A Picture's Worth a Thousand Words. . .

. . . not that that will stop me from adding words.  Since we moved to Green Acres, I've kinda gotten into this whole "outdoors" thing.  I used to think outdoors was where you went to get to the car, but who wanted to spend a lot of time out there looking at the neighbor's fence and listening to three AC units and a lawn mower?

Second life change - exercise.  Never cared much for that, either, but have found it necessary.  Now that the weather is cooling down a bit, I've started combining the two and I'm actually walking through the countryside and enjoying the solitude . . . and the view.

Can't wait to see this stretch when the leaves change.

Little small to be considered a waterfall.  Is this what they call a "babbling brook"?

Occasionally, I have company on my treks.

Hens and Chickens by Jennifer Wixson - Part II

Jennifer Wixson -
image from book jacket

Yesterday I posted my thoughts on Hens and Chickens by Jennifer Wixson.  Those thoughts led to some questions - as frequently happens when I'm reading - but this time I had direct access to the author and Jennifer was gracious enough to answer my questions and allow me to share her answers with you.  So here's a little further insight into the story and the person behind it - in Jennifer's own words:

1.  So many of the places you describe in the book - Millet Rock and the Staircase Tree come to mind - are so vivid that it makes me wonder if they are real places.  Are the locations in the book totally of your imagination or are they based on actual sites?

Now you're going to find out what most folks probably suspect after reading "Hens and Chickens" ~ I'm not a creator or inventor or magical or even specially gifted; I'm a storyteller who steals from real life.

The Staircase Tree is real. I've seen it. I know where it is. The photo on the cover of the book is actually a picture I took of this tree. The Cranberry Man (my husband) and I drove by this tree on a back road in central Maine one day many, many months ago and I spotted the Staircase Tree and said, "Pull over, quick!" (My husband thought I had to pee, I'm sure.) I hopped out of the truck and took a picture of this unique old maple tree. I don't know who had the creativity to cut steps into this downed tree limb or why (although I do provide an answer to those questions for Sovereign's Staircase Tree in Book II, "Peas, Beans and Corn"). I loved the woodcarver's sense of humor I spied in the tree, the tenacity, the ability to make good from something bad. You see these traits in Maine people a lot. Sometimes they comes out in unique ways, like the Staircase Tree.

The Millett Rock is also real. The rock is situated deep DEEP in a woodlot that abuts my own 50-acre woodlot in Troy. Years ago on one of my rambles through the woods, I stumbled on this giant rock, which rose up like a mysterious gray castle between several towering pines. The rock had an old hemp rope ladder dangling down the side like a strand of Rapunzel's hair. Well, I couldn't resist. What a view! What a lovely spot for a picnic! However, when I asked around town, I was surprised to discover that nobody knew anything about this big rock ~ except for one Old Timer (now in his 80s). The Old Timer told me that 75 years ago none of the trees in the woodlot were there -- the land was all open fields thus the BIG rock was exposed and well-known to all the locals. Folks used to climb and play on the Millett Rock and take picnics down to it. The Old Timer as a little boy used to hunt porcupines that were denned up in the Millett Rock (he was paid 25 cents for each critter, which were so numerous they were a menace to the farmers' crops). I forgot to ask him why it was called the Millett Rock, though. It's on my to-do list so I can explain it in Book II. However, I better hurry up and visit the Old Timer again soon or he may take this mystery to his grave!

In short, all the places in "Hens and Chickens" are real -- including the houses. However, especially in the case of the houses, they are a compilation or an amalgam of actual old Maine farmhouses I've known and loved -- particularly old family homes. It's almost like I took my experience with actual houses and land and put everything into a blender and came out with something new. I think that's why houses and places seems so real in the book. When I was writing, I was seeing these things in my mind. For example, I know exactly where the tin of pepper is stored in the cooking cupboard in the kitchen of the old Russell homestead so it was easy for me to picture Rebecca standing on tip-toe to try and knock the tin down, and the 6-foot Wendell Russell leaning over her to easily secure it.

2.  Obviously, the narrator of the story - being a Quaker pastor - is based on you, but after reading your bio on Amazon, I wonder if there are parts of Lila which are also autobiographical.  Did you draw on your own experience with alcoholism when writing about Lila overcoming her adversity?  

