Remembering Thomas

When I read that the Texas Board of Education had cut Thomas Jefferson out of the history books, I was stunned.

Jefferson penned the Declaration of Independence.  He was most eloquent when writing, and along with the others, his clarity of purpose, foresight, and dedication to our nation helped create one of the most important documents ever written.  This document declared the colonists split from England.  It was the beginning of the Revolutionary War, as well as the birthing pains of our country. 

Jefferson was the nation's first secretary of state (1789-94); second vice president (1797-1801); and, as the third president (1801-09), the statesman responsible for the Louisiana Purchase.When asked who I would like, living or dead, to have dinner with, Thomas Jefferson is invariably the name that pops into my mind first.  He wasn't a perfect man, but I've never met one of those.  His interests were many and varied.  Aside from politics and his work as a statesman, Jefferson was very knowledgeable about many topics including horticulture, architecture, art, and culture.

It is inconceivable to me that a man of such importance to our country could be cut from the history books.  Jefferson died on July 4th, the same day that John Adams died.  His tombstone reads simply:

"Here was buried Thomas Jefferson, author of the Declaration of American Independence of the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, and father of the University Of Virgina."

Caesar Rodney

Those of you living in Delaware are, no doubt, well aware of Caesar Rodney and his contribution to our country.  If not for Rodney's sacrifice, we might not be living in the United States of America. 

Caesar Rodney began his life of public service at the age of 22 when he was commissioned as High Sheriff of Kent County Delaware.  His duties grew over the next few years to include registrar of wills, recorder of deeds, clerk of the orphans court, and justice of the peace.  By age 30 he was elected as representative in the colonial legislature, a position he held for some 20 years.

He was a delegate to the Continental congress along with two other Delaware delegates.  These men knew the Declaration of Independence would have to be ratified by all thirteen colonies.  The other two Delaware delegates were deadlocked in disagreement and Caesar Rodney, was not in Philadelphia at the time.  He was traveling around Delaware gaining support for the Declaration and preparing the people of Delaware for a new government. 

Rodney had booked passage on a ship for England to have surgery for a deadly form of skin cancer on his face, when he received word that he was needed in Philadelphia to sign the Declaration of Independence.  He missed the surgery in order to sign the Declaration and rode hard through inclement weather to reach Philadelphia in time.   When Rodney signed, the other two delegates agreed to sign the Declaration, making it unanimous.

In 1778, he was elected as President of the State of Delaware, This was a three year term which he served at the same time he was Major-General of the Delaware Militia.  Delaware had a record of meeting or exceeding their quota of troops and provisions throughout the Revolutionary War.  The Continental Army operated on scant supplies for much of the war, but thanks to Caesar Rodney, Delaware did its part. 

Rodney saw his colony through the war at the cost of personal neglect.   He was elected to the National Congress in 1892, but was forced to decline the position for health reasons.  He continued to serve as Speaker of the House of the Upper Delaware Assembly until his death in office in 1784.     

Caesar Rodney is commemorated on the Delaware State coin, riding his horse to Philadelphia to sign the Declaration of Independence.

Ramblin' Karina

It has been a while since I've posted here. I'm working on dicipline to write each and every day. I wrote an entire book and then decided to change the tense, so I'm editing and there is much more life swirling around me these days that cut into what I'd like to be doing. I'm new at this and writing articles that are profound and informative doesn't come easy.

I've been looking for a full time job. It takes time to find a job and in this economy, I haven't had much luck. I wish a paycheck would just appear in my bank account each month so I could spend my time doing what I love - and even then, I'd be running in all different directions because I'd be decorating, writing, drawing, painting, sewing, being crafty, cooking, gardening, and lots of other things. Home is where my heart is.

So I find myself running around like a chicken with its head cut off, trying to do it all and feeling exhausted most of the time. You probably feel much the same way if you are married, work, and have children.

Today I'm getting ready for Easter Sunday. Hope you all have a good one.

Slipping Through the Cracks

Sometimes I feel like the Word Police. We live in the era of the e-book explosion. As a result, many books are published as e-books without the benefit of an editor.

Recently, I've read several books that had a common glaring error. When the word should have been 'disdain', the authors typed 'distain'.

Mirriam Webster Dictionary defines disdain as: a feeling of contempt for someone or something regarded as unworthy or inferior : scorn

And distain is defined this way: a verb with an archaic meaning of stain or dishonor.

There are many more words that are frequently misspelled or mispronounced and mistaken for other words.

