MY CHRISTMAS REVIEW

 https://latterdaysaintmag.com/latter-day-saint-fiction-christmas-old-and-new/

Wishing all of my readers a very Merry Christmas!

CHRISTMAS PREPARATION

 

Most people have a few things they do to prepare for  Christmas. That likely includes decorating a tree, Placing special items in certain places about the house. As a child and later as a young mother there were sugar cookies to decorate, a gingerbread house to make, and yes, fruitcakes to bake. There were shopping trips, children's concerts and programs, wrapping and more wrapping, work and church parties, a special column for Meridian Magazine, book signings. Some of those things have been changed or omitted this year because of the virus or personal circumstances. One tradition my husband and I continue is visiting the graves of those loved ones who are buried near us. Yesterday we took a tiny fir tree and a big snowflake to our son-in-law's grave at the military cemetery. Our next stop the Taylorsville cemetery to leave a small token on a sister-in-law's grave, and finally we finished up this morning with a trip to Murray where my husband's parents are buried. The cemeteries are as beautifully decorated as they are for Memorial Day. I think there are a lot of us who still want to share this special day with those with whom we once exchanged wrapped gifts, laughed with, and prayed with.

Here are a few of the pictures I snapped this morning of some of the decorations on our front porch and two of the graves we visited.

Gratitude

 As I've pondered the many things I'm grateful for I find myself remembering my mother and her flower gardens. We moved frequently, yet no matter where we lived Mama planted flowers. I grew up surrounded by lilacs, roses, sweet peas, chrysanthemums, daisies, bleeding hearts, geraniums, petunias, pansies, and dozens of other flowers. I learned to appreciate their beauty, their smell, and the hard work they symbolized to provide a spot of beauty no matter what might surround them. She taught me to look for wild flowers in the mountains and in the deserts. From her I came to appreciate houseplants for their splash of color and promise of life no matter how dreary the winter.  I'm thankful for the lesson she taught me through her flowers. No matter how much ugliness there is in the world, there are also flowers. Because of her I too plant flowers around my house and my dining room looks like a greenhouse. My sisters too are known, far and wide, for their lovely gardens. Today as a mark of gratitude for the beauty God provides and my mother instilled an appreciation for in me I'm posting some photos of my flower beds and some of the flowers I've raised and enjoy.

It's Been Crazy

 On top of all the election craziness, an earthquake, and Covid 19, I fell almost four weeks ago. I broke a rib, sprained my right wrist, tore up my left hand, and turned my left knee and part of my leg black and blue. It was a weird accident. My husband and I were returning from a long walk when a bit-of-fluff puppy ran away from a group of boys playing with it a few houses away from my home. I was watching the puppy and worried about it running into the street when I tripped against a section of raised sidewalk (dang tree roots!) The boys, their mother, and grandmother ran to help me. Anyway I wound up with a trip to the hospital ER for x-rays, stitches, and a brace.  I'm doing much better, but it has been a rough few weeks with severely limited use of my hands.

Here's today's review (typed primarily with two fingers.)

https://latterdaysaintmag.com/latter-day-saint-fiction-a-realistic-look-back-in-time/

 My latest reviews: https://latterdaysaintmag.com/latter-day-saint-fiction-different-times-different-places/

Great new books! https://latterdaysaintmag.com/latter-day-saint-fiction-two-exceptional-books/

 I've been neglecting my blog, I'm afraid. Here's a peek at my Meridian Magazine post today:  https://latterdaysaintmag.com/latter-day-saint-fiction-great-stories-with-universal-themes/

I'll be so glad when this pandemic and the election are over. I'm really tired of both.

I reviewed Sian Bessey's  THE NOBLE SMUGGLER this week.    https://latterdaysaintmag.com/latter-day-saint-fiction-the-noble-smuggler/

I've been reading quite a bit of historical fiction lately. I tackled Saints, No Unhallowed Hand, It took me almost a week to read it. I was impressed by the huge amount of documentation. I also read Dean Hughes' new book River and reviewed it for Meridian Magazine. You can read my review here: https://latterdaysaintmag.com/latter-day-saint-fiction-where-faith-and-consecration-converge/

https://latterdaysaintmag.com/a-different-kind-of-pioneer/

This was a different experience for me to write a review of a non-fiction book!

Good news! At least I think it's good news. My publisher has accepted my manuscript for a book to be published sometime in 2021. I'll keep you updated. It's the first book I've written since all my surgeries a few years ago.

https://latterdaysaintmag.com/latter-day-saint-fiction-mysteries-with-a-european-flair/




Yesterday was quite a day. I woke up to the whole house shaking and the crash of a large bathroom mirror into a million pieces. The earthquake, centered just a few miles from my house, was a 5.7 and some of the aftershocks were almost as bad. No injuries and other than the loss of the mirror and a few precious keepsake figurines I and my family are fine. Of course we were already following the Covid-19 guidelines and staying away from people. Then last night a son-in-law's father passed away. Over the years he and his wife had become not only our daughter's in-laws, but dear friends of our own.

After spending the day working on a frustrating 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle and cringing over an endless number of aftershocks, there was one bright spot in the day, a long telephone call with my brother. It was his birthday. 

https://latterdaysaintmag.com/latter-day-saint-fiction-suspense-at-its-best/

My column on Meridian Magazine today features two historical books dealing with women who pushed for the right to fulfill jobs generally held by men. One is based on the fictionalized life of a real woman; the other is based on a general attitude and an entirely fictional woman.

https://latterdaysaintmag.com/latter-day-saint-fiction-winning-women/

At the present time my husband and I are caring for our daughter's dog while she and her family are on a little vacation. I grew up on farms and ranches where dogs were considered livestock and an important means of managing sheep or cattle. We had dogs and I loved working with them; I wouldn't want to move a flock of sheep without one or two good dogs. The first time I sat down to dinner at a home where their dog lived in the house and hung around the table at mealtime to beg for tidbits I felt a little sick. To me, it was kind of like bringing a cow inside to share the family meal. Over the years I've grown accustomed to dogs almost everywhere I go, but I still dislike them anywhere near the dinner table or in grocery stores. Once I attended a conference at a fancy Washington DC hotel and because the  other delegate from my state was blind, I sat at a table for meals with her and a group of blind people. There were six German Shepherds beneath our table. It almost made me giggle remembering my first reaction to a dog under the dinner table. Our guest dog likes to sit beside my chair while I eat, but since the weather has been pretty good, I generally give her a treat and put her in the backyard until dinner is over. He's really a very good dog. He was trained as a service dog, but since the person he was trained to assist is no longer here, he has adopted my daughter and her son. The funny thing is, whenever he is around me he stays close, sniffs me a lot, and gets really alarmed if my blood glucose is too high or too low. I guess he can tell I'm diabetic and considers it his job to look after me.

I enjoyed reading and writing about these two books. Both authors are writers whose work I enjoy.
https://latterdaysaintmag.com/latter-day-saint-fiction-two-contemporaries-with-western-settings/
Also I've finished two manuscripts and both stories have western settings, one contemporary (Montana) and one much earlier Idaho). I'll have more to say about them closer to publication.

Only one review today: https://latterdaysaintmag.com/latter-day-saint-fiction-a-promising-debut/

Today I posted reviews of two books some readers may consider children's books, but are actually Family or General Interest books. Both have solid help and fun stories for all ages.

https://latterdaysaintmag.com/latter-day-saint-fiction-a-step-outside-the-usual/