Out on a Limb

A classmate of mine lost his home in the Los Angeles-area wildfires. My heart goes out to him and his family, as well as the thousands of other folks who suddenly found themselves homeless. It surprised me that the fires burned across regular suburban neighborhoods as well as the chapparal-covered hillsides where luxury homes nestle—and burn on a regular basis.

Recently, I stopped by my insurance agency. A personable young man sat behind the reception desk, chatting with another customer. He greeted me with a smile.

I read thirty-seven books in 2024, six fewer than last year. The list does not include four books I started reading but didn’t finish. Nor does it include the gazillion or so articles, newsletters, and white papers I’ve read about current events. This is the primary reason I neglected to read what interests me most. I’ve spent countless hours wringing hands and grieving about what appears to be the collapse of our world. I’ve already done what I think I can do to counter that, but I finally recognize that it is beyond my power to change things on a macro scale. My new year’s resolution is to focus on the micro scale. Little actions can make a difference. I’m up for that.

My friend, Mary Ricketson, graciously granted me permission to share her Christmas article that appeared in her monthly column, "Woman to Woman," in December 2024, in the Cherokee Scout, Murphy, NC. Thank you, Mary. I echo your sentiments.

Earlier this year I discovered Persimmon Tree, an online magazine of the arts by women over sixty. Its publisher says, “Too often older women’s artistic work is ignored or disregarded, and only those few who are already established receive the attention they deserve. Yet many women are at the height of their creative abilities in their later decades and have a great deal to contribute. Persimmon Tree is committed to bringing this wealth of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and art to a broader audience, for the benefit of all.”

Folks are closing in on holiday preparations. Our local writers’ groups have been busy with book signings, and I’ve been working hard to get Dear Folks into area bookstores. I’m humbled by the kind words and encouragement from new and old friends, near and far. Dad would have been flabbergasted at the interest his letters have stirred up, and he would have been proud to see our book so well-received. Thanks to all who have supported this project!

My partner in crime, Carroll Taylor, teamed up with me again yesterday for a book signing at Tiger’s Store and Chinquapin’s Ice Cream and Soda Bar in Hayesville, NC. Sunshine and warmer weather brought out holiday shoppers to browse, chat, and (of course) enjoy sweet treats. I highly recommend their Roadrunner Raspberry ice cream! What fun to meet new people and share our latest books. Here is a link to my books.

I am pleased to announce that I received an honorable mention in Raw Earth Ink's 2024 Northwind Writing Award competition, non-fiction category, for an excerpt from my first book, My Mother’s Keeper: One Family’s Journey through Dementia.

‘Twas a chilly Black Friday in the western North Carolina mountains. My writer friends, Lorraine Bennett and Carroll Taylor, joined me at Hayesville’s Beal Center for a fun day with holiday shoppers. We appreciated the indoor setting and festive colors—and the opportunity to share our latest books with everyone. Details about my new book, Dear Folks: Letters Home 1943-1946 World War II, can be viewed here.

This is not a recipe blog, but I just have to share. The unseasonably warm weather I mentioned last week generated an amazing bumper crop. Small but sweet, these green peppers stuffed beautifully when I tried a variation on a family favorite. It calls for hamburger, rice, chopped onion, tomato soup, and garden herbs. It made much more than would fit inside the little cuties, so I lined the bottom of a casserole dish with half the extra, laid the stuffed delicacies on it, and covered with the rest of the leftover concoction. Topped with more undiluted soup and sprinkled with grated cheese, they turned out beautifully. Yum!

For much of this month I’ve been fighting the blues as I stew about the state of my country and the world. The famous serenity prayer reminds me to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. A wise woman (my mother) often said, “nothing lasts forever.” I know that is true, but sometimes “not forever” seems like a very long time.

Here is the original photo that I used for the Dear Folks cover. Dad is in the upper left. His photo album has a lot of great pictures, and I included some of them in the book, along with images of items he collected during and after the war, including cartoons from Yank magazine, news clippings, and his pass and copy of the program for the Nuremberg trials.Every day, but particularly on Veterans Day, I think of my dad and the multitude of others who served their country bravely and faithfully, not only during World War II, but over the past nearly 250 years. I pray that their sacrifices may not have been in vain.

Disclaimer: I’m not tech-savvy. Anything beyond my laptop’s word processing software is a mystery to me. When given a choice, I opt for low-tech every time. I don’t even have a smartphone. I could probably figure out how to use one, but I like to disappear and intentionally make myself unavailable. However, I don’t know how much longer I’ll be able to avoid getting one. More and more daily tasks require mobile connectivity. The following anecdote is a case in point.

It's that time of year again . . . Last Friday evening eleven local performers shared ghost stories and music at the Halloween edition of the Scribes on Stage series at the Peacock Performing Arts Center in Hayesville, NC. I shared my favorite, Adventures in the Hobbit Barn. Now that summer heat has dissipated and the leaves are changing, it's a fun way to usher in autumn.

Hayesville, NC is the best! We had a great crowd at the Corner Coffee and Wine Shop on Friday night. I got to ham it up with some wonderful local talent—storytellers, writers, poets, and musicians. It’s hard to believe we’ve been doing this for five years! What a perfect evening. Photo by our host, my friend, Kanute Rarey.

Nature Nugget: You won’t see this spectacular sight ever again! Comet A3 (Tsuchinshan–ATLAS) has been lighting up social media and the night sky recently. According to EarthSky.org, it’s the brightest comet in 27 years, since Hale-Bopp in 1997. A3 is a long-period comet, with an 80,000-year orbit around the sun. Its orbit is retrograde, meaning that the comet moves in the opposite direction to most major solar system planets. Its perihelion distance—closest point to the sun—came on September 27, 2024, when it was 0.39 astronomical units (AU, or Earth-sun distances) from our star. The comet was closest to Earth on October 12. It will only be visible into late October, so check it out soon or wait another 80,000 years!

Marketing remains elusive for me, but more experienced writers tell me I’ll one day get the hang of it. The above picture is a screenshot of a message that arrived in my personal email inbox today. I’m glad Amazon gave me this plug, and I’m wondering if it will help sales of my new book. So far, I’ve only received one review, and I have just 23 followers on Amazon. If you’re an Amazon customer, please follow me. For those of you have read the book: Please, take a moment and give it a rating or—even better—a review. My dad and I thank you!

I’ve had my share of close calls. Most of these were self-inflicted: miscalculations, not paying attention, or overestimating my abilities. One that still gives me the shakes happened at dusk, in the early 1980s in the Idaho Panhandle.