Category: Nostalgia

Don’t Miss Part 2 of ‘Spanish Camp’

This Saturday my post will continue the story of our hunting/camping trip into the Primitive Area of the Cascade Mtns. in Washington state.  22 miles by horseback, dropped at a camp site off the trail by the guide.  His parting words were, “See you in two weeks.  If you need help it’s a two mile walk to the forest ranger’s station that’a way.  Good luck!” 

meadowFifty-two years ago and the memories are as if the trip was last week.  Beautiful primitive mountains surrounded the meadow we camped in.  Springs and ponds dotted the landscape.  A day’s hike would have found us in Canada.

More on Saturday!  See you then!

 

 
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Nostalgia….Spanish Camp (Part 1)

We left the $11. a night motel just outside of Winthrop, a sleepy little town in the eastern foothills of the Cascade Mountains. winthrop We had to be at the corral by 6AM sharp.  The pavement became dirt four miles out of town and we drove the last few miles dodging pot holes and rocks.  It was September 10, 1962. Nestled amongst quaking aspen trees just off the road was a large fenced corral.  Pick up trucks were parked haphazardly about and men were off loading horse-pack gear and tack.  As we parked, our guide walked over and introduced himself.  He reiterated that we could take as much as we liked to insure our comfort at the camp site.  We had taken him at his word.  We had packed a camp stove that was made from a half 25 gallon barrel, stove pipe and all.  Our large canvas tent slept four even though there was only the two of us. Camp chairs and a folding table.  Sleeping bags, extra pillows, Army folding cots so we could sleep off the ground and gun cases.  We were traveling in style. Continue reading “Nostalgia….Spanish Camp (Part 1)”

Do You have Strange Rituals when Writing?

Strange habits of very successful writers.  Courtesy:  Kelton Reid, Copyblogger Media writer.

1.Try writing horizontally.

George Orwell, Mark Twain, Edith Wharton, famous quotes, famous writers, history, poetry, Bukowski, ChurchillWinston Churchill, and Marcel Proustproust were all famous for churning out pages while lying in bed. Novelist Truman Capote also wrote everything in longhand in the horizontal position. Don’t forget, proper rest is crucial to creativity, so if you’re already there, why not grab the laptop and give it a try?

2.Take a walk or bike ride without a destination in mind.

Charles Dickens and Henry Miller both used to wander around Europe trying to get lost, a technique that psychologists say can foster creativity. Continue reading “Do You have Strange Rituals when Writing?”

“No Problem”, I Cringe Every Time I Hear It!

Good manners are either disappearing altogether or are being bastardized by pop culture.  What’s with the response, ‘No problem’ when I thank someone?

As long as I’ve been alive courtesy dictated that when you/they said …..    thank Then you/they would reply, ‘You’re welcome’. 

In the past few years ‘you’re welcome’ has been replaced with ‘no problem’. (cringe)
‘You’re welcome’ says ‘I was glad to do it’,  ‘you are welcome to the (whatever) I did for you’, ‘I was happy to be of service’. 

‘No problem‘ (cringe) implies to me that maybe it was a problem but ‘I’ve been hired to say, no problem‘.  That it was a little problem but manners dictate that I tell you it was no problem. You are a problem and I’m just too polite to say so.  I ask you… Is it just me?
Continue reading ““No Problem”, I Cringe Every Time I Hear It!”

A word Deserving of Its Own Post! ‘Crapper’

Anyone who has been in the military or has lived with a military man has heard the crude slang, ‘Crapper’ for ‘toilet’.   “I  gotta use the crapper.”  “I’m in the  crapper!” “I gotta take a crap”. You might be asking,  Okay, Trish, why are you writing about toilets?  Because I love the origin of words and the research is so much fun. 
Did you know that there was a man named ‘Crapper’ and he was a plumber?  Who owned a plumbing company in the 1800’s in England?
I was reading a wonderful mystery crpper.toiletrecently that gave credit to Thomas Crapper for the unique flower-patterned wash basin and the porcelain toilet fixture.   I was certain that the slang ‘crapper’ that graces our language,  must have originally referred to the inventor of the toilet, Mr. Thomas Crapper, Esq., plumber to kings!  But, alas…..I was wrong…
Continue reading “A word Deserving of Its Own Post! ‘Crapper’”

