Anita Mae Draper

My Childhood Christmases

2011-12-23T01:44:00.001-06:00

I'm over at the Inkwell today with the post, Big Christmas Trees from Logging Country. I'm showing photos of Christmas in my childhood.

Christmas morning, 1960. Anita 3, sister Bonnie, 4.
Logging Camp #5, Stevens, Ontario

In my post, I talk about the Lulu dolls we're holding in the above picture, toys, Christmas trees and ornaments and my 50 yr old stocking. Stop in and say hi even if it's just to look at the pictures. :)

I credit my mom for taking so many photographs of my childhood so that I can share it now with you.

The questions for discussion are: Look at your own photo of a past Christmas. What do you remember about it? The gifts? The location? The people? Do you remember how you felt as you waited for the 'click' of the camera?

My Nativity Set Collection

2011-12-20T01:54:00.000-06:00

I'm at Inkwell Inspirations today showing photos of my Nativity set collection and expaining how we ended up with so many.

Here's my east-facing kitchen window with several of them:

The questions for discussion over at the Inkwell today are about the presence of the 3 wisemen/kings at Jesus' birth...

Does it really matter, or is the symbolism sufficient?

What pieces do you think a Nativity set should contain?

If you have a few moments, drop by the Inkwell and see what all the fuss is about. :)

And to my dear husband who has put up with me for 35 yrs now, Happy Anniversary, honey. I love you.

Merry Christmas.

Anita Mae.

Christmas

2011-12-15T23:29:00.002-06:00

I can't believe it's been a month since I posted here. I have to blame it in part on my other blogs here on my new website. Under the Blogs tab you'll find 4 of them including this one, but there's the Book Review blog under the Books tab and the Recipe blog under the Fun tab. My latest recipe is for sugar cookies and I have one of Nick from last year decorating a delightful Christmas tree sugar cookie. :)

I've also posted a whole page of Christmas theme jigsaw puzzles under the Fun tab.

Meanwhile, I've been busy at church taping all the worship sessions including this one with Nick and Nelson leading with O Little Town of Bethlehem. You can find more videos of Nick and Nelson on the Glenavon Church on the Hill YouTube Channel.

And if you're wondering what our weather is these days, this photo is a fairly good representation. Lots of frost, but not much snow with temperatures averaging 5 below freezing.

I'm really missing Jessie this year because she would be coming home right about now to help with last minute preparations. Instead, she flew out at noon today to Vietnam where she's a relief worker for the orphanage missionaries so they can come back to their families for the season.

But she'll be home at the beginning of January to spend a couple weeks with us. Meanwhile, please pray for her.

Crystal won't be home for Christmas this year, either as she'll be coming home when Jessie comes in January.

Bonnie and Magnar are our other Christmas regulars but they won't be here this year either because they're helping Sonya Rose move to Fort McMurray, Alberta during the holidays. However, we'll get to see them this coming week when we meet them in Regina so it won't be too bad.
I've got a big weekend coming up because I'm baking tomorrow and decorating (finally) on Sat/Sun. I am in the minority here with all these men/boys around and for some reason, they don't want to sit around listening to Christmas carols or even decorate. But I intend to get them moving this weekend. I'll let you see how it goes. :)

Anita.

Sundogs are Back

2011-11-22T12:53:00.000-06:00

Last year I posted many shots of morning and early afternoon sundogs. If you want to see them, click on
'Sun dogs' under the Labels in the right columns. I'm using a new camera this year and it seems to leave dots of light on my photos - other than the actual sundog effect - so please ignore those.

Those brilliant sundogs are back. I saw my first one of this season last week and tweeted about it. This was the photo included with that tweet:

Sundog south of Montmartre, SK. Nov 18, 2011 3:45 pm

The strange part about that sundog was that it appeared in the late afternoon, 2 hrs before sunset. Usually I'll see them between dawn and 2 pm. But it depends on the ice crystals in the air and at the time the above photo was taken, the distant trees were shimmery.

Then on Sunday, Nov 20th, we'd just left the house for church and I saw what I've come to call the 'Bethlehem Star' effect. I have no idea what the scientific or common name for this is, but I think the Bethlehem Star effect is self-explanatory. Look for yourself...

South of Montmartre, SK on Francis grid, Nov 20, 2011 9:38 am

I've posted photos previously that show a magnificent white light below the sun, but this is the first time I've seen such a concentration beam straight down. What confused me was the lack of the sundog effect at this time. No mini rainbows or mini suns or either side of the actual sun itself - just this Bethlehem Star effect.

Then ten minutes later, Nelson said, "There's your sundog." Sure enough, this is what i saw...

South of Montmartre, SK on Francis grid, Nov 20, 2011 9:38 am

The curved lights on either side of the photo is the actual sundog, however please ignore all the other spots on the photos. I have a new camera and it doesn't cover the lens when it's shut off. It's a Nikon CoolPix P500 and I'm supposed to keep the lens cap on but I'm so used to putting it on and shooting, that uncapping it slows me down. Which means I've gotten into the bad habit of leaving it off. So yes, the inner dots are probably dust on the lens.
So, does anyone know the actual name for what I call the Bethlehem Star effect?

And in case you're interested, I'm blogging about 19th century children's sleighs at Inkwell Inspirations today.

Talking Turkey

2011-11-14T03:00:00.002-06:00

I'm talking about Heritage turkeys at Inkwell Inspirations today. Lots of turkey photos including this one:

Oh wait - that's Nelson and a pair of Broad Breasted Bronze Heritage turkeys, not 3 turkeys. My bad. Hahaha

Lots of info about preserving rare breeds.

There's also info about The Canned Quilter and her site about canning, quilting, and making things yourself. She lives at Hickery Holler Farm in the Ozarks and her Nov 14 blog is about making your own Swiffer dust pads. Neat!

And finally, there's a YouTube video about 3 Royal Palm soccer-playing turkeys. Too funny. Here, watch:

The questions for discussion today are:

- Were you aware of the roles the ALBC and RBC play?
- Have you ever looked a turkey in the eye? Touched one?
- Which variety do you think looks the nicest?
- Do you eat turkey for Thanksgiving/Christmas?
- Have you heard about the plight of the tigers?

Have a great day!

We Remember

2011-11-10T22:30:00.000-06:00

I just finished writing a Remembrance Day post on the church blog.

It's a special post because it tells the story of the lone stained glass window in our church.

Check out http://newsfromthepews.blogspot.com/2011/11/we-remember.html for more info.

Montmartre Moose

2011-11-05T08:37:00.001-06:00

After not seeing moose in this area for years, they're making a comeback. Almost a year ago, on Dec 11th, 2010, we spotted a cow moose and her 2 yearlings although in my photo journal of them, I said they were 3 cow moose. My father quickly set me right.

We saw the same 3 moose in the spring but they were too far for photos.

Last month, a bull moose started hanging around a few miles from our farm. Nelson spotted him on the way home from work and came to get me but by the time we got back, the moose was too far for photos. The next evening while I was on my way back from town around 5:20, I spotted him about a mile down the road. At least I suspected the dark shape on the side of the road was him because everything else was golden or yellowing vegetation. The shape moved as I drove closer and my suspicions proved true. I pulled over to the side of the road and took these photos while he lumbered away toward the west.

In between those photos, I was able to take this short video of the bull moose in action - slow action, to be sure, but action none the less. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=va2lAWS3Fdo

Check my YouTube channel for more videos of animals and other things I find interesting.

Woolly Bear Caterpillar

2011-10-17T00:09:00.003-06:00

The woolly bear caterpillar is making its presence known this year and by the looks of its fat, orangey band, this coming winter could be a mild one. I first noticed the woolly bears a couple weeks ago when I went into my office in the garage and a caterpillar just missed falling on my head. It curled when I picked it up, but I just lobbed it outside and took a pic of it:

I went back into the garage and looked above the door. There was another one crawling along the top. They must have come in through the gap at the top of the door. (Yes, that's why I freeze when I work in the winter.)

I tickled the woolly bear caterpillar down from it spot and lobbed it outside. I then saw the first one scurrying away at an unbelievable rate so I grabbed my camera...

It rained a couple days later and I went out to take pics of momma duck and her babies splashing in a puddle. I almost tripped over my cement chicken decorated for fall decor.

Yes, it's a chicken. Look close. It's missing it's head and the tip of its tail, but is still my hen. There just happens to be some people in our house (not mentioning any names) who think a cement hen isn't worthy to stand on the front steps and it keeps ending up in the grass.

Not only was the hen decorated, but the caterpillars were sporting liquid ornamental beads. Who knew they were water repellant?

Now I don't know anything about insects and their society, so I can't tell you if they're after this spider or vice versa.

Well, except for this one... he seems to be high-tailin' it outta there.

From the colour of the band, I'd say we're in for a mild to average winter. I used to think that the wider the band, the more severe the winter, but it seems the legend is opposite. The colour also plays a part as I found out at the site of The Woolly Bear Festival every October in Vermilion, Ohio. A comment states, "They (woolly bear caterpillars) sport 3 colors: Gold for mild; Dark Brown for Average; and Black for Intense."

And if you don't believe them, how about the Weather Blog Channel ? They have a very informative post about the woolly bear caterpillar.

And if that isn't enough to convince you, what about the claims made in the Old Farmer's Almanac? Surely you can trust the Almanac? But then, someone at the Almanac also suggests that the woolly bear shows what the previous winter was like instead of predicting the future one.

After the cold winters we've had here on the Canadian prairies lately, a short mild winter followed by an early, warm spring with lots of sunshine for the plants would be dandy. And while I'm wishing... early rain - preferably at night and then a dry spell while the farmers plant and then more rain to speed growth would be just about perfect.

What about you? Do you believe the Woolly Bear Caterpillar can accurately forecast the weather?

2011 ACFW Choir Video

2011-10-02T00:30:00.000-06:00

Last week I was in St Louis, Missouri at the American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) conference. As usual, the conference ended on Sunday morning with a worship session which included the ACFW choir.

Rachael Phillips, the 2011 ACFW Choir Director said, "They are a wonderful, gifted group, and I love working with them. I send them music and mp3 files beforehand, which they rehearse on their own, and in four/five crazy conference practices wedged in between classes and appointments, these singers from all over the country blend their diverse talents and spirits into a single voice of praise. SO proud of them!"

So there I was in the back corner of the room with my little Lumix camera. Because I was so far away, the faces in the choir are barely discernable. And the video is shaky since I didn't have a tripod. However, the music is a beautiful outpouring of the spirit. I hope you can look past the inadequacies - perhaps just close your eyes - and receive the blessing of these gifted singers.

Thank you going out to all the singers as well as to Rachael Phillips, the ACFW Choir Director who wrote one of the songs, called "Writer's Prayer", based on scripture.

Bouquet For Me

2011-09-17T20:56:00.000-06:00

So after being in my cave for most of the summer - not counting the 2 wks I took off for travel - I finally finished my new manuscript. A day later, Nelson came back from the city with this beautiful bouquet and said it was for completing my book.

The new novel is set in 1888 in the North-WestTerritories of Assiniboia and Saskatchewan (now the Province of Saskatchewan) and my hero is a North West Mounted Police corporal. I really enjoyed writing this story. There'll be more info posted on my new website on my research and books pages as well as my Woven Under Western Skies blog.

Salamander Exodus

2011-08-18T00:18:00.000-06:00

I'm not sure what's going on, but we seem to have an exodus of salamanders crossing the road these nights. This first photo was taken with only the car lights shining on the road.

Nelson first saw about a hundred of them crossing the road a few nights ago. Two nights ago as we were coming back from the city we spotted about ten in a 12 mile stretch. We're not sure if it's almost over or if it was the wrong time of night.

Here's another shot of the same salamander using the flash on my camera.

Has anyone ever heard of this before?

Gospel Music Videos

2011-08-14T14:22:00.000-06:00

I'm blogging at Inkwell Inspirations today with 3 music videos I created for the Glenavon Church YouTube channel, like this one:

Jessie, Nick and Nelson lead worship with Lead Me To The Cross

I'm trying to get more made, but the optimum time to upload is between midnight and 6 am and even then it takes several hours for each 5 min video.

But so far, I have videos by:

The Draper;s
The Keller's
Dianne Bonk
Joey Theriault (a guest singer)

I'm working on one with only Nelson, and more by the above musicians.

These videos are not professional and neither are the musicians, but they are heart-inspired by the people leading the worship who have the courage to get up in front of a congregation and lead the rest of us.

I'm sending a huge thank you out to all those people who lead praise and worship in whatever venue the Lord has called you to fill. Bless you.

Blog Changes & Giveaway

2011-08-08T10:20:00.000-06:00

I've created a website for my writing career which has necessitated the need to split this blog into two: one for writing and one for family.

This blog is now incorporated into the new website. (I'm working on the tabs to convert weebly to blogger.)

To celebrate my new website and re-defined blogs, I'm giving away a prize package.

The rules are listed at the top of the right column of this blog. Where it says, 'this site' that means my whole new website.

Check my WELCOME PRIZE GIVEAWAY post for a photo of the prize and a list of contents.

Hope you enjoy your visit. :)

Back To Normal... Almost

2011-08-03T12:58:00.000-06:00

It's August and things are almost back to normal after putting 5200 kms/3200 miles on my vehicle during a 10 day stretch in July which included:

July 12: JJ and I headed west, stopped at Fort Walsh in the Cypress Hills, SK.

July 13: Drove to Calgary, AB to spend time with Jessica.

July 16: Jessica, JJ and I drove back to the farm.

July 17 am: Nelson and the kids went to church where they led worship with JJ working the sound. Meanwhile, I picked up Crystal at Regina airport.

pm: Crystal and I joined the family at church where she spent a few mins with her dad, then the kids and I headed east to Thunder Bay. Nick shared the driving.

Jul 18-21: Spent 4 days in Thunder Bay with Grandma Mary and Grandpa Torsti including a family meal at Hoito's with Uncle Paul and cousin Nancy.

