Book Club: Half Broke Horses

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What can I say? I loved this book. I hadn’t read it before selecting it for book club, which can sometimes be a risky maneuver. Luckily, it worked out. 

Walls calls the book a true-life novel that tells the story of her grandmother. It recounts Lily’s experiences growing up on a cattle ranch where she is tasked with breaking horses. Then it follows Lily as she goes away to boarding school, takes a teaching job and then moves to the big city of Chicago. She moves around a few more times before starting her family and each segment of her life is filled with adventure and challenges Lily overcomes.
 
I love reading about innovative women and Lily was one of a kind. She was a hard worker and pretty crafty. She bootlegged liquor to help keep the family’s garage afloat during rough times and she ran a taxi service while teaching school—where she also worked as the bus driver and janitor. One of my friends in my real-life reading group (i.e. a group that meets face-to-face and not via the internet) commented that reading about Lily made her feel lazy. I agree. Sometimes packing up my son for a trip to Target wears me out. Lily took two small kids on a multi-day expedition via horseback just to survey the property lines of the ranch she and her husband were managing. I can’t imagine how you pack for that.
 
The dust jacket of the book calls it Laura Ingalls Wilder for adults, which may explain why I liked it so much. It also made me think of my own grandmother who oversaw the family ranch (although, I don’t think my grandma ever broke any horses). She sure looked good on one though, didn’t she? Forgive the large picture–I’ve been trying to reduce the size, but it has taken up too much time and now I’ve decided I will just have to live with it.  

 

 

 I’m sure she had to learn how to manage her fair share of cowboys and ranch hands. Here she is whistling to try and keep someone in line, I’m sure.  

 

 

I haven’t read Jeannette Walls’ The Glass Castle, but after reading this one, I definitely plan to pick it up. And, I want to know, if you’ve read Half Broke Horses, what were your favorite parts? Can you relate to Lily?

Snow, Snow and More Snow

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I have to hand it to the meteorologists here in the D.C. area. They’re accurate. It started snowing at 9:30 a.m. on Friday and didn’t stop until 6:00 Saturday evening, leaving us with the predicted 25+ inches of snow. The sun on Sunday lured us out to do some shoveling, play a little and snap a few photos. Even though the snow creates a lot of extra work and hassle, it is pretty. 


Photo Sharing – Video Sharing – Photo Printing


Photo Sharing – Video Sharing – Photo Printing


Photo Sharing – Video Sharing – Photo Printing

 

Getting around in over two feet of snow, whether on foot or in the car, creates a few challenges. We’re learning to overcome them.

The local weather is predicting another 8-10 inches of snow on Tuesday. I’m eager and afraid to see if they’re right. 

Trying to Stay Warm

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With one snow storm behind us and another one on the way, I’m thinking warm thoughts to try and stay toasty. 



The latest weather report predicted 18-20 inches of snow for us over the weekend. Today I’ll join the masses buying up extra milk and bread in case we’re stuck in the house for the next three months. I’m also in search of a sled so we can make the most of the white stuff. 

Back from Sunny California

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I was lucky enough to spend the past week basking in the California sunshine. The flowers, palm trees and sun were all gorgeous. I even enjoyed a few guilty pleasures while I was there. I think my favorites were dining out every day (and not ordering off the low-cal portion of the menu) and sipping a pina colada (virgin–of course) by the pool. I’m paying the price for both of those this week. I think the warm weather has made me a little less tolerant of the snow that was blanketing the ground when we landed. At least I have lots of pictures to remind me that warm weather will be right around the corner–even if the groundhog predicted otherwise.

Shaping 2010

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One of the most amazing women I blog stalk is Rachel Coleman, the co-creator of the Signing Time series and a mom of two girls. This week on her blog she had an inspiring post on Creating The Year 2010. For the past few years, she and her family have declared each year The Year of ___________. They’ve had The Year of No More Somedays, The Year of Fun & Adventure and The Year of Health & Fitness. 

I love the idea and started thinking about creating my own 2010. I’ve decided it is going to be The Year of If Not Now, Then When? No more procrastinating on those projects floating around in my mind or the adventures I want to plan with my family. This year I will take the time to pursue all those story ideas I’ve come up with and make time for more of my personal writing. It is too late to make it to Punxsutawney for Groundhog Day this year, but I’m going to start researching hotels and book a trip for 2011.

I’m going to print my new little mantra out and pin it above my desk, so each day I’m reminded to take advantage of the opportunities that come my way. And for those opportunities that I just can’t pursue right now, I’m going to answer the question of ‘when?’ I hope to come up with more concrete answers than ‘someday’ or ‘when things slow down.’ 

