Conversations with Dad

My cousin Bill brought my folks over on Thanksgiving Day. I think it was the first time Dad didn't recognize me. Usually I can see recognition in his eyes, but not that day. Could have been there was just too much going on--we had a crowd. Regardless, it's my own fault--I haven't seen him in a number of weeks.

Sad to see how much he continues to decline. That little sparkle is gone--he had such a fun personality--but now he is increasingly "vacant." There but not there.

One funny moment: On Wednesday, I spent considerable time hunting for the ingredients for creamed onions, Dad's Thanksgiving favorite. You know what stores are like the day before Thanksgiving...crowded! Finally, I decided to make them from scratch. Everyone loved them! My sister said they were the best creamed onions she ever had.

Dad had one helping of the meal, then we took him back to the kitchen for another helping. I spooned them out for him and he shook his head vehemently. "Dad, I worked so hard on these! Are you telling me you don't want any?"

"No!" he said. "Don't like 'em."

You have to laugh!

Well, I mentioned the creamed onions story on Facebook and it turns out quite a few people like creamed onions! So not only do I apologize for bashing creamed onions, but I am going to provide the recipe I used:



Prepare steamed onions (I used a bag of frozen pearl onions and followed directions to steam them off the bag.)

Make one cup white sauce. (Melt two tablespooons butter. Add 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons flour and blend over low heat for 3-5 minutes. Stir in 1 cup of milk slowly. It will thicken and smooth out. Season to taste.)

Cover onions with white sauce and cook for one minute. Add 1/4 cup chopped parsley, a dash of cloves, 1/4 teaspoon paprika. Enjoy!

This Sunday Night!

If you haven't noticed this little book before, it's a very worthwhile read. Even if you're not a dog lover, you'll enjoy it. But if you are...the dog in the story is...such a dog!

Philology: Weird Word of the Day

billingsgate \BIL-ingz-gayt; -git\, noun:

Coarsely abusive, foul, or profane language.

Origins: Billingsgate is so called after Billingsgate, a former market in London celebrated for fish and foul language.

It's a real place! I found these pix of Billingsgate Market:

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hope you are having a great day with your family today! Including those family members with paws.

TGIF: Don't Make a Turkey Mad

This time of year, wild turkeys are starting to roam around our area. They travel in large clumps, walking through yards or down streets in their slow, deliberate way. They can't be hurried...just like in this video. Turkeys are fairly docile, but you don't want to make them mad. Here's a turkey with a little attitude:

Revell Author Event

(From left to right: Kristin Billerbeck, Debbie Alsdorf, moi, Sarah Sundin, Susannah Foth Aughtmon)

Had a great time Saturday at the Revell Author's Event at The Door Christian Bookstore in San Carlos! In fact, writer and photographer Laura Wrede wrote up a story about it in the San Jose Examiner.

Beauty Schmooty

Doesn't this give us all a needed dose of reality? I don't think my self-esteem could take the beating that this model does in this clip. Her face is completely revised to be "ad-worthy." Kudos to Dove soap for trying to redefine America's perception of beauty.

Pink Gloves!

Great video produced by a hospital in Portland, Oregon to help promote breast cancer awareness...passed on by my friend Susan. Love that dancing janitor!

When the video gets 1 million hits, Medline (glove manufacturer) will be making a huge contribution to the hospital, as well as offering free mammograms for the community. Please check it out and pass it on. It's an easy and great way to donate to a wonderful cause, and who hasn't been touched by breast cancer?

If Only They Would Have Asked Me

This post is a great example of why I'm the worst person to go to a movie with--I can't stop editing.

I was showing my sister the new Michael Buble trailer for "I Just Haven't Met You Yet" and now I think they blew it. They should have made the girl of his dreams as the cute check-out girl. Not that there's anything wrong with that beautiful blond bombshell who walks through the store and into his dreams...but I think it would've been a better "story" if the check-out girl was "the one."

Watch the clip and let me know if you agree or disagree. Am I over-thinking? Probably. I'm famous for that.

We Have a Winner!

Drumroll, please! Through a random draw of comments and e-mails, the winner of the Amish cookbook goes to...the person who left this anonymous comment on my blog:

My husband and I just wrote a check for $300 to help cover some hospital expenses for a little 12 year girl who lost her battle with cancer. The family racked up a lot of debt with her sickness. We felt led to ease the burden.