Short answer: absolutely!

I learned so much from my battle with and recovery from alcoholism, and much of that informs all my writing, whether it's my pastoral messages or my fiction. I learned through that amazing journey that there is nothing we can't do if we really REALLY want to do it, that we have the power (thanks to the grace of God) to heal ourselves.  One of the most revealing statements about myself that I make in the book is in Chapter 18, "The Parade Will Go On," when I first reveal Lila's childhood trauma.  I write: "The Goddess in her goodness and mercy gives us a second chance at life, if only we have the courage to reach out and accept the gift that the divine is dying for us to accept!" 

I am a better person because of my addiction and recovery. I'm stronger. More understanding. More forgiving (both of others and of myself). More humble (sometimes).

I wanted to create a strong heroine who had faced adversity and yet showed the courage to rise above it and create a new and wonderful life for herself. Lila is the heroine of "Hens and Chickens," however, I was the heroine of my own personal story, which I document in my earlier book, "Learning to SOAR!"

3.  I'm also interested to know - and assume my readers would be also - if you have remained in Maine your whole life.  I seem to recall reading something about your choice to start your farm and a change of lifestyle - but I can't remember where I read it.  Like Lila and Rebecca, did you leave the "city life" and make a deliberate choice for a simpler life or has this been your path all along?

My Dad sold the family farm when I was six or seven and I was devastated. We moved from Winslow, Maine to New Jersey, to Michigan and eventually ended up in New Hampshire. When I was 20 I relocated (by myself) to California (hey, it was the '70s and everyone was doing it). While on a mountaintop in California I had a vision about "going home," and I returned to Maine, where I've lived ever since.

When I was battling alcoholism, I lived in my great-grandparent's home, Sunshine Cottage, on the banks of the Sebasticook River in Winslow, the town where I was born. (Sunshine Cottage was the loveliest spot, and someday I'm going to write a novel using this setting.) Being home gave me the strength to confront my demons, and that's where I wrote "Learning to SOAR!"  I moved to Troy in the late '90s, and have been here in this small town about 15 years now. 

During much of my adulthood I lived far from the madding crowd, the life that I describe in "Hens and Chickens." I gardened and raised chickens and wrote novels and plays. I supported myself with a variety of odd jobs, and by writing for newspapers and magazines. However, I did have a brush or two with corporate America, including a job selling life insurance. This job gave me some valuable insight into the sad situation of the financial services industry (not that any of us need to go this route to discover how horrible our economy is and how disingenuous and sometimes dishonest the banks and insurance companies are)!  I was downsized from the insurance company, so naturally I thought it would be fitting to duplicate them for Lila and Rebecca's employer a.k.a. the mean and nasty Perkins and Gleeful. 

I've pretty well always lived an alternative life style, which doesn't come cheap (folks around here have to work  three part-time jobs to make ends meet, and one of those jobs is usually picking bottles up from the roadside for the 5 cents returnable deposit). However, I don't regret living with less stuff that we can't afford because I feel that I'm living with so much MORE every time I listen to the sleigh bell sounds of the peepers, or watch the sunset over the cows grazing in the field, or pick string beans and blackberries for supper. It's a pretty good gig, and I think I'll keep it.

Hens and Chickens by Jennifer Wixson - Part I

I met Jennifer Wixson through the haphazard world that is Twitter.  I asked a general gardening question that was answered by a lady who owns an heirloom seed business.  Her tweets led me to another gardner, and that one to the publisher of Grit magazine (some of my favorite reading and which is mentioned in the book - see future post) and eventually to Jennifer - "Maine farmer, chicken lover, beekeeper, author and itinerant Quaker minister."  That profile was too intriguing and eclectic to pass up, so I followed @ChickenJen.  We had occasional conversations and I came to think of her as a friend.  

When she asked me if I would be interested in reading and reviewing her latest book, of course I jumped at the chance. When I began to write the review, I wanted to include several passages from the book and I also had a few questions that Jennifer was kind enough to answer.  However, it made for a very long post, so I'm dividing it into two sections.  Part I includes my thoughts on the book and the passages that explain them.  Part II - which will be posted tomorrow - will be Jennifer's answers to my questions.  

