On My Blog

I've had some wonderful authors on my blog with eleven book winners since I started this. I think it was November or December when I started maintaining a blog in earnest. And it is a full-time job. I don't know how many of you do a blog, but I didn't realize what I was signing up for. Believe me, I know now! Keeping a blog and posting regularly keeps a person on her toes.

If you didn't see The Dust Bowl, November 30, 2012, I hope you will check my blog for older posts and look at this. I watched some PBS specials on the dust bowl of the 1920s and 1930s and posted pictures from the internet. Then I ordered and read a novel that was advertised on those programs. Sanora Babb lived through these times and wrote about them. She had her manuscript ready and sent it to editor Bennett Cerf in New York in 1939. He was interested and planned to publish this "exceptionally fine" work, but when John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath swept the nation, Cerf did not feel that the market could sustain two books on the subject. So Sanora did not get her book published until 2004, 65 years later. The novel is titled Whose Names are Unknown and it was a fantastic read. Babb wrote five other books during her lifetime. Steinbeck became famous,
but Sanora Babb was the one who lived these experiences.

I've written about many people we knew during our ministry and afterwards. I wrote about a Christian country gospel group in our area, The Barn Again Gang, on November 8. I was very impressed by the woman singer in the group who told about how God had healed her from cancer and told about it in the post. Just recently she lost her battle with cancer.

I've written about travel. Our son who now lives in Germany was here in February for a visit and we went back to the town where we lived when he was a little boy. My blog on February 12 was about our Trip to Bogard and how the town has changed, complete with pictures our son and I took while we were there.

I can't count the number of book reviews I've posted.

I've written about people in our churches. You would not know them, but you might enjoy reading about them. Some of the titles in this blog are: Death of a Judge, January 8; Piano Memories, May 3; I Remember Joe, June 21; Sometimes the Doctor is Wrong, June 28.

Our son, David, from Midland, Texas, writes on my blog, too. His essays are posted on the second and fourth Mondays of each month. His pithy and humorous wisdom is worth reading.

Here is a list of the book winners along with the titles of the books and their authors:
1. God's Little Miracle Book by Sally Jadlow -- winner: Margo from Illinois
2, Finding Your Place by Margo Dill (children's book) -- winner: Elizabeth from PA
3. Too Brides Too Many by Mona Hodgson -- winner: Wendy from Florida
4. Secrets Over Sweet Tea by Denise Hildreth-Jones -- winner: Faye from Missouri
5. What Matters Most by Bette Lee Crosby -- winner: Karen from PA
6. Winner's Choice of any book by Julie Lessman -- winner: Carol from Alabama
7. Picture Perfect by Janice Thompson: winner: Bonnie from Kentucky
8. The Dance by DanWalsh -- winner: Debbie from Texas
9. Stealing the Preacher by Karen Witemeyer -- winner: Maxie from Texas
10. She Makes it Look Easy by MaryBeth Whalen -- winner: Cherie from Ohio
11. I'll Watch the Moon by Ann Tatlock -- winner: Allene from Texas

I plan to continue my blog for a while longer, but will not be able to keep it up forever. I need to cut out some stress because I had another heart cath Monday of this week. That's the third one, About the end of April I had the same test and a stent was inserted. I did not have to have a stent this time, but will be checking with my doctor about medications. I probably need to slow down even more than I have already.

Thanks again to all the people who read my blog. I hope you have enjoyed it. I appreciate all those who commented, whether on the blog, Facebook, or by email.