This video stirred some feelings in me, made me tap my foot, and enchanted me. If anyone sees it here, share it if you want.



Elizabeth

I have bragging rights

I did some powerful writing today. If I can write fiction that stirs my emotions, perhaps it will stir reader’s emotions as well. In fact I had to stop writing because my blood pressure was rising and I couldn’t take the suspense. Well then, I’m patting myself on the back. But I must be humble. The reader still has to wade through the rest of the book, invest in my protagonists and hate the antagonists to get to this, amazing piece of work.

Allow me a little brag. If you don’t love what you do and do it as well as you can, then why do it? If for no other reason than to please you I think.

Elizabeth

My novel

About the only thing I'm a complete expert at is my novel. I'm calling it, "Bum's Rush." That may change, but I think it fits the story.

Bum's Rush takes place in Portland, Oregon. I've chosen to make each location fiction. The reason being, I've been away from Portland long enough that few of the establishments I knew about are still there, but I have a working knowledge of the city since I lived near or in it for more than thirty years. All I can say is, "Thank God for Google Earth."

There are two protagonist, Jack Troy and Skip Reynolds.

Jack grew in Lake Oswego, the son of a wealthy man, old money, that sort of thing. Six years before this story takes place, his parents die in a car crash leaving him to take care of their, late in life son, Jack's nine-year old brother, Ancel. Ancel is now fifteen.

Skip Reynolds, now sixteen-years old, has a severe stutter and attended a school for the deaf, in this story, it's the "Oregon School for the Hearing Impaired." Skip was orphaned two years before this story takes place when his mother died of heart failure. He bounced from one foster home to another. Pour kid was misunderstood because of his disability. When he was placed in an abusive foster home, he fled to the streets, not trusting in the "system" anymore. He hooks up with an old bag lady whose name is Lilith.

Circumstances bring Jack's and Skip’s lives together, yet they both have secrets. Secrets that will surprise each of them.

I’ve actually finished this and am working on the second draft. I hope to have it written by June, my new goal.

Old friends and a dog

Had dinner with some old friends, some I hadn't seen for thirteen years. Time hadn't made us shy, we picked right up. People don't really change, but time changes people. Regardless, we had a blast.

It's All About Me

I am recently retired. Underscore retired, remove the “ret” and replace with “F”—Laid off, downsized, right-sized, whatever. I’m not bitter.

I started in Portland working for Pacific Northwest Bell, moved to Seattle about the same time they changed the name to U S West. When I moved to Omaha, the name changed to Qwest. After that, the CEO, Joseph Nacchio, and his gang raped the retirement fund and laid me off along with thousands of others. I’m happy to say, the man is now in prison.

All of that took thirty-one years of my life. That’s a chunk of change, so I certainly can’t trivialize it by not mentioning it. That would erase those untold hours in my life as insipid, which they were, actually.

It’s the few waking hours away from work that define me. My husband, my daughter and son who have given me five grandchildren between them, the many friends I’ve encountered through the years, some only memories now, others with me for life. In addition, the lessons, and mistakes I’ve enjoyed have pooled to enrich my life.
Why am I blogging? I love to write and I want to share my journey with you. It’s a journey that lay dormant in me for, dare I say, fifty-five years. I’m going to enjoy the trip.

I am recently retired. Underscore retired, remove the “ret” and replace with “F”—Laid off, downsized, right-sized, whatever. I’m not bitter.

I started in Portland working for Pacific Northwest Bell, moved to Seattle about the same time they changed the name to U S West. When I moved to Omaha, the name changed to Qwest. After that, the CEO, Joseph Nacchio, and his gang raped the retirement fund and laid me off along with thousands of others. I’m happy to say, the man is now in prison.

All of that took thirty-one years of my life. That’s a chunk of change, so I certainly can’t trivialize it by not mentioning it. That would erase those untold hours in my life as insipid, which they were, actually.

It’s the few waking hours away from work that define me. My husband, my daughter and son who have given me five grandchildren between them, the many friends I’ve encountered through the years, some only memories now, others with me for life. In addition, the lessons, and mistakes I’ve enjoyed have pooled to enrich my life.
Why am I blogging? I love to write and I want to share my journey with you. It’s a journey that lay dormant in me for, dare I say, fifty-five years. I’m going to enjoy the trip.

Verda Deos-Hart

My mom is on my mind a lot right now. I looked at her the other day and saw, not an old white headed woman, but a, still, beautiful woman. I live fifteen hundred miles from her and it's hard not to be closer.

I’ve written a tribute to my mother, as a reminder, in the sidebar of this blog.

Elizabeth

Coming out of the Dark Ages

When blogs first came out, I said, "What's the point?" That was back during the dark ages, five to ten years ago, before I had my first laptop. So here I am, behind the times trying to catch up. Reading all the how too's of creating a blog others will read. So I thought I'd write about my learning curve. It's not even a curve at this point. But one of the things I learned just today, to relax and let my fingers do the talking. I also learned not to make my blogs too long. Most people's interest span is a paragraph or two and if you're like me, that also applies to the stuff that really interests me.