We are Hawaii-bound and I’m just a tad EXCITED. Can you tell?

Mary Larson, my high school friend who came from Denver for my birthday party in November, has a place in Kauai. (I couldn’t even spell this word a month ago.) Mary and hubby Steve have invited us a couple of times, but work schedules and deadlines didn’t jibe. This time, the cosmic elements clicked and I booked a week. I even bought an island-appropriate dress for lounging on the lanai drinking mai-tais. (I’ve never had a mai-tai, but I love the idea of them.)

Mary says the whale watching is phenomenal right now. Check out this photo that, reportedly, was taken near Kauai. The accompanying text of the story reads:

“The first took place on a January afternoon off the northwest coast of Kauai, when a group of eight bottlenose dolphins met up with a pair of humpback whales. Two of the dolphins – apparently adults – approached one of the whales, first appearing to surf the pressure wave created by the whale’s head as it swam, and later taking turns lying perpendicularly across the whale’s rostrum when it surfaced to breathe. Then, while one of the dolphins lay balanced over the end of its rostrum, the whale stopped and slowly lifted the dolphin high into the air. The dolphin maintained an arched position and made no effort to escape, allowing the whale to continue lifting until it was nearly vertical in the water, at which point the dolphin slid down the whale’s rostrum, dove into the water, and porpoised back to its fellow dolphins.”

Amazing, no?

Two other fun things in Debland to report:

The Sierra Foothill Charter School’s Inaugural Fundraiser was a rip-roaring success. We netted over $7,000 for the school. People have been asking why we are doing fundraising when we’re a public school. Doesn’t the State pay the bills?

The State pays the ADA once students begin attending school, but there’s a big gap in time and $$$ between now and when classes begin. We still have a lot of needs that must be met before school opens: books, computers, infrastructure stuff, hire teachers, confirm our charter with State Board of Education…etc.

Fortunately, our amazingly creative fundraising team headed by Ruth Smiley and Kori Smith is busy planning our next fun event.

Here’s a photo of our SFCS Board taken that evening at Savoury’s, which is THE place for fine dining in Mariposa, if you’re ever in the area.

Jill, Danesha, Carolin, Brett and John

And, speaking of photos, I simply have to share this gorgeous photo of my daughter, Kelly. She’s just as beautiful on the inside, too.

Okay. I must get busy and pack. I promise to bore you with travel photos the next time I blog.

Aloha!

Deb

The Wine, Women and Words Book Club met on Sunday evening–a chilly, windy, rainy evening, which, given our recent draught, was PERFECT weather.

(from the left) Caroline, Kori, Judy, Dolores, Carol, Donna, Jill and Susan

The book under discussion was THE ALPHABET VERSUS THE GODDESS by Leonard Shlain.

From the author’s website: “….Shlain argues that literacy reinforced the brain’s linear, abstract, predominantly masculine left hemisphere at the expense of the holistic, iconic feminine right one. This shift upset the balance between men and women initiating the disappearance of goddesses, the abhorrence of images, and, in literacy’s early stages, the decline of women’s political status. Patriarchy and misogyny followed.”

This was not a quick, easy read. In fact, it was the kind of book that benefited from having a built-in dictionary. To facilitate a dialogue, I photocopied single pages by flipping open the book and plunking it down, then circling a paragraph to be read aloud and discussed. I figured there wasn’t a page in the book that didn’t offer some opportunity for discussion, if not hot debate. It made for an interesting discussion.

Fortunately, we saved our book discussion for after dinner and we fed our right brains well with “Goddess Food”–a yummy vegetarian soup (no left-brain, spear-chucking hunters needed at our table). This was accompanied by homemade rolls and butter, salad, fruit, homemade cookies and, of course, wine.

Since I was hosting, I found a promising recipe online and made a few changes. Here’s my recipe:

Deb’s Feed-the-Goddess-Within Soup

Ingredients:

2 cups dried adzuki beans*

olive oil (enough to cover the bottom of your pan)

2 – leeks

1- onion, chopped

4-5 cloves – garlic, minced

4-5 stalks – celery, chopped

a dozen or so – mushrooms, sliced

2 cups chopped carrots

2-3 cups vegetable (or chicken) broth

4-6 – potatoes, chopped

2 -cup, chopped – butternut squash (this is sweet and nutritious and pretty much disappears in the cooking)

1 bunch – spinach, chopped or torn in bite-size pieces

seasoning: salt and pepper, 1/2-1 teaspoon of ground cumin

optional: serve with pesto and sour cream

Directions:

Cook dry adzuki beans separately for 2 hours prior to starting soup (unless you are using canned beans). Use enough water to keep them covered by at least one-inch of water as they cook. Stir often and do not let them run out of water–they’re small and they burn easily. Once you’re brought them to boiling, reduce heat and simmer on low for two hours.

