Happy "Talent Day"

 

Unique Talent Day vs. Hidden Talent Day: A Writer’s Confession

Today, November 24, is either Unique Talent Day or Hidden Talent Day, depending on which corner of the internet (or local news anchor) you ask. Honestly, I think they should team up and call it “Show Us Something Cool Before We All Scroll Away Day.”

And since I can’t touch my nose with my tongue, juggle flaming torches, or fold a fitted sheet without summoning a mild existential crisis, I’m going with the one talent I do have:

Writing.
(Wait—don’t roll your eyes yet.)

The Unique vs. Hidden Debate

A unique talent implies something rare and unmistakable—like being able to whistle backwards or identify 76 species of bees by sound alone.

A hidden talent is something different: it’s the thing you didn’t know you had, the thing buried under years of “that’s not practical” or “other people are better at that.”

So, which is writing for me?

Trick question.
For decades, I didn’t think it was anything at all.

My Talent Wasn’t Hidden—I Was

I grew up believing I had no creative talent to speak of. Writing wasn’t on my radar. It certainly wasn’t on anyone else’s. The world didn’t tap me on the shoulder and say:

“Hey, by the way—you’re a writer.”

Nope. I just lived life, collected experiences, and quietly assumed my imagination came with a removable battery I’d simply forgotten to install.

But talent has this funny habit.
It doesn’t stay hidden.
It waits.

Sometimes it waits so long that by the time it finally bursts out of you, it’s wearing sparkly boots and a dramatic cape shouting, “Surprise!”

The Reveal

When writing finally showed up in my life, it didn’t arrive fully formed. It crawled in through a side door. It whispered in blog posts. It nudged through poems. It strutted into short stories. And one day, it tapped me on the shoulder and said:

“By the way, I was never absent.
You were just busy believing the wrong things about yourself.”

That’s the messy beauty of hidden talents.
They aren’t really hidden from the world.
They’re hidden from us.

Unique talents? Those are fun.
Hidden talents? Those are revelations.

What I Celebrate Today

I’m celebrating the talent I once thought I didn’t have—
the one that quietly rebuilt my life, one sentence at a time.

I’m celebrating the unexpected.
The late bloom.
The “I never thought I could do this.”
The creative spark I spent decades assuming belonged to everybody else.

So today—Unique Talent Day, Hidden Talent Day, or Whatever-Your-News-Station-Calls-It Day—I’m cheering for every person whose talent isn’t flashy, viral, or circus-worthy… but life-altering all the same.

And if you’ve got a talent that’s whispering instead of shouting, here’s your sign:

Lean in. It might just be the part of you that’s been waiting the longest.

Landing on Another Planet: The Great Website Expedition

There are moments in life when you realize you’ve crossed some kind of invisible line. One minute you’re just trying to catch up with the world, and the next you’re squinting at a screen thinking, What species designed this interface?

That was me—freshly arrived from the early 2000s, landing smack in the middle of WordPress 2025.

I didn’t just build a website; I re-entered civilization.

For over fifteen years I lived in a kind of tech stasis bubble. No new phones. No streaming. No fancy apps. Computers came and went like rare comets I couldn’t afford to chase. By the time I stepped back in, the rest of the planet had moved to another galaxy of technology—complete with upgrades, subscriptions, and cheerful “Try Premium!” buttons guarding every door.

But somehow, through months of digital archaeology and sheer stubbornness, I did it.
A Heep of Words now exists in the wild.

🚀 Mission Log: The Build

The site builder I used offers three basic zones: header, sidebar, and main section.
That’s it.
Imagine decorating a house where you only get a roof, a hallway, and one corner of the living room—but it’s yours, so you make it work. (I have actually lived like that, but that is another story).

The sidebar now proudly lists all three of my pen names:

• Alexandra Heep, for the deep dives into health and science.

• Helena Parx, for the gnome and gem adventures.

• Lexa Drane, for the children’s tales and coloring pursuits.

It’s a small step for websites, but a giant leap for a writer who once celebrated just finding the power button.

🌈 Reality Check

Every time I tried to add color, a little pop-up whispered, “That’s a premium feature.”
Apparently, creativity now comes with a subscription fee. So yes, for the moment my site is minimalist. Let’s call it “zen-inspired austerity” instead of “stuck with grayscale.”

I’ve decided the current design perfectly symbolizes this stage of my writing journey: clean, raw, and built from persistence more than polish.

🪴 Lessons from the Digital Frontier

1. Patience counts as progress.
   There were days I spent two hours just trying to center a line of text. It didn’t center, but I did learn deep breathing.

2. Old skills adapt.
   The same curiosity that once made me take apart a sentence now makes me take apart a menu. (The sentence still goes back together faster.)

3. Perfection is overrated.
   The site doesn’t have to sparkle yet—it just has to exist. Existence is the first miracle; color can come later.

✨ What’s Next

The plan is to slowly fill that main section with news, musings, and updates from all my projects. It’ll be the living room of A Heep of Words—a place where gnomes, science, skunks, and the occasional philosophical cat can share space without arguing over whose story comes first.