Your/You're (when written)

Humongous/Humungous (not a word)

Didn't/ Dinen't (mispronounced) and Couldn't/coul't or wouldn't/wouln't, shouldn't/shouln't(leaving the d out of these words when spoken)

Passed/Past - how did this one slip through into the book?

Here is a list of the 100 most mispronounced words in the English language.
http://grammar.yourdictionary.com/style-and-usage/mispron.html



These are the 100 most misspelled words in the English language. Misspelled is one of the words on the list.

http://grammar.yourdictionary.com/spelling-and-word-lists/misspelled.html

When I lived in another state, I was in the local Walmart store and repeatedly heard someone paging an employee to come to the "jury department." They must have meant the jewelry department, but I was chuckling inside.


This brings me to another point: Often, words are mispronounced so often they become the accepted way and make their way into the dictionary as a revision or alternate pronunciation a few years later. Newscasters, journalists, and many people in the public eye are guilty of these faux pas.

As writers, we want to put our best work out there to build credibility and gain a following. If grammar isn't high on your skill list and you can't afford an editor, ask a friend who is good at language skills to read the book and suggest appropriate changes. Join a writer's group and help each other. Someone who is good with words may need your help with a plot.

Spell check is great if you've made a typo, but it won't help if you've typed an actual word, but it's the wrong one. Brushing up on these words and putting out the cleanest writing possible can help move your work up a notch or two in the public eye and gain you the respect you want as a writer.

Women to Women

I had the honor of being interviewed for a local cable show by Carol Paz. Carol recognized that there are many women in our area of Northern Nevada who are doing good things for their communities. The show is called Women to Women and these women are living proof that you can make your dreams come true, that perseverance pays off, and that you can have a second career even after retirement. Their stories are incredible.

I am flattered to be included with them. Here is the link for my interview:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=zGAFd3rGa5g&list=UUQWfOMtI1gXXWa4Nas6hLgw

Farewell, Jan Berenstain

This week we lost one of our own and it's a big loss for all of us. Jan Berenstain who wrote 300 books with her husband, Stan Berenstain passed away on Friday.

Children's authors don't always become household names, but the Berenstain Bears books were read daily at my house when the kids were little. These little books with the adorable pictures taught valuable lessons and helped reinforce the lessons I taught my children about manners, how to behave, how to treat others, and sharing.

Michael Berenstain worked with his mother and will continue the line of Berenstain Bears books. Stan and Jan will live on through their books and I will continue reading them to my future grandchildren.

Yawn

Ok, I'm going to come right out and say it. I've spoken to others who feel the same way. What's the point of Twitter? I look at my account and see a bunch of people desperate for the lime light and each tweet seems to say, "Look at me! Look at me!"

The more people you follow, the more tweets you get each day. My eyes glaze over just looking at it all. I'm trying to follow people who might have something valid or useful to say, but there is so much "stuff" it's hard to find the one tweet that I'd really care to read.

Can someone convince me otherwise?

John and Abigail Adams

John Adams was an American statesman before he became the 2nd President of the United States. As with many of our founding fathers, he spent a great deal of time away from his family, traveling between America, Europe and England, in order to establish America as a free country.

He knew if they were not successful in their attempt to separate this country from England, their very lives would be at stake. Yet he and the other statesmen risked it all for freedom. His sacrifices have benefited each and every American today.

John and his wife Abigail wrote letters to each other while he was away. In their letters, they expressed the importance of the work he was doing, as well as their love for each other.

Abigail wrote to John:

“Dearest John, It feels as though we have spent a far greater portion of our marriage apart, than together. Strange how the sun rises and sets whether you be at my side or not. But in this cause we build a future – it is our legacy – freedom is the best gift we can impart to our children. We shall fight for the rights of men and women, and shall prevail against those who would deny us this agency. I possess no doubt, that with God on our side, we shall have no need to fear what mortal men can do.”

John’s response to her was:

“My Dear Abigail, It is hard indeed to be apart. The price we pay is dear – I marvel that our family remains intact and strong despite this grievous distance, and we both know the dire consequence we will face if we are unsuccessful in our endeavors – but this good work is ours to do – for in our sacrifice we lay the foundation of a nation that will endow all men with equality and the ability to reach their greatest potential – and fill the measure of their creation!”


If they had not been successful in their quest for freedom, they would have been tried for treason. The punnishment for treason was to be hanged, drawn, and quartered with their body parts being sent in different directions. There was no room for error, so they put their full and complete trust in the Almighty to see them through, and as Abigail said, with God on their side, they had no fear for what mortal men could do.

