Research had led me on some interesting trips and I have found unexpected, interesting and even, odd things. I thought I’d share a few with you.
THE OKOTOKS ERRATIC is a 16,500-tonne boulder that lies on the otherwise flat, relatively featureless, surface of the Canadian Prairies in Alberta. Left behind by the ice age. You probably can’t see it, but a young woman is sitting on the rock farthest to the left.
CAPS ON THE FENCE. I have no idea why. Just one of the many odd and unusual things I have seen. It went on for a long ways. I have also seen cowboy boots hanging on fence posts. Lots of boots. Gave a whole new meaning to Boot Hill.
EAGLES OF LIBBY MONTANA
There are something like 54 eagle statues in the town ranging in size from a 6 ft. wing span to several over 25 ft. wing tip to wing tip.
TOPSY TURVY DOLL. Turn the doll upside down to reveal a different doll. Rich girl/poor girl. That sort of thing. Two for the price of one. Double the pleasure, double the fun. A reader told me she had a topsy-turvy doll that was Red Riding Hood on one side, and the big bad wolf on the other. That sounds like fun.
ROSS CREEK CEDARS. Near Libby, Montana. Some 8′ in diameter and 175′ tall. Some have been here since before Columbus set sail for the new world. Look closely and you can see a man in a wheelchair in the middle of the photo.
A FUNNY RUMOR. It’s fun to find touches of humor in my travels. No offense meant to anyone. It’s just for fun.
I Like Winter???
I like winter. I really do. Mostly. I like cocooning at home, hunkering down in my office and writing. I like walking in the snow and cold (so long as it isn’t too cold and that’s relative. What was too cold a few months ago is not so bad today). I like not having a lot of gardening and yard work to do though I am at the place that I looking forward to it. I enjoy having time to catch up on visits with friends and good books.
This week we had a heavy snowfall. About 12″. Stunningly beautiful. But deep. I couldn’t walk on the road until a vehicle went by and broke a trail. It continues to look nice. But spring will be glorious with bright flowers and green grass.
“What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness.”
? John Steinbeck, Travels with Charley: In Search of America
Winter! Wow!
It’s been a brutal Feb. and it continues into March. The weather people are saying it was the 4th coldest Feb. on record. What? Wait. You mean there were three colder Feb.? Brr. Many days it’s been too cold to go out for a walk. Even the cat, who loves being outdoors, barely sticks his nose out. He’s getting bored. So bored he’s making up games.
He’s found a paper clip in the box and fishes it out, drops in on the shelf, chases it around a bit them puts in back in the box and repeats it. Oh, and he sits in front of my office window watching the birds at the feeder and making eager sounds.
Speaking of birds, the most active in the cold weather is the tiny little chickadees.
Every time I see them out there, I am amazed. How do they survive such cold temperatures?
It’s less than three weeks until spring officially arrives. Would someone please notify winter?
THE WORST AND THE BEST
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.
. 
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?