New Year's Wishes

This year has slipped away and 2013 looms ahead. The last day of 2012 will find me admitting to another birthday. Unfortunately, my driver's license, the one with the picture of me that looks exactly like Charlie Brown with hair, will not let me deceive myself about my age. The years seem to be coming and going at break neck speed these days. They bump and twist along and I am eternally amazed to reach the conclusion of the year all in one piece and on my feet.

In our family, one of our movie favorites is Parenthood, with Steve Martin. As the children have become adults and parents, they have learned to appreciate the pearls of wisdom buried in the dialogue, much more.

In the movie, the tiny aged grandmother said, "In life, some folks like to ride the roller coaster and some like the merry-go-round...I never cared for the merry-go-round, it just goes round and round." When I first heard that statement, I thought Right! the roller coaster is much more exciting. I never liked the clickety-clackety pulling up to the peak, but I loved the breath taking thrill as you eased over the top and whizzed to the bottom curve. These days, I am not really "up" for those highs and lows and bottom dropping out rides. On the other hand, I still don't like the monotonous merry-go-round.  And I always hated the ferris wheel. That perilous, swinging lift away from solid ground, up into the sky leaves me with far too little control. No thanks, I prefer my feet on the good old earth. The great thing about the life amusement park is that you have lots of choices. You can ride anything you like or you can choose not to ride one single creaking apparatus.

Maybe I am not a young girl and have ridden my last roller coaster. Although, one never knows. I remember my grandparents taking the teen aged sweethearts to the big Texas State Fair. I can still hear in my memory the squeals and laughter of my grandmother and see my grandfather holding on to his Stetson hat, as we all rode the huge lumbering roller coaster. I may have my feet on the ground, but I am not giving up the sights, sounds and tastes  of life as it churns on. Another year has become history and I see a new one rising, like a big red sun. A quote that I like is; no matter what your past has been, you have a spotless future. This is true, every new year, every new day is a fresh opportunity to seek joy.

Around these parts, following a bit of two stepping or just friends and games, we eat black-eyed peas at midnight for luck and toast in the New Year.  Whatever  your celebration, may it be safe and enjoyable. May your friendships light your way and your enemies stump their toes in the dark.

Happy New Year! JO

Thanks

Thanks so much to everyone that followed the book tour of The Days After (Big River). To the winners of the giveaway, congratulations.

I especially appreciate the great work of Shelly and Fire and Ice Book Tours. Seeing my book on all of the blogsites was a wonderful experience. The many bloggers were gracious and welcoming.  I hope that some new readers have discovered my books.  

My best regards to old friends and new readers. JO

Prepping for the Perfect Christmas

From the time that I was just a girl, I believed every year that there was going to be a perfect Christmas and I waited impatiently for that day to come. As I got older, became a wife and a mother, I decided that it was my job to create that perfect holiday.  I admit that I am not the brightest bulb on the string of tree lights, it took quite a while for the reality to sink in.

Christmas, even if you are the biggest of believers, is just another day of life. Yet, with all the weeks and weeks of hype and anticipation and jolly ho-ho! we are somehow led to think that there will be magic and life will stand still for a few sparkling moments. The truth is, because of those false expectations and the notion that evidently the rest of world must be basking in Christmas cheer, all the everyday problems become magnified to the not so cheerful.

The real Christmas is the one when you  are so excited to introduce little Suzy to Santa, but all she sees is a huge hairy man, laughing menacingly and she screams her head off.  Perhaps the one when your teenager broke up with her boyfriend the week before, she wears black, one of her eyes is tear swollen shut, she does not acknowledge the existence of anyone and obviously has developed some foot condition, as she drags around like a zombie all day. The dog has eaten all of the fake candy tree ornaments and now is scarily hunched over and gagging on someone's coat.

It has snowed up to your butt cheeks and you hope that grandma doesn't cause a ten car pile up trying to get to your house. Over the years, there is a drinking incident or two from a depressed relative. Of course, this festive time of year is the perfect time to make startling announcements to family and friends. So, in the spirit of this, someone you love "comes out of the closet"...busy as you have been, you did not even know that were in the damn closet. And then, there is all of the food disasters that can happen to the big perfect dinner and the flu.