In a heavy kettle/pot, heat oil then add onion, garlic, leeks and celery. Saute until tender and slightly translucent. Add carrots and mushrooms, along with seasonings, then simmer for five minutes or so, stirring often. (I used this time to peel and chop the potatoes.) Add potatoes and butternut squash then cover with vegetable broth. Add more water if needed.

I simmered this mix on low for about two hours, stirring frequently. About an hour before I was going to serve, I added in the cooked adzuki beans, with its broth. About fifteen minutes before serving, I added in the spinach. I let everything simmer, covered, for 15-20 minutes, then served with sour cream and pesto, on the side. The pesto added a very aromatic and tasty punch; the sour cream made the soup taste richer. Both were very pleasing, but the soup was good on its own, as well.

*any type of bean is okay, but here’s some info about the adzuki bean, if you’re interested. They were yummy. “These are small, reddish-brown beans, rounded in shape with a point at one end. They have a strong, nutty, sweet flavour, and are much used in the macrobiotic diet, because as Eunice Farmilañt says in Macrobiotic Cooking they are “the most yang of Beans”. They probably originate from China, and are imported from China and Thailand where they are harvested in November and December. In the Orient, adzuki beans are usually cooked to a red soft consistency and served with such ingredients as coconut milk. They are also cooked with rice, their bright colour tinting the rice an attractive pink, as in the Japanese, Red-cooked Festival Rice. In the East it’s also common to find, adzuki beans sweetened with sugar and made into cakes and sweetmeats.

Next month’s reading choice is: Steve Jobs’ biography. I’m excited to read it and just uploaded it on my Kindle, but…I also just got seven Rita books in the mail. Guess I’d better get busy reading!

Deb

If I’d been on the ball and posted this link yesterday when I was supposed to, you could have participated in this very fun quiz and gotten some feedback from Ellen Hartman and Jeannie Watt, the two Superromance authors who posted it. But, alas, in group blogs, the bloggers are asked to reply to feedback on the day of the post only. Still, this is too much fun to pass up and it really got me thinking about certain inherent differences in people…and characters. And how important it is as a writer to set aside your personal preferences to honor your characters’ natural inclinations.

So, check this out and let me know: Are you a Jeannie or an Ellen?

http://www.superauthors.com/2012/01/are-you-ellen-or-jeannie.html

Two questions that sealed my fate:

1) When I’m writing/reading/studying I prefer:

a) silence

b) music

(My answer: A. I love a quiet house and workplace. BUT, if I have to work in a noisy place (like an airplane or coffee shop) then I have to have my headphones on with classical flamenco guitar music playing.)

12) Pick one of the following. (We leave it up to you to decide what to do with him once you pick him.)

a) Dean Winchester

b) Raylan Givens

(c) who are these guys?

My answer? B. All the way. Be still my heart. Raylan Givens is the name of the U.S. Marshal hero of TV’s Justified. I have to admit I’m a big fan. Before that, I was a big Deadwood fan. I adore Timothy Olyphant. In last night’s season opener, I nearly jumped out of my chair when he pulled the tablecloth–as cool a move as I’ve ever seen. Stone, cold awesomeness.

Jeannie, you have spectacular taste in TV heroes. (Not that Ellen’s adoration of Dean Winchester is without merit, but he’s a sigh not a swoon for me.)

In summary, you know you’re a Jeannie if: “You like your beer dark and your endings happy.”

I LOVE this. Short and sweet, me in a nutshell.

And, for the record, I adore both of these women. They’re my friends and they’re wonderful writers, too.

Deb

Last week I blogged about my Healthy Lifestyle Improvement Plan (AKA my New Year’s resolutions). And, so far, so good. Kelly is kicking my lazy behind twice a week at the gym and I’m sticking to my plan to do yoga and walk the other five days. We’re only talking a week, but it’s a start.

Then, yesterday, my pal Jackie Maxwell–of Jaximages Photography fame–sent me a link to: National Pizza Week. http://bit.ly/zPdV1L Oh, come on! Really? The second week of January–only one full week into our New Year’s resolutions and someone decides now would be a good time to eat more pizza? Whose brilliant idea was that?

