I’m in need of a pink ladder. Some of you ladies will know why I say this. I’ve mentioned before that I live on a farm. My husband wears bib overalls and Red Wing boots to work. He carries a pair of pliers in them as well as a couple of small screwdrivers.

Around the farm there are always things which need fixing  or working on. In my home I often need a wrench or a screwdriver or hammer, etc.

Now it’s not as if the guys don’t have tools. They do. They have plenty of tools. My son has lots and lots of tools he keeps in a massive drawered chest. However, there seems to always be a shortage of the type of tools I keep for my use. These disappear from the places of storage where I keep my tools.

This goes for things like push brooms also. I’ve purchased several over the years and it always seems not to be hanging on my garage wall when I want to use it. Now that my son is grown and farming with us a quick test will usually have it turn up within a day.

My husband, whom I love dearly, had a pair of pliers which finally, after years of use, began to wear out. One day when I went to use my pliers rather than the pair I had purchased, there was the old ratty pair of my husband’s. He would deny he replaced mine with his but…

So I went to the discount store in town and just happened to find a tool bag, filled with just the type of tools I’d need. An evil, but justified grin spread across my face. Eyes filled with delight, I picked it up and placed it in my cart. Bright pink is the bag with pink handled tools. No one can now claim the tools they are using aren’t mine if the handles are pink.

I went into the garage the other day. I purchased a six foot ladder a few years ago. Just as I thought, it wasn’t there. It seldom is actually. Never when I want it. They don’t even make a pretense of it ever coming back to my garage. It’s here now, after a text to my son.

Now I’m on the hunt for a six foot pink stepladder.

This post appeared on 6/13/13 of The Barn Door where I blog once a month.

So, today's my birthday. I'm one short of the big 60. It's hard to comprehend that. The years have gone so fast. I know it's trite and cliche, but it's also true. Cliches are that because they are true.

If you want to read a good book that is full of twisted cliches which are still true I recommend Forevermore by Cathy Marie Hake. It's the story of a young itinerant woman in the late 1800's who goes from place to place and helps families until God tells her it's time to move on. She must have dyslexia since she can't read. It's a fun light read.

Another very good book is A Pearl in the Sand by Tessa Asfar. The story of Rahab which begins with how she began her career as a courtesan and continues after the fall of Jericho. Ms Asfar does a wonderful job. The struggles for Rahab and Salmone, the Israelites and her family as they come to grips with accepting each other.

I've just finished reading The Legend of the Locust series by Laurence Moroney. It's a Sci-Fi trilogy and the first book, The Fourth World is free. It's very good and not technical like some Sci-Fi can be. Centered around Area 51 where aliens have been for a long time. Under the ground is a city where there's a school for gifted children. The main characters are four children age 12 who come to the school. I enjoyed in and I think junior highers would too.

Well, happy birthday to me. I'm heading to see if I can find some water plants for my pond. Hope you like the books if you decide to read them.

With the release of Leah's Peace and Chasing Norie the push is over for at least a while. At the moment I have three books in process and an idea for two more. Now I can take a breath. Or at least try.

My asthma is kicking up so it's sometimes difficult to breath. Still I'm looking to get in better shape. I've done deep water aqua exercise for years. It's 2 times a week. I must confess I'm not always faithful in going. Sometimes life gets in the way, but mostly I'm just to lazy to get my fat fanny out of bed to go. Hey, it's a 25 mile round trip and at $4 per gallon. Not really a good excuse, I know.

So... I've decided to up my exercise some. My birthday is in a week and even though it's a big one it's only a year until it is. Here is my decision: Every time I go to town (remember I live on a farm) I'll go early and hit the YMCA to do a little in the cardio room and the weight room. Not Sunday's since it isn't open.

Monday was my first day. My aqua classes are on Tuesday and Thursday. I had thought to do 10 min. on the elliptical then to the weight room. Like I said, my asthma is rearing it's ugly head so I was only able to do 5 min. The way my thighs feel it's a good thing I stopped at 5.

I was able to the few things I want in the weight room. I did have to stop for a breath while I did inclining sit ups. It wasn't the longest or strongest workout ever, but I did it. Here's to hoping I'll keep it up. I'll keep you posted. ;)

Okay, everyone can give me a break now. Both books of the Stones Creek Series are available on Amazon. You can click on the covers and be taken to the Kindle page for each. Print and Large Print versions are just about finished and should be available later this week.