These days, to add to the utter joy of the holidays, there is all of the politically correct, don't offend anyone bulls--t!  If a clerk at the store slips up and tells you "Merry Christmas", they apologize. I mean, heaven forbid that we talk about why we are out here spending money we don't have, to buy people gifts that they don't want. Bless all of our hearts; we are free to believe whatever we want, just as long as we stay in the closet with it. 

You get my point? How do you plan for the perfect Christmas disasters? My sage advice is RELAX.
Enjoy my favorite recipe...the 24 hour drive thru, have lots of wine (add a bit to the gravy), laugh about the minor catastrophes and like Scarlett O'Hara "think about the rest of it tomorrow". Loudly say Merry Christmas to whomever you please, with a smile. If you offend someone, it might just make your day.  There is one magical thing, it will only last one day and then be gone. Life, of course, will continue, with all it's little stinky problems. At least they won't be all covered with glitter and bows and you won't have to pretend that they don't smell.

MERRY CHRISTMAS....or what-ever. JO

Alpha Males

There's a lot of talk lately about the Alpha Male. Rose Wynters, a current bestselling author of paranormal, dystopian, werewolf and plus sized romances says,  "We all know an alpha…. They are the guys that seem to always get the girl, the guy that is cool without trying and always on their game. They are cool, calm, and in control. They are James Bond."  That sounds very accurate to me, they are the stars, the heroes of many genres of fiction.

Nearly forty years ago...yes, you read correctly, forty flippin' years ago...I was alive, I was young, I was deep into multi-tasking before anyone even knew that it existed. My friends and I, all of us young wives and mothers, between trips to the school, PTA, dirty laundry and dirty dishes were totally infatuated with reading historical romances.  On our limited budgets, we frequented the used bookstores, passed the coveted paperbacks around, shared and impatiently waited our turn to read the next wonderful fantasy.

The 1970's spawned authors such as Jennifer Blake (who still writes), Johanna Lindsey, Jennifer Wilde, who was actually a man and wrote such titillating titles as Love's Tender Fury. The Alpha Male was the king of these romance novels and as far as I am concerned the queen of writing him was Kathleen Woodiwiss. I still have a row of paperback books on the shelf in my living room by this exquisite writer. I was sad, when she passed away a few years ago. She was faithful to historic settings and events and her characters were rich and made the reader want to live in the story.

I enjoyed reading so many of Kathleen's books.  I always said that my favorite leading man was Wulfgar, in the novel, The Wolf and the Dove. The book was set in medieval times and I fell in love with the Iron Wolf of Normandy from the moment he rode astride his big stallion into the lady Aislinn's castle keep. All those years ago, one of my little darlins' scratched around with a red pen on the very page that describes this scrumptious male, but I managed to still read his description; He stood tall, at least two hands higher than herself though she was not of short stature. His tawny hair was tousled and streaked by the sun, and though the long coat of mail was heavy, he moved with an easy strength and confidence. ......His eyes were wide set and the brows well arched above them, when as now he was angered, they drew down and blunted his long thin nose and lent to his face the look of a hunting beast. His mouth was wide, the lips thin yet finely curved. A long scar that ran from his cheekbone down the line of his jaw line grew pale and the muscles beneath it worked as he ground his teeth in anger.
Sigh-h-h.

M. Woodiwiss and all of these authors wrote the "Alpha Male" to perfection. They also, of course, as was the way of the times, created a sexual tension that made you just about want to pull out your lightly teased hair. And we, young, vital female inhabitants of marriage would secretly gossip and discuss the books and giggle with our scraps of teenage dreams, "Do you think they are ever going to actually do it!?" These authors would tease and string you along, make you wait breathlessly all through hundreds of pages for your pair to consummate their love.  And when you finally got there and finished the story, you hungrily wanted the next book to read.

The term "Alpha Male" may be a current catch phrase, but the real and fictional incarnation is certainly nothing new. 