While in Thunder Bay we enjoyed a birthday celebration at the Prince Arthur Hotel with Grandpa Bill and Grandma Judy.

We also drove out to the Amethyst Mine Panorama for exercise and pretty purple rocks. :)

July 21: Dropped Crystal off at Thunder Bay airport for flight back to Vancouver, BC

July 22: Drove 3 kids back to farm, again with Nick sharing driving

July 23 am: Arrived exhausted, run-down with sore throat, stuffy nose, et al, but content. Van still in relatively good shape.

pm: Nick left for the Street Invaders Team boot camp in Eston, SK prior to his departure to South Africa.

July 24: Jessica left for job as counsellor at Circle Square Ranch, Wolf Creek, SK.

July 30: Picked Jessica up at the ranch.

July 31: Drove Jessica to Regina airport for flight back to Calgary, AB.

Aug 1: Nick landed in Cape Town, South Africa. Please pray for him and the mission team.

So, the girls have gone back to their homes, but Nick won't be back until mid-Aug.

And that's how my summer's been so far.

How about you?

Fort Walsh and Cypress Hills

2011-07-13T22:35:00.003-06:00

JJ and I drove to Fort Walsh National Historic Site in the Cypress Hills on the Saskachewan side of the border shared with Alberta. Our visit was two fold: research for my Mountie story, and to see if I could find a Mountie to use for promotional purposes with my story. The Cypress Hills are the highest land elevation east of the Rocky Mountains. (I can't remember at the moment if the Laurentians in Quebec are higher.)

Fort Walsh was part of the Old Forts Trail which ran from Fort Benton, Montana up to Edmonton, Alberta and other places.

To get to Fort Walsh, we had to go down this hill, across the valley, and up a steep, winding road. This road with hairpin turns is so steep, you're advised to unhook your trailer/camper and leave it in a designated parking area for that purpose. Once you get to the top of the hills, you cross the wide plateau you see at the top of this photo. After several kilometres, you find the visitor's centre with the actual fort down in the valley below.

We took a bus from the visitor's centre down to the fort where two young Mounties greeted us. They really look young and yet this is the age of most of the recruits back in the 1870's which this fort represents.

This is the fort guardhouse, of particular interest to me because of my story. If you look closely into the cells, you'll see they are only the length of a bed - or a mattress - and back then, people were smaller and those beds were short!

JJ tried out the cell for size.

See what I mean about the height?

Not sure if I like him in there, though.

This is an authentic cooking tent for when they were on the road. Inside is a box stove where the staff created cinnamon buns as a treat for us visitors. (Small piece, but great taste.)

An exciting part of the day was this mock trial using visitors as law-breakers. Very entertaining. The Mountie presiding over the court was an excellent actor and kept the crowd in stitches. This staff operates on a minimum staff and I was amazed at the multi-tasking and role-playing of these members. Not to mention once court is over, he does a quick change out of his uniform and into civilian clothes and then drives the bus.

JJ took advantage of the offer to test out the Mountie beds for softness. NOT!

The barrack building consists of sleeping quarters as well as a mess hall for dining and recreation.

Lookee here... I finally found someone who looks like the fictional hero of my Mountie story. His name is Michal (Me-hal) and he'll be used in all my promotional material for the character, Remy Bisset.

Thank you Michal for taking the time to pose for pics. Someone has already asked me if you were a model in your former life. *grin

This is a scale model of Fort Walsh. They have a legend with little buttons that you push and a red light will glow to show the corresponding building. Excellent workmanship but I didn't get the modeller's name.

We missed the bus after we finished taking photos and instead of waiting an hour for the next one, JJ and I walked back up the hill. As you can see, it's about a mile up. That was my exercise for the day on top of all the other walking around.

We left Fort Walsh behind and headed over to Conglomerate Cliffs to take a few photos from the top of Cypress Hills looking east...

... and looking northeast. What an exceptional view!

The trip to Fort Walsh and the Cypress Hills was so worth our time. The staff - especially Tracy and Michal went beyond any employees I've met anywhere. They spent invaluable time with me ensuring the research for my Mountie story was accurate. But the rest of the staff both down at the fort and up in the visitor's centre were welcoming and attentive to our needs. Kudos going out to the Fort Walsh National Historic Site.

Brine Shrimp and Giant Birds

2011-07-12T22:14:00.001-06:00

JJ and I are on a western road trip en route Calgary to pick up Jess, but we have things to see before we get there. One of those places was Chaplin Lake on the Transcanada highway between Moose Jaw and Swift Current.

Chaplin Lake is a huge salt lake and the Brine Shrimp are so good, shorebirds come from all over to dine on the tasty morsels.

Here's some shrimp on display at the Chaplin Lake Interpretive Centre.

We climbed the observation platform and JJ availed himself of the giant binoculars to check out the big salt mine.

I couldn't pass up an opportunity like that...

Those Brine Shrimp are an important food source enabling the Plovers to grow to spectacular sizes.

In fact, this American Avocet seems to think JJ is a shrimp!

The next time we go through Chaplain Lake, I think we'll take a tour of the actual lake for a close up of the shorebirds and other going's on.

Have you ever been to a salt lake such as this? Any other salt mine?

Anita in New York

2011-07-04T23:50:00.000-06:00

I'm back from the Romance Writers of America (RWA) conference in New York City and am blogging today with a post, Anita Mae At RWA in New York over at the Inkwell Inspirations blog.

This was my first view of New York after breaking through the clouds. You can see the lighted Empire State Building on the right and the Chrysler Building on the left at the southern tip of Roosevelt Island which I blogged about in my Inkwell post 19th Century Mission Coffee House and my post here called, It Can't Be June.

While flying, I'm not usually scared of the landings, but I did fret a bit when we seemed to be heading right for the Hudson River as we headed down to LaGuardia Airport. I mean, I've heard several news stories of planes crashing into the Hudson River and it seemed we were taking the plunge as well except no one else on board seemed concerned. Why didn't anyone tell me the runways were on the water?

Another misconception of mine was Times Square. I've seen the huge New Year's Eve ball drop on many holiday occasions and knew Times Square to be a location in New York. What I didn't know was that Times Square isn't one intersection in the city, but an area several blocks long.

This photo is of the northern end of Times Square. On the other side of the white tents is a stage where they were readying the display for the Transformers Premiere which took place later that evening.

And this is a photo of Times Square looking south. It's the one with the huge New Year's Eve ball drop as shown below:

I've added 2 photos to show the Ball Drop because althought it's big, it doesn't look big among all the electronic billboards that light the night below it.

This is one of the sights that caught my eye. I call it a vertical parking lot although I'm sure it has a more official name. And then at the top is two towers which I'm guessing are for water. I asked the hotel housekeeping staff, but even she didn't know what it was for. There's one on almost every roof top, though. Anyone know what it is?

I really missed being able to see the sunrise and sunset while in New York and then one evening as I walked west along a street, the setting sun kissed my face.

I loved the view from my room on the 38th floor. So many things to see.

After the Rita and Golden Heart Gala Award Show, we went to the top floor of the Marriott Marquis for a revolution while enjoying the view. It wasn't the outside view that caught my attention but the inside one. Take a look at this delectable chocolate fountain:

More photos on the way.

Bird Nests Flooded Out

2011-06-23T01:09:00.002-06:00

For the second time this year our road to town is under water. The surrounding fields are flooded, most of them unseeded as well. Too much rain. Not even drying time. But we're not the only ones affected.

A week ago as I walked along the driveway, small birds flew up out of the grass. It got to be where I knew where their nests were. But this morning as I surveyed the water surrounding our farm, I realized the nests were about a foot down and the momma birds were nowhere insight.

Which got me thinking about an American coot couple (yes, that's a coot couple and not a cute couple, although they are cute). A pair of coots took up residence close to the corner where the driveway passes the shelterbelt. How had they fared with the flood situation?

Apr 25 - Height of the Spring Flood

May 6

May 7 - First sight of migration and nest building as waters decrease

May 13 - Black dot is Coot looking for nest material

June 1 - Coot nest above water, below top of old Bullrushes

June 4 - Coot nest hidden amongst last year's bullrushes

June 6 - Last years bullrushes have broken off and their litter shows the high water line

June 22 - Recent downpours have filled the field and water covers the road.

June 22 - The nest has risen to the height of the bullrushes although I don't know how the coots do it. Only 3 nests are visible in the whole slough and all of them are American coots.

I don't know how other nests have fared, but Nelson saw one duck with a tiny duckling trailing behind earlier today so I'm hoping the nests were hidden and spared.

Meanwhile, our basement is still flooding. Our dehumidifier broke down - it was over 20 yrs old - and there's a shortage of them in the city due to all the flooded basements.

And yet, we're much better off than so many others. I heard on the TV tonight that the good folks down in Minot, ND will have to raise their dikes 8 feet to contain the Souris River. Eight feet!!! That's the height of a normal room. And then there's all the flooding in Manitoba. Och!

Book Review: To Win Her Heart

2011-06-19T11:11:00.000-06:00

To Win Her Heart by Karen Witemeyer, Bethany House, May 2011

Karen Witemeyer’s suburb story skills shine in this second-chances tale that caught my attention at the first paragraph and kept me enthralled until the very end. Little details on every page gripped my heart and drew me into the lives of a man seeking a new life and a woman trying to shed her old one. I agonized between writing my own story and reading To Win Her Heart which I kept close so I could snatch a peek at every chance.

I believe Karen Witemeyer reached new heights with her choice of strong, yet vulnerable characters - social opposites who believe past errors have ruined their chance for a family of their own.

Eden Spencer is only in her late twenties, but in 1887 she’s considered a spinster. She lives with a small staff - people who’ve known her forever, and opens her personal library to the town. Church, good works for orphans and reading at her weekly children’s story hour fills her with joy, but it’s not enough to satisfy the emptiness for babies of her own. She needs a husband for that, except her mistrust in men is almost as strong as her need to keep her reputation spotless.

Levi Grant is a huge blacksmith who’s been in prison for accidently killing a man in a boxing match. Newly released, he heads to Spencer, Texas where the local preacher is the only one who knows his past, but is keeping it a secret because the town is desperate for a smithy. All Levi wants is to wrap himself in his new-found faith and do his ironwork without bringing attention to himself.

Two people from different social circles, neither needing a hint of scandal, yet they share a love of books. Never mind that Levi looks out-of-place in Eden’s library. It’s what’s inside him that counts. And here's where it gets interesting because Karen Witemeyer has given Levi a character trait he’s ashamed to show in public. As a child faced with ridicule, Levi fought back the only way he knew how - with his fists. And now that he’s out of prison, he’s sworn off fighting and has found a way to overcome his ‘defect’. Or has he? Perhaps it’s just hidden and waiting for an inopportune moment to make itself known. How I empathized with Levi because every day was a struggle of suppression, especially when he met Eden and his guarded emotions slipped away and revealed the real Levi Grant.

By that time I’d accepted him as a strong, yet vulnerable hero. I knew him. I knew his regrets. I knew he was an honorable man intent only on following God’s path. I knew his heart. And I was ready to do battle for him if he wasn’t going to defend himself.

Eden thinks she’s falling in love with a peaceful, reputable man. A pacifist who won’t allow herself to be linked with anyone with a hint of dishonesty or violence to their name, she’d rather live alone than let another man make a fool of her. If she isn’t careful, she’ll be the fool for not seeing Levi as God’s gift to her.

I hope you can tell home much I loved this book. The morning after I finished reading it, I awoke with Levi and Eden on my mind – and they stayed with me throughout the day and week. Truly a wonderful, heart-touching story with tears and laughter and finally, relief that yes, there is a happy ending after all. But oh, what a beautiful romantic tale of God’s hand on their lives.

If you'd like to know more about Karen Witemeyer and her books, go to her website at http://www.karenwitemeyer.com/ and take a look around. You might even want to try your hand at her Fan Fiction contest where you get to let her know how you think a book should end.

Railway Meals at the Inkwell

2011-06-14T17:20:00.000-06:00

It's history day at the Inkwell and I'm blogging about dining cars and meals on the old Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) back in 1888.

I've included a the modern VIA Rail video to show train interiors and the Canadian landscape.

The questions for discussion are: Have you ever eaten on a train? When and where? What did you think?

Today's photo is a bison cow and calf. As you can see, momma is shedding her winter coat to stay cooler during our short summer.

Cedar Waxwings and The Inkwell

2011-06-11T00:15:00.000-06:00

I'm blogging over at Inkwell Inspirations today with a book review on Karen Witemeyer's book To Win Her Heart. I'm giving this historical romance a 5 star rating because of it's such a great story I had a hard time putting it down. Come over and join our discussion if you get a chance.

I wanted to give you another look at the Cedar Waxwing that's hanging around our crabapple trees. Actually, there are a couple of them, but this is the one I caught in action. I thought they were going after the nectar. Apparently, it's the blossoms they like.

While I was out taking pics of the Waxwings, other birds caught my eye which I hadn't seen since last year. These included an American Goldfinch, Baltimore Oriole and a Hummingbird. They all flitted about so fast I didn't get a chance to zoom in close, but I'll try again tomorrow.

Hopefully I'll see you over at the Inkwell. :)

Apple Blossoms, Finally!

2011-06-09T01:03:00.003-06:00

With summer offically a couple weeks away, we finally have blossoms on our crabapple trees. They started a couple days ago and overnight, the trees burst into an explosion of blossoms. I can't remember the name of this bird, but I found it eating the blossoms with gusto. (see bottom of post for update)

We've had 2 days that could be considered hot - 28C/86F. The rest of the days have been cold and rainy, windy and cold, or rainy and windy.

Soon, the lilacs will bloom and their heady scent will drift in through our open windows - that's if it's warm enough to open them. I had them open for 2 hrs today but had to shut them so the furnace wouldn't click on.

I've been reading up on the photography for websites and it seems the photos chosen most are those with only a partial image and lots of open space for text. I hadn't thought of it before, but these are the types of photos that can be used to make greeting cards. And with the addition of a Bible verse, you have a nice scripture card or even wallpaper for your computer.

