Wednesday, January 4, 2017

Rest, Refresh, Recharge......and the Prologue to my book....

Louis Dean and I slept like ROCKS last night.
Our evening entertainment was a little guitar music and singing followed by watching  Johnny Carson Show from 1956 when he was on CBS. Amber gave the Legends Series to Louis Dean for Chrismas and we are loving it. The commercials are as good as the shows! All in black and white!
Sponsors are Minute Rice and Jello and Sanka Coffee.

Facebook


This morning we woke up slowly while sipping our coffee - I had Strawberry Shortcake coffee - and munching on a few of the Shortbread cookies - another Christmas gift to LD!
Dean came down with Tasty Filled Biscuits for our breakfast.
He found the recipe on Facebook and it was really good.
They have been experimenting with different fillings. Today was sausage and bacon.
Basically, you use canned biscuits and roll them out thin. You put cheese, bacon, sausage, scrambled eggs, cream cheese, onions, whatever combination you please and pull the circles up to hold the filling. Turn them over so the folded part in underneath. Bake at 400 degrees as you would for regular biscuits. Dean brushes his with garlic butter for the last 10 minutes! We ate them all!

Yesterday we were in such a hurry to get out of town that we forgot to go to the bank.
So we went back to Waco where they have a branch office of our bank in the Walmart Store.
Also yesterday Louis Dean had sent me in to buy the propane and we had the tank to trade in.
I didn't notice that the checker charged me for a new tank until we were on our way to the ranch.
We went back to HEB and they refunded the extra charge. $30!


We decided to eat a late lunch before we headed back.
El Conquistador is not a fancy restaurant but they have great margaritas and really good Mexican food. The server was honest with Louis Dean when he wanted to order chicken fried steak. He said, "No, Senor, you really don't want to order that." He went with the crispy tacos with rice and beans.


It is winter in Texas but some fields are still green with rye grass.


We cast a long shadow on our way in.


I snapped this pic of the sunset right before I crawled into the girl bunk for a nice nap!

Facebook

I love his poster!
Tomorrow I hope to go out and visit the critters here on the ranch.
It will be warmer and we hope to go on a bike ride.

I have my book material and notes scattered all over the table and am visiting the chapters I have already written, adding additional thoughts, events, and such to them before I move on to the 5th chapter which starts where the Prologue ends. I am not a real writer and have no idea how to write a book. I do know that the Lord has nudged my heart and that I have a story to tell and I am trusting him for the grace, courage and determination to tell it.

Prologue

                I was the first one to wake up that morning in late August of 1957. I stretched my legs out until they touched my sister’s back as she lay sleeping across the foot of the bed and wiggled my toes to nudge her awake before turning over to face my other sister, sleeping by my side. Our little brother was tucked in the lower corner where my sisters’ feet met, thus forming a small corral for the two-year-old so he wouldn’t fall out of bed. We were just like four little peas in a pod sleeping together in the same bed. We each had our own cover which we clutched around us Indian style except for the baby. He had a small crib blanket tucked over him.
                As we blinked our eyes open, our first thoughts were on the adventure we would be having that day! Mother had promised we would all get to ride on a train that would take us to Kansas City to be reunited with our daddy. He had left a few days after our new baby sister was born just weeks earlier so he could get an apartment ready for us and would be there to meet us at the station.
                Our suitcases were already packed and lined up by the door, just waiting. Our family of six – and now seven since our sister’s birth - had been living with Granny and Grandad for the past two years. They were Mother’s parents and Granny did not like our Daddy, no matter how hard he tried to please her. Daddy’s family lived in Kansas City and that’s where he had met Mother and that’s where I had been born and that’s where we were all going to live now.
                Even though we were just children, we knew that we weren’t really welcome here and were so happy to be leaving! I got up and dressed, helped my sisters get ready and then changed my baby brother’s diaper and put clean clothes on him. We went out to the kitchen where I made toast and fixed each of us a bowl of cereal. Even as I was putting our breakfast on the table, you could feel the tension in the air. I was only nine years old, but I could tell by the grim face of my Granny and the set of her thin straight lips, that she was angry. Grandad, who was normally a kind and gentle man, seemed upset as well.  I could not for the life of me figure out what on earth we had done to make them so mad but I knew it wasn’t good and that they could not wait for us to leave!
                While we ate our breakfast, I watched Mother getting our brand new baby sister dressed and fed. She was still a newborn and so very small and yet Granny seemed to be mad at her, too! There were no smiles from either Granny or Grandad as they poured their coffee and drank it silently sitting at the far end of the table. Neither of them even looked at the baby and they certainly did not ask to hold her or coo at her and they were all but ignoring us as well.
                Mother looked relieved when the taxi arrived and tooted its horn. We filed out of the house without so much as a smile or a hug or even a kind word from our grandparents. The door shut firmly behind us. We packed ourselves into the cab like a bunch of sardines. Mother held the new baby on her lap and sat up front with the driver. My two sisters and I sat in the back seat and I held my brother on my lap. Every piece of clothing we owned was in the trunk of that cab. We left nothing behind, not that we had much to begin with. We had no toys or even stuffed animals for the younger ones to hold. All we had were each other.
                Mother was just 31 years old. What was she thinking as the taxi sped away towards the railroad station? She had five children ranging in age from nine years old to a newborn. As I sat in the back seat, I couldn’t help but notice how worried she looked. What was the matter? I thought she would be happy to be leaving Granny and Granddad! We were!
                We heard the train whistles as we approached the station. The cab parked and we unloaded. My sisters were jumping up and down from sheer excitement. Only Mother, and now I, acted nervous.
The taxi drove away from the curb leaving us in a tight little group. I imagine we made a pretty picture. Mother was dressed nicely in her very best dress. She stood surrounded by all her children with suitcases encircling us. Mother didn’t move. She didn’t call for a porter to take our luggage. She did not even face the train station but turned her face, instead, toward the street and began to look expectantly at the cars coming and going. We simply stood there for what seemed like a long time. Something was terribly wrong. My little sisters started to cry and my brother began to whimper and squirm in my arms.
                Finally, just as I started to ask Mother what we should do, a big black car pulled up to the curb beside us. A short, ugly old man with a fat cigar in his mouth got out and without one word started putting our suitcases in the trunk. Mother seemed to know who he was but we had never seen him before.  He looked sinister, dressed all in black with a dark hat pushed firmly down on his head. I felt the first cold trickle of fear enter my heart. Mother motioned for us to get in the back seat of his car and then she got in the front seat next to that scary old man puffing angrily on the nasty smelling cigar. The car pulled from the curb carrying us away to a completely different life. We entered a dark world full of fear and uncertainty, and once again, we were to live with people who didn’t want us.
                My childhood ended that day in August of 1957. I was one month away from my tenth birthday.