Bulletproof George

Bulletproof George

George Washington was a young Lieutenant during the French and Indian war. At one point, his regiment fought a two hour battle with the Indians in a field in Pennsylvania. They were wearing the British red coats at that time and the soldiers lined up shoulder to shoulder with their muskets, and began marching toward the Indians in the typical battle form of the day. All the officers, including Lt. Washington, were on horseback. The Indians began shooting and aimed for the officers first.

When Washington's horse was shot beneath him, he got on another horse and continued the fight. The second horse was shot beneath him as well. Still, he remained. The ground all around was covered with dead soldiers and all the other officers were killed. Washington stood alone, his red coat daring them to shoot him.

Finally the Indian Chief commanded his warriors to stop firing. “This one is under special protection of the Great Spirit.” He said.

One Warrior said, “I had seventeen clear shots at this man… and I could not bring him to the ground. This man was not born to be killed by a bullet.”

When the fighting was over, Washington looked down at his coat. There were four holes in the cloth. He pulled it off and examined the skin underneath the bullet holes. There was not a single scratch on his skin.

In 1775, fifteen years later, Washington was chosen to be the Commander in Chief of the Continental Army. It didn’t seem right to accept a salary from an army that barely could feed its soldiers, so he declined their generous offer of pay. Before his commission began, he went to the field where he'd fought with the Indians.


The Chief who he’d fought against, came to pay his respects. He said, “I am a chief and ruler over my tribes. My influence extends to the waters of the great lakes and to the far Blue Mountains. I have traveled a long and weary path that I might see the young warrior of the great battle. It was on the day when the white man's blood mixed with the streams of our forest that I first beheld this chief. I called to my young men and said, ‘mark yon tall and daring warrior? He is not of the red-coat tribe--he hath an Indian's wisdom, and his warriors fight as we do—he himself is alone and exposed. Quick, let your aim be certain, and he dies.’ Our rifles were leveled, rifles which, but for you, knew not how to miss. Twas all in vain. A power mightier far than we, shielded you. Seeing you were under the special guardianship of the Great Spirit, we immediately ceased to fire at you. I am old and soon shall be gathered to the great council fire of my fathers in the land of shades, but ere I go, there is something bids me speak in the voice of prophecy. Listen! The Great Spirit protects that man.” He pointed toward Washington, “and guides his destinies--he will become the chief of nations, and a people yet unborn will hail him as the founder of a mighty empire. I am come to pay homage to the man who is the particular favorite of Heaven, and who can never die in battle.”


George Washington stood a head taller than most men and was a formidable figure in his uniform and epaulettes. His demeanor and stature gave him an instant air of authority, though he was a humble man.

If you'd like to learn more about the father of our country, I recommend reading 1776, by David McCullough.

Foundation of a Nation

Last night I attended a Lincoln Day Dinner at the governor's mansion. The event was centered around stories in the play I wrote entitled Foundation of a Nation. As you can imagine, it was a gala that I'll remember for a long time with food, stories, music, the ROTC color guard, and lots of socializing. I'm honored to have the recognition of my work and for the appreciation that people have shown. As I've mentioned before, they are stories that used to be in school text books, but aren't any longer. This is the good stuff.

If educators want to light a fire under students and ignite their interest in History, these stories would do the trick. I'll be passing them on to my children so they know them, and posting them here so you can read them as well.

Information Overload

We all want to stay on the cutting edge of our business, but have you noticed that there is so much information out there it becomes overwhelming? Whose information should we pay attention to? How do we maximize our time? I don't know about you, but I don't have time to read fifteen articles a day. Besides writing, I have a busy life to take care of and just want to cut to the chase.

Check out today's article on A-List Blog Marketing entitled: Overwhelmed with Blog Marketing Input? 7 Places to Prioritize Your Output
http://alistblogmarketing.com/

South Church

Reverend Thomas Prince. Portrait by Joseph Badger.

During the French and Indian war, England was at war with France. The French sent a fleet of 40 ships to destroy New England. The American colonists had no army or navy to protect themselves. In the face of eminent danger, Reverend Thomas Prince of the Old South Meeting House in Boston, called for a day of prayer and fasting.

The morning was one of perfect peace and calm. No wind ruffled the waters of the bay and not a cloud was in the sky. Reverend Prince prayed even more fervently than was his custom. He appealed to the Almighty for deliverance from the danger that threatened. Suddenly, a gust of wind so strong it rattled the windows in their casings, hit the church. Everyone looked around and Reverend Prince continued his supplications, asking God to cause the wind to confound the purposes of the enemy.

The wind rose to such a tempest that it destroyed the French fleet and saved New England from total destruction.

I can only imagine the prayers of thanksgiving and the rejoicing that must have taken place after that miraculous event.