Well, I suppose if it's for the computer it would look better sideways, but you get the idea.

When I went for yesterday's walk, I saw what I thought was a piece of dock jutting up above the grass. But dock isn't that big yet around here. As I moved closer, I clicked on my camera and zoomed in. It was an American Bittern and it just stood there with its beak in the air. Another few steps and it moved a few feet away. I slowly moved closer, snapping pics until it flew behind the wolf willows. This is the closest shot I was able to get with any clarity. I didn't see it after that.

And here's a photo of what the pasture looks like when the water is drained as it usually is by June. But with the latest rain, the rocks have disappeared again for the 3rd time this year. If you look closely at the fence post on the far left you can see the spring runoff reached within inches of the top. No wonder the road was a foot under water.

Your turn... were your blossoms on schedule this year? Ours are about 4 weeks behind where they should be.

***News update... Over on my blog at the Harlequin forum, author Donna Alward has identified this bird as a Cedar Waxwing.

Donna said, 'I think that bird is a cedar waxwing. It is hard to tell without seeing the rest of its plumage, but I *think* the bohemian waxwing doesn't have the yellow on its breast like a cedar. Both are found on the prairies, though. :-)'

And as someone who used to live in Alberta, Donna would know. I've checked 2 bird identification books and confirmed that the bird in the top photo is indeed a Cedar Waxwing, Bombycilla cedrorum. Thank you, Donna. I appreciate you piping up. :)

Duck Draw at the Inkwell

2011-06-03T02:52:00.002-06:00

I have a free book draw and a whole bunch of my duck, crane, avocet and sandpiper photos over at Inkwell Inspirations today.

Not much talking, just photos of birds. It's self-help day so I figured I'd give everyone a few minutes of just looking at pics. :)

Here's a teaser for you...

So grab a cup of coffee, tea, latte, etc, sit back, and watch the pictures. :)

My question for today is... did you actually just sit and watch, or were you multi-tasking at the same time?

And here's a video I made about these birds: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YVMiMJKegmM

Free Book Draw: And for a little something extra, I need your opinion and I'm giving away a new copy of Marilyn Meberg's Love Me Never Leave Me (non-fiction) for helping me decide.

If you wish to be entered for this draw, please leave your email address in your comment over at the Inkwell only. (Comments left here can't be in this draw). Draw closes midnight, Sunday, June 5th, 2011.

I'm trying to decide the default puzzle program for my blog and new website. The choice is between these two although the size here is not indicative of the finished puzzle as they're both the same as you see above.

- Jigsaw Planet where you click to the puzzle, make it, then click back to the site. To see/make these puzzles, please go to:
http://www.jigsawplanet.com/?rc=showalbum&vis=pbl

- Jigzone where you make it right on the spot, but also have the ability to change the number and shape of the pieces:

Let me know what you think, okay?

It Can't Be June!

2011-06-01T23:46:00.001-06:00

I've been remiss! On Tuesday I blogged at the Inkwell about a fascinating 19th century Mission Coffee House which served the area near Blackwell's Island in Yew York and I forgot to mention it here. Eeps!

Blackwell's Island sits between Manhattan and Queen's.

It's now known as Roosevelt Island.

Opened in 1856, a smallpox hospital on the southern tip of Blackwell's Island was part of a multitude of public institutions to care for New York City's unfortunate and destitute.

This 2002 photo shows the roofless Renwick Ruins. There are trees growing inside as well as around the abandoned hospital.

An ongoing restoration and stabilization effort is in place. Here, the stones of the former smallpox hospital on Roosevelt Island are being removed and numbered. The building will be put back together again at a later date.

It seems the restoration of the Renwick smallpox hospital is a mystery at the moment. A high fence has been placed across the south point of Roosevelt Island and signage advise it's because of heavy equipment used while Southpoint Park and the FDR memorial are under construction. All historic tours to the Renwick Small Pox Hospital Ruins have been discontinued and no one knows when construction will be complete. I considered taking New York's only tram and visiting Roosevelt Island while there at the end of June, but if I can't even photograph the ruins, I'll probably head over to the Statue of Liberty or something.

Meanwhile last week here at home, the prairie finally dried up enough for the farmers to start the planting season. But then it started raining again and now the water is almost as high as when we had the spring flood. Check this photo out and see how the water is trying to cross the road again:

But as you see, Wed was sunny and warm so the prairie will start drying out - again. It sure is nice to see green grass and leaves once more.

If you had a chance to go to New York City and could only go to one 'tourist attraction', which one would it be?
Photo Credits:
http://www.artificialowl.net/
http://rooseveltisland360.blogspot.com/

Nick's Mission to South Africa

2011-05-30T00:05:00.004-06:00

This summer my son, Nick Draper, is heading to South Africa on a mission trip with Street Invaders, so I’m dedicating this post to him.

Nick’s main claim to fame is due to his 2006 TV appearance when he appeared in the Kid’s Stuff episode on Corner Gas (Season 4, Episode 11). That and other experiences in the TV and film industry taught him patience and teamwork among other things.

Here’s a portion of that Corner Gas episode where we first see Nick. His segment starts at 1:40 as Davis and Karen (the 2 RCMP officers) are walking down the sidewalk. Nick is the young boy that pops out of nowhere.

http://youtu.be/OMgjVKw6U6Y

Those work attributes helped in 2009 when Nick signed up for his first Street Invaders mission trip at the age of 14. His team worked with childrens' summer camps in Saskatchewan and Alberta where Nick found he had an affinity for that type of work.

Nick went homeless for part of the 2010 Easter Break while being a participant of Project Aware. This Regina-run project shows teens what it’s like to be homeless. They learn the scary truth about what it means to be homeless as well as how to interact, help and empathize with kids and adults in that situation.

Fifteen year old Nick started the 2010 summer by counseling kids at the Springside Apostolic Bible Camp here in Saskatchewan. He followed that week with a second Street Invaders mission trip which took him all the way to Australia.

Again this past Easter Break, Nick volunteered and was accepted into the Project Aware program in Regina. He came home more determined than ever to keep working with kids whether homeless or not.

This year, Nick was invited to join the Street Invaders mission trip to South Africa and it wasn’t a surprise when he said he wanted to go. The Street Invaders website says, 'Imagine! Flying to Capetown, South Africa and working in schools, prisons, on the streets, and in the feeding stations. Your entire 2 weeks will be absolutely full of opportunities to live the Gospel! This continues to be one of Street Invaders greatest mission outreaches ever!’

One thing he’s doing before he goes halfway around the world is taking a 2-week Leaders in Training (LIT) course at the local Circle Square Ranch. This Christian based summer ranch camp really needs workers otherwise they have to turn campers/ranchers away. More often than not that means disadvantaged kids from the city who look forward to the experience all year.

The LIT course will enable Nick to become a ranch counselor when he’s not on the Street Invaders team. It also means a full summer of work without pay, but it’s one of Nick’s choosing.

Nick does most things kids his age like to do such as playing video games, chatting on the internet and driving the family car. Musically inclined, Nick plays the snare drum and other percussion instruments in the school band. He also leads worship one Sunday a month with his dad who is the source of his music talent.

And for all those friends and relatives who read my blog and have inquired about supporting Nick in his missions (especially the airfare), the best way you can help is to send a donation to Nick’s AYMI (Apostolic Youth Ministries International) account over in their Calgary office.

It’s real easy to do online. Just go to the AYMI website http://www.aymi.ca/ and click ‘Donate’ at the bottom of the page. It will take you through the PayPal site. To ensure the donation goes to Nick’s account, please follow up with an email to office@aymi.ca.

Or, you could send a check/cheque made out to AYMI and designate that it's for Nick to:

AYMI, #8 3530 11A St. NE Calgary AB Canada T2E 6M7

The AYMI’s contact numbers are 1-877-356-0707 (toll free), 403-717-0707 (Calgary area), or 403-717-0709 (Fax).

Although I’m a tad worried about Nick going so far away, I’m proud of his willingness to serve God by spreading the Gospel and working with the poor – in spirit and otherwise.

Whether you make a donation or not, I want to thank you for taking an interest in Nick’s mission by reading this post. God bless you.

Anita Mae.

Finally a Bride by Vickie McDonough

2011-05-28T06:48:00.001-06:00

Book Recommendation

Finally a Bride (Book 3 Texas Boardinghouse Brides) by Vickie McDonough

Barbour Books, May 2011

"He made her want to be a woman for the first time in her life."

Jack’s story in Finally a Bride was worth the wait. It's the tale of grown up Jacqueline (Jack) Davis who now wears dresses and looks like a lady, but still acts like the 10 yr old tomboy we met in the first book of this series. Consider the opening… Jack is after a story and climbs on the mayor’s roof to eavesdrop on his conversation with two strangers. No, I won’t tell you if she accomplishes her mission, but I will say pain is involved. Because she’ll do anything to uproot the truth.

If you remember book 1, you’ll remember Butch Laird who wrote “Jack is a liar” across every paintable surface in town. Bully that he was, he even locked Jack up in jail and left her there. Man, she detested that kid. Never mind that he had a point, he still shouldn’t have done it. And after he left town, the memory of his penetrating, intelligent eyes sent her scrambling to confess to her new pa, the sheriff. It eased her mind some, yet over the years, she’d occasionally wonder what happened to the boy behind those eyes.

Well, guess who Vickie McDonough has brought back to challenge Jack’s equilibrium as a young lady? Yup, Butch Laird himself. Except Butch was his nickname. Using his birth name and the surname he adopted from the man who took him in when he needed a home, Butch now goes by the handle, Noah Jeffers. Along with a new name, he’s a new man according to the gospel. And he’s a preacher.

Preacher Noah Jeffers is intent on hiding his identity because he wants to make restitution for the sins of his childhood without drawing attention to himself. His goal is to glorify God—not distract parishioners from the message. Except once he sees Jack again, she’s the one distracting him.

Jack is drawn to the new preacher’s compelling eyes. They hint at a vague memory, but nothing she can formulate into an image other than making her think of the fat bully, Butch Laird. But Noah Jeffers is nothing like the horror of her childhood. Noah is strong in body and spirit, a peaceful man standing firm in his faith. And somehow she’s going to discover why he won’t talk about his past.

Meanwhile, Carly Payton is back in town after serving 6 yrs in prison for robbery, kidnapping and other crimes. As a new believer, she knows God has forgiven her and only wants to live a normal life. But can the town people forgive her? And can Garret Corbett who was initially responsible for introducing her to Lookout put aside his prejudice for the jailbird and see her as a remorseful woman of faith who only wants a family like everyone else?

Vickie McDonough has taken ordinary people and put them on the carousel of life. She’s added love and faith and sent us along for the ride. Not rushed and hectic like our modern lives, but giving us an emotional journey as we rise and fall with each crest higher and each dip deeper than the one before. The pace quickens, action increases and dialogue cracks with authority and truth. Until finally, the long plunge down as Jack is faced with that monumental decision all adults have to make… what does she really want?

Here are all my posts on the Texas Boardinghouse Brides series:

Book 1 The Anonymous Bride
Book 2 Second Chance Brides
Book 3 Finally a Bride

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Anita Mae Draper is retired from the Canadian Armed Forces and lives on the prairie of southeast Saskatchewan, Canada with her hubby of 30 plus years and 2 of their 4 kids. In 2005, Anita Mae decided to return to writing and make it a priority in her life. She writes old west stories set on the prairies of Saskatchewan, North Dakota, Montana and Wyoming. Her characters are strong because the land demands it. Anita Mae likes to write characters who sit up and notice when that special person God’s chosen just for them walks by. The story is all about the courtship between the two main characters. But it won’t be an easy path. And if they don’t know about God at the beginning of the book, they will by the end. Anita Mae has semi-finaled in the Historical Romance category of the ACFW's 2011 Genesis contest and finaled in the Inspirational category of the 2011 Daphne du Maurier, the 2011 Fool for Love, the 2011 Duel on the Delta and 2009 Linda Howard Award of Excellence contests. She’s currently waiting to hear the phone ring and have someone say they want to buy Emma’s Outlaw. Meanwhile, she’s working on another story and trying to keep her imagination in check. A pathological picture taker, she usually has a photo or two of the quirky world she lives in on her blog at http://anitamaedraper.blogspot.com/

Happy Friday, Folks

2011-05-27T11:46:00.000-06:00

Happy Friday, folks. I was thinking of changing my header photo since the road is no longer flooded, but with all the rain we've had water started coming in the basement. And it's still coming!

I wanted to draw your attention to the website of Sandra Ardoin who mentioned me in her High Five Friday!! post. Thanks, Sandy. :D

Tomorrow, my post will be a book review on Vickie McDonough's 3rd book in her Texas Boardinghouse Brides series, Finally a Bride. There will be a book discussion going on, but it'll be over on the Inkwell Inspirations blog.

Now that I'm finally back in my office out in the garage, I'll be writing all weekend. The boys can play all the video games they want and I won't hear a thing. Except the rain.

If you look at the header photo, today's picture would've been taken a few feet before the water's edge where the ground was soft and wet. It's the paw print of a coyote and that's my shoe, so those tracks are big! Nelson said he's seen a coyote running through the farmyard. Gives me shivers just thinking of finding him/her out there in the dark while I make the trek from my office to the house. Yowza!

It's Memorial Day weekend in the US. What are your plans?

Road Trip Results

2011-05-23T00:15:00.002-06:00

I'm back from my road trip for research with mixed results. Although I discovered lots of neat places and took oodles of pics, many of the historic sights I needed to photograph wouldn't be open until Victoria Day. I missed by a week!

For this post though, I want to show some of the weather related things I found on my travels.

Although I saw many farmers out in their fields, some tried to get a head start and only got bogged down in the muck. Here's a tractor that didn't get too far in the task:

And here's the dozer that tried to pull him out:

The wind was so bad one day, the flags were flying straight and high...

Two days after the super-windy day, I passed one large fire and saw another in the distance.

It could've been another dangerous situation, like up at Slave Lake, if the wind took control of this small grass fire...