28 comments:

NanaDiana said...

Absolutely riveting writing, Linda. You have to keep going and finish this. You are an excellent writer and I was hooked from the first paragraph.
Blessings to you-enjoy your week there. xo Diana

Joy@aVintageGreen said...

Oh Linda, what a very scary and sad time. Hugs.
Joy

Suezk said...

this drew me right in. you write so well !!!!!!I want more!!!!!!!!!!!

Ginny Hartzler said...

Oh MY!! All through your narrative, I had a sense of foreboding. I knew something would not happen that was not good. You are such a splendid writer; as well as an artist. You do it ALL. This makes me so sorry for the little you long ago. I feel that you had a bad life for a very long time. Indeed, you are so good at writing, when you never have, that I do believe this has been a true calling.

a portland granny said...

Oh girl!! get that book done--I'm just hanging on to every word in your prologue...

You can get your book self-published if you don't end up with a publisher--it a good way to start--i think it would be a a great book and with the right amount of publicity, it will take off!! I think Amazon does that for people--carry them for sale and customers can order one and wait until the author runs some more off--I've ordered a couple books that were self published that way.

I will pray that you have a clear mind and feel the anointing of the Lord as you write!

All of these terrible experiences have in some way, contributed to the outstanding woman you have become! Nothing is wasted in our lives!

I'm so glad I have your blog to read, even tho I don't comment very often, I am a faithful follower!!

Blessings, dear sister in the Lord, from Joan out here in cold, cold Oregon!!

Linda said...

I wish I had a way of contacting you! Send me an email - mine is listed on my sidebar!

Kathy said...

So glad you are having a restful and relaxing time on the ranch. Those filled biscuits sound delicious. I'm going to have to try them.

Linda, I am so sorry you and your siblings had to go through such a time in your life. Your mom was so young to have five children. Your writing just pulled me right in. I am so looking forward to what happens next. I know God saw you through whatever happened and is letting your end days be better than the first.

It is below freezing for the next few days here. Hope it is warmer there.

MadSnapper said...

I read every word of the prologe and could not wait to get to the end of it to find out what happened. you do have talent to write. keep with it and good luck.
that was nice of the waiter to tell LD not to order the steak.

Heather said...

I just love your blog Linda! I have been reading for years and you and LD just melt my 41 year old heart :) I sure hope you plan to sell copies of your book! your life, when you talk about snippets here and there, is such a fascinating story. You are brave to put it all on paper as I gather you didn't have the easiest life. However, the life you have now is such a blessing. keep on writing and collecting debris. we all love it!
best wishes from Michigan, xo Heather

Arlene G said...

Oh Linda...your story just broke my heart. I can't wait to read your whole story! When I see how happy you are now with LD and how positive you are, it is truly a gift from God. Keep writing!!

