It Was Love At First Sight

For Thing 1's first birthday, I bought her an Ernie doll. Her dad thought Ernie was lame, so he bought her a Go-Go My Walking Pup. When she saw Ernie, she immediately fell in love. Seriously. Little heart were floating out of her! Ernie instantly became her constant companion for many years. (FYI ... she was terrified of Go-Go My Walking Pup!) When Ernie got a hole in his "shoe" from being dragged around everywhere, the resident cobbler (me!) was hired to repair it. Thing 1 sat beside me and held Ernie's hand for moral support as he underwent the delicate operation.

Thing 1 wouldn't take a nap or go to bed without Ernie. When he needed a "bath", I'd have to wait for her to fall asleep, sneak into her room and pry him out of her embrace, then wash, dry, and return him to her arms before I went to bed. He always came out of the dryer good as new ... except one time. I took him out of the dryer, and his trademark straight, standing-on-end hair had became a tight afro. I panicked. Her beloved Ernie looked a little ... how do I say this ... odd! I was afraid she'd reject him as an impostor, but my worries were for naught. When she first saw him in the morning, she looked at him like "What the heck did you to to your hair last night?", then she hugged him. Turns out, she didn't care what Ernie did with his hair. "Afro Ernie" was still Ernie. His looks didn't matter ... she loved him for who he was on the inside.

I bought an Ernie for Thing 2 for her first birthday, but he never won her heart. She was far too busy preparing and serving plastic food, brewing pots of invisible coffee, and pushing baby dolls around in a little pink buggy. Thing 3 was never on Team Ernie, either ... he was into stuffed puppies, blocks, trucks, and anything that made noise.

Just before my little grandson was born, Thing 2 and I ran to Target for something ... and I saw a baby Ernie!!!!  I had to get him. When little W came to visit one time, I took his picture with Ernie. (I told him to smile like Ernie ... close enough!)

All that to say, a child loves what they love, and only time will tell whether or not W will love his Ernie as much as Thing 1 loved hers, but I sure hope he does. With W only a month old, I'll have to wait a while before he's old enough to decide which toy he can't live (or sleep) without ... and I'm really rooting for Ernie!

A View of Our (Non-Existent) Mountains

My view of the "mountains" on the way to work this morning.

Although I live in a valley, there are no mountains around here. Growing up, I never thought that was fair. All the pictures you see of other valleys show a quaint little village nestling in the shadow of lush, green mountains. Valleys are supposed to be surrounded by mountains ... so where were ours?!!

One time, like this morning, the clouds hung low over the city, and I tricked one of Thing 1's friends into thinking it was so clear that you could see the mountains (you can read the story here). So whenever I see our "mountains", I'm reminded of this silly, gullible schoolgirl. And, of course, I have to take pictures for this blog ... then post a link on her Facebook page to torment her!

A REAL Walk to Remember

Superman recently spent some time at his cabin down south. While there, he hiked a little of the Appalachian Trail. He took some pictures as he walked and sent them to me later. The scenery is so beautiful, it doesn't even look real!

Happy Birthday Margaret Mitchell

Margaret Mitchell, author of one of the most beloved novels ever written, Gone With the Wind, was born on this day in 1900. I first saw the movie of Gone With the Wind in high school and I wasn't impressed. Being perhaps fourteen or fifteen, the protagonists were "old people" to me. When I saw the movie again, years later, I was old enough to appreciate the appeal of the handsome Rhett Butler ... and I was hooked. I heartily embraced the story of love, loss, loyalty, and determination.

Her novel made her wealthy and famous the world over ... and I find it fascinating that if it hadn't been for what I would consider a "frenemy", her novel would have remained hidden, unknown, and unpublished.

In April of 1935 an editor for the Macmillan publishing company, Harold Latham, was touring the South looking for new manuscripts. Latham heard that Mitchell had been working on a manuscript. When he asked her if he could see it, she denied having one. When a "friend" commented that Mitchell was not serious enough to write a novel, Mitchell gathered up many of the envelopes she used to store the seventy chapters she had written, and took them to Latham at his hotel. He had only read a small part of the manuscript before sending it straight to New York. By July, Macmillan had offered her a contract.