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Ten Things I am Thankful For

  

Of course,  it would be a lot longer list than ten, the things in my life that I am truly thankful for.  Family, friends, freedom, health, hundreds of small and not so small things in my life everyday that I am more grateful for, than I can express.

After visiting with my daughters and their families this holiday, I found my mind wandering on the trips home. Full of more food than I normally eat in two or three days, the hum of the car made it hard to keep my eyes open; I tried to persuade my old mind to be productive.  I tried to think of the things I needed to get done in the short time before Christmas, tried to think of what is going to happen in the next chapter of the new book, tried to figure how I could trick or blackmail myself into exercising, tried to decide should I put the tree up this weekend or not? My pecan pie poisoned brain just refused to get serious.

Now, I am home, my comfy warm-up pants on, hot cocoa sitting defiantly and dangerously near the keyboard, hypnotized as usual by this screen. And, here are the ten "lesser" blessings that I am thankful for:

     1.  Sweatpants with the magic of elastic waist bands

     2.  That my family likes cornbread dressing (prepared in a casserole pan) not "stuffing" of soggy bread and god knows what...did you say oysters! that's fish for gracious sakes... crammed in the gaping end of the turkey.

     3. That the sweet adorable voices and giggles of my grand children, which become shriller as the day goes on, don't live at my house.

    4.  That the stuffed dog that barks out "Oh-come-all-ye-faithful..." and many more cheerful favorites, will only have the lifespan of a month and then be smothered in the plastic tote for another year. 

    5.  Big bottles of wine

    6.  That I am of an age, to say "Oh, ya'll go ahead and go for a walk.  I'll stay here by the fire with the kids.  It's above freezing now? How nice for you, but somebody has to stay. Don't worry for me."

    7.  That the "mature" family members get the real beds

    8.  That there are only half a dozen football games in one day

    9.  Cocoa and SoCo. Wonderful creamy hot cocoa with tiny marshmallows and a capful of Southern Comfort.

    10.  That I can still laugh at the aggravating, anxiety filled and perfectly amazing things in my very fortunate life.

Sleep tight and don't let the bedbugs bite.  JO

   

    

A Tip or Two

Several of my readers, like Teresa, have sent me nice notes, saying that they are not "preppers", but my books make them consider the need for some disaster preparation.   I love it that my beliefs wrapped up in the fiction that I enjoy writing, do show through.

 I used to laugh a bit at my mother-in-law. My tough and independent MIL had lived through an era in American history when times were very hard for many, the Depression.  So many people that remembered those times, vowed to never be hungry again.  She was frugal and conservative.  I thought it was a bit crazy to drive across town, waste a dollar's worth of gas to use a coupon that would save you 50 cents. Bless her heart, she lived to be nearly 100. When we moved her from her apartment to nursing care, underneath the bed in the spare room were flat boxes of canned goods; in various cabinets and closets were boxes of Kleenex and other paper and beauty supplies. Extra this and that, stuck in dozens of different places.

That habit had always just rubbed against my obsessive compulsive dislike of clutter.  I did not like to have more than I really would need in a short time, on hand.  I am now here to testify that I have completely changed my tune. I have come to appreciate very much, her ways of saving.  I don't believe that you have to spend a lot of money, be excessive or be a hoarder to be prepared for any one of many unexpected events that could occur in our world today.  One of the most convincing things that I heard, was when a "prepper" person on a site, said, "My husband suddenly was laid off. The food and extra supplies that we had stored got us through a very hard time. When we were able, he was working again, we started to replenish our stores."  You see? it does not have to be a Fire From the Sky catastrophe in order for being prepared to pay off.

Here is just a few suggestions that I like for everyday, on a shoe string preppers:

               Buy food that you like and regularly eat. If you don't like spinach now, don't buy cans and store them. 

              If you bought 1 lb. of a dried food...rice, pasta, beans...AND  2 cans of food, every week, in a year, you would have 52 lbs. of dried food and 104 cans of food.  All of that would fit under a bed or on a shelf in a closet.  When you buy just an occasional two of something and put one up, it will add up and it won't bust your budget.

