LUCKY THIRTEEN – FIFTY-TWO NEW THINGS FOR 2013: NO. 32

Posted on August 5, 2013 by peggylchambers

Monument_Valley.JPG JPEG 0540074266    I’ve been invited to write a western short story.  Well, me and about a million other people.  Bret Cogburn, http://www.brettcogburn.com/ western writer, is having a western short story contest.  It is not his first.  He invited members of the Oklahoma Writer’s Federation, Inc. to enter his contest last year.  The contest was a four-sentence western.  Winners would have their name and “flash fiction” published in the back of his latest book and I was one of the winners.  I have not seen the book so I can only assume my story has a place in the latest publication, but obviously I now have a place on his email list.

I received an email from him this week (maybe you did too?) stating he was having another contest.  This one was a little longer – a western short story anywhere from 10 to 30 pages long.  He also called me a “bad ass writer” (well me and the other people on his email list, but I am sure it was directed at me).  Evidently that is all it takes for me.  The cogs started turning and I began to formulate a short story in my mind.

I don’t normally write westerns, but a discussion has been making the rounds on OWFI about whether or not to use pen names for different genres.  I said I would continue to use my own name for whatever genre I wrote and there were others who stated they used different names and why.  But, I still like to try new genres now and then.  So, maybe it is time I tried westerns just for fun.

My story will probably have a female protagonist, most of them do (I wonder why?).  But I have some ideas popping up in my head.  I think I’ll use the idea from my four-sentence western and develop it a little more.

Here is what won the first contest – my very short western:

The sharp pain in her belly hit again stopping her from chopping the weeds from around the cotton.  The oldest rode to get the mid-wife, but she hoped to finish the row before she had to quit.  The stew, bubbling over the fire helped to warm the rising bread.  Dinner would be ready when he came in from branding.

The American west was a tough time for women and men and even children.  People were tough or they would not survive.  I don’t know if I would have made it to adulthood.  But it can make for some interesting story telling.

Wish me luck with the next western story that will be a little longer than the first.

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LUCKY THIRTEEN – FIFTY-TWO NEW THINGS FOR 2013: NO. 31

Posted on July 29, 2013 by peggylchambers

wine and books 8

The Enid Symphony Center presents

Summer Wine

a series of free events in the Enid Symphony Center on Tuesday evenings in August

The Maestro, the Missus and the Minister present Always!

Tuesday, August 6, 2013        7:00 pm          

 A “DeLovely”  concert of classic American love songs  by Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, George Gershwin and others featuring Douglas and Lawana Newell  accompanied by Andrew Long at the piano.

 

Poet Sharon Frye and Friends

Tuesday, August 13, 2013      7:00 pm

 The poetry of Sharon Frye appears in “the first cut” Issues 6 & 7 “Between Earth and Sky,” recently released by Silver Bow Publishing. Her poem “Risen Heroes” will be inscribed on a sculpture for first responders, commissioned by Dean Thompson of Dallas, Texas. Sharon is in collaboration with Irish narrative artist, Eabha Rose, in spoken word and audio productions. The Galway Review

The Enid Writers Club: A Harvest of Words

Tuesday, August 20, 2013      7:00 pm

The Enid Writers’ Club is a collection of multi-talented artists writing in various genres.   Laugh, cry or be terrified as writers hypnotize you with the subtle art of storytelling.  The EWC is the oldest writing club in Oklahoma with writers ranging from published novelists to poets to storytellers who just love to make you sweat.  Writers include, Chantell Tiatrakul, Dennis McDonald, Karen Evans, Lucie Smoker, Marsha Kay Oldham, Jim Arnold, Martha Draper, Paula Benge, Mable Carpenter, Hugh Hairs,  and Peggy Chambers.

Joe Lamerton The Art of Hand Carved Furniture

Tuesday, August 27, 2013      7:00 pm

 “My passion is design. My specialty is hand-honing unique and elegant chairs and tables custom fit for each client. Each heirloom-quality piece is strong and useful, but also classically beautiful, meant to be used for generations.”

 Complementary Wines provided by Park Avenue Thrift. The Enid Symphony Center is located on the Fourth Floor at 301 West Broadway.