Although Margaret Mitchell died long before I was born, I have strangely found confirmation from her death that I was put on this earth to write ... because she died on what would become my birthday. Coincidence? Yes, but I took it as validation.

I used to be a huge Nicholas Sparks fan, devouring his books the day they were released and binge-reading the ones he wrote before I discovered him. I loved "The Notebook", "Message in a Bottle", and "A Walk to Remember", but he began losing me with "The Last Song". I literally rolled my eyes reading a lot of that. His next book, "Safe Haven", was even worse. And he lost me as a fan completely after I read "The Best of Me". I haven't read any of his subsequent books, so I can't say this is the worst book he's ever written, I can only hope his later novels weren't worse. He's a master storyteller, and even though I didn't enjoy his last several novels, I cannot deny his talent as an author.

One of his books introduced me to the Outer Banks of North Carolina, which led me to vacation there and discover one of my favorite places on earth ... Ocracoke Island. This tiny, isolated, mostly unheard of island became the inspiration for my second novel, A Summer in Ocracoke.

On one of my many trips to Ocracoke, I passed a street sign that "told" me I was put on this earth to write. The street name was my birth date. My favorite author (at that time), had led me to this tiny strip of sand ... where there was a street named for the date of my birth. The sign was visible from the only road that runs the length of these narrow, fragile, barrier islands. I stopped just long enough to take a few photographs.

Was it merely coincidence that Margaret Mitchell died on my birthday and Nicholas Sparks' novels led me to a street named for my birthday? Probably ... but doesn't everyone wonder "What is my purpose in life?", "Why was I born?", and "What am I supposed to accomplish in my time on earth?". I took these "coincidences" to confirm what my heart has been telling me since I was a little girl ... whether or not I am ever a best-selling author, whether or not I ever make "The New York Times" list, whether or not I become wealthy, and whether or not my books ever fly off the shelves ... I was put on this earth to write stories that entertain and touch the hearts of those who read them.

My writing has been sidetracked by my daughter's wedding, my son's accident, selling my old home, and buying and moving into my new one, but I'm back on track now. I'm writing again, and I'm planning on releasing my third novel in 2016. It does my heart good to be writing again. I feel most alive when I'm writing. When I'm writing, my senses are heightened. The sun shines brighter and the leaves dance in the shadows more poetically. The leaves crunch beneath my feet in a way that demands I describe the sound. The colors of spring are more vivid, and the dreary gray of winter looms more ominous. The characters I've created become part of me that. When writing A Summer in Ocracoke, I was out shopping one day and was proud of myself for remembering I needed to buy a new coffee carafe ... and then I remembered that I didn't need one. Tara, the protagonist in A Summer in Ocracoke, had dropped and broken hers. She needed one ... not me.

One day I'll be gone. All that will remain of me will be my children and grandchildren ... and my books. But my life will not have been lived in vain. My existence will have had meaning. I will have accomplished what I was born to do. To write. In my novels, I'll leave a piece of myself behind. I will have fulfilled my destiny ... and that is a very comforting thought.

I Can See My Best Friend Doing This!

The Nutritional Value of Pixie Stixs

Like all "food", Pixie Stix must list Nutition Facts on its packaging. The ingredients are sugar, artificial flavors, and artificial coloring, something I would think most everyone would be able to tell you without even reading the list of ingredients. I realize it's the law, but honestly ... does anyone really need to be told this is not a significant source for dietary fiber, vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, or iron? 

The Curtains Were Hung by the Window With Care

I finally got curtains hung in the family room. When I first viewed the house, I was thrilled to discover regulation size windows in the basement! There is still a lot to do in this room, but it sure looks better with curtains! I still have to bring in more electrical outlets (note the wires above the tv), and I need to insulate and drywall the ceiling. One day, I will declare the basement done, but for now, it's a work in progress. Even so, the kids love hanging out down there and I love that they aren't leaving their mess in "my" space!

