THE DAY GRANNY CHANGED!

The Day Granny Changed!

Thank you for all of your suggestions. Some of them very valuable and will be incorporated into the character I’m creating. I hope have a drawing of Granny soon, working on the image now. Based on your suggestions I’ve developed a uniform, weapons, and a vehicle for traveling. Now I think Granny needs a mission, and perhaps a good PR person since the old ladies are getting such a bad rap. Hopefully her image can be salvaged by the appropriate spin.

Now for Granny’s mission and some thoughts on her aproned baking self and alter ego. I believe Granny’s mission should be to protect children, unlike the witch in Hanzel and Gretel, who so the story goes, puts children in ovens. So now I need to develop the myth of Granny and the newly named superheroine. Will have to look up figures of justice and see where that leads me.

I think Granny T sounds like a good human alter ego. She wears glasses, bakes, gardens, often wears an apron, has the recipe book that allows her to travel back in time as she goes back to the source of the original recipes. She also naps in her recliner.

So now to come up with name for the superheroine version of the Granny.  This will require some thought and research. So will check on you next week. If you have suggestions, let me know.

HANZEL AND GRETEL: WITCH HUNTERS

Hanzel and Gretel: Witch Hunters

Watching this lovely gory let’s blow things up and set them on fire work led me to some interesting thoughts about crones. Okay why are the old women always crones or witches? Why do they have such an image problem? Is there nothing between crone and the evil witch? If the witch captures the children with the candy house and then tries to eat them, how does one overcome this bad press? The inverse must be true for the Granny superheroine: she must solve the mysteries of who takes children, protect them, and help them get away.

It boggles the mind: crone or witch, no middle ground. We have given some time to the weapons, although at this date, the matter is not settle and everything is still under consideration. Gretel was wearing some cool leather pants in the basic black that I think Granny might like for her very own. So that will settle part of the costume issue, black leather pants.

What about transportation? No broomsticks allowed. Hmmmmmmm, flying monkeys are out, a hat, a cool car? What about a flying carpet, no time traveling just your basic back and forth. A pair of magic boots, very tasteful, of course, to go with the leather pants.

Okay, going back to the drawing board to bring more ideas to the surface. I could use a little help.

MORE THOUGHTS ON WEAPONS

More Thoughts on Weapons

A gentle reader thinks a grandma being able to gas people with her pearls is too frightening to contemplate. So with that in mind I am considering the suggestion of a time traveling cook book. The recipes are dated and when you open the book after deciding what to cook, you’re whisked back into time. I think that is pretty cool.

How about a butter churn that churns while it is inserted into the milk but becomes a light ax when it is pulled from its bottom? Imagine a long handle with blades whipping out and butter flying around. I think it might have possibilities.

I am not sure my granny should fight crime. But what else would she do with these awesomely cool weapons? Maybe she should search for missing persons, people lost in the wheat fields of Oklahoma, or fallen down a freshly fracked well, or polluting a creek with their petroleum. Now there’re possibilities. She could solve mysteries like tracking down people dumping illegally.

What do you think her mission should be? I could use some help here.

HEROINE'S WEAPONS

HEROINE'S WEAPONS

I am sitting here watching G I Joe: Retaliation. The hero formula for G I Joe is very familiar to everyone. The mythic reality of G I Joe comes from the reports of heros coming home from the second world war, action in Korea, or Hasbro Toys. These are the heros of my brothers, son and perhaps my grandson.

Where is my heroine? There were no women wearing capes at the bakeoffs or the fairs where the jellies were judged. We need a squad of women who do extraordinary things with special weapons. I’m going to give this some thought We've had the stories where the girls with bows save the world. This is a good start, but not enough. It needs more work. The guys get the cool toys and exploding thingys, all my grandma had was a wooden spoon and a whisk. Maybe she needs an apron that turns into a bullwhip, or the classic pearls that emit a paralyzing gas that makes people forget. I’ll be working on it.

 

 

Oklahoma Writers Federation Meeting (OWFI) 2014

Oklahoma Writers Federation Meeting (OWFI) 2014

I experienced the energy of so many writers and speakers. It was amazing. Writers are people who will reach back and help someone who is just starting out. They network and mentor. Their accomplishments are inspirational to the rest of us. Their message of don’t be discouraged, you’ll get there is reassuring. The weekend is just a blur of information and new faces.

