Write Now: I Don't Have Time

I don't have enough time.

I despise hearing people say this.
You have time to watch television. You have time to Facebook. You have time to tweet. You have time to play video games. You have time to play with your smartphone... You see where I am going with this.

I got my syllabus for school for one of my English classes. And I am a little overwhelmed. We are supposed to read a newspaper daily. I hope after meeting with the professor, that I am not expected to read it cover to cover.

But I know from past classes, time management is key. If I don't manage my time wisely and keep up with my assignments, then I am overwhelmed and slogging through trying to catch up. I hate that feeling. The night before an assignment is due, I prefer to be double checking myself rather than desperately trying to complete it.

It is true that I only attend college part time, but I work full time; I have a novel in progress; I have a large family that I cook for on Sundays; I have a three day a week blogging schedule; I have two Bible studies and you would think maybe I could drop one, but they are both important for different reasons, and I've met a man. Whew. What have I gotten myself into?

But the reality is that this what I love. It forces me to focus, to be deliberate about my actions and how I spend my time. I came across this quote the other day. And while I'm not Michaelangelo, Jefferson, or Einstein - my time needs to be managed.

Don't say you don't have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michaelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein.
- H. Jackson Brown

Widow's Walk: Letters

One thing I am sorry to see go is handwritten letters. Texts and emails are nice, but I love looking at letters written by people.

By my mother, I have a recipe that she'd scrawled across the back of an old note. It gives me comfort seeing her words.

By my grandmother, her writing was a little smaller, more precise, not as curly as my mother's. Hers is more like mine. She said her teachers used to fuss at her about her penmanship and I can't understand why. I love looking through her Bible - seeing the passages she's underlined and the notes she's made out to the side.

I have random notes of Mike's. And occasionally while going through boxes and papers, I'll come across something. They aren't important because of what they say, but because of who wrote them.

A few months ago, I found a five year journal. Trying to keep up a daily journal is a bit daunting and you tend to write the same things over and over again. I like the five year journal. There are five lines for each year on each page and a place to indicate the year. I hope one day that journal will mean something to my grandchildren - an unofficial record of our lives.

Sunday Dinner: Meatloaf

Meatloaf has long been a family favorite. We often had it on Sundays at my maternal grandmother's (called Grandmother) house, but for many years we had it every Monday evening at my paternal grandmother's (called Grandma) house.

Grandma's neighbor Mrs. Cook would make a pot of pinto beans every Monday for her. Grandma worked in the mill and didn't have the hours devoted to cooking beans on the stove. Instead of the customary mashed potatoes, she would often make fried potatoes because that is what her four grandchildren coming to dinner loved. Grandma would also slice an onion and there might be another vegetable or two. Grandma always made the best cornbread.

Here is how you make a meatloaf in the Beaumont Mill Village style (both grandmothers made it this way).

1 to 2 lbs. ground beef
1 small onion, chopped and diced (Grandma always diced it in larger pieces so that her picky grandkids would be able to pick it out easier).
2 eggs
2 slices of day old bread (grated or crumbled)
salt and pepper to taste
ketchup

You mix all this together with your fingers. It is cold and a really gross feeling.
Once mixed, you put it in a loaf pan.
Bake at 350° for about 45 minutes. (You may have to drain the grease off a couple of times, depends on the fat content of the ground beef.)

Once it is cooked thoroughly, remove and add a thin layer of ketchup.
Return to the oven for about 5 minutes.

And then you will have a meatloaf Beaumont style.

As Julia Child would say, Bon Appétit. It was her birthday on August 15th. She would have been 100 years old. If you haven't checked out the movie, Julie and Julia, you really should. It is a wonderful movie inspired by Julie Powell's blog.

Write Now: Where Do Ideas Come From?

Any writer you ask this will instantly reply with everywhere.

Articles and stories in newspapers, magazines, and on television often start a spark with me. I have gleaned information from obituaries, memoirs, and listening to people in restaurants.

In the movie, Young Adult starring Charlize Theron, she is a young adult novelist. And she is often seen taking bits and pieces of dialogue she overhears.

My professor, Susan Tekulve warned me that when talking with other writers you better quickly lay claim to anything you plan on using in a story - they might get it before you do.

In my current novel in progress, one of the ladies is a member of a 55 year old plus dance troupe that tours around the area performing at ball games, nursing homes, and for anyone who will have them. The idea came from a long ago news piece I heard one morning as I was getting ready. Dancing kept these ladies young. I filed it away in my brain for later use.

I also have my boxes, which are just photo boxes labelled with the working title. I have several ideas for novels that have popped up over the years and I tuck anything pertinent to that story - maps, articles, postcards, restaurant menus, dialogue, and bits of stories. I also have a file for each on my laptop.

Widow's Walk: Is it possible to love again?

Is it possible to love again?

I wondered about this, but I wanted what I had. My track record in love hasn't exactly been stellar and we'll leave it at that, but with Mike I finally had it right - a wonderful, mature, caring relationship. And I thought maybe that was all I could hope for.

After the first year, I went on a date. It was a disaster and it was painfully obvious that I was not ready, I had more healing to do. I repeated it again after the second year with similar results. And so I tried again after the third year mark. I posted an online profile and at first there was a lot of action. Of course most of the emails sounded like they had been sent through google translator.

I sent out a prayer asking for wisdom and protection. I went for weeks without emails. I'm old fashioned and I believe the guy should make the first move.

One Sunday morning, there was an email waiting for me from a man named Chuck. He was a Christian, non-smoker, social drinker, with a stable work history and from his picture I thought he had a really nice smile. We started talking. And then he asked me out on a date. We've had several since then. I look forward to his phone calls, texts, emails, and dates. He's really sweet, respectful, conscientious, and patient.

I emailed my in laws wondering what their response would be. They encouraged me to be happy and assured me that Mike would want the same.