Month: June 2020

What’s Cooking? #Tuesday Tidbit

I was never much of a cook. But after I married Bill, I had to learn. Originally, we agreed he would do the coking, and I would help with clean-up. But three months after we were married, he suffered the first of two strokes that paralyzed his left side, and he was never able to cook again. The following excerpt from My Ideal Partner details my ill-fated attempt at preparing oatmeal under Bill’s guidance.

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Following his instructions, I poured a generous amount of oatmeal into a saucepan and added enough milk to cover it. “How long do I cook it?” I asked after I placed the pan on the stove and turned the heat to medium.

“I don’t know. Till it’s done.”

When Bill did the cooking, he had a sixth sense that told him when food was cooked, I thought as I stirred the pan’s contents. A few minutes later, when it seemed to be done, he said, “Ooh, I gotta pee. Oh, it’s too late. I wet my pants.”

With a sigh of resignation, I turned off the stove and took Bill into the bathroom. It took another fifteen minutes to remove his soiled jeans and underwear and replace them with clean ones. After I settled him back at the kitchen table and returned to the stove, I discovered that the oatmeal had congealed to the consistency of cement.

I added more milk, turned on the heat, stirred vigorously, and served it up a few minutes later. It didn’t taste very good, even with added sugar, but we were too hungry to care. We ate in silence. Finally, I said, “Honey, maybe you should have married a woman who can cook.”

“Come here, woman.” This was what he said when he wanted to hold me, and I wasn’t within reach. I got up and walked around to his right side, and after we embraced, he said, “You’ll learn, sweetie. I love you.”

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This inspired a scene from The Red Dress in which my main character Eve’s attempt at making oatmeal has similar results.

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She poured two and a half cups of oatmeal into a saucepan, covered it with four and a half cups of milk, and turned on the stove burner to medium heat. As she was stirring the mixture, her cell rang.

The caller was Charlene. Oh, great, Eve thought, but she couldn’t send her to voicemail. Charlene didn’t always have the strength to talk. Thinking she could let the mixture simmer for a few minutes without stirring it while they chatted, she answered the call.

“Hi, did I get you at a bad time?” asked Charlene in her usual raspy voice.

“Not really. I’m making oatmeal.”

“Oh, God, remember the stuff they served at CU that passed for oatmeal?”

Eve laughed. “The problem there was that they made it with water. I make it with milk, the way my mother did.”

“Oh, yeah. My mom did it that way, too. You have to keep stirring it, though. Otherwise, it’ll turn into cement.”

“I know, but I wasn’t sure when you’d be strong enough to talk again.”

“I hear you. It seems that lately, the times when I’m strong are getting few and far between. By the way, Brenda and I are getting excited about seeing you and Ashley. My husband, Jon, is also anxious to meet you. There’s plenty of room, so if you all wanted to stay here, you could. And we have a swimming pool.”

Eve chuckled. “Greg and the kids just might take you up on that. Of course, Greg will want to see his family. They’re in Pasadena.”

“Oh, yeah. That’s not far from Valley Village, where we live.”

They chatted a while longer. As Eve was putting her phone away, the kids trooped into the kitchen.

“Ugh! What’s that you’re making?” Julie said, pointing to the congealed mixture on the stove.

Eve sighed. “It’s oatmeal. I’m sorry. I got tied up on the phone.”

“With Charlene?” asked Ashley as Eve poured more milk into the saucepan and stirred.

“Yes, Charlene. They want all of us to stay with them when we go there next week. They have a swimming pool.”

“Cool!” said Thomas.

“Maybe we should have leftover meatloaf for breakfast,” said Julie. “Dad says it’s pretty good.”

“It is good,” said Ashley, “but not for breakfast. Yuck!”

“Ashley’s right,” said Eve, continuing to stir the mixture. “It’s getting better, now, so all is not lost. Ashley, get me the cinnamon out of the cupboard above the microwave, will you?”

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Who is Charlene? Why is she not always strong enough to talk on the phone, and why is she inviting Eve’s family to California? Read The Red Dress and find out.

Also, for those of you who use the National Library Services for the Blind and Print Disabled, The Red Dress is available for download from their site here. Thank you for reading.