I was shepherd to Matrice Hussey, editor at Harlequin Romances. She was a delight and gave a presentation on the varying degrees of romantic writing. It was an eye opener to learn there are so many degrees romance can be depicted. I write for children so my brush with romance is in the library or the bookstore stacks. I am a reader of many different genres and love a good story that works. I guess that I ask myself does it do what the writer wanted? Did it do it well?

I met Eloisa James the best selling author of romances. She is a wonderful funny woman who gave a delightful keynote speech about her journey to success. She emphasized the writer is 50% business person and 50% writer/creator. It was the first time I had thought of it in this manner. I have been writing without thinking about the business side of it.

Today I am adjusting my internal landscape to reflect these new realities that I have learned. It will take me time to process all of the implications of what I have heard. But I am going to make changes.

 

WHOLE GRAIN GOODNESS EXPERIMENT TWO

WHOLE GRAIN GOODNESS EXPERIMENT TWO

The next whole grain quest for nutritional goodness. I should confess that when I started this experiment, I just wanted some barley but couldn’t find it. So here I am trying all of the more exotic selections of grains. Millet, The Traditional Grain of Asia, was called off the bench to go in for barley.

Millet looks like seeds but is bigger than the Amaranth so someone has defined it as a grain. Okay. It even puffs up and becomes bigger when cooked just like rice. Like rice it takes the flavor of the seasonings you put with it. I would say it has a very bland taste instead of a stronger taste you have to disguise. I am happy to say I didn’t overcook it. Its little standing up grains are a soft yellow color and they looked lovely in the peppers I stuffed with them.

So I took the lovely yellow grains, mixed them with a little bit of sweet sausage, some onion and mild pepper, and Italian seasoning and stuffed them into peppers. Italian seasoning is my second string seasoning when I don’t have strong feelings about what I should use. I have a system that prescribes thyme, basil, rosemary, and oregano for some of my cooking efforts, but when I have doubts I use the Italian seasoning which is a combination of all of them until some sort of flavoring system reveals itself. It is an intuitive, crystal ball kind of process that eventually becomes clear to me.

I fed these lovely color coordinated stuffed peppers to my husband, the gourmand, who thinks fish sticks are a fine food. He was very receptive to this attempt at whole grain goodness. I never argue with success, but bear in mind, if I am not in my kitchen, this man goes steady with Marie Callender. When I text him I am coming home, send that woman out the back door, he is always glad to see me and eat my experiments.

 

 

EASTER EGG DROP

EASTER EGG DROP

Aren’t Easter customs interesting? I saw in our paper the announcement of 40,000 Easter eggs being dropped out of a helicopter in the celebration of the holiday. I suppose we should not even ask ourselves about the symbolism of this drop and how it ties into a holiday about the Resurrection. We should certainly not focus on why propelling plastic Easter eggs from a great height would take the place of a traditional hunt. In a traditional hunt we are still finding eggs in July having done the hiding so well in April.  But here we are not hiding anything, we are bombarding the populace with the small egg projectiles.

Hopefully they are filled with jelly beans, or kisses. It seems to me a rather aggressive way to celebrate the Holiday, or spring which is the softest of all the seasons. Spring gently sneaks up on us with soft green buds and yellow pollen. I can only wonder at the mentality of substituting the helicopter for the Easter Bunnie. When did this happen?

Okay, all that aside. Let’s just focus for a minute on the symbolism of the helicopter. We use helicopters in this way in war zones to drop food supplies, propaganda pamphlets, and medical aid. Usually these drops are done in concert with the military or some operation ordered by our alphabet spy agencies. Is the military involved in this Easter Egg drop? I submit that dropping anything from the sky onto a crowd below is wrong, and old fashioned Easter Egg hunts are the best.

 

OK SCBWI Spring 2014

OK SOCIETY CHILDREN’S BOOK WRITERS AND ILLUSTRATORS SPRING 2014

The gathering of children’s book writers is always an amazing collection of talent. This spring’s conference in Oklahoma City was no exception. We come together and listen to professional agents, editors, and publishers representatives talk about a topic of interest to everyone. This spring’s it was character development. If you’re struggling with your stories then you don’t get it right all at once. It takes trial and error before you bring all the story elements together in one glorious whole unit. The important thing is to keep trying. I always learn something new. A new technique to develop and practice for my art.