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LUCKY THIRTEEN – FIFTY-TWO NEW THINGS TO DO IN 2013: NO. 30

Posted on July 22, 2013 by peggylchambers

wine bottle waterer   I’ll bet you think I came home drunk last night and fell in the flower bed.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  It was not me that was drunk but the pots, notice how they lean at angles?

Actually, I was following a tip from a friend who said to use 2 liter soda bottles and push them into the soil to water the plant slowly at the roots.  It conserves water and keeps things hydrated when you are away.

But wine bottles are cool!  Especially the colored ones like blue and green.  There are even a few red ones out there.  And, they have long necks so they can be shoved down into the soil to remain upright and not falling over in the Oklahoma wind. Maybe I could have at least taken the label off.  But, just dig a hole next to your plant the size of your bottle neck, fill the bottle with water and place it in the hole.  Water will leak out as needed.

It seems the top flower pot on my “crooked pots on a stick” is always dry.  It is small and at the top of the pole so the water runs down into the other pots.  So, I thought why not put the wine bottle in the pot to help keep it watered?  I also have them in the front yard around a new azalea that I am babying and the front of the bed that gets a lot of sun and is always dry.  They are colorful and serve a purpose.

I plan to put the plastic ones around the tomato plants in the back yard.  They aren’t as eclectic but they do provide water to thirsty plants in the middle of the summer.  My husband mentioned putting a pipe or hose in the hole first that would keep the water bottle from falling over.  Good idea.

Try it.  Your plants might like it especially with the summer water rationing that is starting up in my hometown.

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LUCKY THIRTEEN – FIFTY-TWO NEW THINGS TO DO IN 2013: NO. 29

Posted on July 15, 2013 by peggylchambers

legal   My firm is in the middle of a big trial.  And I had forgotten just how exhausting that sort of thing can be.  I have been out of the litigation business for more than a few years and I was younger the last time I did this.

It is a three day trial and it took three of us and a hand cart to take all the documents to the Courthouse.  Our office is only a block away so there was no need for a car.  You can’t park much closer than that anyway.  And to make matters worse, the elevator is broken so we climbed the stairs.

Being the Legal Assistant, I don’t stick around for the bones of the matter but I am on call and worked many hours in advance getting exhibits ready and in nice neat notebooks so everyone had a copy.  My boss and the law clerk worked many more hours than I did.  Then at the last minute the order of the exhibits was changed and we took them all apart.  I still don’t know why.

I made countless trips up and down the block between our building and the Courthouse and ran around last week making sure my phone was in my pocket in case someone needed any thing.  I delivered lunch to the courthouse and afterwards it was mentioned by the court reporter that the courtroom smelled like burgers.  That happens when you eat on the fly.  I didn’t get lunch myself, but decided I would order an extra one next time.

We still have two days to go.  I will go in early, stay late and eat at my desk if I get to eat at all.  Not that missing a few meals would be a bad thing for me.  There are still a multitude of things to do back at the office while the trial itself is going on.  I spent a week at the Courtroom table with the attorney once when I was young and it was interesting, but grueling.   These days I tire more quickly than I used to, but the law has always been fascinating to me.

No matter which side you are on, a trial is a lot of leg work.  But, tired or not, I am still interested in the business and I guess I still like being a part of the system.  Wish us luck this week.

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LUCKY THIRTEEN – FIFTY-TWO NEW THINGS TO DO IN 2013: NO. 28

Posted on July 8, 2013 by peggylchambers

beach S Texas   I hit another wall this evening.  I spent the whole weekend working on my latest novel The Beach House (soon to be renamed Secrets of Sandhill Island).  I finished the novel at around 54,000 words but it needed to be 65,000 words.  It had some holes in the plot and needed some fleshing out in places and more explanations for certain scenes.  No problem I can do that!

I worked until I couldn’t work anymore. I wrote new scenes and introduced some new minor characters that helped to draw the plot together. Until I could write no more.  I had self-imposed word-count stress.  I had put the words on paper, but were they any good?  Did it help the story or detract from the main story line?  I didn’t know anymore and had to put it away.  Even though I met my goal and made the word count – almost – I had to quit and come back to it later.

