Thank You, Hip Replacement Surgery, Caregiving

Hello and welcome to the J.Q. Rose blog!

I don't say thank you enough to all of you readers who stop by the blog. I certainly appreciate you stopping in and viewing the pages. I get a kick out of reading the comments. The views validate that I'm not talking to myself!! 

I never want anyone to think I am taking them for granted. That was especially brought home in the last couple of weeks. We all get involved in our lives and mindlessly carry on. Sometimes it's good to be jarred out of the comfort zone to wake us up. My husband's total hip replacement two weeks ago was one of those events that made me stop and take time to reflect on all the things I do take for granted.

Gardener Ted has had a bad hip for years, at least six, but the hip wasn't at the point the doctors wanted to fix it--until now. After surgery, he could walk, but with a walker. When the doc cuts muscles apart to fit in the apparatus to substitute for a hip bone, it makes one pretty helpless.

Surgery

I discovered how much I'd taken him for granted. Basically I'm a caregiver now. He can walk with a walker, but you know what? He can't carry anything if he's hanging onto a walker. Not even a glass of water. (He sure can't take out the trash or clear off the table!) 

Gardener Ted and Me

I have no confidence in my caregiving. I always feel like I should be doing more for him or look ahead and see what he needs. I'm not a warm, fuzzy person who dotes on my kids/grandkids. (I'm not the kind of grandma who bakes cookies for the grandkids. But I do like hugs.)

I don't want to hover over him and nag him about things like being sure to keep weight on the bad hip  and not limp. Finding a balance between hovering and biting one's tongue is difficult.

Have you had an experience that jarred you out of your comfort zone? One that allows you to realize how much you have taken for granted in your life? Are you a caregiver? Any tips on caregiving?

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Gardener Ted is getting stronger every day. He had the staples holding the incision removed yesterday at the doctor's office. The doc showed us the x-ray of his hips. The new one is in the perfect position and looking good. So, it will take time and a lot of work on Ted's part to be back to walking and enjoying his go-getter lifestyle. But he's well on his way. I'll keep you updated on his progress.

Thanks again for stopping in. 

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My New Year's Resolution--Write a Memoir, Bill Roorbach's Writing Life Stories Book Review, Tiny Tidbits on Writing and Life

Hello and welcome to the J.Q. Rose blog!

Fairview Floral and Greenhouses circa 1990
Photo by Cheryl Sneller

My new year's resolution, goal, priority is to write a memoir about our first year (1976) as business owners. My husband, Gardener Ted,  and I were co-owners of a floral shop, garden center, and greenhouses for nearly twenty years. That first year was a year of firsts and a roller coaster ride with giddy highs and crushing lows. But we survived and thrived. My hope in the writing of the memoir is to inspire others who have a dream they want to make into a reality. Perhaps seeing that we could live our dream will help guide and assure others they can do it too.

The photo above is the shop and greenhouses in 1990. We opened the business in 1976 then relocated a block away after building a new shop and greenhouses which opened in 1986.

Writing Life Stories by Bill Roorbach

Okay that's a long introduction to what I really want to share today. I've led workshops on writing life stories and have written little vignettes of my life as I taught the workshops. Now I'm taking on writing a book, I mean a 30,000-50,000 word book about my life. Gulp. I haven't decided if I'll have it published or if I'll just keep it for family members. I guess I'll decide that after it's written to see if I might get sued for defamation of some of the characters in this story. Oh yes, there are some folks who "done us wrong!"

So I've been reading memoirs and studying books on memoir. Writing Life Stores: How to Make Memories into Memoirs, Ideas into Essays, and Life into Literature by Bill Roorbach is eye-opening, thought-provoking, and full of wisdom for burgeoning writers, as well as experienced authors. His literary grade language and insight into what writing really is made me appreciate my choice to become a writer. This book is an inspiring read.

Bill, if I may call him that, brings clarity to the memoir genre. Incorporating rules of fiction writing with non-fiction events is an art. I soaked up every bit of the information he shared. He's a teacher as well as a writer and allows us to explore this marvelous genre through writing our own articles as exercises at the end of the chapter. I wish I were actually sitting in his classroom so I could be in a lively discussion with him and students on all the topics he covers.

My vocabulary grew because of his expertise in the English language. I discovered words like "adumbration" and "enjambment." 

These are quotes by Bill I want to keep in mind such as:

In regards to the writer's voice--"Emotion is the sound of a writer's voice."

In regards to writing--"This is art we're talking about, not a job."

I don't usually do book reviews, but this is more of a love letter to this book. If you are looking for a book on memoir-writing, pick this one up. I actually borrowed the kindle edition through amazon Prime's program. You know it had to be worth reading because I broke down and actually bought the paperback book!