Road conditions were horrible. Part of the reason was due to flooding. Here is an example of just one of the many roads being eaten away by the force of water.

Numerous road closures and detours popped up everywhere without warning so planned routes had to be changed at the last minute.

And once I had to drive through 5" of water to get across - just like at home over the Easter weekend.

Another reason roads were in deplorable conditions was because of frost upheaval due to the freezing and thawing ground:

Sometimes the bad parts were easy to see, especially when they were red flagged, but other times you didn't realize they were there until almost the last second.

But I'm safely back home now and ready to get back to work. While in Humboldt, I did a bit of research in the local library and found a book with excellent information on the Carlton Trail. And because of the new provincial library system (SILS), I was able to take the book home with me. When I'm done, I just drop if off at my local library and they send it back up. What a concept. I wish I had time to visit more of the libraries along the way. Perhaps next time. :)

How are the roads where you live? Did you get the frost upheaval like we did up here? Or do you live in a frost-free zone?

Visiting History

2011-05-17T08:13:00.000-06:00

Virtually, I'm blogging at the Inkwell today about my research trip last week to the Touchwood Hills Hudson's Bay Company remains. Not even ruins. Just remains. But an extraordinary experience nonetheless.

Physically, I'm in North Battleford, Saskatchewan researching a restored western town of 30 buildings and businesses. It's a cloudy day and I hope it doesn't rain as all the buildings are outside. However, there's also a huge indoor portion in case it does.

But I'll be popping in to check comments here and at the Inkwell throughout the day.

Dancing - Again!

2011-05-16T02:03:00.000-06:00

This past weekend was difficult as I realized once again that I wasn't a finalist in the Genesis contest. The wound deepened when I received my judges' scoresheets and discovered 2 out of the 3 judges just didn't 'get' the story. I won't complain about the comments, but I will say I shook my head at a couple of them.

On Sat afternoon I received word that someone else had won the Duel on the Delta contest. Ugh. Very disheartening. But I'm up here at St Peter's Abbey for the Saskatchewan Romance Writer's annual retreat and my fellow writers are wonderful support. Between them and the Inkies, they pulled me out of my doldrums and rewarded me with chocolate - both in physical and virtual realities.

After supper I walked the beautiful grounds taking photos and trying to shed my disappointment.

Imagine my surprise, then on Sunday afternoon when I was working on my Tues history post for the Inkwell when my iPhone rang. The theme song of The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly filled my small room as I scrambled to answer the phone that never rings.

A really nice woman in Virginia called to say I'd finaled in the Fool For Love contest. Really? I think I blubbered as I thanked her. It was almost too much after the weekend's disappointments. Almost.

I hung up the phone and let out a whoop. It echoed down the hall as a bunch of eavesdroppers broke into a cheer. My fellow writers had once again appeared at just the right time to support me. Heh.

Yes, I'm happy dancing again. But with all the ups and downs, I might switch to a jig or something.

This photo is take from the top floor of St Peter's College. The building in the foreground is Scholastica which is our home while at the retreat. Except for walks and our meals, our time is spent in our individual rooms working on our works-in progress, or talking writing in the lounge.

I leave the Abbey tomorrow morning and continue a research trip I started en route here. If you want to see some photos of 19th century buildings, check out my HBC Research Trip post over at Inkwell Inspirations on Tues.

Have a great day!

At the Inkwell: Kate's Hats

2011-05-09T10:26:00.000-06:00

I'm at Inkwell Inspirations today talking about the evolution in hat styles worn by the Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge and the boost she's given to the fashion industry, especially the millinery trade.

Check out the photos I've posted of Kate from July 2009 to April 2011. And I've added a video - set to music - of all the hats she's worn in the past.

The questions I'm asking at the Inkwell are: What about you? Do you like wearing hats? Do you have a favourite? Do you wear one to church?

Check out The Bag Lady for more info on these fascinators.

Photo Credits: http://www.thebaglady.tv/2011/03/royal_wedding_s.html

Red Fox in our Farmyard

2011-05-06T00:15:00.003-06:00

On Apr 20th I heard Anna barking up a frenzy with a few growls thrown in for good measure. It wasn't just a cat she was after! I grabbed my camera and ran outside. Anna, looked south, jumped up and down on her front paws, glanced at me, then back south. Something was in the field behind the quonset. I hurried down mindful of the muddy ground and saw it - a red fox running along the fenceline. I started taping and this is what I got:
A red fox in our farmyard... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50IfIYvucBw

At least it didn't get any of my chickens and ducks - this time.

What's the wildest creature you've seen up close?

More Dancing

2011-05-02T21:40:00.001-06:00

Writing-wise April was one of my best months ever! Like I stated in my last month-end post, I’d spent Feb/March entering contests – 5 to be exact. And as I reported here a couple weeks ago, on Apr 8 I received a phone call informing me I was a semi-finalist in the ACFW’s Genesis contest.

Well, the news gets better.

On Mar 25th – Easter Monday - I rec'd an email from the Duel on the Delta coordinator informing me that I was a finalist! She said once I rec’d my judge’s score sheets, I had until the end of April to edit my entry and return it for the final round. This was same deadline to revise my Genesis entry.

Talk about excited! I couldn’t sit still. I happy danced back and forth from my writing desk to hubby in the kitchen. It was such good timing that he was taking the boys to Regina within the hour and they’d gone for the week. They would be part of Project Aware learning how to be homeless so they could work with empathy among the homeless. With the boys gone and Nelson back to work on Tues, I’d have plenty of time to get the 2 entries revised and sent back before the Royal Wedding on Friday.

So there I was not 30 mins later ensuring the boys had everything they needed when the phone rang. Thank goodness I was sitting when I answered it because it was the coordinator for the Daphne du Maurier contest and I’m a finalist! Yay! And I had 3 days to get my entry revised and back to them. That was Thurs!

Oh my stars! As Ruthie over at Seekerville would say. God is so good.

So if you didn’t see me surfing blogs, etc last week it was because I was busy working. I returned my Daphne entry on Wed night. On Thurs I returned my Genesis and Duel on the Delta entries. And then I stay up 36 hrs straight watching the Royal Wedding and all the different pre- and post- wedding shows. What a week! I now have a couple weeks to get back to writing before more results are announced.

The boys came back Friday night during a blizzard. The snow is still in our yard and in the fields. Seeding is way behind schedule and our gardening industry is shattered.

The flood waters are down and it looks like the new wave of snow won’t have an effect.

We’re praying for the people of Alabama and elsewhere that have been touched by the horrendous weather we’ve been having. And I’m happy for my friends who’ve been able to plant their gardens. Plant a flower or two for us, eh.

I’ll try to post again this week but if I don’t it’s because I’m working on my story as well as writing a post for Inkwell Inspirations about those fancy hats called fascinators we saw everyone wearing at the Royal Wedding.

I really like what Kate Middleton has done to revive the millinery industry, but some of those fascinators were just ... well, I'll leave my comments for my post. :)

April Ends in Blizzard

2011-05-01T04:26:00.001-06:00

After staying up for 36 hrs straight due to television coverage of Will and Kate's Royal Wedding, I went to bed on Friday night listening to the howling wind of a blizzard. My main concern was the boys who had been gone on a week-long youth retreat in the city and were due home around 10pm. But Nelson was talking care of it and I needed sleep.

Midnight - I found Nelson in the kitchen. He'd just brought the boys home. With white-out road conditions and 60kph winds, it had taken him 2 hrs - instead of the usual 30 mins - to drive into town and pick up the boys from the drop-off point. But his work cell phone was buzzing with alarms and he had to get back out to check well sites. I went back to bed.

4:30 am - I woke find the power out. Nelson still wasn't back. Instead of going back to bed, I cuddled with a blanket on the recliner and soon fell asleep.

8:30 am - I woke when JJ wandered into the living room. He asked if I'd phoned SaskPower to inform them of the outage. No, I hadn't. But I did then. Smart kid.

10:30 am - Took this photo:

Noon - Nelson finally came home. When he reached his farthest site, it'd been too dangerous to drive back. He'd slept the rest of the night in his truck then continued his work as the weather cleared.

The house was cold enough to sit under blankets for warmth. Nelson brought out the emergency candles for heat and then went to bed.

4 pm - Storm ended although still windy. I wanted to take my daily walk out to take photos of flooded road but couldn't bring myself to walk through the drifts and freeze without a warm house to come back to.

5:30 pm - Nelson awoke hungry. I was going to serve cold ham sandwiches, but he had other ideas. Although we can't drive our motorhome anymore the appliances still work - on propane. Nelson got the stove working. He threw a frozen pizza in the oven and boiled a kettle of water one of the 2 small burners. Yum, pizza and hot ramen noodles for supper. Was going to make tea but tummy was warm and full.

7 pm - Power finally came back on and we settled in to warm up.

8 pm - I realized if I wanted photos I'd better get going. I went and took these:

Wherever you see snow on the road it's really ice. And slippery when you're wearing rubber boots!

Although the water had receded off the road surface, the ground was still plenty mucky. And with the water level still high, there's a good possibility of rising over the road again as this new snow melts.

Do you see how there's a handful of icy snow at the bottom of each branch grouping? Well, those patches of ice are a couple inches above the water level and they waved back and forth with every gust of wind. Quite pretty, actually.

The wind was still howling when I went out on this photo journey and after being out for only 10 mins or so, the index finger I use to snap the photos was aching from cold. I was wearing those little magic gloves as I do when the temperature is so cold in the winter, but it was only at 0c tonight which is the freezing point.

Yet, the wind whipping across the water has a dangerous beauty to it. In this photo below, there's nothing hanging from the fence on either side of the post - just icicles that have been dipped like candles in the water with every splash.

Here's one last pic of the icicles on the corner post.

I sure hope this is the last we've seen of snow this spring. What will tomorrow bring?

Stay tuned as I have some good news to share in my next post.

Will and Kate's Royal Wedding

2011-04-28T23:25:00.000-06:00

There are so many different sources of information to have on hand during the Royal Wedding of Kate and William, I've decided to write a post to keep them in one place.

The Official Royal Wedding site has plenty of photos and background information.

Did you know there's a Royal Family Facebook page? Clicking on 'Like' at the top of the page will show that you're 'attending' the event and you'll receive updates throughout the day. The Facebook page also shows how to submit a video blog to send well-wishes to the happy couple. And they want to know how you're sharing their special day.

Can't watch it all on TV? No problem. The Royal Channel is live streaming the event on it's YouTube channel. Not only can you see it live, but there's access to oodles of videos about anything royal.

My Monday Inkwell Inspiration post was called Royal Coach and Carriage. It has photos of many processional coaches and carriages you may recognize from tv and photos. You'll see at least one at the royal wedding when the newlyweds leave Westminster Abbey in the 1902 State Landau just like Will's mum did all those years ago.

If you want the ceremony timetable, there's a free download of a very nice pdf copy of the Official Programme which includes an official photograph and route map. If you have the ibook app on your iphone, ipad, etc, then you can download the free Official Programme. Just go to your iphone (it's a free download) and search for Official Programme. This is a very nice digital keepsake.

The information I really wanted to know was the little details like ... when will Prince William leave Clarence House and head to the church? Or when will the Princess Catherine be kissed by her handsome Prince on the balcony of Buckingham Palace? Well, here's the itinerary which lists everything except the actual ceremony but that's in the Official Programme. What you'll find below is when the congregation begins to arrive at the abbey to the Royal flypast while the newlyweds are on the balcony of Buckingham Palace. I've emboldened the really juicy stuff...

Of course, these are all London times. Here in Sask, we are 7 hrs behind which means 8:15 London time is 1:15 am here. Official TV coverage starts at midnight on my local channel and yup, I'm already watching TLC for wonderful shows with background information.

8:15 a.m. - The congregation begin arriving at the Great North Door of London's Westminster Abbey.

9:50 a.m. - Governors-General and Prime Ministers of Realm Countries, the Diplomatic Corps and other distinguished guests arrive.

10:10 a.m. - Prince William and his brother and best man Prince Harry leave their father's residence Clarence House.

10:20 a.m. - Members of foreign royal families begin to arrive at the Abbey. Middleton's mother Carole and brother James will leave the Goring Hotel.

10:25 a.m. - Junior members of the British royal family leave Buckingham Palace.

10:35 a.m. - William's uncles Prince Edward and Prince Andrew and his aunt Princess Anne will leave the palace with members of their families.

10:38 a.m. - William's father Prince Charles will leave Clarence House with his wife Camilla.

10:40 a.m. - Queen Elizabeth and her husband Prince Philip are the last royals to leave.

10:48 a.m. - The bridesmaids and page boys leave the Goring.

10:51 a.m. - Middleton and her father Michael leave the hotel.

11 a.m. - The marriage service begins.

12:15 p.m. - William and Middleton will leave the Abbey in a carriage and return to Buckingham Palace followed by other senior members of the royal family and escorts from mounted cavalry in full dress uniform.

12:30 p.m. - The newlyweds arrive at the palace.

12:40 p.m. - The other royals, both British and foreign, arrive back at the palace.

1:25 p.m. - The queen, William and Middleton and their families appear on the balcony of Buckingham Palace.

1:30 p.m. A fly past by aircraft from the Royal Air Force and World War Two planes from the Battle of Britain Flight.

Sigh.

I hope you enjoy the ceremonies. I know I will. Come back here after and let me know your thoughts on the whole affair, okay?

Video: Driving Through the Flood

2011-04-27T05:22:00.000-06:00

It took a long time to upload, but here is the video I filmed of our Apr 24, Easter morning flood.

The first part shows how we got the car across. The van's low and the water's rising. We needed it on the other side in case we had an emergency in the ensuing days.

The second part is where I film from inside the truck - twice. First going to church, then coming back. Let's just say it was easier to film than drive the truck. On Sunday afternoon the guys went out and marked the edges of the road so we could see where we were going. But that was after this video.

Sask Farm Flooded Out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbDJjSPI54g

For the beginning of our flood watch, see my post before this one, Operation Wading Boots.

