Do you know the worst thing about travel–especially to a distant place? Jetlag. That awful state that makes you want to go to bed at supper time. And makes you waken at 4 a.m. That feeling like you are moving through the day in a constant brain fog. Thankfully, my jetlag is over but I have to tell you, it was very real.
One of the best things about Italy (and there were many) was the food. Not at all like I expected it to be. It was fresh, delicious and HOT (temperature wise.)
The first shows a soft boiled egg over half a baked potato and vegies. I don’t know how they made it so delicious. The second is one course in a meal we had at a vineyard. The meat was from their own cows and very flavorable. The roasted potatoes were delicious. Roasted potatoes were as common as pasta. The third picture is of a pear and walnut salad with a drizzle of honey and a bit of ginger. This one was so tasty and fresh that we went back again just to have it.
I very much enjoyed the food, the company and the sights. 
I will leave you with this picture of the cathedral in Florence.
Italy Memories
I just returned from a trip to Italy. It was wonderful–full of sights and history. Our first stop was Milan where we saw, among other things, the lovely Duomo and The Last Supper.
From Milan, we went to Florence. A beautiful city. Loved it. The bridges, the art work and the Boboli Gardens.
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We had a bus tour to the Tuscany countryside. Visited walled medieval towns, ate at a vineyard and, of course, climbed the tower of Pisa. The worst thing about the steps was they were slanted because of the lean and it was disorientating.
Then on to Rome where the senses were overloaded with history, crowds, noise and sights. We saw the Colosseum and St. Peter’s Basilica. We climbed the Spanish steps and threw a coin into the Trevi Fountain.
And of course, we enjoyed good food and good coffee. Best coffee I’ve ever had.
It was a wonderful trip. Special thanks to my daughter, Yvonne, for making the arrangements and to daughters, Tania and Christine, for joining in on this memorable vacation.
What’s A Man Supposed To Do?
Meet Kade. The last thing he needs in his life is a rebel who cares nothing for rules or even her safety. He keeps a collection of mementos on display to remind him of the folly of taking unnecessary risks.
But a snowstorm blows Flora into his house and he has no choice but to give her shelter for three days. As soon as the storm is over, he plans to take the girl back to her father without revealing that she’s spent the time with him. But his plans go awry and the truth can’t be hidden. Is there any hope that Flora’s preacher father will relent in his insistence that Kade must marry Flora and protect her reputation?
What will Kade do? Come along with Kade on his adventure as he learns what really matters to him. You can read his story in my newest release, Loving A Rebel. This is the first in a brand-new series–Glory, Montana–The Preacher’s Daughters. There are 3 miniseries and a total of 10 titles, all centered around the Kinsley Family.
You can get it here: https://tinyurl.com/y7hjugw8
I’d love to hear your thoughts on this story.
Introducing the Rebel
How many red-headed people do you know?
I know several. One is my granddaughter. Another is one of my closest friends. My first boyfriend (In grade one) had red hair. We used to say red-head red-head, fire in the woodshed with no intention of being mean. His father worked in the local store and the boy brought me boxes of crayons. Isn’t that sweet? He could wiggle his ears and I learned how to do so by watching him.
Seventeen year old, Flora, is one of the adopted Kinsley girls…a red-headed rebel who delights to ride madly across the country. She was orphaned at age four and has had an almost insatiable desire since then to run..
But her wild riding leads her into trouble. First, a nasty looking man follows her and in trying to escape him, she is lost and stranded in a snow storm. She finds shelter in the simple home of a bachelor rancher. The storm last two days.
She knows her preacher father is going to insist on a wedding to protect her reputation. The last thing she wants is a husband…especially one who lives by rules.
Is Flora going to be able to find a way out of this predicament?
I am thrilled to begin releasing a new series. I really enjoyed writing about this family.