I've always been fascinated by anything related to Maine - spending a summer there is on my bucket list.  Jennifer's vivid descriptions of the people and the countryside have me even more anxious to book my plane tickets to Maine.

Most folks from Away think that summer is the best time of year to visit Maine, but they’d be wrong. Mainers know that the best season in the Pine Tree State occurs between Mud Season and Memorial Day—the few weeks of the year during which the state becomes a veritable Garden of Eden; when the flowers, trees, hills, uplands and woodlands awaken and burst into infinite shades of green and when the explosion of yellow forsythia is so bright that it hurts the eye to look at it, but before the serpent opens the door to the Garden and allows in the black flies, mosquitoes and the tourists.  

During this peculiar time, while the showy lilacs and fruit trees hold tight to their buds for later May blooms, the untrained eye examining the landscape might conclude that it lacks the postcard perfection summer folks have come to expect from Maine. But those who live here year-round know that when the soft scent of April fills the air it signals not only that one has survived another winter but also that paradise is born anew. The locals know then that the suckers are running upstreamin the chilly brooks, and that pockets of crystalized snow rest like fairy beds deep in the woods, and that the precious fiddlehead fern delicately swaddled in its brown paper wrapping is poking its head up from the black moss-bottomed stream beds only waiting to be picked. (p. 126-127)

Hens and Chickens is a lovely story of two women who leave the city and their corporate jobs to start a business together in rural Maine. There's both romance and mystery, but what I loved most were the people. The story is cleverly told through a narrator, who's identity we don't discover until late in the book. The ability of the narrator to speak directly to the reader - an "aside", as they call it on stage - made the story unique. 

I appreciated Jennifer's romantic couple, who valued honor and respect above sex.

Lila snuggled closer, with infinite satisfaction. Her euphoria settled down into a steady beatitude. She felt completely safe with him; respected and honored as a woman. (p. 131)

I also enjoyed her depiction of the lifestyle and craftsmanship of earlier generations, and a return to that simpler way. The story is a perfect blend of old and new - sewing, raising chickens in a farmyard, baking, mixed with cell phones and computers.  

Old timers knew how to live, and took care of their comforts. They knew just where to place windows to catch the sun in winter so that they could sit in their rockers and read the Bible. They knew where NOT to place windows, so that the cold northwest blast wouldn’t find a way in around the sashes in the wooden frames. They knew where to build the fireplaces and the chimneys, so that they and their large families would be warm and snug and could cook and yet the smoke wouldn’t bother anyone. They calculated in advance where their tired old hands would come to rest on the upper level of the staircase so that when they hitched themselves up that top stair at night there’d be a solid wooden grip at just the right spot. They knew that what they were building was not just for themselves, but for those who came after them – and the ones who came after them. The old timers who built the Russell place might not have expected Rebecca Johnson and Lila Woodsum to come along to occupy the place, but they knew that the place would still be standing if someone came along. (p. 150)

An "itinerant Quaker pastor" herself, it's not surprising that Jennifer weaves the biblical story of Mary and Martha into her story, or that she includes her thoughts on the power of prayer.

And so before long the whole town of Sovereign knew that one of The Egg Ladies was poorly, and a mutual sympathy began to be expressed. More than a few silent, as well as vocal, prayers were uttered. The supportive sentiment rose from the small community like the ethereal mist that rises up from Black Brook, dispersing up the hill toward the hen pen. Lila, as she went about her day, gathering and cleaning eggs, felt a slight, inexplicable up-lifting of her spirits. 

Who knows the mysterious ways in which love works? Or of the power of prayer? Especially the efficacy of prayers from TWO Maine communities!  Let us never think for a moment that our prayers are wasted, even if they are unwanted. We have nothing to lose by freely sending our silent blessings to the Heavens, and our friends, loved ones and acquaintances might have much to gain.

The story of The Egg Ladies, Lila and Mike's romance, the secrets in Lila's past - all weave together to make a great read but, for me, it was all about the characters and location. I'm in love with the charming village of Sovereign, Maine, and it's inhabitants and can't wait to go back. Good thing there are at least two more books planned in this series.

Everything Old is New Again. . .