Reverend Prince was so revered that the town of Princeton was named after him.

This story is just one of many of the events that took place in America's early years. So many of these historical accounts punctuate the fact that the colonists relied on God for protection and to help them in their quest for a new country where there was freedom for all and they could all worship as they pleased. Their belief that all things are possible with God helped them through many difficult situations.

Laying the Foundation

Monday night I had my first television interview for a new local cable show called Women to Women. The host interviews women who are making a difference to our area. As I sat watching the woman being interviewed before me, I felt like I didn't have that much to offer.

I was a ball of nerves and some of the questions took me off guard. The interviewer had never met me and her questions went in a direction I hadn't anticipated. I have yet to see the tape, so of course, I'm worried about those alleged ten extra pounds and that I might look like a babbling idiot.

I'm flattered to be included among women who are doing amazing things. My contribution is an historic play written to show the miraculous things that happened during our country's beginnings. There are some beautiful stories that I will post here. They used to be taught in public schools, but aren't any more. These are stories that will give you goose bumps and bring tears to your eyes. They show what the foundation of our nation is and how far we've gone in the past 250 years.

In our state, American History is taught in the 5th grade. There are two versions of the play. One has some of the best stories, miracles, and uplifting music. The other version is for public school and has some of the good stuff removed because of the references to God. It's a crying shame these stories can't be told and acted out in public schools.

As a parent, I believe these must be taught by parents and not forgotten. They are our deepest roots as Americans.

ACV - A Miracle

The past two weeks have been miserable. My husband generously shared a super nasty winter crud with me. I won't go into all the gross details, but by yesterday I had no voice, my teeth hurt, and my eyes were bulging out and watering too much to read or watch TV.

I'm not one to run to the doctor unless it's really something, so I went online and read about apple cider vinegar and honey. I know, I'm probably the only one who didn't know about this miracle cure, and actually my son and his fiancee told me to heat 2 Tbs. of apple cider vinegar with one Tbs. of honey and drink it. I tried it once and got nauseous from all that honey and the taste was, well, like vinegar. After reading about it online, I decided to give it another try. This time I put it in a cup of hot water. Within a few minutes, the pressure in my head had lessened. I drank 3 cups of it yesterday and today I'm remarkably better.

I'm thrilled to feel almost human again. It is said to work much better if you drink it when you first notice you're getting sick. I'm about 14 days too late, but it's still working. Yay!

What's New?

It's been hectic through Christmas and New Year's. You all know what I mean: cooking, decorating, cleaning, family, celebrating, and lots of extra things to do. As soon as it is over, life feels so vacant. But my husband and I came down with one of those winter cruds that lasts about ten days. Now we are almost over it, things feel like they will go back to normal. Blogging hasn't been in the forefront of my mind, but hopefully things will pick up now that my brain is starting to function again.

I have lots of new plans for the new year. There are two books I want to finish and one that needs fine tuning. I'm determined to get into Pinterest. It will save space on my computer and give me ideas to refer back to for book characters, locations, decorating ideas, and lots more.

The list is long and I have a hundred daily interruptions that take precedence over what I want to be doing. Still I trudge onward and upward with the dream. What's new with you?

The Daily Grind

Wouldn't it be wonderful if our days could be spent leisurely writing at our own pace, stopping to take a walk to think about the next scene, steadily covering the ground of a new book and, for sure, a best seller?

This week I'm shortening a 45 minute play to 20 minutes and adding a new act. I have a deadline and the ideas aren't coming yet - frustrating.

Wish me luck and I hope your week is a productive one.

A New Year

Each new year feels like a clean slate; a chance to begin again with the best of intentions and a fresh calendar.

This year, I'm not making any resolutions. Resolutions seem like big insurmountable tasks, so I'm going to take a step toward my goals each day. I have plenty of projects to work on and each day will have it's own goals and accomplishments.

Happy New Year. I hope it's a good one for all of us.

Happy New Year

Holiday Break

Christmas came and went. Tomorrow morning we have company coming for New Years. I love having guests come to stay. Since I'm not on a deadline at the moment, I plan on enjoying the New Year's festivities and then working on a play production I'll be directing in February. Modifications must be written to fit a time frame and there are requested additions to write.

This will be my first play to direct, and I'm looking forward to it. I'll have a few butterflies, but I'm sure things will go OK once we get started.

Still Writing

I've been in a funk lately. There, I said it.

Life has been a frenzy and my plate is overflowing. I still find time to write here and there between everything else that is going on. Hopefully things will slow down after New Year's, but that's not usually how my life pattern goes. Life is an adventure.