             The same theory applies to storing some extra water.  Filling a couple of soda bottles a week will add up.  I now have had about 100 gallons of water for nearly a year.  I plan to start slowly emptying those on my yard or plants and refilling. I am thinking about just using a colored dot to let me know that I have refilled and change colors in another year. 

*A note here.  Don't get all hung up on, the water will be contaminated from the plastic (a little bleach, another good item to have, will purify a lot of water) or the food won't keep for fifty years.  Just get started, worry about long term later. 

The picture is of crackers and vanilla wafers that I "dry canned".  That is my very favorite  idea. Don't they look pretty?  They are over a year old and will stay fresh for a lot longer. I also have jars of things such as Hamburger Helper mixes.  Very simple.  Put clean jars and lids in a cold oven, turn it to 250 and slowly heat them, about 30 minutes. Remove, fill with your dry goods and seal.  You will shortly hear the "pop" of the lid as it seals down.  Easy. 

I have to say that these are not ideas for those folks that are way into long term prepping and food storage.  These are just for beginners and things that anyone can do and find a bit of space for. We all have to walk before we run.  Have fun and get prepared.

The DumbDay Preppers

My list of things that make me crazy is extensive and you might say "fluid". Something is always pushing the first thing off of the list, something more outrageous and mind boggling than what was sitting there.  I have vowed to stay away from politics on this blog. Frankly because the state of present day government and politics is enough to make me want to, zombie like, follow those lemming rats right off the side of the cliff.

When something does aggravate me to the point of suicidal rat state, I would like to sit cross legged on the floor, make little circles with my fingers, sing ohm-m-m and breathe deep. The problem is, I can not sit with my legs crossed or ever rise again from such a position, my finger wants to send a different message, the ohm would be more of a scream and some things make me so blasted mad that  I can't breathe.

It's pretty hard to knock off my eternal number one on my list, it's pushed down on occasion but always returns to the top.  The fact that my tax dollars, my hard earned money pays for people to have FREE cell phones.  I can barely restrain myself from plowing over the idiots that paid for them their self and go two miles an hour in front of me, just chatting and texting away, with my big old gas guzzling SUV. The idea that I am paying for someone's device of death just makes that insane feeling creep up my spine. 

Today, friends, something just pushed that right off the top of the list. This is the subject that I promised would often be discussed here. I am a prepper. Perhaps not the queen of preppers, but I do believe in preparing for unexpected and unpleasant events.  I do, quite regularly watch Doomsday Preppers on the National Geographic channel. Did you get that? National Geographic, the folks that bring us awesome and stunning depictions of the beauty of the earth, of the animals, of the wonders. I watch, DDP with curiosity, thinking that most often they have stories of over the top preppers. Not your everday average person, but people with lots of money and not near as much sense. Still, I watch.

Then, last evening, Nat Geo joined the rest of the immoral idiots who run that giant manure spreader, Television. They decided to make their little drama about a blanking criminal that claims he will pillage and plunder his neighbors when the S--t Hits The Fan. That low life, that sprawling mass of stupid, broadcast on national television that he is not wasting his time preparing for survival, he is planning to take what you have prepared. If that does not put the thick "do-do" icing on the cake, I don't know what does.  I could Rave On like Buddy Holly, but I am not. National Geographic Doomsday Preppers insulted preppers,...Hell, they insulted humans JO


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Am I an Author?

What a question it is, am I actually an author?  Less than a year ago, I decided that I wanted an e-reader because I have always loved to read, but I found that it was harder and harder to read the words in printed books. So, I bought an Amazon Kindle and was so enjoying it.

