I LOVE putting together jigsaw puzzles. If you’ve followed my blog for a while, then you already know this. You could say that I’m addicted to them. I find that putting pieces in place relaxes my mind and gives me a feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment. Plus, I think they help keep my brain sharp.
I’ve been gifted quite a few puzzles (thank you, Julie–my sister, and several other friends), and I’ve purchased many more. Some puzzles I buy new, however, I love finding them at antique malls, yard sales, and Goodwill. Of course, when I purchase an already opened box, I resign myself to the fact that pieces may be missing. Or better still, will likely be missing! Whenever I get down to the last few pieces in the box, I wonder…will I have them all?
Whenever I put that last piece in place, I do a little happy dance. Not literally, but internally. Lots of joy!
Recently, I came across something I’ve never had happen before. While putting this lovely puzzle together, I kept grabbing a piece out of the box that I swore I could place. The area that had similar colors and design was nearly completed. However, I couldn’t find a spot for the piece, so I’d toss it back in with the other pieces, assuming I’d eventually find where it went.
I finished the puzzle, and that one piece remained. How could that be? I stared at the lonely thing. This particular puzzle had come from Goodwill, so on one hand, I was thankful that all the pieces were there, but where did the extra piece come from? My first assumption was that whoever donated it had inadvertently tossed in a piece that belonged in another puzzle box. But the piece had the design, shape, and texture of that completed puzzle.
I showed the puzzling piece to my husband and even indicated the area of the completed picture where I thought the piece should have fit. He agreed with me. He then pushed it to the exact part of the picture that it seemed to belong. Low and behold, it was a duplicate piece! Is it possible that when it was manufactured, a piece belonging in another box jumped ship and joined my box? Did someone out there purchase a puzzle that ended up missing this piece? Hmm…
So, yes, I’m puzzled. I’m thrilled that I have all the pieces to my puzzle, but I feel badly for whoever was shorted. I’ve had that happen before when I finished a newly purchased puzzle, but in those cases, I accepted that my dog likely got hold of a stray piece and ate it. It can happen! I’ve found half-eaten ones in his dog bed, and that has made me more careful when working my puzzles.
Oddly, I didn’t have the heart to discard my extra piece. When I took the puzzle apart, I kept both identical pieces. I imagine that the next time I put this puzzle together, I’ll smile at my ‘extra’ piece and remember just how puzzled I was about its existence.
I’ve written many posts over the years, and I know I mentioned the Partridge Family at least once in previous posts, but here I am, ready to talk about them again. Soon…
The 70s really were my era. I wholeheartedly embrace those years. I became a teenager during that decade, and I still get all mushy inside when I hear certain songs that remind me of those initially ‘uncomfortable’ junior high dances. I was the tallest girl in my class, and it was nearly impossible to find boys tall enough to slow dance with. It wouldn’t have been an issue if I didn’t mind having a boys face eye level with my chest. At that time, I barely had a chest at all, still… A girl had to set standards! Fortunately, their were two boys tall enough to accommodate by long, lanky form. Thank you, Brent and Terry!
I’ve been listening to a lot of 70s music lately, singing my little heart out, right along with the radio. Thanks to a free trial of satellite radio that I received when I got a new ‘used’ car, I found a station that plays only 70s music. Woo-hoo! This girl is dancing again! Not in the car, but I wanted you to understand my enthusiasm.
I’m surprised how many lyrics I remember. Of course, it helped that I sang in several bands for a while that covered some of those songs. There’s just something about a song that lingers in the brain longer than anything else. I’m sure you can recall certain commercial jingles from ‘way back when.’ Somehow, by putting music to words, our brains retain them better. That comes in handy for opera singers!
All that brings me to the Partridge Family. Since I’ve been listening to the 70s station for about three weeks now, during that time, I’ve only heard one Partridge Family song. I Think I Love You. Yes, it was probably their most popular song, but what about Echo Valley 26809? Or Rainmaker? Or how about Point Me in the Direction of Albuquerque? (Whew! Can’t believe I spelled that right the first time!) If you’re from my era, you’re probably singing those songs in your head right now. Do you have a favorite?
Granted, the only members of the Partridge Family who actually sang were David Cassidy and Shirley Jones, but still…those records shot up the charts! We should be hearing them on all the ‘golden oldies’ stations.
To my utter joy, I recently discovered reruns of The Partridge Family on Tubi. My husband rolls his eyes when he walks in and hears me singing along with the TV. He’s nine years older than me, and he doesn’t share my passion for ‘my’ decade. He’s a Beatles fan! Oh–and Rod Stewart. I like them, too, but they don’t tug at my heart the way the Partridge Family does. Well, maybe sometimes they do. It just depends on the song.