I have several wonderful ideas that are not perfected yet. I want to make them as perfect as I can before I release them into the world. I continue to work on them for my sake. I will continue with my character development and the other techniques I learned. My writing buddies are always game for conferences. They enjoy going and meeting. Sometime we go down the road writing on the back of something a new idea. Sometimes we edit as we go. We eat and sleep our characters some days. Children’s literature is very challenging.

I discovered that I have nothing to say that would benefit any adult. Being an adult is just no fun, and I just don’t have anything to add to the experience. I just am not that good at being an adult, so I choose to have a very active and imaginative childhood experience during my waking hours. It is my best self. I’ll keep working on my stories and some day I’ll see you in the juvenile literature section.

 

WHOLE GRAIN GOODNESS EXPERIMENT ONE

WHOLE GRAIN GOODNESS EXPERIMENT ONE

I am on a whole grain quest for nutritional goodness. In this frame of mind, the package hawking Grains-Of-Discovery, Organic Whole Grain, AMARANTH, The Traditional Grain of Mexico was too much to pass up. So I brought it home just knowing I would wake up stronger and better nourished than any day previously.

I’ve never cooked with Amaranth. By the way, it’s a seed not a grain. Mexico might call this a grain, but a seed is a seed. The package goes on to say this seed was a staple of the ancient Aztecs, and it is a complete protein. Well…my whole grain guide did not come in the mail for another two weeks, complements of a magazine subscription I ordered. Be careful not to overcook it.

I gave it a stern boiling and I created a viscous gray sludge like substance. When I saw the picture of the individual grains standing up and smiling, I knew what I had done. The next question became what to do with gray sludge? Supper time is fast approaching. Hungry people do not care about expanding the cooks experimental universe. So I tasted it. Ummmmmmm, really earthy taste, along with being gray, I perceive this as a drawback. Gray food is a tough sell at my house.

Okay, time to call out plan B. I put lemon juice in it. I added small amount of maple syrup. I added raisens and almonds. Then I stuffed it into acorn squash just like it was supposed to be there and baked it. It was pretty good. It was eaten. Will try for standing up grains another time.

 

SPRING COLOR 2014

SPRING COLOR 2014

This year the spring color is an electric neon pink. I already have a sweater in this color, a gift from my sister. She guessed that this would be the latest thing when she gave it to me. I am good to go. In the mall windows they are showing bright pink sweaters, blouses and tops and pink jeans. The pink jeans are interesting, I guess, as I try to conjure the event I would attend in them. Symphony…no…movie…maybe…grocery stores…maybe…church…no…writers meeting…they’d almost be too polite to laugh… perhaps not.

The problem with this dazzling color is that it is hard to work with and accessorize. Too much of the bright pink and you’ll look like a walking tulip, scary, but ambulatory. You must acquire and wear this color in small doses. Well let’s consider how small, a scarf, a shell, a purse, a pair of shoes, perhaps just the right amount. Anything more needs careful consideration, very careful.

My beautiful sister, who I love dearly, often gives me great fashion advice usually while we are walking along looking into windows. Her voice will often replay in my ears as I contemplate various fashion foibles that might take a turn to the dark side. No one wants fashion to turn on them after they have left the store, but I have my sister’s voice whispering in my ear her words of wisdom, “Nothing that color belongs on something that size.”

 

 

SPRING OF 1000 PEAT POTS

SPRING OF 1000 PEAT POTS

When snow is eight inches deep and stacked against everything, the pictures in my seed catalogues take on an iridescent glow and start singing like sirens. “Come think about seeds. You could have vines over all the  yard and be harvesting green beans, tomatos, ________.” Just fill in the blank. This is the time of the year when it is really hard to keep spring fever at bay. I have refused to even pick up the sticks and start cleaning up because I’ll get started and then the weather will be bad and spring will be cancelled until May here on the plains.

