Oh, the Drama!

Ten more sleeps til I jet off to Denver, Colorado for this: Christian Writers Guild Writing for the Soul conference.  Just found out they're granting me a $200 scholarship to help defray the cost. YIPPEE!!!  Now if I would just get word back from the University of Manitoba saying I can take the alternate exam I applied for instead of the original one scheduled for February 11 when I'm in Denver. If they turn me down, I am so screwed. They won't turn me down. Will they?

AND WE HAVE A WINNER!

Congratulations. Lisa, you are the winner!!! Email me with your snail mail address and I'll get it in the mail. Shall I write it to you or will this be a gift?

An Ode to a Snowbird

Out of nothing but sincerest compassion for all the brave, deserving souls who stoically face their fears of flying, sunburn, and bugs to leave our secure homeland and expose themselves to cultural and language barriers, I bring you...

An Ode to a Snow Bird

If you're tried and true Canadian,

You're surely not Barbadian

For winter here is beautiful while theirs is very hot.

They suffer long on sandy beaches,

Sip cool drinks and eat fresh peaches

While home in Manitoba, we most certainly do not.

Poor souls in those warm temperatures

Need never brave acclimatures

Nor feel the thrill of habits and traditions we hold dear.

We scrape our windshields, shovel snow,

And listen to the cold winds blow

While they can only pine away and wish that they were here.

Those stranded in the tropical

Are simply without principle

Enticing good Canadians to join their misery.

But those of us who stay behind

To battle winters most unkind

Will never be deceived by their absurd chicanery.

You might think that I'm delusional

But trust me, it's illusional

To think a warmer climate is the answer to your prayer.

The mighty land of ice and snow

And bundling up from head to toe

Trumps unending lounging in some awkward pool-side chair.

It's not that I'm the jealous type,

Or that I'm prone to snip and gripe,

Or feel resentment building toward my snowbird friends.

I'd gladly take their place, you see,

So they could find out just like me

How fun it is to holiday where winter never ends!

Win a Free Book!

Post a comment below and I will put your name in a draw for a free copy of Chicken Soup for the Soul: Devotionals for Mothers, autographed by one of the contributors (Moi). If you already have one, that's ok. They make great gifts. Draw will be made Sunday, January 30, at 3:00 p.m. Central Standard Time. If you win, I'll need your contact info, so keep checking back! And yes, if you live far away, you can still enter - I'll mail it to you.

What's on Your Plate?

Last night in a phone conversation with my mother, I caught myself using cliches like "biting off more than I can chew" and having "a lot on my plate." Later, I wondered what it is about the activities of our lives that make them so relative to food. What might my life look like right now if my list of things were literally food on my plate? Hmmm...

• Well, first, there's my job at City Hall. That would be the mashed potatoes. It takes up the most space, is tasty and easy to swallow. It provides nutrition, but I'm sure glad it's not the only thing on the plate.
• Then there are the two university courses I'm taking for work. The first, Municipal Law, is a serving of peas and there is only one pea left - the final exam. It's a pretty big pea, but it will go down fairly easily when the time comes. It just needs to roll around on my plate awhile yet. The other course, Public Administration Professionalism, is a much larger serving of Brussels sprouts than I would ever want to eat. It tastes nasty and requires a lot of chewing and focus to swallow. But there's something in there that's good for me and will no doubt develop some muscle somewhere. The best thing about these vegetables is -- I didn't have to pay for them.
• The writing course I'm taking is a delightful, light salad - delicious, enjoyable, and good for me.
• My "Out of My Mind" column is the roast beef. My favorite thing on the plate, and definitely the one I'd take a second helping of. I can't, of course, speak for my readers.
• Then there are the interviews I've been doing with Municipal Councillors for the Herald Leader. This is a side serving of horse radish which I'm glad I tried, but do not necessarily plan to take again.
• My blog is something brand new, like a tasty bit of exotic cheese which I'm just nibbling on until I get the hang of it.
• My clogging class and yoga routine are a nice glass of cranberry juice with my meal. It satisfies a thirst and makes the whole meal digest more easily.
• For dessert, I'm preparing to attend the "Writing for the Soul" conference in Denver February 10-13. Preparations include tweaking my novel, finishing the proposal for my novel, making more business cards, and other activities I enjoy.
• There are, of course, other things scattered around on my plate like salt and pepper: housework and laundry, cooking, shopping, sleeping, showering and reading. I don't include relationships on my plate, because each person has their own plate and the common denominator is the table.
• Oh, and the plate itself? Prayer, of course. It's the only thing holding it all together!

Is your plate full, too?

Me. A Blogger. Oh yeah.

Everything I read tells me if I'm going to be a writer, I need a "web presence" and Facebook, apparently, just doesn't cut it. So, here's me, at the ripe old age of *mumble, mumble* trying to learn yet another trick. Welcome to my blog. I'm sure once I get the hang of it, it will be filled with things to dazzle and amaze you. Many thanks to my brilliant daughter-in-law, Dara, for the guidance and encouragement.