From Here to There

 

For the holiday season we often put books on sale that relate to it. I added one this year that introduced some of those characters and explained from where they had come. It will stay on sale longer than the others (until January 3, 2023) as it has a different set of purposes. 

From Here to There is the story of two romances-- one told through an old journal and the other alive at the time. It's also the story of a romance for Montana and ranch living. Today, not many know about ranch living as our culture is so urban oriented. That is logical, but it means many have no idea from where their food even comes-- other than the grocery store.

We redid the cover for the book (for the umpteenth time) as it seemed to never quite catch the zeitgeist of the book. It's not easy to capture a book's deeper purpose when it's a romance and a novel (over 90,000+ words). So if you decide, give it a try for 99¢ for another week. It's not like a novella in that there is a LOT more story to it that depicts what that life is like as well as the relationships. Still, I think for those who enjoy love stories, it will satisfy. For a family, as well as two individuals, it teaches something for the characters and the reader!  

It's a fun read. Although it is tough, I "much love" that life, and have lived it many years.

 From Here to There

Brightening the Season

 

The Christmas season means different things to different people, some of which is cultural. When I was a girl,  for some years my parents had a place to cut trees from some planted years earlier. Not only us but many others drove out and paid. What I remember with our own trees is they always had good and bad sides where you had to place them carefully. I miss that in the trees today.

Those were the years when it was about Santa Claus coming Christmas Eve; then Christmas Day was gathering at one uncle's home for a feast and a few gifts but mostly bringing some kind of gift that went around the room with each taking a pick. Some gifts were useful and some funny (think rubber chicken or chamber pot). A few of those disappeared or reappeared the next year. I still have the chamber pot *s*.

 

When we got married, we began our own traditions for a lot of years, often a dinner at our house and again family and friends gathering round. We became involved in a church where it offered many activities with the season. When the kids grew up, they went to their new families' homes; and we were beginning a new tradition for ourselves as our parents died of old age, and our lives changed in other ways. 

those dried zinnias are a memory of summer this year

For quite a few years, we stopped having a Christmas tree as they always gave us sinus problems . Nobody was coming to see them anyway; so why put out the money? I did have a sizeable collection of Christmas villages, which took work to set up but were satisfying for the small community feel (they're in Oregon and not sure if I will bring them here where we have less room.

 

Once we were in Tucson for Christmas, we bought one of the artificial trees (love it), no allergies, and purchased ornaments of different sorts with one thing in common, inexpensive. We also had an assortment of garland type greens with tiny fairy lights to give the house a nature feeling as well as warmth. It's very different, and I won't say it's not sometimes lonely, but I have the knowledge that I once did it all. Now is time for change. Life is that way in my experience.

 

I know that Christmas is hard for some people , especially those who don't have a religious purpose behind it. Most know Jesus was not born December 25th, that sheep weren't in the fields at that time, but it doesn't matter as it's about more than a date but rather a feeling. For those who have sad memories of earlier Christmases, I think they need to find new ways. What do you do when family and friends are beloved but a long way away? I don't have suggestions. I am still working on that for myself. Not to mention, the difficulty when life deals hard blows and holidays are an especial reminder of them. We can't go back though-- only forward.

 

So, Merry Christmas to you or Happy Holidays whatever works for you. May you find joy in the season whether in old or new ways. 

Solstice 2022

 The shortest day of the year. Bring back the light. 

Satisfaction

We have had some delightful rain, which some areas might not consider delightful, but this is the desert. The first lasted two days and gave us 3/4" of rain-- so welcomed by desert plants. The second didn't last so long, but it poured while it did. The desert relishes it. We do too.

Lately, I've been thinking why I am so satisfied with my life when it's so simple. I don't take great trips (did some in the past), don't desire to buy a lot of things, and am just happy to be here with the cats and all the birds outside-- sometimes javelina and bobcats but more rare than the quail. What I began to wonder is being satisfied not good for ambition. I've never been a really ambitious person but liked the simple things, but that is more true in old age than it was. Should I be more dissatisfied to accomplish more or is it okay to just be and be happy with that.