For a time, I tended to flip on the news when I wanted background noise in the house. I’d even listen to it in the car. I like to stay informed, but listening to so much negativity brought me down. I still keep up with current events, but I’d rather ‘Get Happy!’
The older I get, time has somewhat smooshed together. It’s hard to remember some exact dates, so I don’t recall the year I went to Nashville and saw David Cassidy in concert. It had to have been at least twelve years ago. I felt like a kid again going to that concert. I took an old poster I had of him, hoping for a possible autograph. I was so foolish. I left that concert feeling sorry for the man. Women my age crowded the stage, trying to reach him. I was afraid to get close to that mob, let alone lift my poster and pen toward David. The women acted crazy, and it interrupted his excellent performance. It got so bad that he stopped singing and said something to the effect of, “do you really expect me to go home with you? I’m married, you know.”
It broke my heart that he died so young. I wished I could have told him how much his show inspired me in my youth. I was young and innocent (only eight when the show first aired), and at that time all I knew was that I loved their music. My mother searched all over Seattle to find me a tambourine like Tracy’s. Little did I know that her tambourine didn’t actually jingle. It makes sense to me now. They lip-synced after all, and they couldn’t have the sound of an off-tempo tambourine messing things up. Still, I believed it was real back then, and that’s what mattered. A friend and I would put her record-player speakers outside her front door, and we’d stand on her porch and sing along to the Partridge Family. I’d play that tambourine like there was no tomorrow and belt out the words to the songs. I still have the tambourine, but it sits idle. I tried to play it when I was singing with the band, Jambeau, but our drummer told me I was off beat and I needed to let him keep the time. (grin) He made me promise to leave it home! I should have found one that didn’t jingle. At least then, I could have looked the part.
Still, I became a singer, and now I’m a writer. I pour out all the heartfelt songs I once sang, and I weave the memories they provoked into my work. Sometimes, I do actually sing. Music brings memory-packed joy and takes me back to my youth. I may not be up on a stage any longer, but I love sharing my experiences. I hope that this post has taken you back in time. Maybe you were a Partridge Family groupie like me! I just hope you don’t end up being one of those crazed women I saw at that concert. If you are, I do understand. We all want to embrace what makes us happy, and David Cassidy turned many heads. I was too young to have my head turned the way the older viewers saw him. I thought he was cute and I loved the way he sang, but I was thoroughly smitten with Donny Osmond. That’s another story! I got to meet him face to face. Almost got a hug. Sigh…
That’s me with Jambeau in 1992! Our drummer, Ted Williams, could play the bass guitar and drums at the same time. He sang, too! Chuck Borris played the guitar and sang. We had a great time working and singing in harmony at the Coeur d’Alene resort in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, on their floating stage. Great memories with these two wonderful friends! I treasure them and the time we spent bringing happiness to the listeners at the resort.
So, what music takes you back to your best memories? I’d love to hear your comments!
If you haven’t had the chance to read “His Heart’s Long Journey,” this is the perfect time to grab a copy of “Forsaken by Love,” which is the first book in the three-book series. May 7th thru May 11th, you can get a free eBook copy on Amazon! And don’t worry…book one doesn’t end with a cliffhanger like I do in several of my other series. You’ll be happy to find a satisfying ending. However, I hope it will inspire you to move on to book two and three for the continued story of Vern Harpole. He has some incredible adventures!
This series is based on the true story of my friend, Ann Wood’s, ancestor. Annie told me the story when we met for lunch one day, and she kindly gave me permission to write about Vern’s life and helped me with as many details as she could remember from things passed down through the family.
Vern Harpole was only eight years old when his mother left him on the porch of a bakery in Kansas City. She abandoned him and disappeared. Though Vern was taken in and raised by the kind baker and his wife, Vern still struggled with his abandonment. Once he became a grown man, he felt compelled to go West.
This story tells how he found his true love–who had her own troubled past–and how they supported each other and found a way to move forward together.
I imagine that the title of my blog sparked your curiosity, and that’s why you’re reading this right now! I’m not sure what exactly prompted me to choose this for my subject, but it popped into my head, and I decided to follow the inspiration.
Many, many years ago, I worked at a fast-food restaurant. It wasn’t my first job, but it was one of them. I was only eighteen when I worked there, but boy did I learn a lot! I feel everyone should have the experience of being employed by one of those kinds of establishments. It’s not easy work–especially if you’re at a popular location. I learned how to manage my time, and even more importantly, how to multitask.
