What Next?

I have been a writer for as long as I can remember and in addition to the many reports, hundreds of articles, a few dozen songs, some government grants, a flock of short stories, and a covey of letters to the editor; I have produced about 20 volumes with the help of my publisher and friend Arline Chase. Oh, the chapbooks. Some are still available. The others lurk on the Internet, hoping to be discovered one day.

For the past thirty years or so it seemed like I always had something literary cooking on the back burner, and despite the need to support myself, and for the last decade, an older home in a gorgeous colonial city. Cambridge is the background for my books and the place that claimed me when I was finding myself. It is a good place to write.

In fact much of my work here was related to writing. I spent five years writing for The Daily Banner, and I carried a camera to report and record the local news. I had a ball, and found that a deadline is a powerful presence to make one write on time. I worked for the arts center and helped with their newsletter and special programs. You had to write. Then I was hired to be the activities director at an adult day care center. You wouldn't believe how much writing that took.

And in the meantime, I was usually working on a book. But not so much lately. I seem to be stuck.

In fact, I seem to be bookless for the first time in years. I am not all that comfortable, but it may be OK eventually. Lately I have been spending time cleaning house and hanging with friends - important activities in any life, right? I am trying to get used to it, but I agree with Stephen King. A writer's block is no darned fun.

To make matters worse, it is raining out there, so it doesn't look I'll get a walk on the sunny side either. Wish me luck! Sending my love, Terry PS: Blogspot won't allow me to put in paragraphs. So sorry.

A Rose for a Friend

Good Thursday Morning,

Yesterday started out damp and got worse as the third day of rain dampened the Eastern Shore. A couple of plans fell through and I tried to keep busy, but one can get tired of her own company after several day cooped up in the house.

I had about given up on the day when a friend called and suggested we go shopping and then return to her house for supper and a movie. She deserves a winter rose for being a great friend in need.

Most of the time I can stand being alone. I always have things to do, and if all else fails, there is always housework. There are times, however, when nothing will do but the company of a friendly being.

This lady really made the day fun, so I wanted to mention it in today's blog. We can plan all we wish, but when it comes right down to it, heaven has a plan for all of our days and an angel to banish loneliness when the time is right.

So. I hope that your angel shows up today and that you have many blessings in your life. I am going to get to work and send you a rose!

Keep on the sunny side. Terry

Winter Memories in a Cold Season

Good Morning Bloggers,

I am so glad today is Wednesday. It is still raining and hump day offers hope that the rest of the week will clear up and the sun will shine.

It has always puzzled me that the sun is actually closer to Mother Earth in winter than in summer because winter is always a bit inhospitable. Well, I guess there are people who enjoy winter sports, but I never did like the season of cold. I was never quite warm when I was a kid - we lived in a farmhouse heated by a wood stove in the kitchen for cooking and an oil burner that did its best to warm the rest of the house.

There was a great competition at home for spots near the fire and I have clear memories of sitting in the woodbox behind the range in order to do my homework in comfort. Dad had his feet in the oven and the rest of the family was gathered around to make the most of cold winter days. Pop did his best to maintain a party atmosphere, popping corn and making jackwax by pouring hot sugar syrup over fresh snow. We laughed a lot, and we got along. If one was mad, one could get sent to bed and it was cold upstairs, I have clear memories of the snow blowing in under the bedroom window.

Today, I live in my dream house a couple of states south of the wintery days of my youth. The house is cold in deference to fuel shortages throughout the country and my small budget, but I wouldn't change it for the world. I should, however, wish for the sun to shine - so keep on the sunny side wherever that may be, folks. Terry

A Message to Santa

Good Morning Bloggers,

I was looking for a clip for this morning and noticed this one with Santa speaking on telephone. It made me wonder if the jolly old elf had succumbed to the trend to the use of cell phones.

When I was a kid, we had one phone for five or more people all living in the same house. We were on what the telephone company called a party line, and that worked out fine too. People hung up if they heard conversation on the line and made their call later. If the cows got out, it was perfectly fine to interrupt the chatters, but otherwise one waited their turn.

Today we see cell phones everywhere. Teachers, kids and administrators all have them in schools, cops wear them as part of their uniform, and some folks carry both business and personal phones so they don't miss a call.

