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.