I’ll never forget when my manager looked at me one day and said, “You have two hands, use both of them.” Honestly, I don’t remember what I was doing at the time, but what she said sure made a lot of sense. Maybe I was restocking condiments. Who knows? Still, whatever it might have been, her words remained in my head. I need to point out that she didn’t say it with any kind of nastiness, she said it with sincerity. She was a great manager–exceedingly patient, kind, and organized. Like I said, I learned a lot at that job.
It might sound silly that up until that point I’d never given much thought to using both of my hands at the same time. Being right-handed, that hand did my school work. I also like to draw, paint, and color, so again, my right hand stayed busy. I didn’t play sports, and if I had gotten into basketball, I might have learned that two-hand-usage lesson a lot sooner. I was one of the tallest girls in the school and the coach wanted me on the team, but I wasn’t a ‘sporty’ girl. I might have had the height the coach wanted, but I wasn’t exactly coordinated.
At this point in my life, I’m extremely thankful that I have two capable hands. I use them every day to type my stories into my laptop computer. I never dreamed that the typing class I took in Junior High would be one of the most valuable courses in all my years in school. I confess that I haven’t learned to master the ‘two-hand’ system on my phone. I watch young people work their thumbs over their screens in lightning-fast precision, texting up a storm. I have large thumbs, and I can’t figure out how they manage to sent readable texts and not just a mishmash of nonsensical words.
So, I may not be a whiz at texting, but I can still type like there’s no tomorrow. As long as ideas keep popping into my head, my two hands will keep flying over the keyboard.
Aside from the ‘two-hand skill,’ something else lingered from the guidance I received working in the fast-food industry. The way I manage my time. It’s hard for me to sit still unless I’m doing something. I can sit and write for hours on end and not even realize how much time has passed, but if I have to sit and wait for a program to load on my computer, I get restless. So, I’ve found things to do whenever I have those brief moments of wait-time. I keep a set of weights on hand. (Yep, weights for the waits!) I do a series of lifts. Using both hands, of course. I do twenty reps of ‘over the head’ and two variations of curls. If the wait is really long, I’ll get out of my chair and do a few other variations. I’m hoping this repetitive activity will keep my arms strong–not to mention avoid having my grandson comment about the ‘jiggle’ under my arms. Thanks to the weights, that jiggle is gone. Woo-hoo!
A friend of mine who has a tax services business also beta reads for me. You might wonder how this fits into my ‘use both hands’ subject. Well…she’s a multitasker, too. I feel bad when I ask her to read for me during tax season, but she’s always willing. When I asked her how she finds the time, she said she keeps the book open on her computer, and when she has to wait for documents to print, she reads a little bit. Sometimes, if it’s a lengthy document, she can read quite a lot. She’s like me. She doesn’t like to be idle.
So, if you find that you’re having a hard time fitting everything that you need to accomplish into your day, ask yourself, “Am I using both hands?”
It’s good to enjoy everything you do, and if you can find ways to squeeze more tasks into the little spaces that can be overlooked, you might find that you’re getting even more out of your life.
I’d love to hear how you find ways to multitask. Please comment below!
I was thrilled to be invited as one of the featured authors at the Civil War Reenactment scheduled for this coming weekend in Ridgetop, Tennessee!
Most of my books are set either right before the war, during the war, or after the war at the time of Reconstruction. When I first started writing, agents, other authors, and publishers cautioned me against choosing this time period to set my stories. However, if you’ve followed my blog, you know that a dream inspired my first series, and from then on, I’ve felt compelled to write about the struggles this nation went through during that difficult time. I believe wholeheartedly that although this was a sad time for our country, it’s crucial that what happened isn’t forgotten. Hopefully, by remembering these events, we can learn from them and prevent them from happening again. If you’re in the area this weekend, come by and experience something you’ll not soon forget!
Here are the books I’ll be featuring!