It’s simple now, but it’s home. And if you’ve ever rebuilt your creative world from the ground up, you know how powerful that word can feel.

So, dear readers: welcome to my little planet of words. Please excuse the lack of fancy colors and upgraded widgets. I’m still unpacking from the time warp.

But I made it here—and that’s worth celebrating.

Epilogue: From AOL Dial-Up to Warp Speed

There was a time—not so long ago, at least in cosmic years—when I built a website line by line, teaching myself HTML on a dial-up connection. Each page loaded slower than a gnome crossing molasses, but the thrill of seeing my own words appear on a glowing screen was worth every beep and buzz of that modem symphony.

Fast forward to now: I can publish a post in seconds, add images without crashing the computer, and even make a whole website without typing a single <br> tag. The tools might have evolved beyond recognition, but the impulse hasn’t changed—to create, to share, to connect.

So if you visit A Heep of Words, know that it isn’t just a new website. It’s a tiny time machine powered by stubbornness and imagination—It’s a time traveler’s flag planted in the modern web — proof that creativity can survive every upgrade.

Buzzing My Way Into Chicago Libraries

 

🐝 Well, I’ve gone and done it. I just applied for a grant to get my book Bees, Biofeedback, and the Living Warning System into Chicago libraries. Because apparently, I don’t know when to stop poking at big problems with my pen.

Why libraries? Because walking into a library and stumbling across a book? That’s magic. One copy can reach hundreds of people, and maybe one of them will start connecting the dots between fewer bees in the garden, heavy Midwestern cornfields, sticky humid summers, and what all that does to human health.

I’ve gardened for years and I keep seeing fewer bees. And, I love libraries having used them for decades. It’s not just about honey — it’s about climate, food, and the fact that our nervous systems and theirs aren’t so different when stress piles up. The book digs into all of that, but the point here is simple: I want it sitting on shelves in Chicago, waiting to be picked up for free by whoever needs it.

So yes, I sent out invites to my shiny new project page (I don't blame you if you ignored them). Since the foundation uses that link to evaluate my credentials, I would love a follow (I have 10 now, but anything will be better)! Here is the link: [Bees, Biofeedback, and the Living Warning System | Facebook].  

There should be a "follow" button on the right, or perhaps in blue in the middle. I am still trying to figure out technology! While I wait to see if the Awesome Foundation thinks this is awesome enough, I’d love your support. 

And if not, that’s fine too — I’ll just keep buzzing on over here, planting words like seeds and hoping they take root. 🐝📚

Equinox, Roots, and Rebranding

 

(Because Even Gnomes Like Fresh Starts)

Today (September 22, 2025) is the fall equinox — that fancy word for when day and night finally play fair for a change. Tomorrow, of course, the dark starts hogging the spotlight, but for one shining moment we get balance. Seems like the perfect day to announce a little balance shift of my own.

For at least nine years, a Facebook page of mine has been dragging around the name Love, Life, and Time. Yes, the book that went with it never sold, but like a gnome statue in your yard, the page just sort of… stayed. Dusty, weather-worn, and occasionally startling visitors who wondered what it was still doing there.

Well, gnomes have staged a coup. They’ve marched in with pointy hats, planted themselves firmly in the moss, and informed me this page is now theirs. So welcome to the newly christened Gnomeward Bound Series Page. 🌱🧙‍♂️

What began as a single test book, then expanded into a trilogy, has gone even more rogue and wants to turn into a series. Apparently, gnomes don’t like being boxed in by “three-book contracts.” They prefer sprawling roots, endless puns, and more side quests than anyone asked for.

And just like the equinox, this isn’t an ending — it’s a turning point. Love, Life, and Time had its season. Now it’s time for something with a little more mischief, a little more magic, and a lot more gnome humor (the groan-worthy kind that makes you roll your eyes but secretly smile).

If you’ve been there since the early days, thank you for hanging around while the page hibernated. If you’re new, welcome to the grove — we promise the gnomes only bite if you take the last mushroom.

So, here’s to change, balance, and rebranding at exactly the moment the year tips over. The gnomes and I will keep the lanterns lit. You just bring the snacks. 🍁

🌿 A Word From the Gnomes 🌿

“Well, it’s about time. We’ve been holding this ‘Hello Fall’ sign for ages waiting for the equinox to roll around! Balance, schmalance — we prefer tipping toward pumpkin pie. But if the humans want to call it rebranding, we’ll allow it. Just don’t forget: roots go deeper, hats get taller, and once gnomes take over a page, there’s no turning back.” 🧙‍♂️🍂

National Read a Book Day (And Why I’m Late to the Party)

It's no secret: I dislike conventional marketing. Which is why this post is showing up late on National Read a Book Day (September 6, 2025). The marketers were probably out at dawn with their polished graphics and perfect hashtags.

Me? I’d rather be writing, reading, or feeding the cat.

But here we are — because if there’s ever a day to nudge you toward my books, it’s this one.

And yes, I now have five books. How many more am I working on? That cat isn’t getting out of the bag just yet — claws are firmly in. But I will let one tiny kitten of truth slip: four of my books feature a cat. Coincidence? Let’s just say I’m feline fine with it.

