Give Thanks...Share Your Talents

 Today, as I waited for the second hour of church to end and choir practice to start, I circled the Relief Society room that doubles as the Stake Center's baptismal room. The room is similar to others with framed artwork lining the walls.

I noticed a piece on one wall, on the north side. It wasn't the subject of colorful flowers in a vase that caught my attention, but the plague underneath. A plaque is there to draw attention to something. It tells the viewer there is something special with this specific work of art.

I walked over, read the engraved plaque.

The plaque worked. It caught my attention, drew me in, and gave me information that I would otherwise not have known.

This particular piece was created and donated by Hazel Rogers Call to the Relief Society of the Garland II Ward. Since I'm relatively new to the area, I have no idea who Hazel Rogers Call is, but the beauty of the situation is I don't need to know anything about her to have the artwork tell its story.

What I do know about her is that she was a giving person. The plaque doesn't tell me if Hazel actually created the artwork...I'm guessing she did. If she's the artist, then it's even more personal. If she didn't, well, she at least gave something to the building she didn't have to give. A selfless act.

Through the large church original paintings and copies of famous artwork hang in rooms and along hallways. They're all special, but for a certain piece hanging in the Garland Stake Center Relief Society, Sister Call's donation means a little bit more.

I'm grateful for Hazel for sharing her talents, be it creating or donating or both. Thanks, Hazel, for the gift.

Behold...The Northern Lights!

 If you're looking at this photo and expecting to see another picture of the beautiful Northern Lights that made a rare appearance over Utah last week, well...this is what you get. Technically, the shot was taken north of our house and the photo includes lights.

The picture is my contribution to the photo library that is "Pictures of Utah's Northern Lights."

My streak continues.

I have a streak of  unsuccessful attempts in catching celestial events with my camera. I've tried to take pictures of lunar eclipses, comets, what have you. Each time, I come up empty because of cloud cover or the camera didn't pick it up. I heard that the Northern Lights were going to be visible from where we lived last week so after it got dark, we went outside and looked north.

Nothing. 

Bummer.

I brought out my Nikon and set the shot for a long exposure. This is what I got. Yes, I was bummed that I didn't get to see the Northern Lights. The fact that I didn't catch it on camera is not a big deal. If I had seen the lights, photographing them would be a distant second.

I remember when I was little, we were visiting my family in Driggs, Idaho. We all gathered outside because they said we should be able to see the Northern Lights. We went outside and looked north. I don't remember if the were there, but I didn't see them. I'd ask my family if they saw anything, but I don't believe anyone would remember. 

I also lived in Northern Europe for two years and I didn't see them, either. I figure one day I'm going to see them for myself...

Last week was not that day.

Going To Build A Wedding Arch...Never Made One Before

 There are things in life that when you go through them, you forget stuff. For example, whenever we brought home a new baby, I remembered certain things. I remembered the feedings, the changing of diapers, but what I always forgot was how much sleep we did not get.

It always slipped my mind, until, of course, from the day we brought them home, I remembered sleep would be a much coveted commodity. 

In our family, we're preparing for a wedding. I've forgotten just how much there is to do to properly prepare for a wedding. Truth be told, we don't have a lot of experience planning weddings. There was the the wedding of my wife and I, but that occurred more than three decades ago. Then, a few years ago our oldest son got married.

Preparing for a wedding as the groom's parents is much different than preparing for a wedding as the bride's parents...

A world of difference.

My daughter wants a wedding arch...not an unusual or extravagant request. We could rent one or buy one, but both options would cost more than if we just built our own. We priced lumber at our local hardware store, did a little math, and we're going to do it. 

I think it'll be a fun project. We need input from the daughter, naturally, to make it like she wants it, or at least like she wants it with our budget.

Building a wedding arch...rest assured, I won't forget doing in the future.

Some People Want To Watch The World Burn...And Others Want A Clean Garage

 From my office window, I have an excellent view of my neighbors yard. Not that I'm stalking, but I notice things from time to time. We all have our little things we do, things that may seem perfectly normal to some, strange to others. My neighbor likes to keep his garage clean, and by clean, I mean, at least once a year they unload everything in the garage, clean it, then put everything back.

I'm kind of jealous, really.

I'll bet when everything is put back into place, they know everything that's inside. I'll bet they never have to search for anything--they just go right to the thing they're looking for and pick it up. What a concept. Point is, it's important for them to do this on an annual basis. It's something they do.

We could do the same thing, clear out and clean our garage every year. It would definitely help organize our stuff. I'd love to be able to know not only what's in our garage, but where it is. It would save so much time. And if we continued that same methodology throughout the entire house?

What a concept.