Stayed tuned for more fun when we take the paddle boat out for a spin.

(And please forgive the lack of a smooth transition from normal to zoom on my little Lumix because I have to stop filming to zoom in and then start again. I lose 5 seconds every time I shut down and start again.)

Operation Wading Boots

2011-04-25T01:59:00.024-06:00

My new blog header is the scene that greeted us on Easter morning (Resurrection Day). Camera in hand, boots on my feet, I walked straight down the driveway and stopped at the corner where we turn onto the road. That's where I'm standing in this photo, looking west:

I turned to the north and took this photo of our road. Or at least where our road was supposed to be:

Since our van is very low, we needed to get it to the other side before the water level rose any higher. Nelson called the crew into action as spotters. For this dangerous work, Nick donned Nelson's waders. The boys were primed with purpose.

They walked down the road while Nelson drove the van slowly behind them. He left it parked in a safe zone and walked back. It was Easter morning and we needed to get ready for church.

We then hopped into the truck and drove across. I filmed this epic crossing and will post it here shortly. Once across, we switched to the van and went to church repeating the scenario on the way back.

The rare photo opportunities of this temporary lake beneath the western sky is amazing. I marvel at the blessed beauty of this spring.

And look... more snow! There is still lots of snow hiding on the north side of buildings, under trees and in the shadows to keep the water running for many days yet. I stood near our apple trees to take this photo. The road and driveway on the right.

More photos and videos on the way.

So, what's the weather like where you are? Did you get caught in the tornadoes? Live where you're crying for rain? Let me know and I'll pray for you.

Water Covers Our Road

2011-04-23T22:48:00.000-06:00

After weeks of waiting through a roller coaster of temperatures, the weather has warmed enough to set off the final meltdown. Here's the sequence of events...

Thurs, Apr 21st at 8 am - The water is one foot lower than the road on the right of the photo. Note the level of water on the fence posts.

Good Friday, Apr 22 at 1 pm - The water is level with the road. A rural municipal councillor stopped at the farm about an hour earlier to say the flood was running over a road a mile away and would reach us soon.

A mere 3 hrs later, the water had crossed the road, aided by the powerful prairie wind and damage had already begun to the road's surface.

4 hrs later the wind dropped at the 8 pm sunset. The air filled with bird sounds and rushing water.

7 am this morning, Sat, Apr 23rd, we heard the water rushing across the road as soon as we went outside. More water, more damage. Where the dirt had washed away, it left huge rocks - as much as 8" across - lying just beneath the surface.

7 pm tonight, we jumped into hubby's 4WD and went to check the water at 2 different culverts within a mile from home, but our road was the only one under water. We'd been red-flagged sometime during the day. With some places more than 6" deep, the drive down our road was scary. But JJ couldn't wait to get out of the truck and experience the water for himself.

As usual, the wind dropped which allowed for some spectacular photos. Normally if I took a pic from this spot, you wouldn't see a drop of water.

Tomorrow is Easter morning. Resurrection Day. Amen!

I wonder what the water will be like when we head out to church. Nelson thinks the van can make it across, but I have my misgivings since the van is low and the water high. I guess it depends on what happens overnight. We'll see...

HAPPY EASTER!

Porcupine Damage

2011-04-21T11:44:00.000-06:00

Spring has been a slow melt which is good because many parts of Saskatchewan are flooding even with the cold weather. I've been out taking pictures every day and am working on a neat 'flood' post for you but I wanted to show you photos of the porcupine since it looks like we've seen the last of him for this year.

Several times we found him in the trees, like this photo from April 7th:

But unlike the first day when he scooted down the tree and left, in the succeeding days he only froze when I stopped to take his picture. A good photo op, but no munching action.

On Apr 9th he moved to what would be his highest point before leaving us:

One time I looked out my kitchen window at the right moment to see him slip and hang by his front paws for a second before pulling himself back up. As you can see, he's such a cuddly looking animal...

Apparently the little critter was really out on this limb and at one point he crawled out so far Nelson saw the branch curve down until the porcupine scuttled back.

However, he left plenty of evidence of his visits behind in the manner of branches stripped of bark.

This isn't good because it leaves the tree susceptible to insects which bring disease. And that's if the tree manages to stay alive without its protective barrier against the harsh and drying prairie wind.

Here's the batch of wolf willows at the end of the driveway where we first saw the porcupine.

So, he may be a cute critter, but he's not cuddly and he certainly isn't nice!

If you want to relax for a minute, here's a video I took of some snow geese flying over my head on Apr 7th before the clouds hid the sun and the porcupine was in another tree close to the garage. Turn the volume up if you want to hear the geese. A special day - no wind!

Happy Dancin'

2011-04-12T11:53:00.000-06:00

Last Friday the phone rang while I was writing. It's still too cold to work out in my office so I'm in the living room for a few more weeks. Nelson sat behind me playing a video game, but since he has an aversion for talking on the phone I reached for it. My pulse increased when I spotted the area code because it wasn't a Cdn one. Nor was it an 800, 888 or that one will all zeros.

When the caller said she was Ane Mulligan from the American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW), I knew it was good news about a contest. I'd spent March entering 5 different writing contests and writers volunteer as coordinators and judges for many different contests. Of the 5 contests I entered, the earliest I expected a response was around Apr 18th from Duel on the Delta.

But Ane called on Apr 8th. I was so excited. And confused. She said I'd semi-finaled. I missed the 'semi' part because writing contests don't have 'semi-finalists'... you go from a contestant to the finals. Even in big contests like the Genesis where there are 60 or so entries in a category like mine - Historical Romance.

When Ane said 'semi-finalist', I heard 'finalist'. She went into details about what I needed to do when my manuscript was returned in a couple days and the deadline for the final round. I read her words... but I was still confused because she hadn't actually said the name of the contest yet.

So I finally blurted out, this is for the Fool for Love, right? It was the first contest that came to mind because it was the last I'd entered.

Ane said no, I semi-finaled in the Genesis.

The Genesis? How can I describe my feeling when she said that one word... a thousand horses galloping through me veins... a landslide of boulders tumbling down a mountain... freefalling before pulling the cord to open your parachute...

She explained that the Genesis had changed. My entry had scored high enough to be in the top 20% of my category and would now go on to a new semi-final round. I know I sounded like a dope. And if I didn't know Ane, I'd believe she thought I was a dope. Thank goodness we've met and she knows better. I hope.

The word is... I'm officially a semi-finalist in the Genesis and my entry is against 14 others in this next round as there were 73 in the Historical Romance category. The announcement for the finalists will come in mid-May.

To keep myself grounded, I'm telling myself it's no big deal - just another step in a contest. But I've received enough personal congratulary emails from writing friends - some from my favourite authors - to realize this is a big deal. It's the Genesis. And it may be the only call I get from the Genesis people. (Not that I don't believe in my writing, but judges are readers and not every reader likes what I write or how I write it.)

So please allow me to gloat over this 'call'. Breathe Anita ... just breathe...

Book: When All My Dreams Come True

2011-04-09T00:15:00.001-06:00

When all My Dreams Come True (Colorado Runaway Series Book 1) by Janelle Mowery, Harvest House Publishers, Feb 2011

This book packs a wallop between its pages. The story is set among the mountains of 1872 Colorado Territory. Lots of space with plenty of rocks and trees to offer rustlers something to hide behind.

The story starts in the middle of an action scene and there’s plenty more between the pages on account of all the bank robbers and rustlers. Suspense and suspicion are maintained so you don’t really know who the bad guys are or how they’re involved until the end.

I like that the heroine, Bobbie McIntyre, wore trousers in her day-to-day work as a wrangler. And that she could shoot better than most men. It didn’t take long for me to see the kind of woman Bobbie was and although so many things changed over the course of the book, she stayed true to her character.

Jace Kincaid is a very likable hero – even when he faltered and I wanted to swat him on the side of his head. But his actions fit his character profile and I knew why he did what he did even if I didn’t agree with his reasoning. His action certainly upped the tension between the characters and increased the suspense.

The roller coaster romance takes us on a ride where our emotions heat up and cool down only to ride higher, faster, and longer as we reach the crest, then plummet in despair wondering if Bobbie and Jace will ever get together on the same track.

And through the story, the Gospel is unraveled to Bobbie who doesn’t realize she’s searching for a heavenly as well as physical home.

This book will appeal to anyone who likes stories about tomboys, Salvation, and the Wild West.

If you'd like to join in the discussion about this book, please join us at Inkwell Inspirations.

Our Witchdoctors Are Too Weak

2011-04-04T01:11:00.000-06:00

Book Review: Our Witchdoctors Are Too Weak by Davey & Marie Jank, Monarch Books, 2011

Well now, that title doesn't sound like my normal reading fare... it's because it isn't. But it is a treasure!

Davey Jank is a very humorous guy and writes in an entertaining style that enthralled even my 12 yr old son. Lots of creepy crawlies, rodents and aligators.

Steadfast in his faith, Davey sets out to learn the language and customs of an Amazon tribe who requested missionaries to teach them about 'God's talk'. Davey faces witchcraft in action, tribal traditions and dangerous situations while struggling to learn the Wilo language.

Yes, yes, but what about Marie? When does he meet her? That was my burning question since Davey enters the jungle as a single man. I scrutinized every name looking for the beautiful lady on the cover. And I have to admit that as much as I enjoyed Davey's stories of faith and perseverance against the dark powers of this world, I thought he failed miserably as a romance writer. Heh.

Although it isn't a guide, Our Witchdoctors Are Too Weak would interest anyone who ever wondered what a missionary's life is about. It entails some of the harsh decisions missionaries face while preparing people to receive God's Word as well as the joys of salvation. And even if you've never had the urge to travel this foreign path, this book will bless you with hope in the knowledge that the Gospel is being spread.

I'm blogging at Inkwell Inspirations today about this book and my thoughts on missionaries. You're welcome to come over and join in the discussion. The question of the day can be answered here or there, wherever you feel most comfortable...

Have you considered being a missionary? Why or why not? I'd really like to know.

Give Me a Break

2011-04-03T10:15:00.001-06:00

It's April 3rd today, right? At least I thought it was when I awoke at 4 am and started writing. But then hubby got up at 5, looked out the window and said, "You should get a picture of this."

Of what? A deer? A porcupine? A skunk? No! It's more snow! So here's the pic I took of his truck...

The next pic shows him going to work at 06:30, The sun should've been up at this time. But nope, too much snow blocking it. Nelson weaved a bit heading down the driveway as he surfed through the drifts, but he's been gone 3 hrs and I haven't heard from him so I guess he's okay. Nothing like driving on soft, slushy roads, eh.

So what is this? Payback for the April Fool's Joke we played over at the Inkwell on Friday? But it was so much fun!

Whatever it is, it's kept us from church today. That's about 6" of the heavy wet stuff on top of a couple inches of thawed out mud. The temp was 0c (freezing point) at 6:30 and is now 3 degrees warmer. Ugh. What a mess! And no way my 2WD van can get through.

On one of my writer loops I read that someone was mowing their lawn yesterday.

Wanna come find mine?

Looking for Books?

2011-03-30T05:15:00.000-06:00

Have you ever wondered about the Fiction Finder widget here on my blog? It's the link to a huge database of faith-based books. You can search by author, genre or content and a great way to discover new releases. And that's what I'm discussing today on the Inkwell Inspirations blog.

For today's photo, I thought I'd show you what my boys do on the farm in March... they're playing golf while standing on 3 ft of snow.

Well, okay... I guess Nick isn't standing on the snow. Haha.

Porcupine Climbing Down a Tree

2011-03-25T07:36:00.000-06:00

He's ba-ack. Again, Nelson came home from work and said the porcupine was out in the trees. But this time instead of being on the ground, he was up in the tree. All I could see was a black bulge straight out from the kitchen window where the shelterbelt divides the yard from the prairie. Naturally, I grabbed my camera and scooted out the door. I stood in the driveway and filmed the porcupine as he climbed the 15 ft or so down to the ground.

Porcupine Climbing Down a Tree: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1NK5Btmje28

This porcupine is starting to make a regular appearance on the farm. But why in a tree? If he carried a telescope, I'd suspect him of spying on me. Haha.

Anybody know what a porcupine eats?

Punked By A Porcupine

2011-03-23T05:06:00.001-06:00

I have to show you this video I made yesterday during our blizzard warning... that porcupine got the drop on me this time. LOL

http://www.youtube.com/user/anitamaed?feature=mhum#p/a/u/0/mqbLdaiFBO0

I can't believe it took so long to sink in that he was there. Sheesh.

By the way, Happy Birthday, Bonnie!

Blizzard, Coffee and a Supermoon

2011-03-22T09:20:00.001-06:00

The kids are home from school today because of a blizzard warning. Sheesh. Doesn't the weather know spring began 2 days ago?

Another thing that happened 2 days ago was the 'supermoon'. This happened when the moon was at its closest to the earth since the early 90's. Unfortunately the sky was cloudy that night, but I took this photo a couple days before that - before I even knew it was a supermoon.

I'm blogging about 19th Century Coffee Taverns at Inkwell Inspirations today. This whole movement to get the working men away from the evils of alcohol by using coffee, tea and cocoa was a complete research surprise. I hope you can take a few moments to join us in the discussion.

Did you see the supermoon?

Porcupine Patrol

2011-03-19T01:54:00.000-06:00

The days are a rollercoaster of warmth and cold, which is what we need to avoid a spring flood. However, the critters are crawling out of hibernation as can be seen by this porcupine. On March 9th, Nelson came home and said there was porcupine a quarter mile away. By the time I grabbed my camera and jumped in his truck we were almost too late. This photo was taken approx 200 ft away and I zoomed in for it:

However, I managed to get a short video of it before it walked over the hill. Nelson had dropped me off and then drove on down the road to turn around, so the only sound on the video is that of the wind, the camera itself, and a few of my movements.

Here's the porcupine's meandering track as it started up the hill.

