Mona Karel Author

L. Such a stark letter. One upright, one horizontal support. Unless it’s a cursive L in which case it flourishes and swoops. L is the beginning of the middle of the alphabet. Who didn’t recite LMNOP when calling out their letters?

L can stand for Love or LUST according to Kit Crescendo; Rose Anderson chose Legends or Lies. When I found an article several weeks ago in Parade Magazine, I knew my L would be about Al Pacino, and Letters  This story really is too special for me to paraphrase, so I’ll just get a cup of coffee while you read.

Isn’t that fascinating, reading about the intertwining stories? Have you ever sent or received a letter to/from someone you really didn’t know, that had an impact on you?

I have, and it was a profound impact. Sometime back in the early 1980’s I put an ad in a Saluki magazine about this wonderful old Saluki. Mostly just self indulgent, ‘look at this dog that is now part of my life.’ And I received a letter, asking about the dog, and also about my kennel logo which at that time was “Salukis, Deerhounds, and Dragons.” Seems this person not only admired classic old Salukis but she was as much of a dragon lover as I was, and she wanted to know where my dragons were.

Since then she has become a part of my chosen family. All because she took the time to write a letter.

How about you? What letters have you written or received in the past. For that matter, does anyone write letters any more? Sad to say I don’t. Maybe I should start again. But who could read them?

And here’s the music I’ve been thinking about while I wrote this:

K. Just look at that letter. Straight back, limbs out at a diagonal.Kind of looks like it’s just marching along, doesn’t it? Not easy to write for those whose handwriting best resembles the scratching of a drunken chicken.

KINDLE came to mind. I’m a one click addict, and rely on the opportunity to ‘grow’ the size of the text when I’m tired. It would be much smarter to take a nap, but…so many books, so little time. Which brought me to my KEURIG, that controversial one cup coffee addiction delight. I modified my habit by using pods that are 97% recyclable. I did mention my coffee (ahem) addiction earlier in the alphabet. IN C, OF ALL PLACES!

I thought about KARMA but Stephen Tremp covered that pretty well, don’t you think?

I kept coming back to something I’ve tried to do…not always successfully. We’ve all read about Random Acts of Kindness, right? Nothing ostentatious or extravagant. Just little things like picking up something a stranger dropped…even letting them know it’s been dropped is often a huge help. Putting out water for birds. Planting a garden to help nourish butterflies. Heck, even putting trash in a container instead of on the ground is being kind to others. To Earth as well, so…BONUS POINTS.

Makes you feel pretty good about yourself to do these little things, doesn’t it. Yeah, me too. Then I picked up one of those check out line magazines…the one with diet success stories and chocolate cake bliss recipes. That one, right. And I found an article about AN ORGANIZATION OF KINDNESS. I see that article is repeated on the website, cool.

As the article points out, little things can add up to huge results. Negatively as well as positively, but this Monday we’re going to overwhelm our world with positivity. In that light, I want to share:

Glen Campbell is now in late stage Alzheimer’s. His music will speak for him, against those “Narrow minded people on their narrow minded street.” What more can we do ourselves?

We’re hitting one of those wonderful times in New Mexico. After snow, before flies. Gardening time for those intrepid enough to risk a late frost. Nights above freezing, days in the sixties. Often clear enough to name the stars. And the afternoons perfect to leave the back door open.

But there are still things I miss about California. One being the availability of theater. Our little house was about half an hour away from the theaters downtown, and many of the civic centers had their own playhouses. This is where I first saw CATS, and was mesmerized. Especially by this song:

“Touch me
It’s so easy to leave me
All alone with the memory
Of my days in the sun
If you touch me
You’ll understand what happiness is…”

In this this world of racing about, texting, calling, messaging, sometimes we forget the magic of touch.

Look, a new day has begun

I was busy surviving life when Jimmy Carter was President, which is a reality for so many of us. I heard all the cute stories but for the most part I didn’t have time or energy to become too involved. As my life changed and I evolved, I realized however effective Mr Carter was as President, he was far and away the best former president ever.

We mocked his honest disclosures: “I have lusted in my heart…” knowing previous Presidents had gone much further but the press of that time was far more circumspect than those following. Even so, he was pilloried so many times.

It looks like he agrees his status as former president: JIMMY CARTER: BIOGRAPHY And though not all of his views matched mine I ended up impressed. Never moreso than when I read this:

LOSING MY RELIGION 

“Women and girls have been discriminated against for too long in a twisted interpretation of the word of God.”

Yes, Mr. President. Show people the way…lead us into a more intelligent future. We can only pray someone will follow.