Watching them work, I thought of something. When my neighbor's kids grow up, there's a good chance they'll follow their parent's example and clean out their garage. Their spouses might wonder why they're doing what they're doing as there is a good chance their spouses did not grow up with that tradition. And they'll say, "My folks cleaned out their garage every year...just something we did. I like it, because I know exactly what's in the garage and where to find it."

And the spouse will agree, it's great.

And their children will grow up following the tradition.

That's just how life is, sometimes...they just want a clean garage.

Good Product...A Little Extra Information Would Have Been Nice

 The process turned out to be anything but simple. And it's not done yet. 

If only...

Several months ago I bought a small trailer that was once the back end of a Datsun pick-up truck. The problem--none of our cars could tow it. I installed a hitch on the back of Donk, the Subaru and was able to bring it home. When you add an aftermarket hitch to a car, you need to figure out how to make the trailer legal, or in other words, how to add working break lights and turn signals.

I thought it would be an easy, and maybe it would have been (easier...) if only I could have seen a small bit of information that appeared on the package I ordered through Amazon. Unfortunately, the dates of the automobile years and models for which this product was no where on the Amazon webpage.

A little extra information would have been nice.

I don't understand why it was missing on the website. I'm sure I'm not the only one who ordered the wrong part. I re-checked the website after finding out it wouldn't work and couldn't see anywhere it was made for a 2010 Subaru Forester. It would work for '98 to '08 models, but not mine. I've often wondered how much returned products cost companies, especially with clothes. For me, I need to try stuff on. Even if things fit, you may not like the look of them. It's why I've thought internet shopping would never fully solve all problems, even though it's getting close.

Thankfully, the return process for returning the product is smooth. I just take it to a UPS Store and they'll send it right back. I've already ordered a new part and I made sure it covers the 2010 Subaru Forester. 

At least, I think it does...I won't know for sure until the earliest date of May 2nd.

It May Be A Little Thing...But It's HUGE For Me

 Someone I know on social media posted a link to a short story fiction contest. I clicked on it and didn't think much about it. A few days later, I clicked on the still-open webpage...

Then, I thought about it more.

As writing goes, I've been in a major funk, a multiple month funk, even a multiple year funk. It's something I hate to admit, but it is what it is. I just couldn't bring myself to even open a writing program on my computer, let alone work on anything.

Something happened a few weeks ago. I just got sick of not writing. I opened a story I finished two years ago--finished the first draft, anyways. I started some basic edits, one chapter, then another. I've tried to do three or four chapters a week. It should be done with that round in a month or two. It's not much, but it was a start.

I think doing that little bit of editing made me save information on the short story. And because I saved the information, last week I sat down after writing my blog post and cranked out a 4k short story. It's not perfect, it's not finished, but it's a real thing. It's something that I'll submit and hope for the best.

Even if my story's not chosen, even if I get no feedback, I've already conquered a huge hurdle. I've written something. I felt so good, I actually began another short story for another contest that also ends April 30th. I don't know if I'm going to finish that story, but I'm going to try.

I remember a prolific writer tell a crowd of fans and fellow writers that he doesn't believe in writer's block. He says it is basically laziness disguised as an excuse. He's right, of course. I had no one to blame for my lack of production but myself. And when you're a writer who is not writing, the shame can compound upon itself to make matters even worse. 

Since I'm not a full-time author, if I write or don't write, I won't lose the house or fail to make a payment. In some ways, that's good, but in other ways, that lack of motivation makes a difference. I don't know how long this burst of writing will last. I'm enjoying it as long as it does.

Writers Cantina Presenter Spotlight: Steve Diamond...Honestly, Great

 Steve Diamond has been announced as a presenter for the Writers Cantina Writing Convention taking place exactly seventy-five days from today on July 8th.

Believe me...if you're into horror writing and how to do it well, Steve is one presenter you won't want to miss.

Steve's literary stock is rising with current and future projects on many bestseller lists. What makes Steve so successful is he's put in the work. I first met Steve when, in addition to his writings, he was a much sought-after reviewer. I asked if he'd review my book and he said he would, but he gave me a warning. He told me that if my novel was chosen, I'd better be prepared for an honest review, and not just honest, but brutally honest. He told me that good reviews from him can very much help a book, but the opposite an be said if they find my words less than adequate.

I ended up passing on the review, not because his words scared me. It's just something I didn't do. Even thought I didn't know Steve well at all, that little conversation told me one thing--he is honest. What you get from Steve is the real article. He is who is says he is, no matter the consequences.

This is not only a fantastic trait for a reviewer, but for an author as well. 

Check out Steve at the Writers Cantina website by clicking: HERE, and Steve's page specifically by clicking: HERE. Steve and the other presenters are well worth it.