Five days later - on March 14th, Nelson came home and said their was a porcupine at the end of the driveway. I grabbed my camera, put my outerwear on and headed out, hoofing it. I could see him right from the house. If you look at my blog header, he was hiding in the bush that sits at the end of the driveway on the right side.

He wasn't moving and I wanted a good photo, so I yelled at him a couple times and wouldn't you know it - he turned his back on me! Although he was a good 30 ft away, I'm not in the habit of standing behind a porcupine, so I high-tailed it back to the house and let him have his peace.

What kind of creatures are coming out of hibernation or flying in where you live?

Book Review: Lady in the Mist

2011-03-14T05:22:00.000-06:00

Book Review: Lady in the Mist by Laurie Alice Eakes, Revell, Feb 2011

Lady in the Mist is a rich, historical read that mixes the secrets of midwifery and espionage into a suspenseful tale of romance. A master at vivid description, the author uses all the senses to place you right there in the scene, whether it's sitting on a sunny beach, or a running through a dark ship’s passageway.

What a refreshing change for a hero. As a third son in Britain’s peerage, Dominick is your regular, run-of-the-beach indentured servant chasing after the woman of his dreams. But when her life and others are in jeopardy, he cloaks himself with the arrogance of his upbringing and commands the attention of his title.

Midwife Tabitha is past the average age of marriage, yet it’s no fault of her looks or attitude that she can’t seem to keep a man around long enough to marry. Following generations of family tradition, she delivers other women’s babies while yearning for a daughter of her own. This poignant trait tugged on my heart strings, as it will for any woman who wants a child.

And while the hero and heroine banter back and forth while trying to discover the identity of the traitor who walks so freely among them, their love story unfolds against a backdrop of political aspirations, missing sailors, and evil.

With just the right mix of laughter, love, history and suspenseful action, this book will stay as a keeper on my shelf for a long time to come.

Laurie Alice has an excerpt of Lady in the Mist on her website at http://www.lauriealiceeakes.com/.

You can find Lady in the Mist at Christianbook.com, Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

The Uniqueness of a Church

2011-03-10T14:49:00.001-06:00

I'm blogging at Inkwell Inspirations about the different denominations of churches I've attended over the years and what makes each one unique in What Makes a Church Unique?

One of the aspects I love about our present church is the music - especially the gospel songs. Here's an example of

Joey Theriault singing old time gospel, Where Could I Go But To The Lord in one of my first attempts at making a YouTube video:

My questions for today are: What about you? Is there something unique about your church that you’ll like to share?

Fun Question: What do you sit on at church? Wooden pews, padded seats, cushions on wooden pews, plastic ‘bucket’ chairs, etc.

And if you don't attend church, what's your favourite chair at home and why?

Winter Damage

2011-03-07T07:56:00.000-06:00

March is here and all over Facebook I'm reading about friends with green grass, blooming trees, and sunshine. While we have plenty of sunshine, we're not running out getting tanned yet due to the 3 feet of white stuff. Yes, lots of snow. Here's a photo of my garden with it's 3 foot high fence:

Here's another look at those animal tracks - this one taken from where they crossed the driveway. If anyone knows what type of animal made these tracks, let me know, please.

As you can see in the next photo, we've had some melting days as well. This has created a problem because of ice build-up in the eavestrough.

So far, we haven't had a problem with this gutter that runs along the front of the porch, but where the kitchen abuts the sunroom, the ice pushed the eavestrough right off the house, shown in the photo below. We heard a bang in the middle of the night and the next morning, there it was, blue Christmas lights and all lying in the snow. It looks like the sunroom gutter could be the next one to go:

The ice isn't the only problem we've had this year, though. JJ and I were in the living room when we heard a kind of thud one night - almost like you'd hear when a bird hits the window. We looked out the big picture window where the yard light illuminates the whole yard, but couldn't see anything unusual, not even in the snow below the window.

Then the next day, I was walking past the window when a glint caught my eye - a glint that shouldn't have been there. I pulled back the drapes and sheers and found a humongous crack running down the inside glass. At the time, it was a curvy line about 60% of the way to the bottom. Today, after another thud, the crack completed it's journey.

The weather hasn't been this cold this year, either as it never reached the -50C/-58F of other years. I think the coldest has been -40C/-40F. And that was only once or twice.

However, the temperature has stayed at that -28C/-18F point for weeks at a time, then warmed up to 0C/32F freezing point for a couuple days before plunging again. It makes you wonder how the Calgary population fares with their warm/cold winter from the chinooks every year.

And Agriculture Canada is predicting a long, cold spring still. Ugh.

So, how was your winter? Yes, I know it's a loaded question this year, but I'd really like to know how it's been and when you think you'll be enjoying spring.

Giveaway at the Inkwell

2011-02-28T07:19:00.000-06:00

I'm over at Inkwell Inspirations talking about growing sprouts in my kitchen. If you've never grown this healthy, attractive protein, then come on over and see how easy it is.

Here's a photo of a small, spicy selection I grew in my kitchen this past week. I started on Monday and this is what the sprouts looked like by yesterday (Sunday).

I'll be picking 3 names out of the people who comment on my sprouting post at the Inkwell and each will win one tablespoon of sprouting seeds as detailed in the post, to see if they like this type of gardening. Ability to send in mail will be dependent upon winner's location in accordance with local postal and customs regulations. Contest ends Thursday, March 3rd at midight.

Book Recommendation: Masquerade Marriage

2011-02-22T01:22:00.000-06:00

Masquerade Marriage by Anne Greene, White Rose Publishing

It’s 1746 in the Scottish Highlands and Brody MacCaulay wakes to a massacre. Blinded in one eye, buried beneath his dead clansmen, he hears the clipped English voices as they walk amidst the wounded Highlanders and finish them off with bayonets. Against his urge to strike out in fury, he silently waits for them to pass. Then leaving his fallen brothers and father behind on the battlefield, he gathers other injured clansmen and makes his way to a hidden cave. If they leave, they’ll be hunted by the English. Their fight, their world, is over.

In a distant castle, Megan MacMurry mourns the loss of her fiancé who led and perished in the Highland battle. Upon her pastor’s advice, she decides to honor her fiance’s death by saving one of his men the only way possible – through marriage. Megan is sure the chosen man will be willing to trade his doomed life for a new name, new clothes, and new life as her marriage-in-name-only husband. When the list is presented to her, she chooses the only familiar name – that of a boy who teased her mercilessly until she took a club to him and his friends. No doubt, Brody MacCaulay wouldn’t remember her girlish warrior stance. And if his teasing was what she had to put up with, she’d do it for her fiance’s sake.

Of course, once Megan is introduced to the adult Brody – a man with a mind of his own who fears nothing for himself - she begins to doubt her choice. Brody has turned into a fine specimen who turns the lasses’ heads. Surely she’s not jealous!

For his part, Brody only agrees to the marriage because his sister and mother are now under his care and they’ll be safer under his protection in a castle. And no matter what Megan says, he’ll never admit to making a secret vow of love when he was but 15 yrs old and a 12 yr old female warrior with flaming red hair stood defiantly before him with a club and warned him to stop the taunting.

Totally satisfying, the end was not been what I expected. On reflection, I realized it was what I’d hoped would happen in a fleeting moment of despair. For I cried when the end was near and things had not gone as planned. I felt Brody and Megan’s loss when they realized precious time had slipped away and there was nothing they could do. And then, when I read the last paragraph of Masquerade Marriage, I smiled.

The story is one of faith in the face of adversity. Faith in God. Faith in yourself. And faith in those people God surrounds you with.

My only concern with this book was the thick Scottish brogue in the beginning chapters since the book starts in Brody’s point of view. But the farther I read, the more I began to appreciate the soft burr of his words. I knew when he was talking and began to follow his speech patterns in my mind. And after a while I didn’t want to separate the brogue from the man, because … well… that was part of Brody.

Anne Greene, I commend you on your character choice of worthy adversaries. And more.

Masquerade Marriage is available in both ebook and print.

Anne Greene can be found at http://www.annegreeneauthor.com/
.

Scrumptious Baking Fundraiser

2011-02-18T00:33:00.000-06:00

Last week was the annual Valentine Dessert Auction at our church with all proceeds going to the youth. Because I have 2 boys in youth, our house turned into a bakery for 3 days. No, I didn't get any writing done during that time and here are the photos to prove why...

First off, let me say I love my 5 quart mixer. It's the largest I've ever owned, and it's lasted longer than any other. When I bake, I don't piddle around the kitchen... I go on a baking binge, as my friend Val calls it, and bake all day for days. When I make sugar cookies, instead of doubling the batch, I'll triple or quadruple it. Sometimes even sextuple it. (Is that even a word?) Anyway, that calls for heavy duty equipment. And that's where my KitchenAid mixer comes in.

JJ's contribution was German chocolate cupcakes. Some of them were in the usual cupcake round size, but he made others using tin heart-shaped molds. They looked good, and tasted better.

I made some Rice Krispie Hearts using the Pampered Chief Heart bread mold. Then JJ decorated them with chocolate, pushed a lollipop inside them, and bagged them.

Nick's contribution to the event was a triple layer carrot cake with cream cheese icing. It's hidden under all this plastic, but it sure looked good before we wrapped it up.

One of the new things I tried was Stained Glass Cookies. Since I was making sugar cookies anyway, I thought I'd give them a try. Especially since I had the perfect cookie cutter for it that cut the outside and inside hearts at the same time.

On this cookie sheet are the 6 sugar cookies ready to be baked. In the center of each is a Jolly Rancher hard candy. Two of the candies are red and the other 4 are pink.

Here Nelson is holding the finished Stained Glass cookie. Yes, the icing isn't the best job, but I admit I was rushing it.

Here's what the plate of Stained Glass Cookies looked like when we brought them to the auction...

As well as regular sized iced sugar cookies, we brought these huge 4.5 inch ones that people can write their own messages on with those cake decorating gels or pens, etc.

Another use for the sugar cookie dough was the base for these cookie pizzas. We covered the partially baked sugar cookie with mini marshmallows, chocolate chips, nuts and butterscotch sauce before popping back into the oven to finish baking. We made 2 of these 6" cookie pizzas.

This Peanut Butter Chip Cheesecake was a favourite last year so I made it again. Cheesecakes are so easy to make. I probably shouldn't have used so much chocolate on top, but you never can have too much chocolate.

This Triple Chocolate Cheesecake should've had white chocolate drizzles on top but I didn't have any so I used the chocolate one again.

And finally, I brought this dish of fresh from the oven Chocolate Caramel Pecan Breakfast Buns.

I think that's all we brought. And no, I don't want to tell you all the goodies we bid on and brought back.

If you want to know more about the Dessert Auction evening, check out the post I did for our church blog.

Talking Coffee at the Inkwell

2011-02-08T14:48:00.000-06:00

I'm talking about Cowboy Coffee over at Inkwell Inspirations today. Can you imagine how long it took to make a cup of coffee 150 yrs ago? We think we're in a modern, civilized age because we can grind our own beans for freshness. Back in wagon train and frontier times, they had no choice. Everyone carried their own grinder around with them because until 1865 you couldn't buy ground coffee. And if you could, it was probably rancid.

I have this video over at the Inkwell but like it so much I'll add it here. It's from the Arbuckle Coffee website and explains what happens to all those missing socks...

I wonder if that's where they got the idea for the Mr. Bean segment? LOL

If you'd like to read more, head on over the the the Inkwell and answer this question:

Do you like to drink belly-wash or six shooter coffee? Or would you rather have tea?

:)

Book Winner

2011-02-07T15:27:00.001-06:00

If you left a comment on my Jan: Good News, Bad News post, either here or on Facebook, then your name was entered to win a book. After assigning a number to each name and handing it over to random.org, the winner is...

Victoria Bylin!

Congrats, Vicki. I already have your email address and will be sending you a list of books to choose from. (Pssst - I'm gonna wait a couple days until it warms up. My fingers almost froze when I went in my garage office yesterday to look for my sprouting kit. Brrrrrr)

Thank you everyone for commenting.

Anita Mae.

Jan: Good News, Bad News

2011-02-01T13:12:00.002-06:00

We’re already into February! Oh yay, oh yay. Just 6 more weeks of snow – 10 tops. I hope.

I found the perfect way to have January slip by without notice of the cold outside – I stayed in my cave. But I’m getting ahead of myself... here’s my monthly report:

Family-wise:

Nick has been invited to join the Street Invaders Youth Mission Team to South Africa this summer. Yikes! I thought Australia was far last year, but S. Africa just seems so much farther somehow. One thing is for sure... we have to start fundraising for his ticket. Ideas, anyone?

Weight-Wise

My weight loss schedule has wobbled a bit. Not so much because of the holidays, but with the 53 lb loss, I was cold all the time. Major cold. Seriously. The doctor said it was because my bones were starving and I had to eat more protein. In my attempt to do so, I changed my eating habits, went over my self-imposed daily calorie count, and ended up gaining weight. So, I’m back to losing – hopefully with better food choices. I’ll be doing a blogpost at Inkwell Inspirations on Monday, Feb 28th about my weight loss journey, my starving bones, and what I needed to feed them.

Writing-Wise

Remember my manuscript submission of Emma’s Outlaw last Nov? Well, I received an email from the editor and she’s passed on it. That’s a nice way of saying she rejected it. Funny thing is, it seems to have rolled off my shoulders without a qualm because I don’t feel sad. Haven’t even shed a tear over it. You think I’m still in shock?

Meanwhile, I’ve written 65% of the first draft of The Key to His Heart, my new 1888 story with a North West Mounted Police (NWMP) officer as the hero. Much of that progress can be attributed to the ACFW for its NovelTrack initiative where the mbrs support and encourage each other along. Thank you, ACFW.

Also, Barbour Publishing has opened its doors to authors who’d like to write novellas for their anthologies. My Inky sisters and I are working on some proposals together. At the moment, our stumbling block is that we need another published author to join us – preferably one Barbour is familiar with. And although I’d love for our projects to reach the publication stage, these group proposals are teaching me so many things about writing and submitting proposals as well as team writing. Great stuff there.