Tiny Tidbits for Writing and Living:

Writing Life Stories by Bill Roorbach is definitely a tip you can use even if you're a writer and not even planning on penning a memoir. I had planned to just include this book in the tiny tidbits, but as you can see, the topic is neither tiny or a tidbit. I decided it needed more space, and so the tidbit became a blog post! 

New Words to Me--Sorry if you already looked up these words--or you may already know them anyway--but I added the definitions from dictionary.com for you if you are curious about the meanings.

adumbration--
verb (used with object), adumbrated, adumbrating
1.to produce a faint image or resemblance of; to outline or sketch.
2. to foreshadow; prefigure.
3. to darken or conceal partially; overshadow.

enjambment

noun, plural enjambments 

1.

the running on of the thought from one line, couplet, or stanza to the next without a syntactical break

Use hair spray to get ink out of clothing. Spray and blot.

Strawberry Pie Recipe, This Week, Gardener Ted

Strawberry Plants are blooming...

Hi from Michigan! 

We have been dreaming about Michigan strawberries since we arrived home mid April. The photo of blooming strawberry plants in our garden above was taken mid-May. Oh the agony of waiting. Even our granddaughter checks the plants every time she comes over. "When will the 'stwahbehrries' be ready," she wails. 

Big News! Gardener Ted announced this afternoon he was going to pick a few berries tomorrow! Hallelujah!! Soon they will be in full production and I can make all things strawberry.

Strawberries picked in June 2014

I'm sharing my Strawberry Pie recipe again on the J.Q. Rose blog because it is so easy and so delicious. And to tell you the truth, thinking about making the pie makes the waiting more bearable.

My friend, Trude, gave me the following recipe for Strawberry Pie.  Trude passed away, but she lives in my memories and through sharing this recipe with friends and readers. Enjoy!

Trude's Strawberry Pie

Recipe for a 9" pie

Place about 1 pint of strawberries whole, not cut up, in a 9" pie shell.

Stir together in a pan--1 3 oz box jello, 1 cup sugar, and 3 T. cornstarch.

Add 1 1/2 cups water to the mixture and cook till thickened--It will start to boil and get clear. Stir constantly. This takes awhile, so be patient.

Pour mixture over strawberries. Refrigerate after one hour.

Serve with whipped cream or ice cream or both!!

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THIS WEEK:

Thursday, June 11--Join us on the Travelogue as Rachael Kosinski takes us to Peru. She said she spent nine days running around Peru surviving on high school-level Spanish in 2013. You DO NOT want to miss this trip!

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Need some tips on starting your garden? Check out Gardener Ted's

Quick Tips on Vegetable Gardening: Starting Your Garden.

Review

5.0 out of 5 stars Simple to follow-quick tips February 20, 2015

By S. Roan

Verified Purchase

Love the easy flow and down to earth approach! Great tips from tried and true gardening. New gardeners and the more seasoned can find helpful ideas to utilize.

Travelogue: Signs of Spring from South to North

Lilies blooming in our Florida yard mid-April 2015

Hello and welcome to the J.Q. Rose blog. Yes, we are back home in beautiful Michigan. The countryside is just waking up to spring. We arrived to sunny skies and warm temperatures (about 70 degrees F/21 C). Of course we won't mention the rain, cool temps, and  snowflurries forecast for mid-week. We are delighted with this rare treat.

The Snowbirds-Author J.Q. Rose and hubby, Gardener Ted

We had an uneventful 1300 mile trip from Florida to the North country. And that's the way we like it!

Our route home from Florida to Michigan
Find lots of maps at mapofusa.net

We left lush, green Florida landscapes and colorful flowers and the beaches teeming with sun-loving visitors. We knew we'd pass through spring in its various stages as we drove north. Take a peek at the signs of spring we spotted on our journey home. 

Please remember these photos were shot "on the way" north. Yes, through the windshield of our 70 mph speeding pick-up truck. You may have to squint to focus in on some of them!

We had to say good-bye to our Florida neighbors and their beautiful geraniums. 

Nickajack Lake picnic area near Jasper, Tennessee.
The park has a lovely campground.
Can you imagine how busy this place must be in the summer? 

I bet there are a LOT of fish in this lake.

On this trip we discovered the annual National Cornbread Festival 
which is held in South Pittsburgh, TN, just a few miles from Nickajack Lake.
The Lodge Cast Iron factory is located in this small town.
This company is world-renowned for their quality cast iron cookware.
Hey, if you have no plans this weekend, April 25-26,
you can attend the cornbread festival!! 

