2020: Fewer Possessions, More Experiences – Heavener Runestone

Posted on April 26, 2020 by peggylchambers

  The Heavener Runestone https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oklahoma_runestones in southeastern Oklahoma is an anomaly. A sandstone monolith, it stands at the bottom of a valley with carving that some say is as ancient as the Vikings who could have arrived on this continent before Columbus. Others disagree. But it is interesting and the forests around it beautiful.

Gloria Farley wrote a book about the Heavener Runestone, and others in North America, touting the possibility that Columbus wasn’t the first white European to visit the new world. In her book In Plain Sight (https://www.amazon.com/Plain-Sight-Records-Ancient-America/dp/1880820080/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=in+plain+sight+gloria+farley&qid=1587913269&sr=8-1) she describes the Heavener Runestone as well as others and gives her opinion as to where they came from.

Standing stones occur all over the world. The most famous are the stones at Stonehenge in England but they’re placed all over Europe. There are even stone statues on Easter Island which sits 2300 miles off the coast of Chili. Who knows how they got there and how they were lifted into a vertical position. But they were.

The Heavener Runestone Park https://heavenerrunestonepark.com/ was originally a state park and funded by the State of Oklahoma. During cutbacks it became the property of the city of Heavener. The city struggles to keep the park open and have festivals several times a year to help fund the stone. It is now encased in a glass and wood structure enabling you to see but not touch and preserve a part of the history of this region.

When I first visited this park, I fell in love with the lore and decided to write a book about it. That book became two and I have visions of a third. There is a certain magic about the woods and there is a feeling of all things Viking. The Glome’s Valley series (https://tinyurl.com/ycxychjm Glome’s Valley, http://tinyurl.com/ybdsqr6w  Return to Glome’s Valley) was born in this valley and I’m sure you would enjoy them and so would your kids. They are written as young adult novels.

You should check out the park. It is still open even during the pandemic though there are some restrictions about camping. It is a family friendly place and hiking and sightseeing are everywhere. You can drive or climb to the top of Poteau Mountain and look across the landscape and you can still see the stone.

Go see it and let me know if you think Vikings were once in Oklahoma. And if you go, let me know what “Glome’s Valley” means.

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2020: Fewer Possessions, More Experiences: Frontline Workers

Posted on April 19, 2020 by peggylchambers

    My sister is an inspiration.  I didn’t get permission to talk about this and I may now be off her Christmas list (assuming she reads my blog), but she’s a bad ass.  With the pandemic she is going to  work at Walmart everyday and stocking shelves, selling fabric and crafts to people stuck in the house – and she’s not alone.  The people who work in retail are there every day to take care of us.  They sling boxes and stock shelves so we can rush out the door with our treasures.  On top of that she’s had two back surgeries in the last year and I know standing on her feet is harder than it is for most.  But she’s not old enough for retirement yet and needs the income and insurance. I also know she has good friends there and she feels a loyalty to them, her employer, and the customers she serves.

She’s an inspiration, but like I said, she’s not alone.  I have had more than one little melt down since I got stuck at home. But let’s face it, I got to stay home, while my meager check came in, work on a novel, and cooked dinner. I’ve cleaned things that weren’t dirty for something to do.  But I didn’t have to go into work, check my temperature, wear a mask and gloves, and stand on my feet all day.

Please let me say, I have healthcare workers on a pedestal higher than anyone.  They face life and death everyday and then come home, hoping not to give the virus to their families.  It’s not the same as keeping stock on the shelves.  I am in awe of these people.  We can’t do enough for them and their families.

But it is always the case, we find out what we’re made of when the chips are down.  There’s been some beautiful artwork produced while artists are stuck inside.  I’ve seen more than one of  a nurse in scrubs confronting a huge Coronavirus molecule.  It was so fitting.  Humans are resilient.  That is why we’ve lasted so long.  When times are tough, we become tougher.  We have to if we are to survive – and I believe we will survive.  And maybe learn something. Mankind has always fought viruses.  The common cold is a virus and we’ve never been able to eradicate it.  Maybe this new virus will give scientists what they need to help get rid of viruses forever.  And then maybe Mother Nature will just come up with something worse.

But I know we’ll survive, and my hat is off to the workers on the frontlines.

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2020: More Experiences, Fewer Possessions – Walmart Has Toilet Paper!

Posted on April 12, 2020 by peggylchambers

    Back in January, I came up with the subject of More Experiences and Fewer Possessions.  I had no idea what would happen to our world. I envisioned cleaning out the closets and taking trips to places I’d never been.

Well, here we are – someplace we’ve never been.  In my lifetime, and many others, we’ve never experienced a pandemic.  We’ve never been stuck at home, washing groceries and wearing masks.