If You Think YOU Have it Bad ...

Above are screenshots of actual police dispatches last Sunday. So anytime you think you have it bad, just imagine what these poor souls have to put up with!!

Guess Who Went Shopping With Grandma?

My sweet little grandson went antiquing with us Sunday. He was a perfect little angel. He's a cuddler, so I got some good snuggles. I was looking for a painting or mirror to hang above the fireplace in the family room, and a lamp for Superman. I found both for an amazingly good price. Little W must be good luck. I think I'll take him shopping with me more often!

Brush Your Teeth in the Dark

According to Russell Foster, Professor of Circadian Neuroscience at Oxford University, the secret to an undisturbed night of sleep is as simple as brushing your teeth in the dark. Yes, you read that correctly ... brush your teeth in the dark.

Professor Foster warns that bright bathroom lights are waking our bodies up just when it should be preparing to rest. He's obviously convinced he's made a breakthrough in sleep science, but I don't buy it. There may be a handful of people who are so sensitive to light that this is a solution, but it's not the universal answer to a good night's sleep.

If his theory is correct, and bright lights just before bedtime in fact actually do inhibit a night of undisturbed sleep, brushing your teeth in the dark would be of little help if you to leave and then return to a bright bedroom. And what if you have to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night? Knowing light would wake you up, you stumble through the dark and stub your toe. Or what if your son has left his Lego's all over the floor? Stepping on Lego's is akin to stepping on glass shards. Pain wakes me up faster and keeps me awake longer than any bright light ever could! Besides, the lights in my bedroom are on a dimmer, and I usually have them turned down in the evening. And I have brushed my teeth by the light of a 7-watt nightlight, then went back to my dimly lit room ... and it never made even the slightest difference.

I have always found it difficult to fall asleep, even as a child. It has always taken me thirty minutes to an hour, and oftentimes even longer, to fall asleep. I can count on one hand the number of times I have gone to bed and fell asleep within minutes. I remember being at slumber parties or spending the night with friends growing up. Long after everyone else had fallen asleep, I'd be wide awake. I'd lay there, listening to the silence, flipping and flopping for hours. I long ago resigned myself to the fact that I'm just one of those people who cannot fall asleep quickly. Superman can! He can close his eyes and instantly fall asleep. I've always been amazed at and envious of his ability to fall asleep so quickly.

I'm not sure if Professor Russell onto something or not, but I doubt it. Over the years, I have read a lot of articles from "experts" on how to fall and stay asleep. I've followed their advice, and nothing has ever made any difference. The truth is, there is no universal solution to falling and staying asleep. Their suggestions are merely opinion ... not scientific fact. Personally, I think any positive results they achieve can be attributed to the placebo affect. So, I'm going to throw caution to the wind and continue to brush my teeth with the light on. I may be missing out on the one chance I have to fall asleep quickly, but I'm willing to take my chances.

Difficulty falling asleep and waking up has been my life. While I agree a good night's sleep is important, I don't believe it's as dangerous as the "experts" would have us believe. They claim lack of sleep has been linked to anxiety, depression, diabetes, heart disease, impaired work, and an increased risk of accidents. I'm one of the most sleep-deprived people I know, yet I'm only anxious and/or depressed when I have something to be anxious and/or depressed about. Despite my sweet tooth and sugar-rich diet, I am not overweight, nor do I have diabetes. Per my doctor, my heart is disease free, and my bosses and co-workers will agree my work is exemplary. I'm never late for anything, and I have never once had an accident that could in any way be attributed to tiredness.

My cynicism has me waiting to see how long it takes for them to stop claiming a lack of sleep causes anxiety, depression, diabetes, heart disease, impaired work, and an increased risk of accidents. Like everything else, one day soon they'll start blaming these ailments on global warming ... or George Bush.