paint burlap table runners, are pursuing a “New American Dream.” If you read between the lines, you may see signs of failure.

As more of us quit our day jobs and become free agents, ultimate success belongs not to the most talented or the hardest working, but to those who recover best from bad luck and their own mistakes. In some fields, failing is a necessity. Body builders lift to failure, pumping iron until they can’t do one more rep. Judo beginners learn the art of falling. Engineers push devices until they break, to measure the margin of safety. Many successful people proudly describe their flops and recoveries. Failing is a skill that everyone should learn at an early age.

Take writing for example. Instead of instructing students to create a great first draft, we should show them how to rewrite a lousy one.

So, fellow strivers, go out there, do your best, and fail! While the meek shall inherit the earth, the resilient will earn it the hard way.

Airlines Give Flowers Wings

Miami International Airport is the entry point for 85 percent of flowers, including Mother’s Day bouquets.

Most airline passengers focus on legroom and the space in the overhead bins. Few think about what’s beneath the cabin floor. Roses, carnations, hydrangeas, sunflowers and other varieties arrive in the United States in the bellies of passenger planes. They are rushed by forklift from planes to chilled warehouses and then onto refrigerated trucks or other planes. Eventually, they’re delivered to florists, gas stations and grocery stores across the country.

Airplane cargo can include fresh Alaskan salmon, this year’s latest luxury clothing from Milan and Peruvian asparagus heading to London. Then there are the more unusual items like human corneas, the occasional live cheetah or lion, and large shipments of gold and diamonds. Cargo is an increasingly important part of the business for U.S. passenger airlines. New jets are built with more freight space. And airlines are adding new nonstop international routes popular with shippers. That provides plenty of room for flowers. Thousands of flowers are needed every Mother’s Day and Valentine’s Day – the two dates when the most flowers are sold.

If this year’s severe weather continues through May 11, the biggest problem this Mother’s Day might be the final few miles of the journey. Cold fronts, high winds, mud slides and tornados may make suburban roads difficult for local delivery drivers.

Pass the Pigskin

Recently at a family gathering, I mentioned that the Dallas Cowboys are my favorite NFL team.

When the laughter abated, the ridicule began. Finally, we all agreed that even though we cheered for different teams, we were united in love for the game.

Perhaps part of that appreciation is due to the dedication of Paul Cunningham of Leather Head Sports in Glen Rock, NJ. Using a utility knife and a steel template, Cunningham cuts four identical panels, which he’ll stitch together to create what he considers the perfect football - blending both function and art.
“Symmetry is vital so the ball doesn’t wobble,” he says. “Ultimately, I want a ball that has a lot of sensory appeal. It should look beautiful, feel supple and have a warm, enticing leather aroma.”

Passionate about both sports and leather craftsmanship, Cunningham creates custom-made baseballs, basketballs, footballs, rugby balls and medicine balls for people who appreciate ruggedly beautiful sports equipment. Footballs, however, are his top-sellers, and he sells thousands of them each year.

It takes Cunningham about 35 minutes to create a Leather Head football – from cutting and stitching together the leather panels and pumping air into the internal rubber bladder that gives the ball its shape.

“Paul’s sport balls are like museum pieces, but you can play with them,” says one retailer. “You do pay extra, but the craftsmanship is excellent.”