The Beach House a/k/a Secrets of Sandhill Island is a great story about love and life the way it appears and the way it really is.  It is a romance suspense novel that I believe in and I am sure will make me happy in the end.  I just have to let it develop on its own and not push it so hard.

Writing almost 11,000 words this weekend is something new for me.  What did you do that was new?

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LUCKY THIRTEEN – FIFTY-TWO NEW THINGS TO DO FOR 2013: NO. 27

Posted on July 1, 2013 by peggylchambers

patio  As a writer, I sometimes come up against a creativity wall.  I won’t call it writers’ block because I have so many ideas floating around in my head all the time that I know I’ll never have enough time to get them all on paper.  However, sometimes it is hard to concentrate and find a quiet place to get creative.

I follow Kristin Nador’s blog Kristen Nador Writes Anywhere  http://kristinnador.wordpress.com/2013/06/28/write-anywhere-65/#comment-3929  and decided to follow her advice this week about where to write to spark your creativity.  I am always up for suggestions for new and better ways to enjoy being a writer.

Since it is summer in Oklahoma and sometimes as hot as Death Valley, the best time to be outside is after the sun goes down.  Last evening after watering the flower garden, I took my laptop to the patio, turned on the “fiesta lights” (also known as rope lights that line the patio cover) and settled into my patio chair.  My husband could watch TV and I could write until my heart was content.  I wrote until way after dark.  The dog gave up on me and went inside.  I had the insect repellant and a drink on the table next to me and the creative juices flowed.

The hot weather helps me get in the mood for my latest novel “The Beach House” (soon to be renamed Secrets of Sandhill Island) that is set on an island in the Texas Gulf coast. There’s nothing like a summer evening to make you think romance, and since the novel is a romance suspense novel, my characters did a lot of living on the screen of my computer.  And a few bugs landed there too.

Thanks for the great idea Kristin!  Try it, you might find you like it.  Summer is a wastin’!

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LUCKY THIRTEEN – FIFTY-TWO NEW THINGS TO DO IN 2013: NO. 26

Posted on June 24, 2013 by peggylchambers

bouquet    Walking down the isle of the small chapel in the handmade dress and the small bouquet of daisies forty-one years ago today, I said “I do” to my high school sweetheart.  There were a few friends and family in attendance.  Barely old enough for a license we started our lives together with no money to fight over and a tiny house with worn out furniture.  It was tough but it pulled us together more tightly because we not only wanted to be together – we couldn’t afford to fail.

I’ve been married longer than I was single. My husband and I sometimes think we’re joined at the hip. We sleep together, live together, work together at the house we bought together and sometimes we fight.  Fighting is part of living together.  It is not an indication of the level of love between two people – sometimes it just has to be done.  Sometimes you just have to assert yourself. And we do.

But, I still love my husband of forty-one years.  I love him when we are together and when we are apart.  I even love him when we fight.  After all, who else would put up with me for this long?  And who else would put up with him?  He encourages me to do the things I want to do, and helps me with the things I have to do.

I made the right decision that Saturday afternoon in the small chapel.  My life would have not been the same without him and I’m glad we didn’t fail.  Here’s to the next forty-one years.

Love you Don – Happy Anniversary.

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LUCKY THIRTEEN – FIFTY-TWO NEW THINGS FOR 2013: NO. 25

Posted on June 17, 2013 by peggylchambers

Father’s Day was great.  The small gathering held at my future daughter-in-law’s was adults only this year.  The grandkids had places to be, but the five us enjoyed pizza on the grill, salad, pie and cocktails – yum!  Just the adults and the dogs this year.  cocktails

My husband and I are orphans.  All four of our parents are gone but we are still a family and we get together when we can.  My father was in aviation for 40+ years and his father was a farmer and handyman all his life.  I miss them both but they provided a good solid example of what a father should be and how he should take care of his family. They were loved.

My son is marrying in the fall and will become an instant father of two and I know he is ready.  Anyone can be a father but it takes someone special to be a daddy.  We celebrated his first Father’s Day a little early and he manned the grill.