You can see we are in leafless country,
but with buds showing on the trees and green grass growing.

Yes, we endured traffic congestion in some of the cities we passed through.

And lots of construction!! The orange barrels kind of ruined the scenic areas!

Redbud trees, a sure sign of spring in Tennessee.

This flowering tree graced out motel room in Indiana.
Gorgeous yellow forsythia were also blooming.

The farmers are getting ready to plant, definite signs of spring in Indiana.

At last, we are near home. All the fruit orchards are nothing but branches and trunks.
No signs of life.

Notice the sparse green grass and no leaves on the trees. But spring will come.

The promise of spring is alive and well in our yard.
The hyacinths are growing and the tulips are budding.

Daffodils are a welcoming sight. They just make my heart happy with their bright yellow blossoms. Pure spring joy.
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So how far are you into spring? Flowers, leaves or no leaves, or are you in the part of the world just entering fall? What IS your favorite season of the year?

Be sure to fill in the "Follow by E-mail" box so you won't miss a blog post on the J.Q. Rose blog. Thank you!

Martin Luther King Day, From Blog to Book, This Week, Giveaway

Today we remember and honor Civil Rights activist, 

Martin Luther King, Jr. 

His dream may not be completely realized, but because of his vision, we have made great strides 

and continue to work on equality for all.

Working on my mystery novel

Good Monday morning to you! I'm all revved up with so many plans for writing projects in 2015. I moved from my desk to the dining room table to have my notes and pages easy to grab at a minute's notice. 

In this photo I am working on the mystery. Deadly Undertaking. Yes, it takes place in a funeral home. This is probably the biggest challenge I've faced in fiction writing with a story that includes, wait for it,...mystery, romance, AND paranormal. I'm having so much fun with it. My dear main character, Lauren, has sooooooooo many problems. I'll tell you more about it this month as I prepare the ms for submitting it to a publisher. 

After reading through and re-writing the ms two times and discussing it with my crit group, I have decided to let the story rest. When I get away from it for a couple of weeks, I will return and study the elements of the story with fresh eyes. Do you do that too? I still think about all the possibilities during those two weeks, so I guess that's not exactly letting it rest. Needless to say the characters are always with me! 

During this two weeks, I have not quit writing. Oh no. I'm in another project very close to my heart AND I have a co-author. My dear husband, (DH), who shall be known as Gardener Ted, is advising me on our new series of booklets on gardening tips for writers. 

Gardener Ted's Harvest

I've heard about many folks who turn their blogs into books. I understand Word Press has a plug-in that will do it for you. I wrote a blog for several years about gardening, The Garden for Eatin', but stopped when I had to start marketing my fiction. I missed it.

After writing mysteries and romance, I'm glad to be in the real world again! I enjoyed my life as a freelance writer with featured articles in newspapers, magazines, and online magazines. Getting entertaining information into the hands of readers is very satisfying for me. So, the idea of turning the blog into a series of gardening books was born.

I'm excited to have my DH involved in the series. He IS a gardener. Not just a hobby guy. He is immersed in gardening. His dream was to garden twelve months out of the year, and now he is doing just that. We have an enormous garden up north and a smaller raised garden in the winter in Florida. 
With his knowledge derived from a lifetime of gardening, and as a greenhouse grower and garden center business man, he is a go-to guy for tried and true tips for gardening. 

Spring Garden in Michigan

My plan was to copy/paste those brilliant blog posts into a ms and publish it to Amazon. Sounds simple, doesn't it? Not quite. Funny how my writing has changed a bit in the last three years. I have re-written and added to the posts, so the little project has grown. And I love it! 

Have you tried working your blog posts into a book or article? Please leave a comment and let us know about your experience.

I hope to have the first book in the series, Starting a Vegetable Garden, done in a week. I plan to begin promoting it the first week of February, especially since the gardening season begins soon for most folks in this part of the world. 

I need to design a book cover for the series, but I have a problem. I haven't settled on a title for the series. With an eye to marketing, I'm trying to use keywords in the title as experts tell us. Here are a few ideas. Quick Tips for Vegetable Gardening, Tips You Can Use for Vegetable Gardening, Gardening Tips for Growing Vegetables, Quick Tips for Growing Your Vegetable Garden. 

Can you help me name this series? I'd appreciate your input.

This Week:

Romance and Mystery Authors on Writing series

Thursday, January 22--Award-winning romance author Helena Fairfax shares helpful writing tips on character and structure for the series, Romance and Mystery Authors on Writing.  Join us as we celebrate her just released romance, A Way from Heart to Heart. She will give a $5. Amazon Gift Card to a lucky commenter. 

Just released, A Way from Heart to Heart