I think I’ve ranted about this National Day…Week…faux holiday stuff before, but this one really irked me. I love pizza. I’ve eaten really great pizza (King’s Pizza in Brookings, South Dakota, comes to mind) and really bad pizza (a chain pizza place in western Colorado that left me sick for days). But I certainly wouldn’t eat it every day of the week–even a nationally acclaimed week.

But, I’m trying to be a good sport about this, so I’ll pass along my K.I.S.S., realistic-calorie-pizza recipe.

First, we can all agree, I think, that homemade dough rocks, but, seriously, I ask you: who has the time to whip up dough, wait for it to rise, then flatten, shape, etc.?

Not me. But, luckily, I’ve found several delightful alternatives in my grocery store’s health food aisle.

Alvarado Street Bakery makes a sprouted wheat pizza round that is chewy and delicious if you like a thicker crust.

Rustic Crust offers several varieties, including organic, whole grain, etc. They’re not huge, if you’re feeding a crowd. Nor are they cheap, but for two or three diners, one pie works fine. We usually have a piece or two leftover for lunch the next day.

For me, these ready-made crusts are acceptable alternatives to Boboli, which I find doughy and heavy. While the oven is pre-heating, I prep my toppings. For my family, this means canned artichokes (not the marinated kind)–well-drained and chopped, coursely chopped green pepper (granddaughters pick these off), black olives and mushrooms. I also keep a package of pepperoni on hand or in the freezer for culinary emergencies.

I prefer pesto over tomato sauce for the base. (I keep a container in the freezer and hack out about a quarter cup to thaw in the microwave–only takes a few seconds.) Shred some cheese and you’re good to go.

Toss a salad while it bakes–8-10 minutes, and you have a fast, healthy meal.

I’m sure this recipe flies in the face of a true pizza connoisseur. I get that. In fact, I agree there’s a time and place for a fresh, hot, over-the-top caloric pie from an authentic pizza parlor…just not the second week of January.

Deb

Jennifer Hudson: before and after

Have you seen the Weight Watchers ad with Jennifer Hudson singing a duet with herself…when she was 80 lbs heavier? I think she looks fabulous, but her weight was never an issue for me. I’ve always admired her singing and her Can-do attitude. (I loved it when she sassed Simon Cowell on American Idol because he told her she was “too big” to be taken seriously.) She won an Oscar at her old weight, which certainly speaks to her immense talent. But if she feels healthier and happier at her thinner weight, then more power to her.

My beautiful daughter, Kelly, is another example of someone who made big changes in her lifestyle and changed her looks as well. Kelly accomplished this through exercise and some moderate changes in eating habits. She feels great and has a lot more energy to run her Day Care. And doesn’t she look fantastic?

Kelly "before"

Fit and fabulous!

I am not going to post before and after photos of myself, because, honestly, I would look like a POW if I lost 80 lbs. SCARY. But I could stand to lose a few pounds (especially after all those delicious holiday meals) and I really want to tone up my muscles, strengthen my bones AND upgrade my energy level.

So, this morning I went to the gym. A first. Just ask Kelly who has been teaching fitness classes for a year and a half and has been bugging me to join her. I resisted telling her, “Group exercise is like group sex…it’s not my thing.” LOL.

My excuse?

“I do yoga twice a week and walk the other days.” Which is half true. On rainy, cold, hot or windy days, I can almost always talk myself into skipping my walk.

Face it, I’m lazy…busy…lethargic…the list goes on–and the list isn’t pretty. But this is a new year and like the gazillion other people who join a gym on January 2 filled with great intentions, I went to the gym this morning. I lifted “baby” weights. I looked really, really bad in the floor-to-ceiling mirrors when I tried to do some crazy knee-to-elbow-hop-bend thing. Pathetic. Really. But my instructor (Kelly) and the only other person in the class (Tjode) were very kind. They didn’t laugh.

So, I’m not promising to look like the downsized Jennifer Hudson–or my gorgeous daughter–any time soon (or ever), but I’m going to give this workout thing a try. Wish me luck.

And if any of you have made resolutions that included diet and exercise, I’m right there with you. Let’s do this!!!