My husband became a father a little earlier than either of us had in mind but we were both excited to become parents.  The kids grew up with us in some ways, but we have remained close maybe because of this.  We had little in the way of money but made up for it in love.  donandbrandi

Father’s Day is a great reminder of the relationships you have forged in life and helps you to embrace them.    I hope you spent time with your father or the father of your children and made a point to give him a big kiss.  Fathers are the pillars of a family.   Happy Father’s Day!

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LUCKY THIRTEEN – FIFTY-TWO NEW THING FOR 2013: NO. 24

Posted on June 10, 2013 by peggylchambers

DSC_0056  Most families have a pet – some have many.  The most popular is always a dog and we are no different.  We have a dog.  A little medium-sized beagle mix named Athena – named for the goddess of war.  She really doesn’t resemble her name.  She is gentle and sweet unless we have company or she sees another dog not on a leash when we are on a walk.  And then she goes nuts!

We found the little light of our lives on Craigslist at the age of six months from a soldier being deployed.  He had found her and her litter in a ditch dumped by some scum of the earth and left to die.  Dogs are better than some humans – they would never do such a thing. We should thank them for being our friends.

Like I said, she is a mutt but she is an intelligent mutt.  She looks a lot like a beagle but her legs are long and her ears are short.  She leaps across the back yard like a gazelle and has a toad friend in her back yard that we have named Bob.  She never tries to hurt him, she just noses him “hello” when he appears after dark and then they go their separate ways.

She loves to ride in the car or better still my husband’s truck.  She is a city dog, not a big tough farm dog or junk yard dog.  When my grandson comes to spend the weekend we blow up a mattress in the living room and let them sleep together.  Whether either one do much sleeping is still up for discussion.

Lately my daughter has acquired a new puppy of the mutt variety.  He has a big future ahead of of him.  Toby is being trained to be a therapy dog so she can use him to sooth clients in her practice.  I think most dogs are therapy dogs.  They know our hearts and are always there to lick your tears away.  Right now he is a very large ten-week old puppy that already weighs 22 pounds.  We’re not sure what breed he is – all of them I think, but he is adorable.  He is already in puppy school and I am sure he is the star pupil.  Ethan&Toby

I’ll bet you have pets.  Tell me about them and send pictures.  I love animals, especially dogs.  Do you have a new one and how has it improved your life?

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LUCKY THIRTEEN – FIFTY-TWO NEW THINGS TO DO IN 2013 NO: 23

Posted on June 3, 2013 by peggylchambers

lavender  The lavender is blooming!   It’s spring and hopefully the severe weather is over.  I’m sure that summer is right around the corner.  The temperatures may soar (okay, they will soar) but at least the atmosphere will become more stable and the gardens will grow with all the recent rain.

With summer come festivals of all types.  Sand Springs has an herb festival, Stillwell has a strawberry festival, and Stratford has a peach festival all revolving around when these items ripen and are ready for harvest.  The newest festival to me is the lavender festival.    http://www.lavendervalleyacres.com/id41.html.  They have lavender soap and lavender lemonade just to name a couple of things.

I’m a big fan of lavender.  It smells good; you can bathe in, it or even eat it.  It has been used for century for its medicinal purposes.  It is known to promote calmness and is a perennial plant – it will come back in your garden for years to come.

In my “novel in progress”, The Beach House, Meg grows lavender and other herbs in her garden.  Sam Taylor, the chef at Le Chez has a fondness for fresh herbs in his cooking.  He plans to make Lavender Cherry Sauce for a special dessert at Le Chez just for Meg and Alex.  Here is the recipe.

Lavender Cherry Sauce

 Ingredients

  •  1/4 cup butter
  • 3 tablespoons packed brown sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon  snipped lavender
  • 2 cups pitted cherries
  • Fresh lemon juice
  • Angel food cake or ice cream
  • Toasted sliced almonds

Preparation

Melt butter in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add brown sugar, lavender, cherries, and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. Simmer until cherries are warm. Spoon over sliced angel food cake or ice cream with a few toasted sliced almonds.

Try some lavender in your cooking and see if you like it.  Or if you’re not into eating it, just grow it in a sunny, well drained location where the wind will blow through it and into your open windows. After all this is Oklahoma, where the wind comes sweeping down the plains!  Ahhhhh. Let me know what you think of the Lavender Cherry Sauce or come up with your own recipes.  I can’t wait to hear back from you.

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