I'll be drawing a name for a free book from all those comments received on this post (blogger and facebook) by Sunday midnight CST. The winner will be announced on Mon, Feb 7th and will have the choice of one book from a list which will include both secular (ABA markets) and inspirational (CBA markets). Some are autographed. I'd go pick one out now, but they're in my office garage and it's too cold outside. I'm also thinking you'd rather choose one yourself.

So, what’s January been like for you?

Found Them

2011-01-24T00:59:00.000-06:00

I found out what happened to all those little Google Earth (GE) cameras... they morphed the photos into the landscape. Somehow the GE geniuses have integrated those millions of photos they took at street level with the actual GE program.

If you look in the top right corner of your GE screen, you'll see a yellow image of a man below your compass. That's the 'street view' indicator. What you do is just drag that icon over to wherever you want to get a closer look and wait a few seconds. If GE ever took a photo of that spot, your satellite image will soon morph into an actual street view.

I tried this with my home town. I moved the yellow 'man' icon to the main street Montmartre and waited. Soon the street emerged--as well as a guy getting out of his pickup at the local store. As I moved closer to the 30' replica Eiffel tower at the end of the street, the guy got out of his truck and looked at me. Well, he wasn't actually looking at me, he was looking at the GE vehicle with the camera mounted on top. And he wasn't actually moving, but the camera takes photos approx every 75 feet so it looked like he was moving. Very neat. And weird.

So, mystery solved. I guess when I looked last week, I put the street view icon on an area where a GE vehicle hadn't taken a photo. :( This isn't strange considering my hero and heroine are on a wagon trip on the old Carlton trail which is in the middle of someone's field now.

Today's photos were taken yesterday on a beautiful day where the temperature hovered at 0c.

Except as you can see, the wind was blowing up such a ruckus it tried to obliterate the western horizon. Immediately after taking this shot, I turned around and took the next...

This photo is looking east down our driveway. Now those snow drifts don't look too big, but they were made with hubby's 4wheel drive truck. He advised me not to take the kids to church today because those drifts are so high, my 2wheel drive van would've got hung up on them.

So now that you know about the street view icon on Google Earth, why don't you go try it out and then come back and tell me what you think.

Where are all the Google Earth Cameras?

2011-01-19T00:13:00.000-06:00

Monday was a horrible day for me because I lost my Google Earth (GE) cameras. If you've followed along my writing journey, you know I rely on those GE cameras for research. I've done a couple posts here and other places showing how much I rely on those GE vehicle mounted cameras which roam the streets all over the world to bring us photos of what it really looks like.

That GE camera vehicle was even in my hometown taking a photo of our 30' tall Eiffel Tower. I especially liked seeing that on GE.

However on Monday, I was using the cameras like I usually do, which is to look around at the landscape, then go to another one a few hundred yards up the road and look through that one. Then suddenly, the GE cameras all disappeared! I spent 2 hrs of writing time looking for them on 2 different computers in case it was a glitch but nope, they're gone.

Now, I know there were issues where people complained the cameras were an invasion of privacy, but for a research tool to people who didn't have time and money to visit the actual locations, those street view cameras were the next-best thing. :(

Today's photo is of Canada's famous military aerobatic team the Snowbirds. At least I think it's the Snowbirds' jetstreams. While I was looking for the GE cameras, I heard a noise outside as if a jet was passing over the farm, but it was so much louder than normal. I went outside and saw 5 jetstreams and took a photo of them. They were travelling from the direction of their home base at CFB Moose Jaw which is a couple hours away.

Then my brain kicked in gear and I turned to see the actual jets, but this is all I got. I'm not sure where the 5th one went. Looks like they decided to play a bit since by that time they would've been over an area with scattered farms and very sporadic towns and villages.

And if you're wondering about the difference in the sky colour, the sky was cloudy to the left (SE) of the sun.

Anyway, if anyone knows what happened to those GE cameras, can you fill me in? It sure would be nice if I discovered it was a glitch after all.

What is a sundog, you ask?

2011-01-14T00:05:00.006-06:00

I received a comment from Josi yesterday on my Bunkering Down post. Josi wanted to know what a sundog was so here's my answer:

Sundogs (also called mock suns) are a phenomena we see several times a winter. They are caused by light refracting through ice crystals and are usually in very cold weather, or in not-so cold weather but where there's lots of ice crystals in the air - you know, the kind that turn the trees white. Although the twin mock suns on either side are the actual sundogs, the whole thing is commonly called a sundog in these parts much like a ring around the moon is called a moondog.

Usually a sundog is close to the horizon, like in the photo I showed yesterday or in some of my previous sunrise pics. However last year, I took several photos of one at noon on our way back from church. I wouldn't even have noticed it except for the bright light at ground level which peaked my curiosity so I followed it upwards.

Taken Feb 7, 2010

What made this sundog special was that it had twin sundogs on each side. In other words, it had a double ring around it. So in my posts, I've referred to it as a double sundog:

Double ring Sundog Feb 7, 2010

For more of my sundog photos, check the LABELS on the right side of this blog.

I've even turned some of my sundog photos into jigsaw puzzles.

Next time it's a cold morning, see if you can see a sundog.

Thanks for asking, Josi. :)

Bunkering Down

2011-01-13T11:30:00.000-06:00

I'll be bunkering down for Book in a Week with the Sask Romance Writers starting Jan 15. Yes, I've almost reached the mid-point of NovelTrack with the ACFW but this is when my writing intensifies.

You see, during Aug-Nov of 2010, I basically stayed in my cave all day and evening, only coming out for pit stops while completing Emma's Outlaw. The family took care of me. They made meals and called me when it was time to eat. They did the dishes, laundry, etc.

In return, I gave them an old-fashioned Christmas complete with lots of homemade baking from scratch. I made the meals and did the dishes, etc. I've continued that in January.

However, as of this Saturday morning, all that stops. Last night one of the boys even asked when it's their turn to do the dishes again and I reminded them about this weekend. He nodded and left.

The main problem is that it's now too cold to work in my office in our converted garage until April so my current cave is in a corner of the living room. The boys want to have a friend over this weekend - from after Youth Group Friday night until we bring him to church Sunday morning. I said okay but reminded them they have to stay downstairs in the basement where the XBox lives (now that we cleaned the area) and be quiet because I'll be working. I ignored the look of horror on their faces. I like to think it was more of a respectful nature. LOL

Meanwhile, here's a photo taken the last week of Dec 2010 with my new iPhone. It was taken about a mile from our farm, which is when I was able to convince Nelson to stop and allow me to roll down the window. Once that man gets going, he doesn't like stopping until he gets there. And if he stopped every time I wanted to take a photo, we'd never get anywhere. :)

Final Sundog of 2010.

So far I've seen one sundog in 2011. Have you?

Author Marie Bostwick at Inkwell Today

2011-01-12T00:30:00.000-06:00

Today I'm hosting New York Times Best Selling author Marie Bostwick at Inkwell Inspirations.

Marie's latest release is A Thread So Thin, Book 3 in the Cobbled Court Quilt Shop series from Kensington Books. The books are set in the fictional town of New Bern, Connecticut and they all have a quilting theme.

An avid quilter, Marie has an online quilting group at her website where anyone can join and receive a free quilt pattern. Along with quilting , her website has information for both readers and writers.

So come on over to the Inkwell to meet Marie and see her work. There's bound to be a discussion going on that you can jump into.

Seekerville Historical Dress-Up Party

2011-01-10T15:37:00.001-06:00

I'm alone in the house and should be working but those gals at Seekerville are having a Historical Dress-Up party and keep distracting me. The celebration is in honour of Steeple Hill releasing four new Love Inspired Historicals every month instead of just two. Senior Editor Tina James is the guest of honour and the party is brimming with all sorts of people in their historical finery. I do believe the sagging food tables will soon cave in from their burdens as well.

Jecoliah Endicott, c 1888

As you can see from my photograph, I've taken on the persona of Jecoliah Endicott - known as Liah to her friends - the heroine of my current work-in-progress. Although she doesn't understand how, Liah has travelled from 1888 over to the world of today on Unpubbed Island and is quite amazed by the whole experience.
I would have been here earlier to tell you of the whole affair but Liah has kept dashing off at the sight of anything red in the hopes of catching the handsome North West Mounted Police officer, Corporal Patrice Bisset. Of course she'll tell you she's only interested in enquiring about his young son, but I know better from the gleam in her eyes.

Well, I'm off to check on the party once more. If you are interested in writing historicals, this is your chance to talk to the editor who is looking for new authors.

Perhaps I'll see you there. :)

Book Review: Second Chance Brides

2011-01-09T09:19:00.000-06:00

Second Chance Brides (Book 2 Texas Boardinghouse Brides series) by Vickie McDonough, Barbour Books, 2010

Last May I had the pleasure of reading and reviewing The Anonymous Bride which was Book 1 in Vickie McDonough's Texas Boardinghouse Brides series.

Well, Vickie's second book of that same series is every bit as good as the first. Second Chance Brides is a stand-alone, yet numerous mentions are made to The Anonymous Bride so I'll give you a bit of background in case you haven't read the first...

Two Corbett brothers named Mark and Garrett invite a mail-order bride to town for their cousin whom they feel ought to get married. But to enhance the odds, they invite three women figuring only one will actually show up. Surprise! Four women answer the call. By the end Book 1, their cousin is married but the town has too many unattached brides on the loose.

Enter Book 2 aptly named Second Chance Brides which is the story of two of the remaining brides:

- Shannon O'Neil, the petite Irish immigrant who's all alone in the world.

And

- Leah Bennett, the oldest of eleven siblings who's running from any responsibility that includes wet diapers and leaking noses.

Both mail-order brides still live at Rachel's boardinghouse and there is much interaction between the three women. There is also many scenes with the men who are involved with them:

- Mark Corbett is one of the brothers who invited the mail-order brides to town. He likes Shannon's quiet fire but something in his past grips him in fear of being found out. He knows he's destined to walk his path alone and it's going to be far away in the city.

- Mark's brother, Garrett wants to marry the women off as soon as possible so he doesn't have to keep paying their boardinghouse bill. There's no way he's ready to settle into marriage at this stage, but maybe he can arrange socials to bring the area's single people together.

- Rand Kessler is the rich rancher who wooed Rachel in the first book but lost out to Marshal Davis. Rand is still on the lookout for a wife. And he has his eyes on Shannon.

- Dan Howard is the local livery owner who lives in a small house with his mother. He may be the tallest man in town but he smells like the horses he cares for every day.

And to round out the activities, Rachel's daughter Jack/Jacqueline continues to steal scenes as she dances her way in and out of trouble with her 2 male cronies and 1 arch nemesis.

Because of all the subplots and interactions, there isn't room in this book to deeply delve into the storylines of Shannon and Leah. But in the space available, the author does a creditable job of portraying the women's dreams and fears. We know why they react the way they do and can commiserate with their decisions.

Second Chance Brides is an enjoyable read about western life in the late 1800's. The individual characters stay true to their beliefs and I really liked following their stories.

I was delighted to discover that Jacqueline - older and perhaps wiser - will be one of the main characters in Book 3 of this series due out in Apr 2011. I can't wait for Jacqueline's book.

Books in The Texas Boardinghouse Brides series:

Book 1 - The Anonymous Bride (2010)
Book 2 - Second Chance Brides (2010)
Book 3 - Finally a Bride (2011)

Vickie McDonough came be found at http://www.vickiemcdonough.com/

Blogging at the Inkwell: Second Chance Brides

2011-01-08T03:00:00.001-06:00

After a flurry of activity at the beginning of this week with the arrival of my sister and her husband, the house is quiet once again. They left on Tues and then we drove daughter Jessie to the city on Thurs night for her flight back to Calgary where she attends Bible College. Today the boys when to school and Nelson went to work and finally I got back to writing.

I worked for a couple hours on my Mountie story but also had to write a book review for tomorrow's Inkie post.

For my post, I chose Vickie McDonough's Second Chance Brides which is Book 2 in her Texas Boardinghouse Brides series. I'll be posting the review here in a couple days but if you want to get in on the book discussion, pop on over to the Inkwell.

2011 Goals

2011-01-01T01:20:00.000-06:00

This past year I crossed a big goal off my list when I submitted my Emma’s Outlaw manuscript to a literary agent as well as the editor of a publishing house. I accomplished this goal in mid-Nov and now it’s a waiting game.

My immediate goal is use the American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) NovelTrack to finish my current project by the end of January. Much like National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) and Book-in-a-Month (BIAW), NovelTrack is an on-line community where writers keep of track with their word count totals and get encouragement from other writers. It makes me accountable.

My goal for NovelTrack is to write 2,000 words of my Mountie story each day for a total of 60,000 words by the end of January.

My writing goals/resolutions for the year 2011 are to:

- Submit my Mountie story to Love Inspired Historical

- Actively seek a literary agent

- Apply the requested revisions to my Marry Me Ma’am manuscript and re-submit to The Wild Rose Press

- Write Book 2 (about Emma’s brother) in my Wild Wyoming series

This year I won’t be entering any contests unless there’s a specific final judge I wish to get my work in front of and that’s the only way to catch his/her attention.

Another goal I’d like to accomplish is to finish my website as a companion to this blog. I’ve had the website in place for a year now and other than offering daily horse wisdom (which I have linked in), I haven’t done anything with it. I’d really like to change that.

I’m hoping to attend the ACFW conference in St Louis this Sept. I’d also like to attend the Romance Writers of America (RWA) conference in New York at the end of June but at this point it’s a long shot.

Those are my writing goals for this coming year. Personally, I’m going to continue my weight loss. I managed to lose 53 lbs in 2010 by making lifestyle changes such as healthier eating. This year I’m going to add an exercise routine to my schedule to continue my weight loss program.

Happy 2011. May God bless you in the coming year.

And what about you? What would you like to accomplish in 2011?