Deb

For me, 2011 was a year filled with enormous change. I completed the final book of a four-book contract with Harlequin, and the last two books of my NINE-book “Spotlight on Sentinel Pass” series were published in April and May. To my prfound surprise, RETURN TO THE BLACK HILLS was nominated by Romantic Times BOOKreviews as “Best Superromance of 2011.” Fulfilling my contracted obligations felt like a great accomplishment–and a big load off my shoulders. I was prepared to jump back into the game with a new proposal, but when I sat down in January 2011 to start writing a new Superromance…I got nothing.

I’ve heard about writers’ block and people “hitting the wall,” creatively-speaking. I just never thought it would happen to me. But it did. I quickly realized I needed a break from the three-books-a-year treadmill I’d quite happily/gratefully jumped on board after I sold my first book to Superromance in 1999. It was a fabulous ride filled with great highs and accomplishments and awards/rewards. But the creative process can’t live completely outside the regular day-to-day life of the writer, and, as most of you know, during the past couple of years I’ve dealt with some difficult losses (first my mom, then my sister).

I needed a break. But, believe me, that sounded really scary last spring when I talked to my very understanding editor. I knew I had to put romance on the back burner while I explored other aspects of writing but I had no idea what that would be.

As luck…Fate…cosmic goodness would have it, once the decision was made to take a break from romance, I was handed an opportunity to write something completely new and different–a biography. Jack Hooper, an old friend/client of our construction company, called to see about getting a handicap ramp built at his historic B&B. It turned out he’d been working on his memoirs for several years and had compiled a neat, concise timeline of the major events in his life. Unfortunately, a stroke had impaired his ability to type and he wasn’t able to complete the book himself. But his mind was/is still sharp and he hadn’t given up on his dream of writing his biography. We decided a collaboration was in order.

I figured it would take me about as long as it did to write a 300-page Superromance.

Wrong.

The simple job turned out to be much, much more involved as I delved into his family’s geneogology–a project his youngest daughter had started before succombing to melanoma. I went through boxes and boxes of photos and memorablia saved over Jack’s seventy-five years of life. Every week, I’d spend one afternoon talking with Jack about his life, his family, his memories. I learned things about history, geography (Jack still shakes his head that a geography major didn’t know that New Hampshire had a port), geology, agriculture, economics, politics and geneology. We laughed a lot. Gradually, the bare bones timeline Jack had assembled began to take shape into a fleshed-out, full-fledged book–complete with photos. Lots and lots of photos.

When I first talked to Jack about helping him write his biography, I told him, “With e-publishing, you don’t have to worry about getting stuck with a garage full of vanity press books you can’t sell. I’ll upload this to Smashwords, Amazon and B&N, and your friends and family can buy an e-copy. Simple.”

Not so simple, actually. The text of the book uploaded in a blink, but the photos…arguh! That was a challenge because our original copy had dozens of great photos. Unfortunately, Smashwords limits the overall size of an uploaded document to 5MB. Even after re-sizing the photos, this meant picking and chosing. After six months of working with this project, cutting photos was like culling old friends, but it had to be done.

Naturally, I asked my pal Kimberly Van Meter to design a cover for the book. Here are some links, if you’re interested. It’s $2.99, with 162 manuscript pages and 119 photos.

Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/111878

Amazon/Kindle: http://amzn.to/vO7NU6

Barnes and Noble/Nook: http://bit.ly/u9qeNz

And you’ll be happy to know this is a love story. Jack and Mona Hooper were in love every day of their married lives. They were true partners in life, separately only by her untimely death to pancreatic cancer in 2000. I love that irony–even when I’m writing non-fiction, I’m writing about people in love who, only naturally, live happily-ever-after.

So, my next blog will be in 2012. What will the new year bring?

Stories. Lots of stories, I hope. Fiction with a couple of non-fiction books included (more about that later). No Superromance, I’m sorry to say–it’s too late to get a book into production this year and since the word-count for the line is going back up to what it was when I first starting writing for the line (80-85,000-words) the time it takes to write each book will go up, too. I am working on two stories that didn’t fit for Superromance and I hope to have them ready to e-pub this spring.

It’s exciting to see other authors testing these e-publishing waters. I predict you will see a lot more authors doing this in 2012. E-publishing is proving to be a vital part of helping authors earn enough money to keep their writing dreams alive. A sad fact but true.

As an author–and a reader–I’m very delighted to have so many new options available. The new year looks very hopeful and exciting. Happy New Year, everyone!!

Deb

PS: here are a couple of recent offerings from two of my very talented Superromance friends:

Kate Kelly’s Shattered

And Kay Stockham’s The Crash Before Christmas http://tinyurl.com/84mcejp

The Mariposa County Unified School District Board voted last night on the fate of our charter school. They said, “YES!”