Since it is spring and the weather has been good (next week excepted), we’ve been taking the dog for a walk during the day. Such is the life of a retiree or a lot of people stuck at home.  But the world has changed.

Walking around the neighborhood where we’ve lived for almost 24 years, we traveled our normal route.  A pickup pulled into a drive and a couple got out.  We’ve waived to them before, never knowing their names, but the woman climbed out and held up her bag of treasures. “Walmart has toilet paper!” she exclaimed.  We talked to these almost-strangers from a safe distance for a few minutes and I thought about how we’ve lived less than a mile apart in a residential neighborhood and never knew each other.

Around the corner and nearing home, there was a young family in their yard.  I know they are new to the neighborhood.  The boy and mother played basketball on the driveway while the father sat in a lawn chair and the girl wrestled with two small dogs.  Of course, her dogs wanted to meet our dog and away they ran. “No, Yoda! Get back here, Chewie!” Dogs don’t care about social distancing. After they nosed for a minute, we resumed our walk while the neighbors corralled their dogs and they told us to have a good day. New neighbors we might not have met otherwise.

More people are out walking, riding bikes and working on manicured lawns.  I’ve been setting a goal to clean something everyday (something that doesn’t get cleaned very often).  I planted some kale my sister-in-law gave me and cleaned out the flowerbed from last year.  I have three petunias that didn’t die over the winter.  I may transplant them into pots.  There is Moss Rose coming up in another pot from the previous year.  Since going to a greenhouse doesn’t seem essential to me, I’ll make do with what I have.

I may not take the trips I had planned for my retirement years.  I may be forced to stay home. But I will still have some new experiences.  Getting to know neighbors and regreening my yard.  Any way you look at it, I will survive!

While you’re stuck at home, read a book, or write a book.  Enjoy your own patio and try to not get down about this mess.

What are you reading this week?

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2020: More Experiences, Fewer Possessions: Help After the Coronavirus

Posted on April 5, 2020 by peggylchambers

    It’s Sunday and I need to think of a blog to write about.  I like to think someone reads these and I know they do because I get a comment now and then. So, with that said, I need a good topic.  My husband said, “write about the Coronavirus like everyone else.” Sigh.  We’re all sick of it.  Some of us are sick – hopefully not you.

My publisher said this week authors have a responsibility to write about this time in history, because after all it is an historical event.  She said at least keep a journal.  I thought about it.  I have unused journals around the house.  I might even be able to find them, if I looked.  I wondered what kind of legacy I could leave for my great-grandchildren to read about what I did during the Coronavirus Pandemic.  I stayed in.  I went only to the grocery store and an occasional drive around town, not getting out of the car.  I cooked. I cleaned. I wrote – working on my latest novel. But what did I do for humanity in this time of crisis?  Governor Stitt of Oklahoma announced a volunteer initiative Ready. Help. Go. https://www.fox23.com/news/local/governor-stitt-announces-ready-help-go-volunteer-readiness-program/MVLJSBBYDBBG5BF24VAGFAYYDU/  It takes place after the virus is over to help rebuild and whatever is needed. My husband and I talked about it.  Being retired I don’t now if we could qualify for anything, but it is something to look into.  I’d like to think I tried to help my fellowman in time of need.  After all, I believe that’s why we were all put on this earth.

It’s also Palm Sunday, the beginning of the holiest week in the Christian faith.  And Easter this year will be different.  Sunday services will be online, and the Easter Bunny may wear a surgical mask when he delivers.  But we’ll still get through it, we have to.

Veg out in front of the television, talk to your family and try to enjoy them, even if quarters are close.  Think of the alternative if they weren’t there.  Read a book. My Glome’s Valley books are still $.99 on Kindle https://www.amazon.com/Peggy-Chambers/e/B0069EINPK?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_2&qid=1586097766&sr=8-2 or the Australia Burns series, which proceeds go to the Australian Red Cross for wildfire relief, are available to read.

What have you done that could make a difference during this time? Keep looking to the future.

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2020: Fewer Possessions, More Experiences-Window Washing in the Time of Coronavirus

Posted on March 29, 2020 by peggylchambers

    I know all of you are as sick of the pandemic as I am.  I’m tired of being inside and I’m sick of cooking most of our meals.  I need a Mexican restaurant!  But, I’m happy to say I’m healthy.

But instead of crying, I decided to do some more cleaning today.  I have a large picture window in the dinning room.  Actually, it is three windows that open with screens and I decided some spring cleaning was in order.

Since paper towels and some cleaning supplies are in short supply, I tired what my grandmother would have done.  She was a tough little lady who raised 8 kids in backwoods Arkansas during the depression.  She knew how to make-do with what she had. We could all take a lesson there.  I was certain I had a recipe for window cleaner. When I found it, I realized I didn’t have ammonia.  So, I looked online for another and this one used vinegar.

