Did “fewer” get sucked into a black hole?

With the general election over, TV stations have returned to airing commercials for car dealerships and personal hygiene products. Most people welcome this after being subjected to non-stop political mud-slinging for weeks. It hasn’t been easy living in a “battleground” state.

I am glad for a respite from the political ads, but the reintroduction of the usual commercials brings one of my pet peeves back to the surface. Perhaps this stems from the fact that my mother was an English teacher. Maybe I am too sensitive about the misuse of the English language.

I have come to the conclusion this year that the word “fewer” was hijacked from the English language while I wasn’t looking. The use of mouthwash no longer results in fewer germs; it results in less germs. The regular use of toothpaste no longer results in fewer cavities; it results in less cavities. I cringe at these commercials.

Another sore point with me was highlighted last night when I took an online survey about a product that a company is considering offering. I wanted to run out of the room screaming when one of the questions asked me to rate the product as “extremely unique,” “very unique,” “somewhat unique,” “slightly unique,” or “not at all unique.” Something is either unique or not unique; there are not varying degrees of uniqueness.

And don’t get me started on the misuse of “lie” and “lay.” One lies down. One lays something down.

Before I come across as superior to others when it comes to speaking or writing, I admit that I make many mistakes. The words “effect” and “affect” always trip me up. If I don’t have a dictionary handy when I want to write either of those words, I simply substitute another word. Punctuation is my weakest link, and I strive to improve. It is my nature to see the speck in another person’s eye while I overlook the log in my own.

I just hope I never say, “most unique,” “less cavities,” or tell my dog to “lay down.” (Oh no. Does that period go before or after the quotation mark? I just looked up the rule and was reminded that in America we put the period inside the quotation marks, but the British place it outside the quotation marks when the period is not part of the quote.)

another book recommendation

Thanks to my sister giving me an early Christmas present, I finally have a Kindle. The first book I downloaded was Bonds of Courage. Written by Sandy Hill, it is a wonderful work of historical fiction set in Pennsylvania during the American Revolution. The author draws on an intriguing piece of her family’s history and weaves a suspenseful story of war, kidnapping, and the desperate measures people will take in order to save those they love.

Reading good historical fiction like Bonds of Courage inspires me to turn my efforts back to getting the manuscript I’m calling The Spanish Coin published. Maybe 2013 will see that happen. In the meantime, though, I’m transcribing the handwritten Cabarrus County Board of Education Minutes from microfilm. I look forward to writing more newspaper columns about our schools when that research is completed.

While you’re waiting for my historical novel to be published, I highly recommend Bonds of Courage, by Sandy Hill, and I hope she will bless us with a sequel.

Hearing published authors inspires me

A few weeks ago the Rocky River Readers Book Club had the privilege of having Amy Clipston as our guest speaker. Amy writes Christian Fiction and has found a niche in writing about the Amish. If you get a chance, check out her books.

Sunday night the Rocky River Readers’ guest speaker was Anna Jean Mayhew. The Dry Grass of August, her first novel, was published in 2011 to rave reviews. It follows a 14-year-old white girl in Charlotte in 1954 as she learns first-hand how blacks are treated as second-class citizens. Anna Jean (who writes under the pen name A.J. Mayhew), is working on her second novel. I can’t wait to read it!

Who would have thought a little community book club meeting at a church in a semi-rural area would attract two published authors in one year?

What I’m reading

My reading interests run the gamut from suspense to historical fiction to nonfiction. I almost always have more than one book that I’m reading all the time. My current books are Bones to Ashes, by Kathy Reichs, and Half the Sky, by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn.

Half the Sky is not easy to read. I find myself re-reading some sentences or paragraphs because the information is so difficult to take in.

I highly recommend Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide to everyone. Be prepared to be shocked and challenged.

Another book I recommend is The Dry Grass of August, by A.J. Mayhew. She is speaking at Rocky River Presbyterian Church tomorrow night to the Rocky River Readers Book Club at 7 p.m. The public is invited. If you live near Harrisburg/Concord, please come out. It’s not often that we have the opportunity to hear a published author speak and address our questions.

Getting back to research

For those of you who follow my local history column in Harrisburg Horizons newspaper every other week, my article was omitted last Sunday. It should be in the paper on October 7.

I neglected research for my local history column for a few weeks while I spent time making items to sell on Saturday, October 6 at the Harvest Fest at Harrisburg United Methodist Church. This is my first craft fair, so I’m eager to see how it goes. Variety is the spice of life, so I have enjoyed this recent diversion.

Monday will find me concentrating on my local history research and putting my fingers to the keyboard. Reading microfilmed records is tedious but full of surprises. I must psyche myself up to do more of that this winter.

Writing the newspaper column since May of 2006 has been a blessing to me, and I’m thrilled when people tell me how much they enjoy and look forward to my articles. I have enjoyed writing my “Did You Know?” column more than any other job I’ve ever had.

I plan to start blogging a couple of times a week to let you know what I’m working on and what I’m reading. Stay tuned.

A Time for Reflection

Late September is always a time for reflection for me. If my mother were alive, we would celebrate her 100th birthday on Sunday. Ironically, this weekend is also the 35th “anniversary” of my father’s death.

It was not until Daddy’s death that I really gained an appreciation for my family’s history. Genealogy has become an on-again, off-again lifelong hobby. It is rewarding and frustrating. It is never finished, so it is an interest one can enjoy at any age.