The gift of education — is that a beautiful Christmas present or what?

Thank you all for your prayers and good wishes and encouragement. We’re a bit giddy at the moment, but next week we’ll start to focus this amazing, positive, grassroots energy on the business of setting up Sierra Foothill Charter School to open next fall.

I’ll continue to keep you posted on our progress, but I had to share our good news–it truly is a wonderful Christmas gift!

Today is also my father’s 100th birthday.

Mom and Dad in high school, 1929

Reuben Robson, 1945

Dad, 1964

He passed away in 1985, but his memory remains strong in our family. My children and my siblings’ children all have a favorite “Grandpa Reuben” story. He was a child of the prairie, a WWII vet, a businessman, father of five, gambler, tekkie and Trekkie, a “snowbird” who ended his days in Las Vegas. He had a keen intelligence, a rapier wit, a strong conservative streak and believed his children could do no wrong. He was well loved and long missed. So, “Happy birthday, Dad!” — we are celebrating for you today.

And happy Hanukkah to my friends who begin celebrating today!

Be present, everyone–it’s the best gift you can give yourself!

Deb

“…all I want for Christmas is Sierra Foothill Charter School.”

Sunday was a beautiful, sunny day in my part of California. Highs in the fifties. Perfect for that heavy holiday sweater you only get to wear once or twice each year.

Sunday was also the date of our Sierra Foothill Charter School Holiday Open House.

Now, obviously, you need a school to do a true “Open House,” but our little community happens to have a gathering hall to facilitate such events and it happens to sit nearby our Old Schoolhouse, which was saved from destruction a few years back by some ambitious, civic-minded samaritans–a grassroots endeavor not that different from our effort to create a charter school after the powers that be closed our local elementary school.

So, one kind volunteer stepped up to spearhead this even: Jamie Knutson (working mom with two girls and a lot on her plate). She joined forces with Caroline Korn, who explemplifies volunteerism and community involvement and is working on sainthood in my book.

To set the scene, picture half a dozen craft tables covered with brown paper sacks and another four or five tables with colorful tableclothes for people to sit at and enjoy their hot cocoa and homemade cookies. Pandora on the iPod plays holiday music from across the generations. (Thankfully, not a single rendition of “Grandma Got Run-Over by a Reindeer”).

There were probably twenty-five kids, from three to ten. They built graham cracker “gingerbread” houses with frosting and gumballs and red hots and pretzels. Some were masterpieces. Some were partially eaten.

Morgan, Jade, McKensie and Maddie giving Frank Lloyd Wright a run for his money.

Even a grandpa or two got into the spirit of the craft--nicely done, Mark.

Wyndham really got into his masterpiece...you can tell by the red frosting on his nose.

Tammy and Robby prove mothers are always a big help when it comes to roofing.

There were other crafts, too–green paper plates/wreaths adorned with nature’s bountiful decorations.

Kay knows exactly what goes where on her wreath.

And some kids really got into making paper chains, which brought back memories from my elementary school crafting days.

Miss Daisy knows that Christmas is all about color.

Family. Children. Community. Generations. Tradition. Santa.

Yep, even Santa showed up…in his Prius. This is California, after all.

So, what this blog is leading up to is…in two days our local school board votes on whether or not to approve the Sierra Foothill Charter School charter. A “yes” will mean we can immediately jump into the business of setting up a school for our children. A “no” will mean we have to take our charter application to the State of California for approval. This means more time, more money, more lawyer and consultant fees, more hoops to jump through. (Which also means less time and money to spend on getting ready for kids this fall.)

So, my friends, please send us your prayers and good thoughts on Thursday, Dec. 15th, that the Mariposa County Unified School District Board votes: YES. That’s the only thing I’m asking for Christmas this year.

What’s on your Christmas list?

Deb

Yesterday, Target and I called it quits.

Well, actually, I broke up with Target. The huge chain store could probably care less, which, I think, says a lot about our relationship.

I’ll admit Target was not my first shopping choice in years past. But as other retail stores in my area closed, I was left with fewer and fewer choices in the shopping pool. Target became my go-to store for kids’ things, dog food, sporting goods, you name it–I probably bought it at Target.

As with every relationship, there were things that bothered me about Target. But I was willing to turn a blind eye because…well, you know…at least, they weren’t Wal-Mart. And I was convinced Target valued me as a customer–why else would they offer me a Target credit card EVERY time I checked out? Right?

