Tag: My Ideal Partner

Those Rotten Rockies #Book Excerpts

With the World Series starting this week, I can’t help thinking about my late husband Bill’s adoration for the Colorado Rockies. This baseball team didn’t always do well. After an especially tough game, Bill would say, “The Rockies are rotten to the core.” But the next day, his ear would be glued to the radio, paying attention to every pitch, catch, and the rare home run.

In 2007, the Rockies made the World Series. They played against the Boston Red Sox. Bill was in his element, sitting in his recliner with his radio broadcasting each day’s game. He’d suffered two strokes that paralyzed his left side, and we’d just realized he would probably never walk again. So, the Rockies’ good fortune couldn’t have come at a better time.

Unfortunately, the players must have let their World Series-making victory go to their heads because the team lost almost every game. When it was finally over, I expected Bill to say, “The Rockies are rotten to the core.” But he didn’t. Life went on. You can read more of our story in My Ideal Partner: How I Met, Married, and Cared for the Man I Loved Despite Debilitating Odds.

Bill’s boyish spirit and unwavering support of the Colorado Rockies inspired a minor character in my new novel, The Red Dress. Thomas, my main character Eve’s son, is thirteen years old, and is an avid fan of The Colorado Rockies. In the following excerpts, he demonstrates his frustration after attending a game where they lose, then his eagerness to see them play in Los Angeles while the family is planning a trip to California.

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A few minutes later, as Eve was starting to unload the dishwasher, the back door opened and in came Greg and Thomas, followed by Ginger, who pranced about, wagging her tail.

Greg appeared subdued, and Thomas looked miserable.

“What happened?” asked Eve.

“The Rockies are rotten to the core,” said Thomas.

“In other words, they lost big time,” said Greg.

“Oh, honey, I’m sorry. What a way to end your birthday, huh?”

“They were way behind by the third inning and stayed that way throughout the entire game,” said Greg. “I wanted to leave at the seventh inning stretch, but this kid still believes in miracles.” He patted Thomas on the shoulder.

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“Dad, I think the Rockies are playing the Dodgers in L.A. next week. Can we go to the game?”

“We’ll see,” said Greg. “Wait a minute. I thought you said last night the Rockies were rotten to the core.”

“They’ll do better,” said Thomas. “They were just in a slump last night.”

“That’s the spirit,” said Greg with a grin.

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New! The Red Dress

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Birthday #Poetry

To commemorate National Poetry Day, here’s a poem from My Ideal Partner: How I Met, Married, and Cared for the Man I Loved Despite Debilitating Odds. This Friday, October 18^th, my late husband would have turned 76. I wrote this on his 70^th birthday during the last month of his life after he moved to a nursing home when I could no longer care for him at home. Click on the poem’s title to hear me read it.

BIRTHDAY

Gray hair against white pillow,

lips caress my cheek,

his good arm encircles my shoulder.

The odor of peanut butter

scent of his shampoo comfort me.

Seventy years old today, he says he loves me,

kiss soft against my cheek,

as we hold each other,

for who knows how long.

New! The Red Dress

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The Sound of Music Medley #Monday Musical Memories

When I was in second grade, I was first introduced to The Sound of Music while hanging out at a friend’s house on weekends. Her family had the soundtrack, and we listened to it a lot. In fifth grade, I sang in the school choir, and we performed “Climb Every Mountain” for graduation. In seventh and eighth grade glee clubs, we used variations of “Doe Ray Me” to warm up before practicing songs we would perform.

When I worked as a registered music therapist in a nursing home, one resident liked to yodel. So, I sang “The Lonely Goat Herd” with her. I wasn’t the best yodeler, but she sang along with me and seemed to enjoy it.

A couple of years ago when I started entertaining at an assisted living facility on a regular basis, one lady told me she’d lived in Austria when they were filming The Sound of Music, and her favorite song was “Edelweiss.” So, I sang that song for her every time. She has since passed away, but I still perform the song there occasionally.

The Sound of Music was my late husband’s favorite. In My Ideal Partner: How I Met, Married, and Cared for the Man I Loved Despite Debilitating Odds, I describe the agonizing process of getting him to sing with me, which the speech therapist recommended. Before his strokes, he was a pretty good singer. But afterward, although he could intone the words in the right rhythm, he couldn’t carry the tune.

Now that he’s gone, I enjoy singing songs from The Sound of Music because it brings me closer to him. I hope you also enjoy my medley of songs from this precious musical. May your hills always be alive with the sound of music.

Sound of Music Medley

New! The Red Dress

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Lay Down Your Weapons and Lie on the Couch #Essay

In my new novel, The Red Dress, my main character’s mother used to be a librarian before she developed Alzheimer’s and ended up in a nursing home. Now, she’s fond of correcting everyone’s grammar. When aides ask her if she’s ready to lay down, she says, “No, I want to lie down.”

When I was my late husband’s caregiver after he suffered two strokes, we would often have a similar conversation. He would say, “Can I lay down?”

I’d say, “No, I will lay you down. You can lie down, but you cannot lay down.” He’d only laugh, and the next time he was ready for a nap, the conversation would be repeated. He wasn’t losing his memory. He just loved getting my goat by using incorrect grammar. You can read more of our story in My Ideal Partner: How I Met, Married, and Cared for the Man I Loved Despite Debilitating Odds.

The use of “lay” and “Lie” can be confusing. So, here’s one way to look at it. You can lay down your weapons, but if you want to take a nap, you need to lie on the couch.

! The Red Dress

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The Letter That Changed My Life #Book Excerpt

According to Your Daily Poem, this past Sunday was World Letter Writing Day. These days, who writes a letter with pen and paper, puts it in an envelope with a stamp, and deposits it in a mailbox? Well, in 2005 before we were married, my late husband Bill did just that. At the time, he was living in Fowler, Colorado, and I was living here in Sheridan, Wyoming. The letter he sent me was quite a shock, as you’ll see in the excerpt from My Ideal Partner below.

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“Dear Abbie, I’m writing to ask for your hand in marriage,” the letter stated.

“Oh, no,” I said, as the index finger of my right hand scanned the Braille words on the page.

It was a Saturday evening in January 2005. This was all a bad dream, I thought, as I sat in the living room of my apartment. Any minute, my alarm clock would ring. I would wake up, and everything would be as it was before. Instead, the talking clock in the bedroom announced that it was 8:30.

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How about you? Do you still write letters the old-fashioned way?

New! The Red Dress

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