But the catalogs are really tempting. The pages are glossy. Descriptions are: Our beautiful, mini-sized, colorful lunchbox snack peppers are remarkably sweet and flavorful. They are followed by bright dazzling pictures calling to me, “I’ll grow for you.” So back to my story, the spring of 1000 peat pots. Every window releasing a crack of light was shining that light on at least 25 peat pots. Peat pots were everywhere. One thousand plus seeds later not one tiny green shoot?  Negative, not one. I grew peat pots full of dirt. There you have it, the peat pot siren song. Can you hear it?

So, on this day, when we are shut up in the house by winter storms efforts. I want to say to you. Don’t give up. Don’t surrender to the terrible blahs of the long winter. Listen to the voice in your head that says: “Step away from the peat pots.”

 

HELLO SUN

HELLO SUN

Today is the first day of daylight savings time. When I was a girl I used to read editorials about this being communist time, not God’s time. But we have surely moved past that today. The reality is that the sunbeam that used to greet me at 7:44 is no longer there. Now I am up and busy long before the sun hits the window where my chair is located. When we change to daylight savings time we are on our way to spring. It is the first step to the spring feeling. Next we will find daffodils in front and trees budding.

Today I feel like someone who has slept too long. Winter has left me groggy. Time to move things outside and get the yard ready for summer activities.  I’m looking forward to sitting in the sun, and digging in the dirt. I don’t ever get everything done outside, I just get to a point where I say there is always next year and leave it where it is. I can always make more plans than I can execute. This year won’t be any different.

In a couple of mornings I’ll be over the adjustment to communist time and I’ll be in rhythm once more. Up bright and early, searching for the first ray of the sun, planning to do more than is humanly possible. But right now I am struggling with the first day of daylight savings time.

 

VEGETABLE ROULETTE

VEGETABLE ROULETTE

I’ve recently discovered Bountiful Baskets. I love the surprise of it; the going, picking up, and taking home. Things my family wouldn’t let me put into a grocery cart now show up on the kitchen table. Conversations, with the man who would check the top of my grocery bag for greens saying: “What are those green things?” have evolved into discussions of the health benefits of ________.  Followed statements like by he might even enjoy it, who knows. The inbred suspicion of green things doesn’t leave some men when they age. They were stymied by chocolate donuts and marshmallows and never develop an adult palate. It is my mission to help with this.

Enter Bountiful Baskets the wonderful vegetable game. You take your basket and get fruits and vegetables very reasonably priced. You get more with your buying power than you can through the grocery store and you get your family to try things. They can no longer inspect the cart and sacks before you can get them into the car. You can just walk into the house and plunk down you baskets of fruits and vegetables. Can’t wait till you try this ________!  Use your imagination.

Google will offer up a recipe for anything you’ve never cooked before. You’ve nothing to lose. It also shifts the meal planning away from the meat dish. I’ve whispered the previous statement not wanting to blaspheme too loudly, especially within hearing of an objecting ear. We should all be cooking veggies, serving up salads, and stuffing squash. Let’s play vegetables. I’ll see your three zucchini and raise you a rutabaga.

 

PUBLIC SERVICE

PUBLIC SERVICE

I volunteer as a public service. This past year I volunteered to judge a school competition for the Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA). I judged one of their speaking contests. Everyone should take time out of their busy schedules to encourage young people in their pursuits. We were encouraged when we were younger and we should do likewise.

God Bless the Volunteers who pass on the things they believe the next generation should know. There should be more of them around. I know I volunteered when my children were in school, but now that I have grandchildren, I occasionally get pressed into service on some new endeavor. I try to be a cheerful volunteer. I have been around people who have not made that commitment to cheer, and they will make everyone miserable.

I want the next generation to be better than mine was. As a boomer, I have done my best to pave the way for new ways of questioning the status quo. There is nothing sacred about the past. There were not good ol’ days. There were days of my youth and mini skirts, fuzzy hairstyles and rusty cars. Those were not the good ol’ days. Days of confusion, belief testing, long conversations searching for values and learning to become the citizen I am today.

Let’s go forth as volunteers and shed light on our pasts. The young people are not going to the dogs. They are survivors and searching as we once searched for their truths and their place. I want to do what I can to show them the way.