Susie said...

Linda, I am about to cry..I have to sit here a minute. I feel God has given you a graceful heart. You have a capacity to forgive and to give great amounts of love...despite your childhood.
So happy you have your wonderful family all together and LD to make it a loving family with a beautiful father and mother.
Be safe on the ranch. Enjoy your relaxing days there. We have cold temps and blowing snow, skiffs at this time. Blessings to you Linda, love you guys, xoxo, Susie

Pam said...

Wow, you are such an excellent writer....and artist....and mother....and grandmother....the list just goes on. As you know I have been reading your blog for a while now and I enjoy every day of it! I can't wait til you finish your book, I will definitely purchase it! I know your story has a good ending, but the way to you get to where is are is very interesting I am sure! Thank you so much for sharing your life and your talents with us. A friend in East Texas, Pam.

MeriwetherGirl said...

I am with Pam, WOW! You've got this! You are a writer and all of us who have read your blog all these years can attest to that! I hope that 2017 will afford you the time you need to finish this book. I think it will be a best seller! I was drawn right in and could see it all! Sorry if I sound "gushy" about it, I tend to get excited, but it really is excellent! I hope God's nudge turns into a great big PUSH cause I can't wait to read the rest!! A loyal reader in Montana, Judy

Changes in the wind said...

Your prologue was perfect...has us all hooked. Enjoy your time on the ranch, so glad you can go there and refresh.

Estelle's said...

You have been given a gift Linda. It seems as if the adults in your early life failed you and your siblings. This is very hearbreaking. However you must all be very strong individuals who overcame such a hard childhood. You have been blessed with a wonderful partner, husband and children....such a good heart! We look forward to the "rest of the story!"

Linda said...

I read your prologue last night and was so affected by it I couldn't write a comment at the time. Your writing is very good. In my wildest dreams I cannot imagine living such a life. The beautiful piece of that awful story is that you all grew up to be good, responsible people, and have grown so close in these last few years. It's a beautiful ending for such an awful beginning.

Debbie said...

Well I am totally hooked...soo looking forward to reading more. How hard this all had to be. Soo interested to see how you managed. Hope you have a good week!

Nita said...

Linda, as I read all the wonderful comments on your book, I realize you have no idea what a talented woman you are . I'm so very proud that you are my Sister.

Gypsy Heart said...

Wow! You truly are a gifted writer my friend. I'm almost breathless sitting here wondering about that ugly man. I'm so very sorry that you and your siblings had such a hard life. One thing we can say for sure...if God brings us to it, He will bring us through it. So many, many times He has rescued me!

Rest and refresh, ok?
xo
Pat

Kathy M. said...

Your writing is awesome...pulls the reader right in and wanting more. Beauty comes from ashes. Hoping you will share more of your writing.

Wanda said...

Linda, I am crying. I'm hurting.....I'm loving the woman you are today, and can't wait to read your journey. Your are my hero.

Vee said...

That was some compelling prologue. You have me nervous for you all. I have it figured out that you write your book when you are at the ranch. I do not like it when mistakes are made that necessitate a return drive. Sounds as if you take all that in stride.

Deanna Rabe - Creekside Cottage Blog said...

Linda, you are a gifted writer. You drew us all in. I am so nervous for you all, and hurt to think that you all had such a hard childhood. So thankful that I know you on 'this side' of your story and know that you all are doing well.

I love your ranch posts. I'm jealous of your Mexican food! It's my favorite (having grown up in Southern California) and I don't get really good Mexican food here in PA.

peggy said...

Linda, I am not the least bit surprised that you could write so well. I hope to get you to sign my copy when I buy it. How wonderful it is that you have been inspired to write this.

Jodi W. said...

You have such a way with words Linda, you gave me chills! So sorry for your not so normal childhood. You are a true inspiration to myself and oh so many others. Can't wait to hear more!!!

Eva said...

Linda, you should not feel anxious about your writing! As we've all seen through your journal, you're a natural writer, and your talent comes through in your story telling. I, for one am very interested in your story, and after reading your prologue, am anxious to read the rest of your book. Having taught school for many years, I was a proofreader for my nephew, who has published a couple of books, and I'd be happy to serve as a proofreader for you as well, if you're in need of someone. It usually takes several people to catch every punctuation, verb tense, and pronoun error. In any case, keep writing your story. Not only is it therapeutic for you, but encouraging and interesting for many others!

Aloha Acres said...

You are an amazing writer and I can't wait to read more. I'l be praying for you during this time. May God lift any anxiety from you and may you be able to freely and confidently tell your story.

Penny said...

Linda the prologue of your book is totally riveting, and like many others who have commented here I want to hear more. My admiration for you grows and grows, and I am so glad I found you and your blog X