I'm a big fan of things "retro" or "vintage".  I especially like things with a story.  As I've mentioned, Dave's mother (Dee) has moved into a nursing home, so this past weekend we helped his dad move into an apartment with less upkeep.  During the sorting and packing, there was a lot of "remember when..." stories about items we dug from the back of closets and cabinets. 

In a kitchen drawer, we found a paper sack containing four linen kitchen towels, obviously never used.  Without weighing you down with a bunch of family details and connections that really don't matter to you, we pieced together that they were a gift from Aunt Hope to her mother (Dave's grandmother), probably Christmas of 1973.  Why they ended up, still in the sack, in Dee's kitchen nearly 40 years later is unclear, but they are now in my kitchen and will soon be returned to one of Aunt Hope's sons.

We also brought home three pieces of furniture that have memories attached.  When Dave's grandparents moved from their farm in the Texas panhandle in 1971, their dining table was cut down and converted to use as a coffee table.  It has been in Dee's house since I started hanging out there in 1976 and I've always admired it.  This is where Dave ate many meals as a child, then where I colored pictures and played games while babysitting his little sister, where the nativity was displayed at Christmas. We can still see the small scratches that our dog put in it in the late 80's. (We buffed them out as much as possible and sat something on top of them. We still haven't admitted it to Dee, so keep that to yourself.) The grandchildren's little fingers grabbed the edges as they learned to walk.  I love the history of this table and the idea of our grandchildren and even great-grandchildren playing games on it.

The other two items we inherited from the move are a set of chairs with a circular history.  My maternal grandparents had a pair of aqua side chairs that I remember well.

This picture, taken at Christmas in 1964, is the only one I could find where the chairs are visible.  That adorable munchkin in the foreground is me - age 3 - and in the background you can see one of my sisters and a cousin sitting in one of the aqua chairs.   In the mid-70's, my grandparents owned a travel trailer and spent the majority of the year in Arizona or on the road, so they decided to sell their home and furnishings.  At the auction, Dave's parents bought the aqua chairs.  This was before I had even looked twice at my future husband.  So for thirty-seven years, give or take, my grandparents' chairs have been in my in-law's house.  They have been re-covered, but they are still in great condition.  One is now in our living room (next to the coffee table) and the other is in a corner of the guest room/library/sewing room (small house - the rooms have to multi-task).

I plan to eventually have them restored (would that be re-re-covered?) to a 50's-style fabric, but for now I'm just enjoying curling up in my "new" chairs with a book and some memories.

Olympic Mish-Mash

It's time to play everybody's favorite game: "What's Bouncing Around in Tami's Head?"  There seems to be a sports theme these days.

We've been watching the Olympics nearly every night.  Love the gymnastics and track/field events, but I'll watch diving, equestrian, whatever's on - except volleyball.  I draw the line at volleyball.  In the words of a dear lady who suffered through watching many, many matches with me, "Hell is an eternal volleyball tournament."

And speaking of track and field, which we kinda were, the men's high-jump finals will be held this afternoon.  Three of the finalists - Jamie Nieto, Jessie Williams and K-State student Erik Kynard -  are from the U.S. and all three are coached by the same man, Kansas State University Head Track Coach Cliff Rovelto.  Go Cats!  Now if we could just get NBC to devote as much coverage to high jump as they do to Misty May-Treanor's beach wardrobe.

And in the spirit of the games, I and eight friends and family members are participating in the Sister Olympics.  (You can get all the details here.  There's still time to join us.)  Here's my progress so far:

• Dash:  Walk at 4 mph (or your top speed) for 5 minutes 
• Marathon:  Walk 5 miles at any speed you want.
• Javelin: Play catch with baseball/softball for minimum of 15 minutes.
• High Jump:  Jump rope for 5 minutes 
• Basketball:  Make (not just shoot, MAKE) 20 free throws.  
• Rowing:  10 minutes on rowing machine or actual row boat.
• Cycling:  Ride 10 miles (real bike or stationary) 
• Swimming:  Swim 30 minutes (laps, treading water or aerobics - just keep moving.  Floating on a raft with a cold drink doesn't count.)
• Weightlifting:  Bench press 50 lbs. 5 times.
• Golf:  Play at least 5 holes
• Gymnastics:  Do a 30-minute dance-type workout video or class  

And speaking of the challenge brings us around to Nutrisystem and my mission to get thinner and healthier.  I've lost 48 pounds in seven months.  Twelve more to make my goal of pre-baby weight, then I will re-evaluate and see if I want to try and lose more.  And in case you're new here, my "babies" are now 20 and 21.  It's not like I just had a baby and need to lose that last ten pounds.  I'm a marathon weight-gainer.