Window Cleaner

1 tsp baking soda

1 oz. ammonia

1 oz. liquid detergent

Mix together with a gallon of water.

Or

2 Cups of water

¼ to ½ cup of vinegar depending upon how dirty the windows are (mine were grimy)

½ tsp liquid dishwashing detergent.   

I opted for the recipe with vinegar and tried using old newspapers to clean with.  I’d heard of people doing this, but I wondered if it would leave black ink on the glass.  It didn’t and the cleaner and newspapers did a great job!

After I cleaned up the  windows inside and out (and the swag that hung over it) I put everything back together and marked my spray bottle of cleaner.  There was still some left for when I get ambitious again.

When I put up the cleaner, I found I did have ammonia shoved to the back of the cabinet.  I’ll try that recipe next time.

I had to get away from the work I’m doing on my latest novel and I had to get out of the house.  It was windy but warm and the physical exercise felt good.

So, what are you reading this week (or writing or cleaning)?

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2020: Fewer Possessions, More Experiences – Experience Glome’s Valley

Posted on March 22, 2020 by peggylchambers

    I am so sick of hearing about the Coronavirus and I know you are too. Hopefully you are stuck at home and only bored, not sick.  But since we are all stuck at home, you know what you can do?  Read a book!  Read to yourself and your kids.

To help make that happen, Glome’s Valley and Return to Glome’s Valley are on sale for $.99 in the Kindle and e-published version.  You can have a lot of fun for $.99.

Glome’s Valley takes place in Oklahoma at the Heavener Runestone https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oklahoma_runestones in southeast Oklahoma. And it made a great backdrop for an Oklahoma fairytale.

When Ethan and his dad to go Heavener, Oklahoma to read an ancient runestone, he is sure he’s going to be bored all summer.  But Ethan quickly makes new friends, at least one of them a ghost.  What began as a trip to Dullville suddenly becomes a fantastic adventure.  There are other creatures living in the valleys near the runestone – energetic fairies, beautiful wood nymphs, and smelly old trolls.  Ethan stumbles into the midst of an ancient war, and the only person who can save him is his archaeologist dad and the phone app that summons Thor.

Return to Glome’s Valley takes place years later when Ethan returns to the stone and meets a new character, Trondelag, the dragon.  And she remembers him, even though he never saw her before.

Fourteen years ago, Ethan met Glome and the fairies while his father studied the Heavener Runestone. Now back, news traveled fast in the forest.

 Ethan learned that the Vinland Maps, drawn by Vikings traveling to North America before Columbus, lay hidden in a cave.

 Warned by Trondelag, the dragon, not to go up against Loki and the draugrs for a piece of paper to make him famous, Ethan decided to go anyway. And then there was Mac – his doppelganger. Would he be able to protect her?

Pick up a copy of both for only $.99 each.  Read for yourself, read to your kids, sometimes reality needs a little fantasy and now could be the time.

The two Glome’s Valley books are set in the magical forests of southeastern Oklahoma. And the forests are a different place at night!

Check out Glome’s Valley and Return to Glome’s Valley for only $.99 each.

What are you reading this week?

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Enid Author Fest 2020 Cancelled

Posted on March 16, 2020 by peggylchambers

Due to potential spread of the Coronavirus, the Enid Public Library has cancelled the Enid Author Fest scheduled for March 28. Gear up for next year!

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2020: Fewer Possessions, More Experiences – Experience a Fun Apocalypse

Posted on March 15, 2020 by peggylchambers

    I know I’m not alone in being sick of hearing about the Coronavirus. If you’re infected with the virus, you are even more sick of it! So, what are you going to do about it?

I spent part of the morning cleaning the kitchen and bathrooms. They weren’t really dirty, but it made me feel better. Then I wiped down doorknobs and light switches. I’d already taken a slightly-damp-with-alcohol Kleenex and wiped off my cell phone and laptop. Ahhhh.

But you can only clean so long before you HAVE to have some fun. And I have it.Read a book!  The Apocalypse Sucks. It is not the first post-apocalypse novel, but if you can’t make fun of the end of the world, what can you make fun of?

There’s no apocalypse handbook. Sandra and Molly were two typical office workers enjoying their lives, which consisted primarily of going to work, shopping and looking for cute guys. Then their world came to a disastrous end brought about by a fast-acting, airborne virus that decimated the world’s population.

Now the girls live in the abandoned office building which they once worked in surrounded by a new and dangerous landscape; one where mutated animals roam the streets and giant birds soar through empty skies, where frightening humanoid bat creatures have appeared to challenge humans for supremacy of the earth.