And because I have this need to share music when I think it fits, or just something I like to hear:

And follow that with something to share on a spring day

I found so many renditions, including one with 10,000 (!) singers, but this is a favorite

What better to discuss than Inspiration? Indigestion? Incontinence? Illness? Wow I seem to be on a negative trend! Let’s take a deep breathe (Inhale) and talk about what Inspires us. In writing, in life

I was looking for a way to share this video for my Heroine blog yesterday but got bogged down. Today I found it on YouTube (YAAA You Tube!)

Not only is the message of “You CAN take care of yourself” valuable, (although running away is a much better option if you can!) But the blase expression on the part of the woman (IN HEELS!) is inspirational when it comes to building a self confident character.

Obviously I like to share music, especially when the songs help me tell a story. I don’t always hear the ‘in’ songs when they’re new. But they do come to my attention eventually. Like this one, from Canadian singer Dan Hill (my Canadian friends groaned when I asked if they’d heard of him…apparently a bit TOO MUCH):

Because…it’s beautiful, and it inspires me to keep writing about people who are afraid to reach out and dare to love  “Romance and all it’s strategies leaves me battling with my pride….” Oh yeah.

Seeing cross country jumps inspires me to start back riding horses, but then reality comes crashing down. Those days are in the past…but I can write about them, can’t I?

What inspires you?

H…just look at those proud uprights, arms in the air. That flash of VICTORY.

When I think of HEROINE in a book, I don’t mean the lovely, blushing virginal female who needs to be rescued after she did something incredibly stupid. (DON’T GO INTO THE SWAMP.) I’m thinking more of the female who goes into the swamp even when she’s afraid of mud, because she is needed.

From the 1990 film “Pretty Woman”: Edward Lewis: So what happens after he climbs up and rescues her? Vivian: She rescues him right back.

YES

For Vivian, Edward found the courage to dare heights. For Edward, Vivian found the courage to move on from her past and become the best she could be.

I write about people finding each other, often at the absolutely worst time. Romance. My heroes tend to be men who have seen too much, and suffer quietly. My heroines tend to be stubborn about taking care of themselves, and trying to protect. For Kendra, MY KILLER MY LOVE it was a sacred forest. For Bethany, TEACH ME TO FORGET it was the people whose stories could be so easily lost. For Sydney, A QUESTION OF HONOR it’s Devin, and Stormhaven.

I’m pretty proud of these heroines, and their stories. Then, I met KIMMER REED. Kimmer showed up in the Silhouette Bombshell line, September 2009. Kimmer didn’t wait around to be rescued, she took care of herself and those she cared about. When someone stepped over the line, she shot up his car (great visual, standing on top of his precious car and blowing his engine away) Here she is.

Yeah, one of DORANNA DURGIN’S HUNTER AGENCY books.

Now THAT’s a heroine!

Who are your favorite heroines?

Here we have F…standing on one leg, all proud and balanced. Many words start with F, not all of them suitable for all readers. But we also have Family. Friends. Feminists. Hmmm

I have been blessed with my born into, married into, and chosen families. I’ve had close friends and distant friends and friends I did not value enough when I knew them. I’ve had friends who agreed with me and friends who delighted me with robust arguments.

I’ve had friends I’ve lost and friends who are still with  me. Two legged and four legged. Male and Female. Any and all types, preferences, nationalities. I am the richer for all of them, and hope to increase their numbers.

Feminists…Feminism. By now I’m sure you know I can fall into a rant about how women are treated and have been treated. Through the ages and up to now, women and children draw the short straw when it comes to safety and success.

However.

Throughout history, one side wins, one side loses. The losing side, if not eradicated to the last person, becomes a spoil of war. Enslaved, sold off, perhaps used and discarded. If the winning side was led by a woman, I’m not all that sure the results would be that much different. We are a competitive species, with a tendency to become savage at the oddest of times.

All of which goes back to yesterday’s musings, on Education. Find it, absorb it, share it.

I’ll be hanging out with my friends, sharing a bit of wine or coffee, and definitely stimulating conversation.

the Circle M Ranch is in those mountains

How’s this Sunday going for you? Gathered with family and friends to hunt eggs and share good food, good fun? Wonderful. Family (born or made) and Friends matter. Seriously matter. Hold on to them while they’re here.

Me? I’m enjoying the push into Spring. Might be jumping the season a bit, short sleeves and shorts are a little ambitious for

a visual from last time…this time I’m using a whole chicken!

breezy 60 degree days. Got chilled enough to cover up more, and haul out the crock pot for some CHICKEN MOLE. Oh yum. Sundays are a break from A to Z blogging. Great fun, and really makes me think.

A week or so ago I was thinking about this song. I found it sung by various artists, then I found Dolly Parton. Just When I Needed You Most. People don’t always leave of their own accord but it can hurt no matter why they leave.

Here’s something I found on good ol’ FaceBook, as kind of a counterbalance

I don’t think I could advise any better. Could you?