The Smoky Mountain Secrets Saga. Book one, “Whispers from the Cove,” takes place at the end of the Civil War in Cades Cove, Tennessee. You’ll learn about the struggles of the poor farming families as they try to cope with soldiers from both sides coming into their cove and helping themselves to whatever they please. The families are affected by the war in more than one way, and it forever changes their lives. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06ZYYY5WKA Confederate soldier returns to his Atlanta home to find it burned to the ground and his family gone. Distraught, he hops a train, thinking he’s going west, but wakes up in a hospital bed in Boston, Massachusetts. He fearfully pretends to be mute, so those caring for him won’t know he’s from the South. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00PB84TTOFollow five families in the Southern Secrets Saga as they learn to cope with life in Mobile, Alabama after the war. This seven-book series spans two generations. This series is my dream-inspired work and definitely the steamiest of all my books! This is by no means a ‘typical’ romance series. It takes many surprising turns. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0139LASFSThe River Romance series begins prior to the Civil War, and a good portion of the stories take place on steamboats on the Mississippi River. Each book is a stand-alone and comes to a conclusion. Yet, the series continues the stories of characters you’ll meet along the way. In book three, “Forgotten,” young Billy goes to fight for the Union Army. He’s fallen in love with a mixed-race slave who works for his family, and he’s determined to fight for her freedom. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ZYCQIP0
For more detailed information about all of these books, be sure to check out my book tab!
It’s the perfect time for summer traveling, but with today’s high gas prices, it’s not always feasible. So, here’s an alternative!
Take a journey with me through the pages of “His Heart’s Long Journey!” This series is based on the true story of Vern Harpole. At the age of eight, Vern is abandoned by his mother and left on the porch of a bakery in Kansas City. The kind baker and his wife take Vern in after they’re unable to locate Vern’s mother.
They teach Vern everything he needs to know about baking and running a business. They also grow to love him, and vice versa. Yet, the need to know why he was abandoned troubles Vern, and he can’t let it go. In addition, something keeps compelling him to go West. His life’s journey takes him on quite an adventure.
Today thru Tuesday, July 26th, book one, “Forsaken by Love” is available as a FREE download from Amazon. Here’s a little more about the book!
Since you’re reading this blog, that tells me you do read! Excellent!
I’m curious, do you read books? I’m not asking as a means to tell you to go out and buy mine, (although if you decide to do that, that’s okay, too😊), I’d like to know because I hear more and more that people swear books are becoming a “thing of the past.”
Simply pondering that idea hurts my heart–and not only because I’m an author. Books have played a big part in my life. I have my favorites from my childhood like the “Little House” books by Laura Ingalls Wilder, and “The Chronicles of Narnia,” by C. S. Lewis. I used to love getting those little flyers in school with the order forms allowing us to be able to buy books and have them delivered right to the classroom. What a wonderful treat! I don’t know if they even do that anymore.
As I got older, I still read the previously mentioned books (many times), and expanded to “The Hobbit” and “The Lord of the Rings.” The list of what I’ve read is vast, so I’m not going to put you through reading that. However, I treasure every hour spent with my nose in those pages.
I’ve discussed the subject of declining readers with several of my author friends, and they’ve told me that at in-person events, people will ask them, “When’s the movie coming out?” and go on to say, “I don’t read.” Ouch!
We’d all love to have our books turned into movies, and I hope I see that happen before I leave this earth. However, even if that does happen, I can guarantee that there’s so much more to experience by reading the book and not just seeing the movie. Movies have a limited amount of time, so a lot of details are whittled down to accommodate the time constraint.
I understand the entertainment value of movies. I happen to LOVE movies. They’re a quick entertainment fix. Maybe people are reading less because they feel it takes too long, or perhaps they feel pressured to keep busy and won’t allow themselves the time for it. I sure hope that society hasn’t made people feel that they’re not permitted to slow down long enough to indulge in the experience of really “living a story.”
When you open the pages of a book, or fire up your e-reader, your mind will take you to another place, and maybe even another time. It’s important to keep our minds sharp and active, and extremely crucial to use our imaginations. Movies offer the interpretation of the screen writers, directors, set designers, and actors. As a reader, you become those people and even the costume coordinator if the author doesn’t go into a lot of detail in that regard. Some are more descriptive than others. You paint the picture in your mind’s eye, and if the author has done their job, you’ll also feel what the characters are experiencing.
I refuse to believe that our need to have everything quickly in our grasp means the death of reading. There are thousands of books that will never be made into movies, and if you only allow yourself that format of experiencing a story, you’ll miss out on so much.
So please, pick up a book and remind yourself what it’s like to dive headfirst into an adventure. The original “virtual reality.” No helmet required, just your brain. You might be surprised to find that you have an amazing imagination!
When I first visited Cades Cove in the Smoky Mountains, I was taken back in time. If you’ve followed my blog for a while, you’ve likely seen many posts about the smokies and my passion for the history of the cove and the people who lived there.
I’m excited to share this beautiful video produced by Vince Pinkerton! He captured the feel of my story and gave me abundant chills in the process. It’s incredible to see this come to life, if only for a brief 30-second clip!