As I remember my wonderful parents this weekend, I will again realize how fortunate I was to have them. They shaped my life and my thinking in so many ways and gave me a happy and secure childhood. It is only with age that I have become aware that many children do not have that kind of experience.

I am truly blessed!

Learning to Quilt, too?

Learning to play the mountain dulcimer at the age 57 apparently wasn’t enough of a challenge for me. Or perhaps I’m having a midlife crisis. For whatever reason, this seemed like the right time in my life to do some of the things I’ve always wanted to do.

My new endeavor is quilting. I’ve joined a small quilters group in my community.  We meet monthly. Individually and collectively they have welcomed me with open arms and much encouragement.

I literally had to blow the dust off the old Singer sewing machine. It’s one of those old “thread-it-yourself” models from the 1960s. It took a while for the machine and me to get reacquainted. Thread tension is still a bit of an issue, but I’m confident that the end result will be something of which I can be proud.  Project #1:  a sample quilt made up of a dozen 12-inch square blocks, each block a different quilt pattern.

With Block #1: Roman Square successfully completed, this week I will tackle Block #2: Log Cabin. It is fun to see the various fabrics I purchased for my quilt coming together in blocks. I had not sewn since the early 1980s and had forgotten how exciting it can be to shop for fabrics.

My assignment before the February quilting group’s (Friendship Quilters) meeting is to sew sash pieces of fabric between quilt blocks sewn earlier by other members of the group. With some luck, this piece will turn out to be a table runner to be sold at our sponsoring church’s fall bazaar. Imagine something I helped sew being sold at a bazaar!

My blog continues to be all over the map when it comes to topics. It started out to be a way for me to put out the word about my writing. Life is too short and precious to be lived enjoying only one thing, though. I continue to write a local history column for Harrisburg (NC) Horizons newspaper every other week, but playing the mountain dulcimer and sewing also beg for my time and attention. It is said that a writer writes because he or she has to. I feel the same way about playing the dulcimer. If a day passes and I don’t play this beautiful Appalachian mountain instrument, I feel cheated and my day is incomplete. I play for my own enjoyment. It is one of the most relaxing hobbies I’ve ever had.

I wish for you the same desire to learn new things. Writing, music, and sewing continue to bring new friends and pleasures into my life.

What have you always wanted to do that you have never pursued?

Another visit from Anna Morrison Jackson

This afternoon I had the privilege of having another visit from Anna Morrison Jackson.  Well, not exactly. And I wasn’t hallucinating.  Nora Brooks has two alter-egos.  One is Mildred Childe Lee, a daughter of Gen. Robert E. Lee.  The other is Anna, the widow of Gen. Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson.  The Eastern Cabarrus Historical Museum in Mt. Pleasant, NC, hosted Nora Brooks this afternoon as she did her famous portrayal of Anna Morrison Jackson.  One minute she is Nora, but in the blink of an eye she takes on the persona of Anna Jackson. As usual, the audience members were spellbound by Nora’s superb performance.  I’ve seen it several times, but I never tire of it.  Anna shares different facts and memories each time she comes for a visit.

It was a relaxing way to spend a hot summer Sunday afternoon.

I found the mountain dulcimer tablature for “Ashokan Farewell” online a couple of days ago, so I am happy as a clam. I love that haunting melody, but couldn’t remember the name of it. So many songs to learn… so little time.

Teaching an old dog new tricks

It took me a long time to figure out who I was.  It wasn’t until 2001 that I took my first writing course and started working toward my lifelong desire to be a writer. 

There seems to be a pattern here, for nearly a decade later I took the plunge and purchased a mountain lap dulcimer — something I have wanted since I was a freshman in college. I recently attended a week-long dulcimer school.  It was a struggle but a rewarding experience.  I came home wanting to play the dulcimer all the time. 

My love of folk music dates back to the 1960s. I was fortunate to be old enough then to gain an appreciation of the folk music revival — Peter, Paul & Mary, The Kingston Trio, and others.  It took that interest 45 years to resurface, but I’m now reaping the benefits of playing a dulcimer well enough for my own enjoyment.  Perhaps with practice I’ll play well enough to perform for others.

I wouldn’t want to relive my teen and young adult years, but if I could I would buy a dulcimer as early as I could afford one and I would take a writing course the first chance I got. 

So many hobbies and interests… so little time!

Too much of a good thing

Our drought and heatwave broke around midnight last night.  After 18 consecutive days of 90 degrees or higher, it was in the pleasant 80s today.

With no rain in weeks, everything in the garden that the deer hadn’t eaten was burned up.  This is the first total garden failure I’ve had.  We caught up on rain today, though.  We had 2.25 inches between 12:15 and 3:00 a.m. and another 2.5 inches between 2:00 and 2:45 p.m. this afternoon.

I got the 2,500-word 1849 meteorite article drafted for The Old Farmer’s Almanac, but I need to do some editing before I pitch the idea to the almanac.

Tonight I proofread and submitted my seven-part “Did You Know?” newspaper series to the editor of Harrisburg Horizons weekly newspaper. 

I didn’t finish reading The Testament, by John Grisham for the Rocky River Readers Book Club, but I went to the discussion on Monday night. I want to finish it, even though I know the ending. I hate to leave a book unfinished.

I’m reading Life of Pi by Yann Martel for the Bookends Book Club.  I’m also reading Words That Hurt, Words That Heal:  How to Choose Words Wisely and Well, by Rabbi Joseph Telushkin.