Leah's Peace is the first book in the series. I hope you enjoy the new characters and Stones Creek, CO in 1867. Nugget Nate and Penny Ryder show up too. Ben Cuttler the owner of the general store in town just happens to be Aggie's son.

As to the Cottonwood Series. As you know George H McVey and I are working on a book together which brings his character Nathan Ryder back to Cottonwood for a while. We'll resume working on Redeeming Love shortly and have it out as soon as possible. PG has a couple of his Redemption Tales books he has to finish before we continue with RL. (We abbreviate the titles.)

Yes, I know the title is the same as a book of Francine Rivers. It's not possible to copyright a title. But hey, pretty good publicity when someone searches using the title and ours just happens to come up along with Ms Rivers'. Not too shabby company.

So go grab your copies of the Stones Creek Series and, if you like them, please leave a review.

Happy reading.

I'm getting old. Last week I wrote that I was being interviewed on Penelope's Book Chat and forgot to give you the link. Well, the interview went well. So well they want me back when I release the Stones Creek books. I suppose I talk rather than leave silent gaps which aren't good for radio.

I must have talked about nonsense stuff because they edited it from 63 minutes down to 48. :) Either that or I was redundant. ;) They liked me enough to ask me back so I must have said something right.

Seriously, the couple who produce and host the Book Chat are Christians so I was able to talk openly about how God directs my writing and how, if I take off on my own path it simply doesn't work. Also about my method of writing which centers on the concepts God wants emphasized in that particular story.

Well, I'm not forgetting this week. Here's the link: http://bit.ly/12k1fuM

Things are going well here on the ranch, or rather the farm. Even with the cold wet spring we have the crops almost all planted. Just a few beans and spots that are too wet for corn. My gardening isn’t going to well though. It’s what I should be doing now.

Instead I decided to let you know that, baring unforeseen life events Leah’s Peace and Chasing Norie will be released in early June. I’ll be at the Aledo Rhubarb Fest on June 7 & 8 in Aledo, IL selling print and large print copies in addition to the Cottonwood series books. If you’ve purchased print versions and would like them signed I’ll be happy to do that if you bring them along.

Redeeming Love, the 4th book in the Cottonwood Series will not be available then. George McVey, the co-author, was quite in and spent time in the hospital and recovering so that project was put on the back burner for a while. I’m hoping to have some print books of his available at the Fest too for you to buy and get acquainted with Nugget Nate’s grandson Nathan and his wife Grace as they start life together.

Nathan, a minister, has earned the reputation of being a gunfighter called The Preacher. Redeeming Reputation chronicles his struggle in reconciling his calling as a pastor and the need for justice and mercy in the old West. He meets his wife Grace in the book too. It’s available on Amazon as well as smashwords.com. PG’s next book Redeeming Trail is in the edit stage and he hopes to have it available during Rhubarb Fest also.

Friday, May 17 at 6:00 PM CDT I will be the featured author on Penelope’s Book Chat internet radio blog. It’s about a one hour interview during which you can call in and ask questions. I hope you can listen live but it will be available online for later listening.

Well, the day is beautiful and the outside calls. I need to get a little gardening done then get back to editing.

Despite the so called gains women have made in the past forty years feminism has failed. Certainly progress has been made in career opportunities, more equal pay, somewhat more influence in policy, etc. But on a whole, feminism has failed to achieve the basic attitude shift it was meant to garner. Moreover, I contend it never can.

I’m a daughter of the movement. I was in high school in the late sixties and early seventies. Just below the age of the women who were promoting it. I remember the demonstrations. The burning of bras. The speeches declaring the rights of women in the workplace. How men were going to accept and treat women as equals. The declaration that women would no longer be defined by the size of their breasts, the shape of their body, their looks.

Are you beginning to see why I say the movement failed?

What is the main focus of, not only men, but many women today? The size of breasts. The very goal of the feminist movement was to eliminate body shape and breast size as a defining factor of a woman has become the focus of today’s society. It is at the point where even tween girls are suffering from eating disorders. Failure.