My friends and family will tell you that I am a person who has never been at a loss for words. I am really a words person.  I have had some blogs, always wrote letters about the hubby and I's travels, events in my life etc. Now at my mature age, I am even quite popular (sadly) at writing the epitaphs of those I love and lose.  Sometimes, my friends would say, "Oh, you should write a book or something."  That's a nice and intriguing thought, but honestly in the day when that would have meant agents, publishers, editors and more, it really was never feasible for me. Then this amazing thing, the internet and even more amazing, independent publishing evolved.  Suddenly, things that had been completely improbable become very possible. Even the hubby said, why not, go for it. Of course, the poor man was looking for his personal relief from my constant banter at any cost. 

My e-reader became a catalyst and a pathway for my writing to become public. I had become very interested and actually a believer in the prepper philosophy.  I didn't doubt the likelihood of several catastrophic scenarios occurring in America. I just did not see how a person could go wrong by being at least prepared on a minimum level for survival of such events. My love of writing and my interest in the prepper philosophy came together.  I went from voraciously reading dystopian type fiction to writing it. 

I have published in e-book form and in two paperbook volumes, five books in the category of Dystopian Science Fiction, this year.  I self published my first book, with the thought that maybe twenty of my friends and family would read it. I expected that I would give it to most of those readers. To my and the spouses astonishment, far more than twenty actually bought and read my book.  Books, II, III and IV followed and just this last week, my fifth.

My point here, is if you have ever thought that you might like to write...do it!  The world is wide open for you.  I admit that it does take a tough skin.  Amidst all the nice and encouraging readers that I have been blessed with, there are no lack of those perfectly willing to tell me where I have gone wrong. Indeed, many have expressed the opinion that I suck at writing, grammar, punctuation; perhaps am too stupid to be alive. Finally, I have climbed over that small mountain and stand on the rise and shout, "Who gives a rat's old behind, what you think!"

It's  an astounding new world out there, miraculous and scary, fun and horrific at the same time. Don't miss out on it.  Do it, try it, go for it.  At the very least, open your eyes, take a deep breath and experience it. Whether it's as small as painting your toe nails purple or as huge as changing locations, making a move.  May your eyes open each day to a new possibility and your heart give you the courage to live it.  JO

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Can You Make a Hard Hat Decision?

It is early morning at the home of my two youngest grand children. My daughter and her husband had to be in Dallas for an early morning appointment. Typical of this time of year in East Texas, the weather flipped from Summer to chilly Fall during the night. Teeth and hair brushed, school and daycare nearby, we are good, we have plenty of time. The spouse comes in the house from outside, "You better get your jackets on, it's cold out there." The seven year old stands before me in cotton shorts and a T-shirt. The five year old, the family fashionista, has on one of everything from several categories and nothing close to a match.

 To the "cotton shorts", I say "Don't you think you better put on some long pants?"

"Nope, it will get warm later," is the answer.

Oh crap, I felt an unmistakable twinge of disaster. While the mini model has yet another layer, a jacket, added to her attire and the backpack strapped on, I hear the soft wailing from the bedroom. I rush to her aid, "Sweetie, what-is-wrong? are you hurt?"

"My hat! my very favorite hat...I can't find it...it is hat day.  I have been looking forward to wearing that hat all day, all week long!" a river of tears flow down her cheeks.

"Well, most certainly, it is here somewhere," I offer.

"No, no-o-o," with a stabbing glare at her colorful little sister, "SHE lost it, she was doing her stupid fashion show and she lost it!"  Little bit promptly runs to the pegs, takes down her own cap and plops it on her head, just to let her sister know that SHE has a hat.

Well, the dutiful grand parents deliver the near naked child to school, tears dried up with a promise of a hat to be shortly bought and brought to the school. And yes, a jacket, because according to her sad story, she does not own one single jacket in her size. The jolly little sister arrives at her place for the day, and with her sister already gone, jerks the cap off her head, "I don't wanna wear it," she says with a big grin.

This little story brings me to my point.  The good parenting thing, the strong and hard thing to do was to teach the lesson, If you are not responsible for your possessions, then this is what happens. You will have to pay the price and be hatless all day among  your hatted friends. It would be a Hard Hat decision. Fortunately, I am the grandma and have the luxury of not doing the hard thing, not making the difficult choice, at such a moment in time.