Part II of the strange and eclectic things cluttering up my brain will be posted in the next couple days.  Come back and learn about the games I've been playing with the IRS over college financial aid.

Learning From Fiction? Who'da Thought!

Stardust by Carla Stewart

Shortly after burying her unfaithful husband, Georgia Peyton unexpectedly inherits the derelict Stardust motel from a distant relative. Despite doubts from the community and the aunt who raised her, she is determined to breathe new life into it. But the guests who arrive aren't what Georgia expects: Her gin-loving mother-in-law; her dead husband's mistress; an attractive but down-on-his-luck drifter who's tired of the endless road; and an aging Vaudeville entertainer with a disturbing link to Georgia's past.

Can Georgia find the courage to forgive those who've betrayed her, the grace to shelter those who need her, and the moxy to face the future? And will her dream of a new life under the flickering neon of the STARDUST ever come true?

With the death of author Maeve Binchy yesterday, Twitter was awash with quotes from and about her books.  One line from Ms. Binchy herself immediately made me think of this book:  “I don't have ugly ducklings turning into swans in my stories. I have ugly ducklings turning into confident ducks.”  Georgia Peyton is widowed, raising two daughters and nearly broke.  With no experience as anything but a housewife, she sets out to remake the Stardust motel.  Part of her transformation involves uncovering the secrets clouding her childhood and surrounding her husband's death.  But it wasn't the ugly duckling or the mystery - although both are very good - that made this a five-star book on my list.

I was fascinated with the setting and the era.  My family took a vacation each summer, usually to the mountains, and sometimes stayed in small, cabin-style motels similar to the Stardust.  Though that would have been a decade later than the 1950's setting of the book, the giant chain hotels were yet to take over.  Reading Stardust brought back some fond memories.  It also introduced me to the polio epidemic.

Poliomyelitis was rampant in the U.S. in the first half of the twentieth century and reached it's height in the early 1950's, with over 50,000 cases in 1952.  I've met several people who contracted polio as a child and were left with twisted or paralyzed limbs, and I've heard stories of iron lungs, but they were distant stories to me - something that happened to someone else before I was born. I had no idea of the fear that gripped communities where someone contracted polio or the torture of treatment in an iron lung.  I recall, as a child, collecting and saving dimes in cardboard folders to be contributed to the March of Dimes, but had no clue why.  Reading Stardust was an eye-opener for me, as well as a good story.  

I'm recommending Stardust, both as a good read and as a history lesson.  If you read it and become curious about the history of polio and it's effects on individuals and the nation, I recommend the Smithsonian Institute's site Whatever Happened to Polio?  Both are fascinating reading.



I received a free copy of this book from the publisher - Faith Words - as part of a Twitter contest.

Six Word Saturday

Save A Life . . . Get A Book

This morning I'm giving you an opportunity to do a good deed and be rewarded for it.  In May, I posted this SWS post about Kylee, an American Mastiff pup that needed heart surgery.  When Kylee's owners adopted her, they knew she would eventually need surgery if she were to survive, but they also knew she would be put down if she didn't find a home.  Unfortunately, the heart issues worsened much faster than anticipated and they were unprepared for the thousands of dollars needed for surgery so soon.  Dog lovers gave generously to pay for emergency surgery to save this beautiful dog.  Well, Kylee needs another surgery. Her heart valve has fused shut.  If you would like to make a donation, author Shannon Esposito is willing to reward you for it.

Ms.Esposito is offering a free e-book copy of her novel, Karma's a Bitch, to everyone who makes a donation of any size to help save Kylee.  You can get all the details on Kylee and the book offer on Ms. Esposito's website.  If you can spare even the cost of a cup of coffee, please help give Kylee a third chance.  Can you really resist that face?

Want to play along? All that's necessary to participate is to describe your life (or something in it) in exactly six words.  Then visit Cate at Show My Face to link up with other participants.