But, yesterday, I had the fuzzy pink glasses of love ripped off my eyes. And I have Barbie to thank for this reality check.

Yes. That Barbie.

Here’s my story: Yesterday was Early Christmas for the Salonens. My son and his family are spending the holidays in Detroit this year–sharing the glee with the in-laws. This meant we had a very small window of opportunity to feast and open presents here–and last night was it. Being Christmas-ready twenty days in advance is no easy thing. I was still shopping yesterday afternoon–my personal Christmas Eve.  I dashed into Target to pick up a few last minute things: batteries for a game I’d already bought (at Target), stocking stuffers and a couple of Barbie dolls.

Turns out Barbie is an Empire unto Herself. I had no idea. There was an entire row of All Things Barbie. And–best of all–everything was on sale. Here’s what the sign said:

“Buy one select Barbie item and receive 50% off on an additional Barbie item. Discount will be applied at checkout. Discount not applicable to gift wrap, tax, or shipping and handling charges. May not be applied to previous orders. Offer expires 12/10/2011 at 11:59pm ET.”

Oooh, buy one get one half off. Sounded good to me. But I have three granddaughters. Oh, wait, youngest granddaughter has a step-sister by marriage. I could get her one, too. Perfect, right? But which style Barbie do I buy? There are princess Barbies, career Barbies (I kinda liked the Veteranarian Barbie), interchangable head Barbies…um…does that make them Zombie Barbies?…and many, many others. I went for the Fashionista Barbies.

Unfortunately, I  needed four different models and there were only three Fashionistas that had any fashion sense, so I picked a fourth doll from the Princess collection. All four dolls were marked $10.49.

Now, for the reality check. You’re all shoppers. You know how this goes. The first two Barbies ring up fine with the discount. The second two ring up but NO discount. I point this out to the twenty-something bored male checkout person who calls his superior–a humorless woman who glances from the register to the dolls and says–because nobody noticed this before, right?– “One of them is different. You have to buy two of the exact same item to get the discount.”

I pointed to the register. “They are the exact same price. Why would anybody buy two identical dolls just to save five bucks. That makes no sense.”

She shrugged her shoulders and said, “That’s just the way it is.” Then she spun off and left.

As I was debating what to do, the clerk made the fatal mistake of saying, “If you’d have read the sign, you’d have known that.”

Did I mention I have a short fuse?

I did read the sign. And I can read between the lines. Target doesn’t love me–probably never did. Target doesn’t care if I’m happy and satisfied or miserable and angry. After all this time–all the thousands of dollars I’ve dumped at that store–I was just another consumer who apparently couldn’t read.

Hmph. Shows you what Target knows. I can read AND I can write.

So, Target, this blog is for you. You are not the only store around. I have options. I have the Internet. We are officially over.

Deb, former Target shopper

PS: our early Christmas was lovely. Here’s a photo of my three holiday beauties.

Brace yourself. December will begin in two days. I hope you’re ready. I am not, but I’ve decided to go with it–the chaos, the hard sell on every medium, the pressure for perfection. I’ve made a vow to do more yoga (see my “Just Breathe” blog at the Superromance Authors Blog tomorrow. And I’ve already started crossing things off my list.

#1. Put up tree early because some of my elves are leaving early for a holiday in Detroit this year.

#2. Finish the Sierra Foothill Charter School December Newsletter early because there is a LOT happening this month (the Mariposa County Unified School District will make it’s decision about whether or not to allow our Charter on Dec. 15th–send us your prayers and good thoughts and, heck, letters of support if you’re so inclined.) Here’s a link to the newsletter in full, but I’ll also include a photo of the cool poster my friend Carolin Frank made.

#3. Smile more. I’ve decided I actually need to add this to my list every day so I don’t forget. Here was my unexpected smile for today. My friend Ken Davis sent me a link in my email. Miss M and I enjoyed The Jive Aces “Bring Me Sunshine” video together. I told her my sister, Jan, used to be able to dance the Jitterbug. My grandgirl was very impressed and wanted to watch the video twice. It made my morning.

#4. Be open to unexpected gifts. My pal Kim Van Meter sent me a link to the Harlequin France site and look what was there? Return to the Black Hills in it’s prettiest form yet.

Drop by my Yoga blog tomorrow if you have a chance. I will be giving away something fun…still deciding what.

Deb