 

THE PERFECT CUP OF COFFEE

THE PERFECT CUP OF COFFEE

My husband has a new coffee pot. It is beautiful, red and black, shiny, the carafe has a little silver hat to wear when it is perking coffee. In the middle of its gleaming redness is a small clock that tells the time and shines out like a lighthouse beacon. It is just the most splendid thing we have ever had that made coffee. The last coffee pot we purchased did not turn itself off. We were such fire hazards that there should be a law that prevents retailers from taking money from us for a pot that won’t shut itself off.

The only thing I have ever seen bigger and shinier than this pot belonged to my son-in-law, the commander. He has a regular shrine to the coffee gods in his kitchen. It warms milk and whistles Dixie, mine doesn’t. If you don’t drink a lot of coffee, not a regular addict, then you are particular about how yours tastes. I didn’t drink it for years because I thought it smelled better than it tasted. So now I have become a convert. I have two cups a day. The coffee has so much stuff added to it, it becomes dessert. It has to be as light as a tan crayola, it has to be sweet not bitter, and it should have a robust interesting flavor.

A two cup a day drinker is not actually an addict. We are more hobbyists and very critical if perfection is not achieved in our individual cups. I may never be an addict, but my day is better when I have a couple of jolts of tan crayola.

 

NEW TECHNOLOGY

NEW TECHNOLOGY

I just finished watching the youtube video about Twitter. I am learning how to tweet. Those of you who know how, should be warned that I am coming into a news feed near you, maybe today. I have resolved to tweet this morning so stand back.

In an attempt to learn about the new arena of social media, I have set up two blogs, one a website using wordpress and one using blogspot. I am moving onto a google+ account, and have to confess my ignorance about it, but won’t be dumb long. Getting more familiar with Facebook every day. The social network that will eventually win me is the one that will combine all of the social possibilities into one big linked center that hopefully will not be self-aware and take over.

So here is the question. What are we going to do with all of this linkedness and friendly following? Are we going to change the world now that we can talk to one another? We are at the tentative beginning stages and I am wondering. There are parts of my life that are so boring that someone would come and unplug my keyboard if I were to tweet, like, or share them. I promise. Come change me please.

When we get fully connected, I will wait for the moment when we link our electronic bits together and sing Cum Ba Ya in front of our bond fire screen savers.

FORCING PAPERWHITES

FORCING PAPERWHITES

One February I received a kit for bulb forcing. It was such a gray February that I immediately filled the little container with water and put it in my kitchen window. The green container showed so much promise. It was a lovely crackled glass. It sparkled brightly in the afternoon sun. The bulb sat there like royalty on a throne. It was thirsty and I watered it everyday. First thing in the morning right after coffee, water the green throne and inspect the bulb for a green shoot.

It wasn’t long, on the grayest of days, a green tip appeared on the end of the bulb. The tiny promise of something alive was growing during February, not the easiest of months to survive, much less show real life in my kitchen. This apparition of green made me so happy. I could hold out until spring, maybe February is just a state of mind, and something over the counter will help me get past it. There is after all a green tip in my window. I could hardly wait. Hurrah! Hurrah!

The tip grew bigger. Finally leaves appeared. Then miracles of miracles a bloom appeared. It was white a pure color, really promising, things were looking up. The day the bloom opened, I had to wait days for the bloom to open, it revealed itself. It was a paperwhite. Every gardener will tell you about paperwhites. They will bloom in water and they will encourage a beginner bulb forcer to explore the world of bulb forcing. But what they don’t bother to mention, is the paperwhite in full bloom smells like something has died in your kitchen, and no amount of beauty will compensate for the smell they generate. It was just a botanical trick, something dead in February.

BULB FORCING VASE

GOODBYE JANUARY

GOODBYE JANUARY

January is the month of resolve. The excesses of the holiday season are behind us and we resolve: To be thinner, pursue more fitness, and be more disciplined in ________,housework, gardening, our hobbies, our entertaining, you fill in the blank. Having resolved, I am glad that January is behind us. It is in our rear view mirror, adios resolve month.

We are now moving into the gray month of February. It is the month of sleety skies, partly cloudiness, and bitter wind. It is often a cold windy month of flu statistics, sneezing, and coughing. If you don’t believe me, just go to the grocery store and see for yourself. People will be sputtering over your bananas.