Poor Santa, though. I can't imagine how he can get all the prep work done for the big holiday if he is on the phone day and night dealing with anxious kids who just call instead of writing letters or bugging their parents for the most desired gift of the season. He must have some really boss elves to keep up with everything while the phones keep ringing.

I wouldn't call Santa if I had a cell phone - which I don't. I wouldn't call at all, since I can't call long distance on my phone plan and I guess the North Pole is out of my calling area. I wouldn't call anyway - there is nothing I need so badly that it won't wait.

If I could have Santa's ear, I would ask for peace and a better economy. I would ask for people to get along and be a little more patient with one another. Wouldn't that be nice?

I just thought I would add my two cents. Keep on the sunny side. Terry

A Christmas Card

Good Morning Bloggers,

I have sort of gotten away from sending holiday cards since I got my computer and the price of stamps has gone up so much. Back when I was about ten years old, I went out selling Christmas cards in an effort to raise money to buy gifts. All the adults who saw the cards thought they were nifty, but said they couldn't afford cards because postage went up from two cents to three cents per card that summer. Huh.


These days, I send an email to my beloved friends - and I used to call until my recent go-round with Verizon who now requires subscribers to pay for the privilege of paying for long distance calls. I guess nothing ever really changes.


Christmas cards are nice, and they convey a happy message, but I know that if I only think of a person once a year, they are really not worth all that much. Maybe that tells us something? Maybe we need to pay more attention to our loved ones all year 'round?


Today I am going to make chocolates. I will put them up in holiday bags from the dollar store and deliver them to my favorite people. Nothin' says lovin' like chocolate, right?


I sure hope you are having a good time remembering your favorite people this holiday season.


Take care, stay well and keep on the sunny side. Terry

Maybe Smoke Signals?

Good Monday Morning,

Saturday I attempted to call friends in New Orleans and learned how much the world has changed in the last few years.

Five years ago, I bought a house using my savings as a down payment. At that time I had friends with cell phones with out-of-area numbers so I chose to add 'unlimited long distance' to my phone services.

Prior to this, I had a local phone account that charged for long distance calls, so adding 'unlimited' long distance made sense with friends around the corner whose phones originated in other cities. I didn't think much of it, since I could afford the service. But times have changed.

I am now on social security, and while I might not look as cute as my picture (it is my favorite!) I am not that dumb either. Like lots of other Americans, the economy has forced me to cut back some of my spending, so I called Verizon and asked them to take the 'unlimited' long distance off my account. I thought I would still be able to make my long distance calls as long as I paid for them.

Little did I know this request removed ALL long distance from my account. It was early Saturday morning when I tried to call friends out of my local calling area when that danged little mechanical voice insisted I had to have a long-distance calling code in order to complete the call. What long distance calling code!

Well, you know I called customer service - only to learn that I had NO long distance service at all on my account. It costs extra to pay for long distance calls. Excuse my lapse into the vernacular, but I ain't buying it!

I sure hope the new administration can fix what is wrong with our economy. This seems like a case of pure greed to me. My grandfather was a lineman and Granny was an operator back in the20's and you got all the long distance you wanted on your reglar line back then.

Today, you plain don't get any service unless you pay for them to charge you. I sure hope someone catches up with all of this stuff because it doesn't make sense.

In the meantime, if you want to talk with me and I'm not home, keep calling because I can't call you back! Keep on the sunny side if you can. Terry

What's Up With Wreaths?

Good Friday Morning,

Last night I attended the gala for the 9th annual Festival of Wreaths at Pleasant Day Medical Adult Day Care Center. It was a glittering affair complete with four musical presentations, and more than 125 wreaths hung in the halls of the facility -all of them ready for sale by silent auction. The event was catered by just about every restaurant in the county. What a party.

I was there nine years ago when the boss, Jackie Vickers, told me she wanted a fund-raiser to help keep indigent clients in day care. Back then, it cost something under $70 for the services: transportation, two meals and a snack, medical supervision,activities, shopping, and social worker services. Last night proved the festival was pure gold. The sale of all those wreaths, a couple of raffles and a live auction of wonderful donated items generated thousands of dollars to keep our elders in the program.