Welcome to Glory, Montana Territory, a small western town. Doesn’t it sound like the perfect place for a preacher and his family to live? That’s exactly what Preacher Kinsley thought. It wasn’t until the family had moved that they learned the true reason for the name. It seems the earliest store man would get up every morning, stand on his step, look at the sunrise reflecting off the mountains and say, “Glory, but that’s a beautiful sight.” It doesn’t matter to the preacher. This is where he and his wife hope to connect with their missing son.
The Kinsleys have adopted six daughters. Some of them demure and quiet. Others? Well, not so much. But the first heroine in this new series is the wildest one of them all. Her wild, untamed ways get her into so much trouble. Like the time she got lost in a snow storm and had to… I guess you need to read the story for yourself in Loving A Rebel.
But back to the preacher and his family and the little town of Glory. In this series, you will not only meet the Kinsley family, you’ll meet the cowboys who suddenly start attending church when they hear the preacher has all those daughters. You’ll meet the nosy, but kindly, woman who runs the best—and only—diner in town. You’ll meet the man who runs the livery barn. He might even get unexpected romance too.
The series begins to release Jan. 22, 2019 but two of the books are ready for preorder now.
You can preorder here: https://tinyurl.com/yb5bj45a
A FEW OF MY FAVORITE THINGS
Since the New Year I’ve been thinking of some of the things I am grateful for. Today I will tell you of only one. (Stay tuned for more in the future.)
One of my favorite things is winter. I love winter mostly. I don’t like icy roads, frigid temperatures or gale force winds but they don’t happen every day.
I love walking in the snow. It crunches under foot. It’s cool and crisp on my face. I have warm clothes which allow me to enjoy walking in most any weather. It’s one of my favorite things.
I love snow as well. The way it hides all the brown and yellows of the fall and creates a fresh canvas. The way it drifts into whipped cream shapes along the trees and fences. There is beauty everywhere.
One of my favorite things about winter is not having to go out if I don’t feel like it. I love to cocoon and enjoy winter from my window where I am warm and cozy.
Seeing as a good portion of the year is winter weather. I might as well find pleasure in it. I found a post of Facebook that makes it so clear.
How about you? What do you LIKE about winter?
Christmas Week Traditions
Do you have anything special you like to do between Christmas and New Years? I do. First, I like to pretend it’s a bit of a holiday which is easy to do as I am saved from cooking because of the leftovers. 🙂
Then I like to make a jigsaw puzzle. This is the one I made this year. (I had a little help.) It is 1000 piece puzzle. Doesn’t it look nice?
One of the other things I like to do is work on the annual photo album. 2018 Ford Family Memories is almost ready to go and it is full of precious memories–trip to Paris with daughter and granddaughter, trip to Colorado for granddaughter’s grad, a week at a lake with daughters and granddaughters, a trip to Banff with 5 daughters and last, but not least, flying north to visit my sister. There were summer outings with a granddaughter. My youngest son’s wedding, and lots of visitors for the occasion. Pictures of birthday parties and garden produce. Each page in the book brings a flood of memories.
What special traditions do you have?
CHRISTMAS FOR THE WRITER
Isn’t it nice when you get gifts and cards that reflect your interests? Kind of makes a person feel special. Validated. Like the person who loves to cook getting a special cookbook. Or paints and canvases for a painter. Or like…you get the idea.
I have a couple of things that reflect my interests. Aren’t they cute? Thanks to both the gifters.
I hope you get gifts that bring joy to your heart. What better gift than the Baby laid in the manger? But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.
Merry Christmas. Enjoy the season.
CHRISTMAS INTERVIEW
1. What do you most associate with Christmas where you live?
I live close to a small town called Olds. The powers that be have played on the word and use it to their advantage by hosting an Olds Fashioned Christmas each year.It kicks off with a gigantic art and craft sale and specials throughout thetown. There are some wonderful local artists so I love this show. Many activities throughout the month lead up to the big day. A free event in the park which is great for those with children. Free hotdogs, cake, rides, horse-drawn wagonrides and then a Santa Claus parade.