Ah, such irony! The person did a good deed, anonymously. And let me know about it, anonymously. So now I have a dilemma...who wrote this comment? And how will I ever know it's really that individual?

Fortunately, my dear bleaders are an honest lot. So Anonymous, if you are reading this, please e-mail me and let me know your addy. I'll send that cookbook to you asap! suzanne at suzannewoodsfisher dot com

For those you who didn't get your name pulled this time, I promise to do another giveaway soon. Thanks to all of you for the comments and e-mails, and your kind gestures toward others this last week. Keep it going!

Have a great weekend!

Big Week! Big News!

This was a big week! I spent yesterday at The Corner Store in Sonoma, California, for a "Dogs on the Square" event held to benefit Guide Dogs for the Blind. The Corner Store and four local restaurants donated a portion of the evening's proceeds to GDB. I signed books from late afternoon to early evening, met some wonderful people and connected with old friends, and got to pet a bunch of good lookin' pups. The president of Guide Dogs was there, many board members, and quite a few local puppy raisers. The store was packed!



This little sixteen-week-old puppy is named Ginger. Bristol, a working guide, kept one eye on that little puppy. Ginger liked to pounce, I noticed, cat-like.



The funny thing...I was at a desk by the door for my book signing, and there was a wine tasting going on in the store. People kept coming by, talking to me, picking up the book, setting down their glass. I'm sure many customers thought I was one of those author-lush types...sitting there with all of these empty wine glasses on my little desk! ("No! No! They're not mine! Really!" I kept insisting.)

In other news...(good news only, since it's Friday)...

Found out from my publisher that pre-orders for The Choice are over 53,000! FIFTY-THREE THOUSAND! That is so...so...well, words fail me! I just feel very, very grateful! To my publisher, my readers, and mostly, to the good Lord.

Yesterday, I learned that Romantic Times has given The Choice a 4 star review...which is excellent news. Their highest rating is 4 1/2 stars and RT is pretty stingy with their stars.

Even better is their write-up: Fisher kicks off a refreshing new series, Lancaster County Secrets, with characters that are strong, both in body and spirit. They also have weaknesses that develop into strengths with the choices they make.

Can you handle one more piece of good news? Crossings chose to include Amish Peace in their Christmas catalog with a huge block of space. Crossings is a book subscription club that is printing up a special hard cover edition of Amish Peace.

This morning, my 18-year-old looked at the tearsheet and said, "They sure did put a big picture of your face on that ad, Mom."

I gave him a look that read, what does that mean?

He shrugged. "It means they don't think you're ugly."

Wrestling the Turkey

I was in Target last weekend and stunned by how much of the store was devoted to Christmas, a small section to reduced Halloween stuff, and only a tiny little endshelf to Thanksgiving.

To me, that's sad!

When we lived in Hong Kong, I developed a passion for Thanksgiving. It is such uniquely American event, with its own smell and feel different than any other holiday. It wasn't celebrated in HK, for obvious reasons. The kids had school, husbands had work. I missed Thanksgiving and made myself a promise to forever host this special holiday. I love that all-day turkey roasting smell, and sitting down to a traditional dinner surrounded by faces I love. Thanksgiving is a moment in time to remember to stop, give thanks to the Giver, and celebrate family and friends.

So here's to kicking off the Thanksgiving season!

Blogs and Chickens and Amish Casseroles

I received this award the other day from Christian writer and speaker
Jennifer Hallmark. An interesting woman who happens to be a chicken farmer, too. Who knew? Thanks, Jennifer!

And my friend Lynn, who wrote a book called Queen of the Castle (Nelson), made the Overnight Blueberry French Toast for her college son and his friends. Pop over to Lynn's blog to see the results!

Volunteerism

I received an e-mail last week, out of the blue, from a young woman named Michal. She has created a blog called Volunteer Experiences. She wanted to interview me about my work with Guide Dogs for the Blind. We spoke on the phone the next day and this article is the result!

That girl does her homework! She had read other things I wrote, did some fact checking, and sent the post to me for final corrections. Impressive!

If you know of an interesting volunteer (maybe even you?), please pass that info on to Michal at her blog. She's always looking for inspiring stories.