If you’ve not yet delved into the Smoky Mountain Secrets Saga, I hope you’ll consider giving it a read. Book one is just the beginning. After all, the series is a ‘saga.’ My prayer is that we’ll learn from our history and not repeat the same mistakes.
I had the privilege of being able to preview Vince Pinkerton’s debut novel, The Devil Plays Six Strings. Making me even happier, Vince allowed me to edit it, putting me even deeper into the incredible story. I told him that it was fine as it was, (he’s a brilliant writer), and that it just needed a little polish. Kind of like putting wax on your favorite fancy sportscar. I wanted his book to shine.
It’s not the sort of book I typically read, but I couldn’t put it down! There are parts that get very dark and disturbing, but what can you expect when a down-on-his luck man sells his soul to the devil in order to provide food and a home for himself and his infant son?
This story opens in 1930–a time when racial tension was even worse than it presently is. The main character, Elijah, is a black man who loses his wife after giving birth to their son. She possessed a deep faith that made her shine, and she wanted Elijah to grasp onto that faith, make good choices in his life, and pass on all things good to their baby boy. Unfortunately, Elijah doesn’t choose wisely, even though he tries to do what he thinks is best.
This isn’t a feel-good book, but it’s definitely thought-provoking. You’ll find yourself cheering the good characters on and cringing whenever the evil ones come onto the page. Mr. Pinkerton paints imagery with words almost too well!
I grew up in a small town in northern Idaho, and I loved the mountains. I have great memories of hikes I took with my grandpa, as well as treks up the mountains to pick huckleberries with my mom and dad. To this day, I can still remember the smell of huckleberry bushes. As we drove up the rugged roads, we’d stick our noses in the air to catch the scent of those wonderful berries. And when we smelled them, we’d holler for the vehicle to be stopped so we could get out and hunt them up.
Almost thirty years ago, I left Idaho in pursuit of my dreams, and I moved to Tennessee. Here, I met my husband, and he introduced me to another range of mountains. The beautiful Smokies. They have some similarities to the Rockies, but they’re also different in their own right. The shades of green are definitely different, and I’ve never smelled huckleberries in the Smokies. Regardless, I fell in love with the mountains all over again.
My husband took me on a trip to Gatlinburg, TN, for one of our first anniversaries. The town has its own charm–as does Pigeon Forge and some of the other outlying cities. We took a drive ‘up the mountain’ to a place I’ll cherish forever. If you’re familiar with my books and my writing, you’ve probably heard this story before, because I can’t stop talking about it! We ended up in Cades Cove.
When he told me we’d be going to a place that only had a one-way road that looped from one end to the other, and that everyone had to drive around it slowly, I wondered why. He talked it up as if it was the best thing in the world. Honestly, I thought it sounded horribly boring. As much as I appreciate pretty scenery, putting along on a one-way road didn’t sound too appealing. I wanted excitement and adventure–like I knew I could get at the nearby theme park.
I learned a valuable lesson on that venture. My husband was right. It was the best thing in the world. Cades Cove transported us back in time to a simpler life. One that was unhurried and pure. The cove sits in the middle of the mountains. Acre after acre of land that was once farmed and loved by the people who lived there. Some of the original cabins still remain, along with a mill, several churches, and cemeteries with the graves of those who’d called the cove their home. The unsurpassed beauty of the land touches my heart every time I go there.
We return to Cades Cove every year. I’ve memorized much of it, but I’m never any less in awe of the splendor. It had to have been difficult for the residents of the cove, when the states of Tennessee and North Carolina decided to create a National Park that included the Cades Cove land. I doubt it was easy to put a price on the land they loved, then leave it behind and go elsewhere. Some residents were able to stay, yet I’m sure it wasn’t the same.
All that being said, I’m glad that the past has been preserved in the cove. When I learned about the hardships that the residents endured during the Civil War, I was compelled to write about it. Here’s a link to the first book in my Smoky Mountain Secrets Saga: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06ZYYY5WK I did my best to capture what life was like for those families, and to this day, I feel like I can sense them walking by my side when I visit the cove.
Every place in this world has a story to tell, and I hope that you’ll make a trip to the Smoky Mountains and specifically, Cades Cove. Be sure to have your camera handy, so you can capture its majesty. It’s a little bit of Heaven on Earth with some wildlife thrown in for good measure. You might see a bear or two, as well as deer and turkeys. If you like to hike, there are plenty of trails you can take. Some will lead you to remote cabins, and others are simply for the sake of enjoying nature. More than anything, you’ll come away, content, with an appreciation for the simpler things in life.
Jeanne Hardt 