I retired from Pleasant Day several years ago, but every Christmas I take time to make some wreaths - for myself, and for others. It is a lot of fun, and I always use up some of the tons of materials that seem to find their way into my craft shelves. Each year, I help decorate one of the 18 trees that decorate the center, and this year a couple of friends from the Wednesday Morning Artists helped. We made a wreath too - with dozens of little paintings by the members.

The gala was so much fun. I collected hugs and reconnected with friends I made during a career as fund-raiser for two non-profits and as a news reporter - one of the reasons I adore Cambridge. People are great here, and they aren't afraid to tell you they love you!

You can't beat a night like that. I hope you take time to do something for others less fortunate this holiday season. It sure keeps you on the sunny side. Love, Terry

My Thanks for Then and Now

Good Almost Thanksgiving,

I know the economy is supposed to be in the pits, but what better time to give thanks for all we have. Gas has gone down under $2.00 per gallon, and if that isn’t a blessing, I am not sure what is. Let’s start there.

When I was a kid, we lived in a house with no plumbing, and no central heat. I don’t remember being unhappy because it was what it was. I did wish to be warm a lot. Today, I have a beautiful home, but I can’t say as I am always warm. Fuel is still expensive, but I wear lots of layers and am pretty comfortable all the time. I wonder how warm the lean-tos and cabins the Pilgrims lived in were. No wonder the ladies wore those long skirts and shawls. Talk about tough. They must have had a big lot of faith to endure those times.

When I was a youngster, we walked. We walked to school. We walked to the store. We walked to church. When we were on vacation, we walked to and in the woods, and we walked to visit all the old ladies who lived on the surrounding farms. A car trip was an occasion. Today I have arthritis and can’t walk far. Maybe I should have been more thankful when I was a kid.

When I was a kid, I wore hand-me-downs from an aunt who worked. I was a big kid in high school and that arrangement worked, although I was sometimes less than grateful because I wanted the same sorts of skirts and blouses the other girls in my class wore. Today I happily shop at the local thrift shops, and couldn’t care less what the crowd is wearing so long as I am covered and warm.

We feasted on holidays when I was a kid, living on a farm provided all sorts of foods that seem like luxuries when one has to purchase them in today’s supermarkets. I guess I should have been more grateful back then, because preparing for a holiday is serious business for people on a fixed income.

When I was a child, I wrote my stories on a tablet of lined paper with a always diminishing yellow pencil. Today I use a computer that highlights my mistakes and sends the stories off to my publisher Write Words Inc. at the speed of light. Whodathunk it!

I am grateful and happy for what I have today. I wish that little girl in hand-me-downs could see all I have today. I bet she would be amazed at the harvest I have gathered in my life. I am grateful for the rich variety life has given me, and I am thankful for all of my happy harvest.

Keep on the sunny side,

Terry

PS: I forgot to say I have published more than a dozen books. I am very grateful that particular dream came true.

Appreciating the Dream

Greetings from the Eastern Shore!

Today I will take time out to visit the Never on Tuesday bookstore here in Cambridge to launch my new novel, Chesapeake Harvest.

Chesapeake Harvest is about my 15th book, I am a bit like the old woman who lived in a shoe... by now I can hardly remember all their names after 40 years of writing. At any rate, Chesapeake Harvest is the first of a series set on the Eastern Shore of Maryland from the earliest colony times. The women in the series are survivors, women who wait for love, and take up the reins of life to make their survival a reality.

Mary Charles is the heroine of Chesapeake Harvest. She starts off gentry and slides down the social ladder to end up in a London jail. The next thing she knows, the universe steps in and she is on a ship bound for the New World. Undaunted, she faces up to her indenture and learns how to survive on the mosquito and disease ridden coast despite all obstacles in her way.

Mary's descendents follow the family in the following stories, Chesapeake Legacy and Chesapeake Destiny. If you like a series, I hope you will check my stories out at Amazon.com and www.ebooksonthe.net.

Many thanks go out to artist Dawn M. Tarr for the series covers! I love the pulp fiction look and the pensive characters who seem to know all the secrets of life and love. Find more of Dawn's work at www.dawntarr.com.

Oh yes, I am working with Nikki Leigh to promote her authors on tour blog at http://authorsontour@blogspot.com. Check it out!

Keep on the sunny side, Terry