Thanks, Rachel, for the great idea and for offering up so much inspiration on your blog!

And, I’m curious, what is your year 2010 going to be? 

Ten Commandments for a Happy Writing Life

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I always have fun flipping through The Pocket Muse by Monica Wood. It is a little book full of big inspiration and writing advice. My favorite entry is the Ten Commandments for a Happy Writing Life. Here they are: 
 
1. Don’t wait for inspiration; establish a writing habit.
2. Take time off.
3. Read voraciously.
4. Shut out the inner critic.
5. Claim a space. 
6. Claim some time.
7. Accept rejection.
8. Expect success. 
9. Live fully.
10. Wish others well.

 

Reading: Jodi Picoult’s Tour Dates

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The new book tour dates for Jodi Picoult’s House Rules, which will be released March 2, are up on her site. It is a draft schedule (visit www.jodipicoult.com and click on appearances), and I’m keeping my fingers crossed that Picoult will make a stop near me. For the past few years she has and I’ve been lucky enough to make every one. Well, almost every one. There was the time my son arrived five weeks early, just a few days before Picoult’s reading, so I had to skip it. I’m sure she’d understand. 

Even though I’ve been to several of her readings, I am star struck every time I see her. My heart beats fast, my palms get sweaty, I begin to utter mere syllables instead of actual words. It is pathetic. 

After her reading of Handle with Care last year, she took questions and answers. When she announced she had time for one last question, I decided I couldn’t pass up an opportunity to talk to her, so I shot my hand up in the air. It was right as she called on me that I realized I didn’t have a question to ask! So, I pulled together a really lame, boring question: Has your writing routine changed since your first novel? Ugh. I might as well have asked what toothpaste she uses. She answered it graciously saying her routine hasn’t changed at all. Go figure. 

Next came the signing. I waited in line hoping I could get a picture with her, only to find out she wasn’t doing photos. She wrote my name and her signature in my book and I tried to think of something to say to her. "I love your writing" seemed too obvious. So I came up with the incredibly witty, "I love the MP3s you post on your Web site." That was it? That was all I could come up with? I’ve read every single one of her books, some of them twice and that was all I could think to say? I blame it on the butterflies. She thanked me and told me she’d be posting a new one next month. I walked away shaking my head. 

I’m looking forward to redeeming myself at her next reading, so here is hoping she stops in the D.C. area! 

Writing: Finding Great Sources

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Great sources make great stories. Every so often I need to reach beyond my usual list of contacts to find someone to interview. Instead of scouring the internet for potential contacts, I recently started using Help a Reporter Out–an online service that connects journalists with sources. You just have to fill out a quick query about the publication you’re writing for and your story. Then, HARO shoots a message out to its list of sources (the Web site says there are over 100,000), and you sit back and wait to see who responds. If you’re not on a tight deadline, it takes a day or two to start hearing from potential sources.

So, give it a try! It has worked for me. Journalists have a page just for them here. Potential sources can sign up at http://www.helpareporter.com/.

Creating: A Happy Life

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Ah happiness. It is something we all want and we all have different ideas of what makes us happy (or what would make us happier). Sometimes it feels like we’re chasing it. Other times we realize we can reach out and grab it.
 
Catch me on any given day and I’d probably tell you that hugs from my boys, Diet Coke and a call from my mom make me smile. In the “I would be happier if I had…” category, I tend to list a bigger house and more money (who wouldn’t be happier with more money?). 
 
I’ll admit that I usually spend more time thinking about all the other things I need to make me happy and less time focused on what already does (come on…everyone does it now and then). Until now. 
 
Today I read that in 1926 British psychoanalyst Marion Milner set out to discover what made her truly happy in her day-to-day life. She kept and published a journal, A Life of One’s Own, under the pen name Joanna Field in 1934. I love the idea of taking time each day to relive the happiest moments and jot them down. 
 
They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, so I’m going to steal Ms. Milner’s idea and keep my own happiness journal this year. I hope to focus on all the things that make me smile—even on a bad day. 
 
My top picks from today–dancing in my kitchen with my boys and spreading butter on a hot roll I’d made from my mom’s recipe. Every time I make my mom’s bread I remember what it was like to be seven years old and waiting for the timer to go off on the oven. My mom would cut me a slice of bread and I’d slather it with so much butter even the bottom of the bread turned yellow. That also makes me grateful that there was a time in my life when I didn’t know about calories or fat grams—much less worry about them. 
 
From time to time I’ll share my top happiness journal picks here and I’d love to hear about yours, too. So, tell me, what makes you the happiest?