The thing I remember most from childhood about February is the cherry vanilla ice cream you could get around President’s Day. This was the only time of the year you could get it. I thought it was interesting as a child, the man killing a cherry tree by chopping it down would give us cherry vanilla ice cream to commemorate his day. I have always enjoyed the ice cream.

The thing to which I cling is this. After the grayness of February everything starts to bloom again, daffodils appear with their fragrance and sunny faces. Tiny blades of greenness appear to give us hope that all is not lost between resolve and grayness tempered with cherry vanilla ice cream.

 

LISTENING TO ADVICE

LISTENING TO ADVICE

There are many people who know more than I do. I have no doubt in my mind, or heart. I try to adapt the advice I get to my circumstances, so it will be truly useful. Sometimes trying to adapt the advice is part of the problem, especially if you are too close to the issue to begin with. Circumstances are so personal.

I had three agents tell me that my idea would never sell in the current written form. Imagine, not one but three, the trinity of agents saying no way, won’t go like this. This announcement was the beginning of the struggles. I have a vast imaginary world that I am struggling to share. It is big. It is complicated. It is populated by many characters and their settings.

So now I have started the description of this world over. I have no doubt that eventually I will be able to share it with you. It will be excellent when I do have it all worked out. You will enjoy seeing what I have to show you. 

I can now report that I have finished the eighth version of this story. It is going through the critique group process. So we will see what everyone thinks about it.

 

HAVING TROUBLE WITH PLOT POINTS

HAVING TROUBLE WITH PLOT POINTS

Well, my story isn’t arcing. I have spread it out on a cork board and I am struggling with all of the plot points and scenes. I have been eating and sleeping this story. Next hopefully, I’ll dream how to resolve it. Usually when I have this much trouble, I move on to something else, like blogging…

I feel the ideas are out there just beyond the reach of my subconscious. I can almost see them. The problems have to do with my main character development. This little guy needs more flesh. He is becoming clearer. Red haired, freckled, riding his bicycle around the neighborhood, do you see him? He is not clear to me yet.

The creative process is so difficult. Anyone who doesn’t think writing is work should try it. The research, the study, the index cards… My best friend is my thesaurus and my dictionary. I guess I should feel blessed because I haven’t had a day like this in a very long time. Usually it just flows for me and I have to just organize the ideas as they come pouring out. But not today, today I think I need a nap.

 

SNOWED IN

SNOWED IN

We are starting our New Year being snowed in like so many other people. As long as the power stays on being snowed in is not so bad. If the power goes out and we have to shelter in place, it gets more inconvenient. Eating peas out of a can is a challenge even when you are hungry. Peaches are not so bad.

I just had to introduce my two outdoor cats to the idea that they were snowed in. There is a four foot drift in front of the pet door that would lead them to the yard. There will be no squirrel patrol today, and I know the birds are sheltering in place because nothing is moving out there among the snow flakes. The cats didn’t take this news lightly. After standing in front of the pet door and hissing at the white thing blocking their exit they decided to eat breakfast.

No one is going anywhere today. We may not go tomorrow either because of the temperatures. When my children were younger we would make snow ice cream, and snow men. However, I am not building a snowman in my yard in this temperature. I can hope that the snow forms an insulating blanket around the plants in my yard that I care about and look at my seed catalogues until spring.

 

 

RESOLUTIONS

RESOLUTIONS

The end of the year is tomorrow. I have decided not to make any resolutions. Resolutions have to do with giving something up. I am not going to give up anything, I am just going to move forward with positive actions.

What is this New Year anyway? It is just the renewing of the calendar. It is a good thing that we just start the calendar over, if we didn’t think how cumbersome our bookkeeping system would become. We wouldn’t be able to keep anything fixed in time. So how was my 2013?

I have to say it was very creative. I have worked very hard. I have established two blogs, count them, two. I have written six or seven short stories. I have joined and nurtured critique groups. I have produced a story for fourth graders that will surely become a series. I have started over on my fantasy world with super heroines eight times. I am sending off entries to competitions. So I have been remarkably busy.

What about 2014? I will continue to encourage everyone that I love and believe in. I will blog until I am blue. I will review like crazy. I will start over in my fantasy world until I get it right and you are able to read it.