What are two attractive, intelligent, single girls supposed to do now. . . other than merely hunt for food and try to stay alive? Well, there are still malls, albeit much less crowded, and though rare, a few cute guys still out there. So even if the apocalypse sucks, Sandra and Molly are not about to let it cramp their style.

A truly unique, twisty adventure with two of the most likeable heroines you’ll ever meet. “The Apocalypse Sucks,” is a pulp mash-up readers are sure to enjoy from cover to cover.

The Apocalypse Sucks is available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and fine bookstores everywhere in paperback, electronic publishing and now on Audible.com.

Check it out. What are you reading this week?

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2020: Fewer Possessions, More Experiences – Experience the Enid Author Fest

Posted on March 8, 2020 by peggylchambers

    It’s Author Fest Time! An experience like no other.

On Saturday, March 28, 2020 from 1-5 the Enid Public Library will host their annual Enid Author Fest! Approximately 40 of Oklahoma’s best authors will gather to sign, sell, and discuss their books and writing as a whole.

There will be an edible book contest, post-it note story contest, and a keynote speaker, Dr. John Otto. Per the Library’s web page:

Dr. Otto is a veterinarian from Norman, Dr. John Otto is also the author of children’s book, Sarge: the Veteran’s Best Friend, which tells the story of a real-life rescue dog who visits veterans in Oklahoma.

Dr. John volunteers with Friends For Folks and helped establish the Guardian Angels program, where rescue dogs are paired with and trained by inmates, preparing the dogs for a new home. The programs are ongoing in hopes of being implemented in other prisons throughout Oklahoma.

Come join the fun and meet the authors while celebrating books, books, books! It is free to the public and we’d love to see you.

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2020: Fewer Possessions, More Experiences – The Apocalypse Sucks

Posted on March 1, 2020 by peggylchambers

    If you can’t make fun of the apocalypse, what can you make fun of?

Some things never change – like bras wearing out – even at the end of the world. Sandra and Molly now live together in the building they used to work in before the viruses. Most of the people died quickly, but the survivors will never be the same.

My first published novel, The Apocalypse Sucks (Airship 27 Productions) is still available today and can still make you smile. Unlike some end-of-the-world stories, it is fun and terrifying at the same time. Molly and Sandra are living day-to-day with little food and their weapons handy. When the virus took out most of the world (V-Day) they survived – and had no idea why. Then the bat creatures began to appear, and life became more frightening. But the girls still have each other and their dog, Lady. But Sandra’s last bra has worn out and Molly longs for more Berry Cloud lip gloss. It could be that the deserted mall might hold them both. However, getting out of the safety of the fifteen-story building and walking that far migh mean life or death.

Prying open the door, they peeked into the deserted mall. No movement or noise. Slowly, they tiptoed inside the darkened building. As their eyes adjusted to the dim light, they made their way down the hall, as quietly as possible. Sandra told herself no one was here—however, her bow was still at the ready.

            “The bra shop is down that way,” Molly whispered.

“Why are you whispering?” Sandra whispered back.

“I have no idea,” Molly said louder, then ran around in circles, her arms in the air. “God, I’ve missed you mall! Give me Berry Cloud or give me death!” Molly squealed.

“Simmer down. You might just get your wish,” said Sandra.

“We have to pass Sephora to get to Macy’s, if I remember right. Let’s go to the back and see if there are any cases left. I’ll just die if there isn’t any left,” Molly said.

            “Can you please stop talking about death? Anyway, if the lip gloss is gone, you’ll use Vaseline. A big jar of Vaseline will take care of you just fine,” Sandra shot back. Even though she thought it was silly to whisper, she felt like someone—or something—was listening in on their conversation.

            Molly rolled her eyes.

            “Oh, I hope there are unopened boxes in the back,” Molly said, bounding toward the open door of Sephora. Inside, the shelves had been ransacked. Lady whined as she looked at the jumble of broken merchandise, trying to decide which way to step. The door to the storeroom hung open, revealing more cosmetics chaos. Boxes were ripped open and on their sides. Gingerly, Molly picked her way through the mess, looking for anything that might say “lip gloss.” Perching on top of one box and sliding over the top, she landed behind a mountain of stock.

            “I’ve found it!” she shrieked. “Berry Cloud—a whole box full!”

            “Shush,” Sandra whispered. Molly’s face popped above a box looking at her. Something wasn’t right. Sandra didn’t hear it—she felt it. A low growl began deep inside Lady, growing as her hackles rose. She backed away from the door as Sandra raised the bow once more. Moments passed, as the women stood still as statues. Nothing.

            “We’re not alone,” Sandra said. “Lady heard it, too.”

            “Maybe the wind? There are some back doors to this place,” Molly said with a lack of conviction in her voice.

Pick up a copy of The Apocalypse Sucks and if you love it, leave me a review.

What are you reading this week?

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