Christmas 2014

On the 11^th day of Christmas Suzanne sent to me 11 pipers piping…and 1 overdue letter

                        2014: A Patchwork Review

 

“Roman Stripe”—a scrap quilt I made this year      

ON BROKEN RESOLUTIONS

On January 1 I resolved to not get on an airplane in 2014. Yet…

           

In February I flew to Durham, NC for my father’s wedding.            

In May I flew to Phoenix to see Jorie’s new home.

In September I flew to to St. Louis for my annual writers’ conference.

           

In October I flew to Kentucky for my dad’s 90^th birthday.

           

In December I flew back to Phoenix for Christmas.

Maybe 2015 will be the year I don’t get on an airplane—if Amtrak puts a station in Hot Springs.

THE BEAST TAMED

Most people who have pets that wandered into their lives wish the pet could tell its story. This year (after 3 years with me) Gabby the hunter has become Gabby the house cat (mostly, anyway). The changes have given me clues to her story. The first change was not running out the door every time I open it. Lately she sticks her nose out the door first. If it’s cold, she backs away and shakes herself like a dog that’s been swimming. Rain is the same: she no longer crawls under the couch when it rains, as if the roof wasn’t enough protection. Now she braves the rain in the living room, occasionally even looking at it out the window. And the toys—she actually plays with them. Then there’s her taste for bagels. When I open a bag of them, she comes running. Most remarkable is every time I sit down, she leaps in my lap, curls up, and begins to purr—a new sound for her. So what’s Gabby’s story? I suspect the vet was right: Gabby was a feral cat. It’s taken three years, but she’s now a tame little beast. At least most of the time. A couple of days ago, I opened my front door and found a bird’s head and a few tail feathers. You can imagine where the rest of the bird was (even the feet?).

APP OF THE YEAR:  Pandora One

Jorie upgraded her smart phone and gave me her “old” one, so this year I’ve learned about texting, checking email on my phone, and Apps. A friend first told me about Pandora, a free music app that allows the user to create a themed collection of songs you like (a “radio station”). Of course, since nothing is really free, you can upgrade to Pandora One and eliminate the ads. But for $3.99 a month, it’s been well worth it to me. I now have several stations—New Age solo piano, classical, Christian (If you think you don’t like Christian music, try Michael Card, John Michael Talbot, and Matt Redman.) I even had a Christmas station from which I could exclude grocery store songs.

FALL, 2014

Autumn slipped late into

the forest this year, waiting

until almost November to take

the stage. No russet rainbow

worked in oils on a robin’s egg

sky this year, just disappointing

shades of brown. Yet today I 

stepped off the path to shelter 

from a sudden shower. In a hidden 

glade a sweet gum, each leaf a ruby

star suspended by an indigo 

thread; a sugar maple, shimmered

gold against a silver cloud; low

to the ground, a blackberry vine

dappled ginger and jade.

Nothing more.

But it was, like a newly discovered 

canvas of an old master, it was

enough.

MS T-SHIRT OF THE YEAR

I don’t take naps. I take horizontal life pauses.

BOOK OF THE YEAR

The Voice New Testament

Recently I discovered this new translation of the New Testament, and I’m really excited about it. The process was different from previous translations because the committee paired each Bible scholar/translator with a writer. (What a concept! I wonder why no one has thought of this before…) The result is a translation that sticks to the original meaning but is rendered in well-written English prose. The process was quite a bit more complex than that, but if you’re interested, it’s explained in the introduction.

One characteristic I like is that instead of explanatory footnotes, the writers have added boxes in the text that give the background of what’s being said in a way that makes sense to 21^st century readers. There are several reading lists offered at the beginning. I read the Advent passages, and I began the 24 week reading plan 1/1. The interesting thing about the reading plan is that it’s arranged thematically, rather than following the order of the books. So we begin with Matthew, not because it begins on page 1 of the New Testament but because Jesus came first to the Jews and this gospel begins from that perspective. After Matthew’s narrative of the life of Jesus, we read Hebrews that shows how Jesus fulfilled the promises of the Old Covenant to the Jews. The next reading is Paul’s letter to the Romans, the very foundation of Christian theology.

In any case, the Voice provides a new way of reading scripture that makes sense to those of us living in the 21^st century. If you have any interest in scripture, I highly recommend this library of ancient books translated and explained for a modern audience.

RECIPE OF THE YEAR

If, like most people, you have difficulty getting in the recommended 5-7 servings of fruits and vegetables, here’s a good way to do it.

GREEN (OR BROWN OE PURPLE) SMOOTHIE

Many variations to play with, but the basic recipe (1 serving) is

1/3 c unsweetened coconut milk (Thai)

1/2 c water

1/2 c (really packed in tightly) kale (or baby kale or chard) 

1/2 c (packed as above) spinach (fresh or frozen)

Blend (high speed) 1st 3 ingredients until green liquid

1/2 banana (really ripe--almost ready for banana bread)*

1/2 c blueberries (fresh or frozen)

1/2 c strawberries (fresh or frozen)

[OR chopped pineapple, apple, peaches, avocado—whatever you like and have on hand.]

Blend one at a time if frozen or just toss it in if fresh.

Optional: plant-based protein powder as needed for 10-20 g of protein

    2 T flaxseed or 1 T chia seed

    1 T coconut oil (melted: 35 seconds in the microwave)

I'm finding green smoothies are a bit like stir fry—more a concept than a recipe. They’re not cheap or low-calorie, but they taste good and help out bodies that have passed 100,000 miles. I've been drinking one instead of lunch, and I don't get quite the afternoon slump.

*Green bananas are constipating, but ripe ones have lots of good fiber. I've been letting my bananas get to the almost mushy stage and then freezing them.

MY WIP (Work in Progress)

I came away from my writing conference with a better understanding of the business of writing. In today’s digital world, the competition is stiffer than ever. With only 4 companies now owning all the traditional imprints, there are fewer and fewer opportunities for unknown authors to publish. Many writers are self-publishing, but the problem with that route for me is it also means self-promotion, self-advertising, and self-distribution—none of which I have energy for.

So I’m trying a new approach. I’m writing a book following a template used by Love-Inspired-Suspense. It’s quite a departure for me as their books are equal parts romance and suspense. Because I’m accustomed to writing mysteries, it’s a challenge for me to tell the story with the villain in plain sight. The other challenge is the romance. I’m learning to invent fairy tales—a genre I’ve always loved. The surprise is that writing to this template is improving my writing, and I’m actually having fun with the romance (think Castle). I’m about 2/3 of the way through Grand Canyon Peril—my working title. Maybe 2015 will be the year I get a contract!

TWELVE DRUMMERS DRUMMING

It’s 8:45 p.m., so with the magic of the internet, I think I’m going to beat the twelve drummers drumming, which will be quite a relief to all of you, I know. So—a breathless Merry Christmas and slightly tardy wishes for a new year filled with contentment (a much under-rated state of being) and flashes of joy.