As the American Blackout special pointed out, the choices will be very hard.  In one of the many scenarios that could befall America, it won't just be a matter of, can you eat cold beans for eternity? Or will you have any beans?  It will be whether you will share your beans or can you prevent them being taken from you. 

In the depiction, the neighbor comes to the gate, begs for food that he knows the prepper must have, and invokes the heart wrenching, I have children. That is when the Hard Hat decision has to be made. The real truth of the situation, a person with a family lives in the wilds of Colorado and has made no preparations for a disaster. It could be an apartment in the city or a house in your neighborhood, unprepared is unprepared.  That person will be at his neighbor's gate or door instead of out hunting, scrounging or figuring out how he is going to feed his family. The can of beans that a well prepared man might take from the mouth of his own family and share will only be the beginning. Each can will diminish the survival time of his own children. And such an unprepared person as the beggar, will be back, more desperate each time. 

Being prepared is far more than storing up food and water. While the physical preparing for a catastrophe is imperative, the hard part will be the mental preparation.  There will be Hard Hat decisions to make, the kind that most of us Americans have never been faced with. No matter how much you prepare, the majority will not. We, Americans have lost the belief in and the ability to be self sufficient. All things will not be black and white, clear choices.  If the military comes to your door, if they state that you must leave, you must hand over your weapons, your stores. If they state they will take you to shelter and safety and food. If you feel you are good, you have worked hard so that you and your family have a chance to survive, will you go quietly? Will you trust or will you defend your ground?

See? there will not be always easy choices. I can't even begin to claim that I have these answers. I do know that the more I prepare, even on my average and limited level, the more confident I feel. The clearer it becomes to me that survival may depend on Hard Hat decisions. When and if catastrophe occurs, will you be strong, will you or I, be able to salvage some of our humanity? Each of us will have to make those decisions. I do believe that those that are not prepared, will have very few choices to make.   JO

***I am always interested in hearing your opinion and input. Click on the word, COMMENT below, if you would like to leave a note. J.



  

What Are You Thinking?

 Did you watch American Blackout on the Nat Geo channel?  If you missed it, there will be repeats for a while.  It is worth watching and forming your own opinion as to it's plausibility.  I personally think that it is a fairly good portrayal of how things would progress in a widespread catastrophic situation in the United States of America.  

I am an author...that still seems astounding for me to declare. Four books that have been surprisingly received and one in the works, actually makes it seem acceptable to put that label on myself.  I am also a "prepper", a normal everyday prepper.  Not a dig a hole and drop a big bunker in it, fill up a whole room in my house with dehydrated food or amass enough weapons and ammunition to support a small country's army, prepper.  Nope, I am just your everyday garden variety prepper.

As my profile says, I have always been a person who believed in being organized, planning ahead, absolutely not a fly by the seat of your pants type person.  As the predicament of America, her failing finances, her swerving  direction, her sharp and steady decline in values and morals has steadily accelerated; my concern has increasingly grown.  My obsessive compulsive sense of order has previously kept me from stacking up food or amassing necessities....just did not seem imperative, after all, I had more important things to fill up my space and my mind.  Over the last year or so, my feeling have drastically changed.  I have come to believe that we all should be making at least the minimum of preparations that would give ourselves and our families a chance to survive any one of the various disasters that could very well occur.

These apocalyptic events could be man made and they could be from nature. The fact is there are many things that could happen in our world that would be totally out of our control and that are not predictable. 

My books are about just average people, families that are using their smarts, ingenuity and unity to survive a catastrophic event.  That will also be the theme of this blog.  I believe that just normal folks can do things and have a mindset that will greatly increase the chances of survival in a world that had been completely changed.  I will write about things that I have learned, things that I observe, things that I think any one can do to prepare. 
 
I will also give some updates on the progress of my next book, The Days After (Big River). As with all personal blogs, these will be my opinions.  I hope that I will have an exchange of ideas that will be interesting, entertaining and useful. Looking forward to "talking" with you.  JO

***I am always interested in hearing your opinion and input. Click on the word, COMMENT below, if you would like to leave a note. J.