There's just something about volunteerism that is inspiring.

By the way, I'm going to be signing books at the Dogs on the Square Event in Sonoma, California (home of Williams-Sonoma). This Thursday, 4:30 to 7:30 pm, a small part of a larger benefit for Guide Dogs for the Blind. Stop by and say hello if you're in the area!

New Week and New Amish Cookbook Giveaway

Welcome to Monday!

I was walking down a busy street yesterday and noticed a car driving ever-so-slowly, looking for an address. In the car was an elderly couple. Cars were swerving around them, giving them a wave in a can't-mention-on-my-G-rated-blog-gesture. The couple's car slowed to a crawl, trying to cross one lane over to get to the destination. As you can imagine, this did not make the other cars any happier.

Finally, another car stopped traffic so that the elderly couple's car could cross in front of him.

A simple act of kindness by that one passing car, but such a lovely thing to witness.

I could easily imagine my 82-year-old mom driving like that elderly man...trying to concentrate on the street address she needs to find, unaware of how she is affecting traffic. I'm not sure how much longer my mom will be driving (or should be driving) and you could certainly make an argument for the dangers of driving as one's reflexes and quickness are diminishing.

But...there's a part of me that thinks we should all slow down a little and give others' a break. Especially older people like my mom who are trying to hold on to their independence.

After all, we're all going to be there one day. Shady Acres.

Kindness is so attractive. So inspiring. In fact, I'm feeling inspired! In honor of that nice person in the car that slowed traffic, let's have a giveaway this week. I have another Amish cookbook, eager to find a home in someone's kitchen.

Leave me a comment or send me an e-mail (suzanne at suzannewoodsfisher dot com) about an act of kindness you have done this week. Go ahead and brag about yourself! I will love to read about your acts of kindnesses! The only rule is that it has to be a kindness performed this week. No old stuff, no matter how amazing it was.

You have until Friday night to leave a comment! Enjoy your week!

Romantic Times Author Spotlight

Today, Romantic Times posted an author's spotlight on me and the soon-to-be-released book The Choice. It's selling incredibly well in pre-orders...a steady #6 in fiction bestsellers on CBD and #22 on Amazon for Christian romance...which I attribute to a gorgeous cover by Revell. Oh...and a wonderful story tucked in between. :)

Let me know what you think! There's an excerpt from a chapter, too, that hasn't been posted before. Click here to read.

NaNoWriMo

Have you heard of NaNoWriMo? It means "National Write a Novel Month." Some evil person came up with it...to try and force procrastinators to stop making excuses and sit down to write. The goal is 50,000 words in a month.

CRAZY!

If that were me, by November 30th, I would end up tossing out 49,000 words. Only about 1,000 would be worth keeping.

Angela Hunt put this video together about the truth behind novelists' stick-to-it-ive-ness...very amusing!

Slowing Down Childhood

I'm giving a talk to young moms soon called "Slowing Down Childhood." As I was researching info for the talk, I came across these stats:

In the past twenty years, children's free time has declined by twelve hours a week, time spent on structured sports activities has doubled, family dinners are down by a third, and the number of families taking vacations together has decreased by 28 percent.





Are today's kids growing up without time to be kids?

How does your child's childhood compared to yours...structure-wise?

Are you able to the brakes on your family's frenzied schedule? What's your best tip?

I'm interested in your thoughts and suggestions--it really helps me know what direction to take as I work on the content for this talk.

Send me your tips via comments or e-mails (suzanne at suzannewoodsfisher dot com) and I'll add your name to the hat for a drawing. I've just received another box of Amish cookbooks from my Amish friends and I'm eager to share one or two with my bleaders! (Blog + Readers = Bleaders) Plus, my closet is getting full with books again and I need to make room to hide Christmas gifts!

The winner will be announced on Monday's blog.

Thanks, in advance, for being my Bleader! Hope your week is off to a good start.

Monday's Little Bit of Good News

Isn't it nice to have some good news in the news? This weekend's newspapers ran a story about giraffes in West Africa, bouncing back from the brink of extinction. In 1996, there were only 50 left. Today, over 200!



There are nine types of giraffes in Africa, each distinguished by geographic location and the color, pattern and shape of their spotted coats. Ten years ago, it was estimated that there were 140,000 in Africa. Today, giraffes number less than 100,000--due to poaching, war, advancing deserts and exploding human populations.



