Image by Steve Johnson from Pixabay I’m an author, or at least that’s what I tell people who ask what I do with myself since I retired. That’s true, if you care to stretch the definition almost beyond reason. I have published thirteen books and coauthored one, all of which are available for purchase on Amazon, in case you’re interested (nudge, nudge, wink, wink). I published my last novel, “If Not for the Entail”, October 15 of last year. With that complete and…
Image by dlsd cgl from PixabayFirst, First, let me apologize for the delay in preparing my post. I let other tasks get in the way and forgot all about it. I’d like to say it won’t happen again, but I am pathetic at predicting the future. The beautiful city of Medicine Hat and, indeed, large portions of southern Alberta, are in the midst of a heat wave, with temperatures hitting 38° (100° f) yesterday and today. If not for my new efficient windows…
Photo by Cas Holmes on Unsplash As I’ve said before, my taste in music is fairly wide- ranging. I love classical, jazz, sixties rock, early country, etc. Two of my favorite songs are “Classical Gas” by Mason Williams, and “Take Five” by Dave Brubeck. I did my best to expose all four of my children to a wide range of music, deciding before my first was born that it was in their own best interests not to limit what they heard. As it…
Photo from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victor_Borge To be honest, today’s blog would fit equally well for either Funny Friday or Tuesday Tunes. My subject today is the inimitable Victor Borge, also known as “The Clown Prince of Denmark” and “The Unmelancholy Dane”. I remember crowding around the television to watch him on The Ed Sullivan Show whenever he was scheduled to appear. His routine, that of a bumbling and confused musician of limited talent, always brought plenty of laughs as he fumbled his…
Meet the newest member of my family, Daisy. She is a four-month-old German Shepherd, we adopted on Saturday as a playmate for my two-year-old Border Collie, Haley. I wanted to post a picture of her sitting, but couldn’t get her to stay still long enough. I happened to mention, totally in passing, that Haley needed someone to play with, because she was wearing me out. Don’t misunderstand, I love her, but she only has two speed- overdrive and off. Unfortunately,…
Image by Nicky ❤️🌿🐞🌿❤️ from Pixabay “Spring is sprung, the grass is riz. I wonder where the flowers is?” That silly children’s rhyme is running through my head, as it always does this time of year. With the season’s official arrival last night, I wanted to extol its virtues. Spring is my favorite season, followed by autumn and summer. Winter? That accursed time of year follows a distant fourth. Although I love the warmer weather and freedom that temperatures above freezing bring, what…
Image by Mystic Art Design from Pixabay As an author, my genre is Historical Romantic Fiction, specifically Pride & Prejudice variations. As I’ve said in previous posts, I went through a steep learning curve, which is only now levelling off, to a certain degree. I confess to suffering some envy regarding my brother Jann’s apparent ease when it comes to crafting stories. Of course, he’s been writing professionally for more than a decade, while I six years under my belt. Unfortunately, cancer and…
I know I have spoken of the outlining process before, but I have recently had an experience with outlining that I feel it is worth discussing. As I have said before, outlining can be the most fickle part of the writing process. There are times when I outline like a demon, going through an entire novel’s planning in the space of a few days, while other times I can look at an outline for hours and not put a single…
Today is the forty-eight anniversary of my marriage. My wife and I are at the stage of our union where we are both retired and satisfied with our lives. I am, at least, and I believe she is also. That’s not to say that we’re content to sit on our duffs and let the world go by. We still have hopes and dreams that won’t come to pass by themselves. She’s given me four beautiful children, who have graced us with…
Image by Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay Of all the specific themes we have for the Glimmer of Gold blog, I find Miscellaneous Monday the most difficult to create. Tuesday Tunes are easy, because my love of music is not limited to a few specific genres. I appreciate the power and majesty of Handel’s Messiah, pretty much all of Beethoven’s symphonies, Clair de Lune, and many others. I enjoy a few operas and ballets, Swan Lake especially. Fifties and sixties country is a particular favorite,…