How Do You Know When you’ve Lived Too Long?

senior3I  got to thinking….the world is passing me by …I can’t keep up ….my knees are too bad.  So when do you start to think ‘maybe I’ve just been around too long?’  Here are some clues:

when you don’t know any of the songs on American Idol

When you don’t recognize anyone on the ‘red carpet’

When you put your cup of coffee/tea in the frig instead of the microwave to warm it up

When you’re very good at opening childproof caps…. with a hammer

When you take a nap at 4 in the afternoon against your will

Continue reading “How Do You Know When you’ve Lived Too Long?”

Being a Serious Writer is Lonely Work!

writersIt struck me this morning (and other mornings) that writing is a lonely job.  There’s nobody patting you on the back after you’ve written an exceptional chapter or verse, or sentence.  You can’t count the people who love you because they love you and will always tell you, “It’s Great!”
If you look back to my interviews with other authors you’ll see that they too, no matter how famous, are sitting in their space trying to write the next brilliant thing….just them and their tablet or computer or notebook, their faithful dog or bird or cat at their side, ALONE!  It’s a daunting experience and hard work.  What if you’re not good enough?  What if no one wants to read your stuff?  What if someone laughs?
Continue reading “Being a Serious Writer is Lonely Work!”

Wishing you the Best Holiday Season and Happy New Year!

I ran through this bush and it came home with me
I ran through this bush and it came home with me

My two Golden Retrievers, Gus and Rocky and cat, Fiona (dog dressed in a cat suit)  and I want to wish you the happiest of Holiday Seasons!!

These photos are from many family/dog albums of people who have discovered the special love and devotion that only a dog can give you….especially a Golden.

My three (to date) Goldens were rescued and I adopted them from “Grateful Goldens“, a tri-state rescue organization.  They vet YOU thoroughly and they have vetted the dog you are going to bring to its ‘forever home’.

Continue reading “Wishing you the Best Holiday Season and Happy New Year!”

‘Brave’…Brilliantly Written…an Overdue, Alternate Ending to Prince Charming

braveI don’t really know why I’m writing about this topic…could it be because the writing for “Brave” was so exceptional?...filled with double entendre like the Mama Bear fighting to protect her ‘cubs‘.  Once in awhile I enjoy a good Disney animated film. And I hadn’t seen the advances of animation in a long time, so I rented ‘Brave’.

We all know the timeless, underlying theme, the girl is looking for her Prince Charming.  Her Prince finds her, usually rescues her and they live happily ever after. Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella, Snow White, Peter Pan, Lady and the Tramp, Robin Hood, The Little Mermaid, the list goes on and on.

God knows that’s how I was raised; that my Prince Charming would come someday and I too would live happily ever after.  After all, when all was said and done, every movie (in my days of growing up)  had an underlying story with this result and girls of my decade pretty much sat back and waited for HIM.  Now, fifty  years later and three husbands ago, I finally achieved some wisdom and the fact is there are NO Prince Charmings  and all three men that I married were just as human as I was. What a huge expectation I put on them! Continue reading “‘Brave’…Brilliantly Written…an Overdue, Alternate Ending to Prince Charming”

What this Blogger is Thankful For…

Thanksgiving, family, food, thankfulIf you’re an American, this Thursday, you will sit down with family and friends to some rendition of a Thanksgiving dinner.  Or you might decide to give Mom/Dad (whoever the cook is) a break and go out to eat this year.  If you are carnivores you will consume great quantities of turkey, ham, giblet dressing, oyster dressing, stuffed deviled eggs, and football.  If you are vegetarian you will consume delicate, beautiful, tasty dishes made with all the food groups except those that had faces.  Football optional.

A bit of trivia:  Historical records strongly suggest that shellfish, geese, ducks, swans, and venison were the meats of the first Thanksgivings....then referred to as the Fall Harvest Celebration which traditional lasted 3 days.   Here’s how Edward Winslow described the first Thanksgiving feast in a letter to a friend:
Continue reading “What this Blogger is Thankful For…”