New! The Red Dress

Front cover contains: young, dark-haired woman in red dress holding flowers

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In the Garden #Musical Monday

Dr. Crystal Grimes inspired me to share this song today. It was a favorite of my late mother-in-law. I sang it many times during the fifteen years I worked as a registered music therapist with nursing home residents.

During the summer of 2006, while my late husband Bill was recuperating from his first stroke in a nursing home, his mother, who lived in a nursing home in Fowler, Colorado, started declining. Soon, her death was eminent.

One Sunday afternoon, I received a phone call from Andy, the activity assistant on duty at the nursing home where Bill was. She told me that his mother had passed away and he was in tears. Thinking his niece had contacted him instead of me, I rushed to his side, only to find out that his mother hadn’t yet gone. Apparently, Bill had broken down during a church service while this song was being sung. Andy had misunderstood the reason for his tears.

A couple of days later, Bill’s mother did pass. But when I told him, he didn’t break down again, as I’d expected. He must have gotten all his grieving out of his system Sunday afternoon. You can read more about this in My Ideal Partner: How I Met, Married, and Cared for the Man I Loved Despite Debilitating Odds. Now, here’s my rendition of this beautiful song.

By the way, for those of you who use the National Library Services for the Blind and Print Disabled, my latest book, The Red Dress, is available for download from their site here. Thank you for reading.

New! The Red Dress

Front cover contains: young, dark-haired woman in red dress holding flowers

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A Conversation with Yours Truly

Today, instead of a book review, I’m pleased to bring you my interview with Patty Fletcher, owner and operator of TELL-IT-TO-THE-WORLD Marketing. She has recently started a podcast where she interviews her clients about their work. Last week, I sat down with her and told her all about my books and other aspects of my life. Enjoy!

New! The Red Dress

Front cover contains: young, dark-haired woman in red dress holding flowers

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Seen and Unseen #TMI Tuesday

I originally wasn’t planning to do TMI Tuesday this week because I found a couple of the questions strange, to say the least. But after reading Lynda McKinney Lambert’s post, I was inspired. So, here goes.

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What’s invisible but you wish you could see?

Because I’m visually impaired, there are some things I can’t see. For example, on the rare occasion I go to a movie, if I sit close enough to the screen, I can catch most of what goes on. But I can’t read subtitles or most other printed material. So, I must depend on whoever I’m with to read and describe things for me. Our small-town local movie theater doesn’t have audio description.

Would you rather watch your neighbor(s) having sex while you are in the same room or anonymously watch your parents having sex?

I don’t want to watch anyone having sex. I don’t even like reading books with graphic descriptions of lovemaking. To me, sex is a private matter and not relevant to most stories.

For what are you nostalgic?

I long for the days before COVID-19. Although things are gradually getting back to normal here in Sheridan Wyoming, many large gatherings, including our annual rodeo, have been canceled. Although I’m not a fan of rodeos, I understand the negative effect this cancelation will have on our local economy, which is driven by tourism. Normally, I’d be looking forward to band concerts in the park starting in July, but I doubt that will be happening this year. Then again, it could be worse. So, I’m not complaining.

What is an unwritten rule where you work?

Since I work from home and live alone, I have no rules except for when my cleaning lady comes. I ask her to refrain from moving anything because no doubt I wouldn’t see well enough to know where she put it. Most of the cleaning ladies I’ve had have been very good about this.

Which body part do you wish you could detach and why?

I don’t want to detach any body parts. As a caregiver for my late husband, I’ve seen, firsthand, the difficulty caused by not having the use of certain body parts. If you want to learn more, read My Ideal Partner: How I Met, Married, and Cared for the Man I Loved Despite Debilitating Odds.

Bonus: What is the weirdest thing you have seen in someone else’s home?

My brother in Florida purchased a robot vacuum cleaner and named her Peggy. She doesn’t even look like a vacuum cleaner. She resembles a toy flying saucer rolling across the floor. She does pretty well when she’s not hung up on throw rugs and other items that end up in her way.

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Now, it’s your turn. Click here to learn how you can participate. Alternatively, you can put your answers in the comment field below. Don’t feel you have to answer all the questions, especially the second one. It’s a doozy!

New! The Red Dress

Front cover contains: young, dark-haired woman in red dress holding flowers

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