Christmas Song Spotlight: He is Born by Sawyer Brown

2010-12-25T10:43:00.000-06:00

Today's Christmas Song Spotlight is Saywer Brown singing He is Born in their own church. I first saw this video on TV a couple year's ago and never forgot the unbridled passion of this group's enthusiasm for their song.

I can't believe I found this video! This says it all for this Christmas Day 2010.

Merry Christmas.

Christmas Song Spotlight: Love Came Down at Christmas

2010-12-24T12:50:00.000-06:00

Today's Christmas Song Spotlight is Love Came Down at Christmas written and sung by Jars of Clay.

I really like the sound of this band.

Have a very Merry Christmas and thank you for joining me on my Christmas Spotlight Series.

Christmas Song Spotlight: Mary Did You Know?

2010-12-23T09:53:00.000-06:00

Today's Christmas Song Spotlight is Mary Did You Know? sung by Mark Lowry of the Gaither Family fame.

If you want to see the live version of Mark singing his signature song, check me out on Facebook.

My Faith Fiction at the Inkwell: The Shepherd

2010-12-22T14:41:00.002-06:00

I have a short piece of inspirational romance over at the Inkwell today called The Shepherd.

And if you think you've read it before, you may have read the secular version I posted at Prairie Chicks Write Romance last year.

This Inkwell version is a faith-filled story of hope and promise.

Which reminds me... I have to apologize to 3 authors for my 2009 book review of The Magic of Christmas which I received as a free copy.

I believe I did a disservice to Carolyn Davidson when I wrote: The first novella, however was written by Carolyn Davidson. a new author to me. I have to say I wonder what the editors were thinking when they put her novella first in this anthology. Why? Because I expected something Christmassy with love and forgiveness - especially after looking at the gorgeous cover with a young couple holding a baby. But, the first novella starts with disease, death and was depressing to me. I actually wondered why I was reading it.

Ever since I wrote that review I've questioned myself. Rarely do stories start with the 'happily ever after'. And even the biblical story of Jesus' birth starts with strife when Joseph is faced with the news that his betrothed is pregnant and not by him - a condition which could have led to Mary being stoned if he decided to press the issue.

With each story I read and wrote this past year, I thought about the words I'd written about Carolyn's novella, 'A Christmas Child'. Yes, it starts with disease and death, but that's because the heroine is at a low point in her life when we pick up her story. We need to know what she went through so we can appreciate her emotional state as new events unfold.

So, I'm sending out an apology to Carolyn Davidson, Victoria Bylin and Cheryl St. John who are the 3 co-authors of The Magic of Christmas. And I'm telling the rest of you that if you enjoy reading secular historicals for a feel-good feeling, this book is certainly one you should read.

Please leave a comment if you have anything to say about this post or my inspirational romance at the Inkwell.

Christmas Song Spotlight: Joseph's Song

2010-12-22T11:23:00.000-06:00

Today's Christmas Song Spotlight is Joseph's Song by Michael Card. I'm not familiar with this singer, but the words touched my heart and the video pics enhanced the song.

I hope you're enjoying my Christmas Song Spotlight series. The songs may not be all well known, but together they let you know what's in my heart this season.

Christmas Song Spotlight: Take a Walk Through Bethlehem

2010-12-21T09:49:00.000-06:00

Today's Christmas Song Spotlight is Talk a Walk Through Bethlehem sung by Trisha Yearwood and a favourite of mine.

malmal1392 is to be commended for putting such a heartfelt youtube video together with Trisha's music.

By the way, when the ad banner pops up across the bottom of the video, you can get rid of it by clicking on the little x in the top right corner of it.

Happy Me & Christmas Song Spotlight: On a Snowy Christmas Night

2010-12-20T09:46:00.000-06:00

Today is my 34th anniversary (yikes!) and I'm blogging about our courtship at the Inkwell today. With that in mind, today's Christmas Song Spotlight is On a Snowy Christmas Night by Elvis with videos of Elvis and his family. The youtube starts slow, but the words embody so much of what I feel today.

Hubby's taking me away for a few hours but I'll check in later when I get back.

Christmas Song Spotlight: Breath of Heaven (Mary's Song)

2010-12-19T08:00:00.002-06:00

Today's Christmas Song Spotlight is Amy Grant's Breath of Heaven. This is Mary's song of love and awe as she gives birth to Jesus whom she's been told is the son of God. I can't even begin to imagine the emotional and mental strength it took for her to believe and carry through this miraculous event.

Such a beautiful song.

Christmas Song Spotlight: Christmas Must Be Tonight

2010-12-18T10:45:00.001-06:00

Today's Christmas Song Spotlight is Christmas Must Be Tonight. It's a beautiful song about the night Jesus was born.

Written by Robbie Robertson and originally performed by The Band, this youtube version was recorded by Tulsa's own SPARKPLUG: Cindy Cain, Don Miller, Rusty Miller.

Why hasn't this cover been recorded more?

Christmas Song Spotlight: Po Folks Christmas

2010-12-17T07:24:00.000-06:00

Today's Christmas Song Spotlight is Whispering Bill Anderson singing Po Folks Christmas. Yes, this is an old song from the 60's and is the Christmas version of his hit song. I like this song because it reminds me that even when I feel poor and down, there's someone worse off than me.

I was a little girl when I first heard this on the radio so please forgive me as I reminisce.

Christmas Song Spotlight: Once Upon A Christmas

2010-12-16T09:38:00.000-06:00

Today's Christmas Song Spotlight is Once Upon A Christmas written by Dolly Parton. This video was first seen on Dolly and Kenny's Christmas special in the early 90's. My family developed an annual tradition of decorating the Christmas tree while this special aired in the background.

I've only heard one other version of this song and although it's very good, it doesn't give me the memories as this one by Dolly and Kenny.

Christmas Song Spotlight: Warm & Fuzzy Billy Gilman

2010-12-15T09:55:00.000-06:00

Billy Gilman was about 12 yrs old when he made this Warm and Fuzzy video. Billy's smooth, classy act is a seasonal favourite in our house.

Love those brows! I've seen a current non-Christmas video of Billy Gilman as he reaches adulthood. His powerful voice now contains a richness which only maturity can instill. I sure hope an album and updated videos are in the works.

Christmas Song Spotlight: The Christmas Shoes

2010-12-14T08:36:00.000-06:00

Ready for a tear jerker? The Christmas Shoes is a movie about a boy who wants to buy his mom special shoes for Christmas except he hasn't enough money.

The Christmas Shoes song was written and performed by New Song. Based on the song, this version was posted on youtube by benfreeze and is a project from Film School.

So, did you cry? I did. sigh.

Christmas Song Spotlight: Let It Be Christmas

2010-12-13T10:12:00.000-06:00

Here's Alan Jackson singing Let It Be Christmas on the 2007 TV special Christmas in Washington on TNT.

I tried to locate the CMT video where his wife and girls join him on stage, but could only find the Spanish version with pop-ups. So, if anyone knows where there's a youtube version, please let me know.

Thank you merryxmasbaby for this video.

Christmas Song Spotlight: Carol of the Bells Holdman Style

2010-12-12T07:02:00.000-06:00

This is fantastic! It's like those fireworks displays that are set to music except the Holdman family do it at their house in Pleasant Grove, Utah. Can you imagine living across from this...

Actually, the Holdman's use this oppotunity to raise money for the Make-A-Wish foundation. For some of the technical aspects and calendar of events, check out their website.

Moose Sighting!

2010-12-11T14:02:00.002-06:00

I interrupt my Christmas Song Spotlight series with this exciting news…

This morning at dawn, Nelson rushed in and yelled, “Get in the truck with your camera! I spotted 3 cow moose half a mile from home!”

Still in my jammies, I quickly dressed and climbed into his truck. He drove to the end of the driveway, turned left and headed north a quarter mile, then east another quarter mile. As we reached the top of one of the hills that surround our shallow valley, he pointed left and down. And there beneath bare trees in an area which would be shallow water at any other time of the year, were 3 cow moose lying in the snow.

3 cow moose hiding in a copse of trees.

Since they were on the north side of the road, I got out of his truck. Two of the moose got up as I rounded the back of Nelson’s truck. I took a couple photos then walked up to the edge of the road for a closer shot. Meanwhile the moose headed west along the tree line.

Running west along tree line.

I jumped back into the truck and asked Nelson to drive backwards. He said it’s better to turn around since there was an approach right there. We turned around and as we headed west, the moose cleared the copse of trees and turned south. They were about to cross the road in front of us.

And Nelson floored it!

“Wait! What are you doing? Stop!”

He slammed on the brakes and I lurched forward until the seat belt cut off my breath. The gravel crunched wildly beneath our wheels. I took pics as the moose crossed 150 ft in front of us. I took another knowing I hadn't paused long enough for the camera to focus. But, it was a once in a lifetime opportunity and I didn’t want to lose it.

They lumbered across the road, over the fence and through the field heading south.

Pregnant cow moose in December.

By the time I was out of the truck and taking pics again, the moose were climbing the hill and heading east.

Across the road and heading east.

Isn't this cute... they stopped to say goodbye. Or is that one sticking her tongue out at me? Honestly, the only shooting I do is with my camera.

Good-bye and Merry Christmas!

A final photo before they disappeared over the hill.

Over the hill and they were gone.

As we drove back, I asked Nelson what in blank he'd been thinking. Moose steaks for supper? He said he was trying to head them off so I could take photos out my window while sitting in the truck. How could I be mad at that? So what if my blurry images were a once-in-a-lifetime missed shot? Indeed. I have enough to keep my happy.

Need a Moose Crossing sign here.

Nelson dropped me back at home and went back to work. I looked out the kitchen window and drew the boys over. I pointed at a break between the trees where we watch for the school bus. “If you had looked over there about 10 minutes ago, you would have seen moose crossing the road.”

Wide-eyed, they looked where I pointed. I added, “They’re gone now but if they hang around in the area, we may see them other times.”

So - thanks honey. Three pregnant cow moose in December. Nice.

Thanks for the morning ride, honey.

Christmas Song Spotlight: Where are You Christmas?

2010-12-11T07:47:00.000-06:00

Faith Hill sings Where are You Christmas? in the movie The Grinch.

People are always searching for Something, aren't they? Are you?

Christmas Song Spotlight: Fountain Square Flash Mob Joyful, Joyful

2010-12-10T08:00:00.005-06:00

Here's another one of those Flash Mobs, this time singing Joyful, Joyful in Cincinnati.

The Vineyard Community Church sings and dances their way into everyone's hearts at Fountain Square in Cincinnati, Ohio.

It puts a smile on my face as well.

So, are you enjoying the Christmas videos? Any other neat ones I can showcase?

Christmas Song Spotlight: Alvin & the Chipmunks

2010-12-09T00:05:00.005-06:00

This is a very old video and I thought there was a newer version out from the Chipmunk movie a couple years back but if there is I couldn't find it. None of the new ones matched the nostalgia I felt while watching this one. Probably because most of the newer versions used still pics with remastered music. So, here's an oldie, but a goodie...

Alvin and the Chipmunks singing Christmastime

Did this one bring back any Christmas memories?

Christmas Song Spotlight: Trans-Siberian Orchestra Christmas Canon

2010-12-08T00:05:00.006-06:00

This is one of those profound songs that stopped me in my tracks the first time I heard it. I still try to hold my breath so I don't miss a beat. I close my eyes and let the words and music envelope me. Before I know it, my foot is thumping the floor as if it's perched on the peddle of a bass drum.

The Trans-Siberian Orchestra (TSO) sounds like the band Queen and looks like the Swedish band ABBA. And if you search for more youtube videos, you'll find one of the TSO performing this very song. However, to my untrained ear, this recorded version is far superior to the stage performance of the other. However, if you do watch it, you'll see why I say the band reminds me of ABBA.

Isn't that beautiful? It kinda reminds me of Pachelbel, too.

Christmas Song Spotlight: Snoopy VS the Red Baron

2010-12-07T00:05:00.003-06:00

Those Peanuts characters and their Charlie Brown Christmas special was a family tradition at or house. I always got a kick out of Snoopy on his dog house as he flew the skies and battled the Red Baron in the name of peace.

But I think I like the Christmas bells the most...

Tomorrow's spotlight is the Trans-Siberian Orchestra's Christmas Canon Rock.

Christmas Song Spotlight: Food Court Hallelujah Chorus

2010-12-06T00:05:00.002-06:00

I first noticed the Christmas Food Court Flash Mob singing the Halleluja Chorus about a week ago as it made its rounds on Facebook. It's one of those ones where regular people are doing their own thing and then someone stands up and starts singing...

Christmas Food Court Flash Mob, Hallelujah Chorus

Now I have to go looking for something special for Tuesday. :) Maybe I should ask for requests? LOL

Christmas Song Spotlight: Six White Boomers

2010-12-05T00:05:00.010-06:00

I was just at Aussie reader, AusJenny's blog where she interviews author Julie Lessman. If you leave a comment about your favourite carol or Christmas movie before Friday Dec 10th 6 pm Aussie time, you have a chance to win a free Julie Lessman book.

That got me thinking about my favourite Christmas songs and one in particular has amused us for years. It's by Aussie Rolf Harris and it's called Six White Boomers...

Listening to Christmas carols has always gotten me in the Christmas spirit and songs like this are plain fun when I'm down in the doldrums while I house clean. (shudder) LOL

Christmas Book Signing Bash

2010-12-02T00:06:00.001-06:00

A wonderful opportunity to buy autographed books on-line is happening now until Dec 7th:

75 Inspirational authors have gotten together for this historic virtual book-signing. All you have to do is click on the picture here which will send you to the site where you'll have loads of books to choose from in a variety of genres.

Pick a book, pay for it, and receive an autographed copy in the mail. Or send one to someone for Christmas. Easy peasey.

Crystal Anne Draper

It's December 2 so before I sign off, I need to send a Happy Birthday out to Crystal Anne Draper, my No #1 daughter who is 32 yrs old today. Wow! Where have the years gone.

Hope you can make it home for Christmas, honey. We sure miss you around here.