The above is what I wrote for Facebook. When I posted the initial thoughts, I received some good comments, many that took satisfaction at its simplest level-- happiness. I do not believe it is that simple.  As when we finish a good meal and stop even though we might like more, satisfaction goes beyond enough to a deeper term of even soul connection to what is-- beyond and within us. It may not be times of happiness but also accepting times of what must be.

 

There can be another view of satisfaction that it keeps us where we are if we see it only in terms of happiness. An example is some of the things I have brought from Oregon to Arizona and then left in sacks or boxes for months or even years. I didn't deal with them until I was dissatisfied to see them as they were. Then, I felt even better for taking care of them-- and giving away some I should have years earlier.

 

Dissatisfaction can lead to ambition but again-- watch out. To always be looking for something bigger or better can lead to an unrewarding personal life.

 

One way, I believe to keep a satisfying life is to enjoy the small things as much as bigger ones. They can be so easily missed.

 

 

 

It is also being aware of tragedies around the world, weep for them, but remind ourselves to change what we can and release the rest. Being angry or in constant sorrow will never make for a satisfying life.

 

So, yes, simple that it is, I am satisfied with my life and my relationships, at this point, as an old woman, but I do have to sometimes make changes as my situation changes to keep that basic level of satisfaction.  Old age is a time of change.

 

 

Holiday Sales

With the holiday season rapidly approaching, we once again have put the books I've written, regarding this time of year, on sale for Kindle at 99¢ each. They'd be free except that is not an option when writing for Amazon and not in Kindle Unlimited. Still 99¢ isn't much for fun reads on what the holiday can mean for people in various relationships.

First comes Diana's Journey-- about a woman who gets a life-rewrite when her husband wants a divorce. She sells what she has, shocks her grown children, and takes off in a small Class C RV with her two chihuahuas to explore places she's only read about. What about Christmas though?  She doesn't even want it to come, but it always does She decides to spend it in Utah, far from where she expects memories could ruin her day-- except, what she finds is the meaning of Christmas when it comes to community and friends-- another rewrite for her life.

Second is not about Christmas, but is included because it introduces the characters where it is. From Here to There -- When a wedding doesn't lead to a marriage but instead to a bride leaving her new husband before he can be one, the story moves to Montana ranch country, and two romances-- one in the past as the bride learns more about love from an old journal and when her groom follows her to the ranch to convince her she made a mistake. Ranch living and Montana are key to this story.

The third was written because I began to think-- how'd it work out for these characters and can the holidays heal family rifts or can its expectations make them worse? The story delves again into the reality of ranch living-- holidays or not. A Montana Christmas --  uses the beauty of Montana against the difficulty of family dynamics. New relationships are developed with others deepening-- will some be totally destroyed?

Diana's Journey and A Montana Christmas  are novellas with  From Here To There a full length novel. It is a romance, the other two are about the healing energy of relationships, holidays, love, and the celebration of the earth's regenerating cycles. 

      There used to be an ability to create links here but whenever I click on that, it sends me to another blog. grrrrrr.  So, below are the books and their links. The first two are novellas, with their correct links behind them. You have to copy paste to make them work given what's going on with my ability to create live links. The last one is a full length novel that introduces the characters in A Montana Christmas. At worst, you can look alongside here where the links will take you to the books... I haven't used Blogger for a while for linking, hence, not sure what's going on. The books are fine though...

Diana's Journey -- https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01M5IA26Y

A Montana Christmas -- https://www.amazon.com/Montana-Christmas-Rain-Trueax-ebook/dp/B00AOU0IQ2

From Here to There -- https://www.amazon.com/From-Here-There-Rain-Trueax-ebook/dp/B006PNS7EC

The sale lasts through December 31st.