Another failure; allowing and respecting the choice of the woman to pursue a career or stay at home to raise her children. Even in the seventies, the height of the feminist movement, women who chose to consider motherhood and family over working outside the home were looked down upon. I know this because I lived it.

My husband and I decided that raising our children was more important than my working outside the home. At gatherings and parties where we knew few of the people, when I was asked what I did, as soon as I replied that I was at home a wall would come down. Sometimes you could almost hear the crash. No longer was I an interesting or intelligent person worthy of continued conversation. So much for being accepted and respected no matter what you chose to make your life’s focus. Failure.

It’s funny, many children of that generation, those whose mothers worked outside the home and were thus in day-care, are choosing to stay home. In this economic time this tells you something about the effect of the choice of the mother to not be at home with their young children.

Please don’t get me wrong, I realize many women have to work. But the fact that these young mothers would rather be home with their children, sacrificing material things says much. Rather than giving their child stuff, they would rather give them a devoted mom.

Spring has sprung
I can tell
My nose is running
And I think that spring has sprung.

Just a little poem I learned from my mom.

Finally spring is here. Well, it really seemed to come last week but I was in Duluth, MN over the weekend celebrating with my sister her five year cancer free. Good reason and a good party.

So now I have all the yard and garden work to do. Last year I planted peas, beets, lettuce and spinach on March 17. Nothing is planted yet and the garden boxes aren’t even cleaned out. April was just plain cold and yucky. We needed the rain but even on days it didn’t rain it was too cold for me to do garden work. Yes, I’m a woous I don’t do cold and windy. My minimum temperature to work outside is 59º.

So today, May 1, is sunny and 78º there is lots of work needing to be done outside, and where am I… Just got back from the podiatrist with my foot taped up with plantar fasciitis and a bum knee. On Sunday carrying my suitcase down the stairs I wrenched my knee. I should go hunt up my knee brace. I’ll be heading to the chiropractor tomorrow since my back needs cracked.

I’m lying on the couch in my sun room writing this and planning the list of all the things that need to be done. It’s planting time here on the farm so neither my husband or son are available to help. Not to worry. My pastor’s son is looking to make some money. I’ll be picking him up from school this afternoon and we’ll get started. He’s about 15 so he can’t drive out here yet.

I figure I can get about three to four hours from him today and most of the day Saturday. It’s supposed to rain the next two days. That’s the plan anyway.
Isn’t spring wonderful?

Dear Pa,

I’m do glad to be coming home. It’s been so long. Six long years. Can you believe I’m twenty now? I so wanted to be with you on my birthday but Aunt Myrna’s illness was so grave and getting worse I didn’t feel that I could leave her. With her death and the lawyer tending to things I now feel I can return to the Chasing R.

I’ll be arriving on the 16th of August. I can’t believe the railroad has reached Denver and has a station at Stones Creek. It should make the journey much safer as well as shorter. Please note that I will have several trunks. I am surprised at the amount of things I have gathered since I have been here. I am also bringing articles such as yarns which I believe may still be in short supply out West. Yes Pa, I plan to keep from cluttering the house with my projects although I think Aunt Myrna will turn over in her grave if I actually achieve that particular goal.

In Donis’ last letter she said Spike has been keeping Magnus exercised. I hope he remembers me. It has been so many years. Will he still not let anyone but Spike ride him? Why I write that I have no idea since you won’t be able to answer as I will be in route before a reply could reach me.

I expect to find Stones Creek much changed since I left. Your description of the town now was welcome. I do wish we had a church building but it seems the Kansas Pacific Railroad provided a place to meet as they are letting worship service be conducted there.
I must close now so I can post this. I love you and am anxious to be home. Give my love to Donis and Spike. I still cannot believe he is no longer foreman of the ranch.

With love,
Your daughter Norie.

I try not to do it very often, but I lied or rather got ahead of myself. Last week I posted what I thought was the cover for Leah's Peace. Instead I've totally changed it. I also have been working on the cover for Chasing Norie and have it completed.

I love learning things and am pretty much self taught with most of what I do. Learning to make book covers is my latest adventure. Finding the right images, learning the many aspects of Photoshop Elements 10, putting it all together in descent covers is a challenge.
I have several friends on Facebook who are honest about what I need to do to make them better. So now they are finalized. I hope you like them.