Years and years ago, (sorry, Howie) I saw Howie Mandel do a character named 'Bobby' and have remembered that 'little boy' ever since. He is, without a doubt, one of my favorite characters.
Today, I found a video of one of the routines and just had to share it. For anyone who has or knows little kids, this is such a great re-creation of kids telling stories. It wanders, it rambles, and it is totally realistic.
(Warning: The story finishes a little harshly. Remember, this was many years ago; sensibilities were slightly different. And, after all, little kids are little kids.)
Years ago, I wrote a novel about a woman who inherited a horse ranch from her eccentric uncle. In the process of putting it all together, I did a fair amount of research into ranches and horses. What I didn't research (and should have) is the care of livestock. Horses, cattle, sheep - different species, different needs, different problems.
I mention this because, a few nights ago, I had an idea for another story - about a woman and her daughter, and their collection of animals. This triggered the memory of a baby lamb in my aunt's farmhouse kitchen, next to the stove during one very cold winter. How did my aunt and uncle know how to care for this little creature? What did they feed it? How often? Did it have to have shots? Why wasn't it with the ewe?
Obviously, if I am going to write a story about caring for, in this case, a newborn calf - I need to get educated. So, since I'm really tired of unpacking and putting away, why not start my research?
After a couple of false starts, I found an interesting site that offers cattle suppliesand information about why, when, and how to use them. For example, there is an energy supplement to help calves under stress or when temperatures fall below 32 degrees. (An important thing for me to know, since my stories tend to take place on the chilly Colorado plains.) Then, there are pest-control items, grooming tools, feeders, mineral holders, fencing, and on and on and on. It would be impossible to rely on my memory of family farms from almost 40 years ago, so everything becomes important pieces of the whole. As they are for people with real livestock in real fields and real barns.
I'm glad I found Jeffers Livestock, because I need to know more than just what my characters' animals require. I need to know what supplies cost, how and when to use them, and how to get them from the supplier to the barn. Readers who know are not shy about 'educating' lazy authors!
Oh, my Heavens! I didn't know I had those muscles, or (at least) that they still worked. I know now! Cuz every single muscle in every single body part is screaming at me this morning! I jumped out of bed, forgetting the massive abuse my body has suffered and nearly hit the floor when my legs immediately and completely refused to play. It's gonna be a long, long day.
The majority of our too-much-stuff is moved - Hooray! We have bits and pieces left to bring over - Totally Doable! The old place has to be cleaned before we can turn in the keys - Booooo! Hisssss!
We're trying a new furniture layout - in the interest of a new start in a new apartment. The computer desk is now a divider, blocking the view from the front door and freeing up a huge amount of wallspace. Although it's hard to tell, with 7 years of junk in the middle of the living room, I think this is going to be a nice change. Who knows? I might even stop stubbing my toes on the washing machine.
Then again, with my luck, I'll probably just find something different to bang my feet against.
"Fathers, like mothers, are not born. Men grow into fathers and fathering is a very important stage in their development."
~ David Gottesman
Father's Day is not a big holiday for me. I've never known my birth-father and my adoptive father died when I was two-and-a-half years old.
When my kids were little, it was a lot of fun picking out presents with them for their dad and celebrating the day. I was lucky, also, to have two very special fathers-in-law, who made every day special. Now that they have passed, it's become just another Sunday for me.
"It no longer bothers me that I may be constantly searching for father figures; by this time, I have found several and dearly enjoyed knowing them all."
~ Alice Walker
Mark has several kids; two in Arizona. But, today, we're in the middle of moving and it will be a long tiring day. Hopefully, Mark will hear from his kids between trips between apartments. Either way, it won't feel like much of a holiday.
"When I was a boy of 14, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be 21, I was astonished at how much the old man had learned in seven years."
~ Mark Twain
It's never fun to shop for car insurance. Trust me! What looks good on the outside may be very, very different on the inside. And what works for me may be a bad idea for my neighbor.
We've all seen the commercials where the insurance company flashes dramatic 'savings' amounts on the screen - This driver saved $$$ over this-company and that-company! or You could save up to $$$ by switching to our-company. Technically, those claims are all true - under rather specific circumstances. It's important to know when they're true, when they're not, and - most importantly - when you can take advantage and save money. That requires some basic knowledge and/or research.
In a nutshell, if you have: a good credit rating, a clean driving record, no lapses in auto insurance coverage, own a vehicle without a lien that isn't popular with car thieves, and live in a low-crime zip code, you can get amazing insurance rates. (If you have all of those things, they may be knocking on your door begging you to switch to their company!) For the rest of us, we need a helping hand. That's why different companies have different options for different drivers.
If you have a poor driving record or repeatedly let coverage lapse on your car, 'ABC Insurance' won't cover you. So, you go with 'XYZ InsCo,' which will write a policy for you, and you pay more. Over time, your driving record improves, you maintain coverage, old problems fall off, (new problems don't appear) and you can now get coverage through a 'ABC Insurance.' Your premiums drop accordingly and, sometimes, dramatically.
That's why - You could save up to $$$ by switching to our-company.
Additionally, some of these savings may be like comparing apples and oranges. Policy A for $200/year (don't we wish?) may have slightly less
coverage or a higher deductible than Policy B for $400/year. It's all in the fine print and careful coverage selection. Because slapping any-old coverage on your vehicle is bad. You can end up paying far too much or, even worse, you can end up with too little coverage.
For example:
If you have great medical coverage through your job that will cover you under any and all circumstances, you may not need medical in your auto insurance. (Be very, very careful about reducing medical coverage.)
Conversely, if you've recently lost or reduced work-related medical coverage, you many want to consider adding medical to your auto
policy. There are many levels of coverage available. (It wouldn't take a serious accident to have a serious financial impact, if doctor
and hospital bills aren't covered.)
The Learning Center at 2insure4less.com is a great place to start learning about what coverage is right for you and your family. And how to
communicate those needs to an insurance company. Sometimes, just knowing what to ask or how to ask, can make a big difference.
Mark and I have been wanting to move next door for years. Our front door is right at the end of a walkway and everyone walking by can see right in. This means no open door or curtains, unless we want constant peepers. We also have neighbors on both sides and below who always seem to be the people who love loud music and wall-banging at 2:00 a.m.
If that weren't enough, the walkway itself is shaky. It makes tremendous amounts of noise and shakes the floor when people walk by, which they do a lot. Residents and visitors can't get to the stairs, without passing our apartment. They can't get to the neighbors' unit, without passing our apartment. Some days it seems that everyone in our complex has to pass our apartment to get where they're going.
Finally, our long-term neighbors have moved and we've gotten permission to move into the corner unit. Yay!! No people walking by; no people looking in; and no shaking floors! Hip, hip hooray!!
Now we just have to pack up 6 years worth of stuff and get it next door, along with all of our suddenly enormous furniture. Hmmmm!? Maybe this needs rethinking.
Don't get me wrong - there's a huge difference in having two people in this little apartment, versus three of us trying to fit all of our stuff in here. But, now that Frankie has moved back up north, it's really quiet. On the other hand, I haven't tripped over a bicycle in a couple of days and there's no giant white tiger staring at me from the corner of the living room.
Honestly, I don't blame him for moving back and, if we could get there, would probably seriously consider doing the same.
Obviously, if I am going to write a story about caring for, in this case, a newborn calf - I need to get educated. So, since I'm really tired of unpacking and putting away, why not start my research?