2. Do you have any special family traditions you do at Christmas time?
Our kidsare grown up and have left home our traditions have changed and so now center on a big family celebration with as many as possible in attendance. Trying tokeep our emphasis off material goods, we usually donate our gift money to a worthy cause such as Samaritan’s Purse. The children get gifts of course. We do a White Elephant gift exchange for the adults. I know the game is called many different things but we buy small gifts and have fun stealing and trading.
3. Do you have a favorite Christmas Carol and if so do you know why?
Paul Brandt’s ‘The Way In a Manger is Easy to Find’ because he’s taken a familiar Christmas Carol and given it added meaning. Besides, it’s beautiful.
4. If you could spend Christmas any way you could how would you celebrate?
On a beachin Hawaii? Lol. Or maybe in a nice hotel where our whole family has reserved rooms. Everything is catered and we just have fun. Sigh. I wish it could happen.
5. Do you have any special memories of Christmas?
It’s funnybut one of my most memorable Christmases was during a bitter cold winter. No one could visit. We couldn’t go anywhere. Just myself and my brother were still living at home and I, at least, was feeling a little deprived, but that year one TV station played Shirley Temple movies each afternoon. As I recall it, the pair of us and our Mother sat mesmerized throughout those movies. Now my brother will likely say he was bored and my Mother was probably working on something while she enjoyed having the pair of us quiet, but for me it was a real special time.
6. What does a typical Christmas Eve and or Christmas Day look like for you?
Things havechanged now that we are a household of 3 adults. So the day we celebrate Christmas (not necessarily on the 25th) is our big day. We (I,mostly) cook and finish preparing food. Then the family descends and after that it is happy chaos.
7. Do you have any Christmas movies or Christmas books you like to see or readeach year?
Not particularly. I’ve tried watching the Shirley Temple movies again but they just aren’t as magical as they were back then.
8. Tell us a little about your book:
My story, Wagon Train Christmas, is a novella in the series, Love on The Santa Fe Trail. I did a fair bit of research about how Christmas was celebrated back then and found it was quite different. I’ve used some of my research in the book. But mostly the story is about a young widow and her little son hiding from her in-laws who want to take custody of her child. She’s been living in Bent’s Fort under a false name but the wagon train master arrives and recognizes her. How can she keep hiding from him? Will he let her in-laws know she is there? Who can she turn to for help?
I really enjoyed writing this little story and hope my readers like it.
9. Where can we get the book?
The book is available on Amazon. I would give you a short link but this program has changed and I haven’t figured out how to do things yet.
https://www.amazon.com/Wagon-Train-Christmas-Christian-historical-ebook/dp/B07GXZ8TDD
10. Do you have a Christmas message for my readers?
Enjoy every aspect of Christmas but don’t be overwhelmed by the expectations and commercialization of it so that you lose sight of the joy of God’s gift. And remember those who are less fortunate.
SNOW–LOVE IT OR HATE IT?
I love snow. I love how it creates a white canvas and then like an invisible hand is finger painting, it is pulled into drifts in the corners, dribbled on the evergreen trees and dotted on every fence post. I love how it blankets the gardens and lawns and warns us ‘Do Not Disturb Until Spring.’ A warning I gladly obey.
I love walking in the snow–how it crunches under foot. How it tickles my nose when it is falling. How it mutes the sounds and gives the landscape a filtered look.
Poets have penned lots of words about snow. Not all extol the virtues of it, of course. Here is a good one:
Poet: Ogden Nash
Winter is the king of showmen,
Turning tree stumps into snow men,
And houses into birthday cakes,
And spreading sugar over lakes.
Smooth and clean and frosty white,
The world looks good enough to bite.
That’s the season to be young
Catching snowflakes on your tongue.
Snow is snowy when it’s snowing
I’m sorry it’s slushy when it’s going.
I don’t know what you think of snow but why not enjoy it?
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