The animals in West Africa--Niger--are known as Giraffa camelopardalis peralta, the most endangered subspecies in Africa. They have large orange-brown spots that fade into pale white legs.

Their comeback, experts say, has been credited to a combination of factors: concerned conservationists, a government keen for revenue, and a rare harmony with villagers.



What a great way to start the week...on a piece of good news! Too rare, too rare. I think there could be a great market for a TV news show dedicated to just telling us what's going right in this world.

Good stories only, like the success story of the West African giraffes.

TGIF: Dancing Baby to Beyonce

Now here's a baby with rhythm!

Not-so-bright Burglars

CARROLL, Iowa - Police had no trouble identifying two men accused of trying to break into an apartment.

Police were responding to a call about an attempted burglary when they pulled over a car matching the alleged suspects' vehicle.

Inside the car, officers found two men with their faces blackened with permanent marker. Police said the caller described two men with painted faces attempting to break into an apartment Friday night before driving off. Matthew McNelly, 23, and Joey Miller, 20, were arrested at gunpoint after officers were told they might be armed. Neither man had a weapon. McNelly and Miller were each charged with attempted second-degree burglary. Both men were released after posting bond.

Attorneys for the men declined comment Tuesday.


Thanks to MochawithLinda for sharing this story!

Source: MSNBC

Tattoo?

This whole tattoo craze is hard for me to embrace. I once read that tattoos are "permanent evidence of temporary insanity."

Yet they are wildly popular and the trend doesn't seem to be cresting. Tattoos have crossed all socio-economic groups. Well-coiffed clerks at Nordstrom's are spotted with little tattoos on the back of their necks or delicately placed tattoos on their ankles.



But I just don't get the sleeve tattoo.



Today, I was checking out at the grocery store during a quiet stretch when the lines were empty. The clerk had a sleeve tattoo and seemed like a not-too-easy-to-offend kind of guy. And I'm nosy. This was my chance!

I asked him if it hurt during the tattoo process. He said, "Yea. A little. The outlining hurts, but then the area goes numb. It's like getting scratches on your skin."

A lot of scratches. Like, you might have lost a fight with an angry tom cat.

And yes, it did bleed. He said it took about two weeks to heal. Then he surprised me by saying his sleeve tattoo required 20 hours, done in 3 hour sessions. It took a couple of months to get the entire arm tattoed.

Any regrets? I asked.

"Nope. None. I had a lot to express and this is how I was able to make a statement. It gets kind of addictive, this tattooing."

Fascinating! I had no idea that creating a story of self-expression was the purpose of a sleeve tattoo. Kind of like...body graffiti.

Still, I can't help but think that when he is a very old, old man and his tattoo has shriveled up like a popped balloon, he may be a little sorry.

Conversations with Dad

Not long ago, my sister and mother took Dad for a check-up with an Alzheimer's specialist. The doctor determined that Dad's disease has progressed so that, cognitively, his AD is now severe. Dad was unable to answer questions, didn't know where he was, etc.

On the brighter side, Dad was found to be in very good physical condition. That has helped him hang on (he's a scrappy one, that dad of mine) and not succumb to so many of the sad side effects of AD: losing the ability to swallow, for example.

It's odd...it's not that this news of Dad's cognitive condition was a surprise. We knew he had declined significantly in the last two years. Somehow, it felt like getting his AD diagnosis all over again.

You know...but you don't want to know.

This is such a strange, prolonged time...waiting for Dad to pass. None of us want to lose him, but in a very real way, we already have. My sister noticed that we even talk about him in the past tense. I think what makes us most heavy-hearted is that he would have hated this ending to his life. Just hated it! Dad always wanted to drop in the harness.

Oh, the Lord's ways...they are mysterious. And still, we believe.

Monday Pick-Me Up

Except for the "blond dig" (which I object to as I was born a towhead)...this clip is so funny!

Amish Proverbs: Words of Wisdom for a Simple Life

Just noticed my new book is up on Amazon! This is a non-fiction book, releasing on August 1st. Filled with sayings from the Amish culture, short stories, and gorgeous photography. Isn't the cover oh-so-beautiful?!