Since I’m already spilling small secrets, here’s another: the drawing for this blog is mine. And yes, I’m working on something new that will let my art stretch its paws alongside my words.

But for now, here are my books so far:

🧙‍♂️ The Gnomeward Bound Trilogy (so far, written under Helena Parx)

• The Gnome with the Golden Hat

• Gnome Too: The Gnome Grove Gem

• Gnome Tree: Gnome Roots

Think gnome politics, groan-worthy puns, and a cat who narrates it all with sharp eyes and sharper wit. Whimsy on the surface, roots much deeper underneath.

🦨 It’s Not My Fault (Lexa Drane)

A children’s picture book with a bit of therapeutic value tucked inside.

🐝 Bees, Biofeedback, and the Living Warning System (Alexandra Heep)

My most recent book — the serious one. Except it isn’t only serious. It’s about bees, chronic illness, climate, and nervous systems, tied together with threads of urgency, honesty, and hope.

So if you’re looking for a reason to read today, here’s mine: books don’t sell themselves, but they do speak for themselves.

Pick one. Or pick all five. They’ll take you from whimsical gnome groves to buzzing hives, with a skunk detour in between.

Late or not, that’s my pitch.

Happy National Read a Book Day. 📖✨

Nine Lives, Nine Tales, And One Very Opinionated Narrator

 

It’s that time of year again—Cat Nights begin today (August 17, 2025). No, this isn’t some Hallmark holiday invented to sell scratching posts and tuna-flavored candles. It’s Irish folklore, and it’s deliciously weird.

According to legend, witches could transform into cats. Not just once, mind you—nine times. Think of it as the original loyalty program: punch your card eight times, and on the ninth shift you’re stuck wearing whiskers forever. Somewhere in the shuffle of folklore, this got tangled up with the idea of cats having nine lives. (Cats, for the record, have confirmed this but declined to offer further comment.)

So, what does this have to do with me? Well, I’ve been busy writing a series about gnomes, narrated not by a wise old wizard or a wide-eyed farm kid but by—naturally—a cat. A cat who does what cats do best: sit in judgment, blink slowly at mortals, and share stories only when it amuses her. Which, frankly, is how all history should be recorded.

And the timing? Couldn’t be more perfect. Because Cat Nights—running from today until Halloween—are basically a seasonal permission slip for all things feline and mystical. If your housecats stare at the corner of the room with great intensity, don’t panic—they’re probably just watching a witch stuck in mid-transformation. Or judging your furniture choices. Hard to say.

Meanwhile, the gnomes in my stories might be busy with their grove councils and gem-rooted politics, but they know better than to ignore a cat. After all, gnomes guard the soil and roots. Cats? They guard the threshold between the ordinary and the strange. And let’s be real: when you’re weaving a tale of hidden groves and golden-hatted gnomes, it helps to have a narrator who can slip through shadows, appear in doorways unannounced, and knock important objects off shelves to see what happens.

So, here’s my challenge to you this Cat Night season: lean in. Pay attention. Notice the flicker in the corner of your vision, the pawprint on the threshold, the strange urge to take a nap in a sunbeam. You might just find yourself in the middle of a gnome tale—or worse, a cat’s monologue. And trust me, you don’t want to miss that.

Because if folklore has taught us anything, it’s this: gnomes might keep the roots grounded, but cats will always get the last word.

Slaying the KDP Formatting Dragons

 

Once upon a time, in a faraway realm known as My Living Room, a brave author set out on a quest: to publish a paperback on Kindle Direct Publishing.

The path was treacherous.

There were red lines. There were bleed zones. There were margins so tight they squeaked. And worst of all?

The Formatting Dragons.

These creatures come in many forms. Allow me to introduce you to the species:

1. Cropzilla, the Trimmed Terror

This dragon lives at the edge of every page. It eats titles, page numbers, and that lovely flourish you thought was centered.

Defense tactic: Create your PDF at exactly the trim size (plus bleed if needed) and chant the sacred spell: “Mirror margins, gutter size, and a prayer.”

2. Blurb-Burner

This beast roasts your back cover copy with fire that smells faintly of Times New Roman. You had witty prose. You had just the right tone. But upload it once and—poof—everything's misaligned and Comic Sans adjacent.

Slay it with: Embedded fonts and text boxes. Or better yet, lay that blurb into your cover image file like it’s a tattoo. No editable text, no sorcery.

3. The DPI Deceiver

This dragon whispers sweet lies: “Your image is fine.” Then—WHAM—KDP smacks you with a warning: “Your resolution is too low. Consider a file that’s at least 300 DPI.”

You scream. You check. You uploaded a 300 DPI file, you swear. This one feeds on sanity.

How to defeat: Flatten the image. Save as PDF/X-1a. Throw in a pixelated battle cry for good measure.

4. Marginmonger the Inflexible

His whole job is to make sure your words just barely spill outside the acceptable print zone. Even though your Word doc looked perfect. Even though your PDF had a halo.

Counterspell: Learn the ancient art of “Custom Page Setup.” Use KDP’s calculator. Worship it. Gutter size is not optional—it’s ritual.

5. The Previewer Phantom

This one’s the worst. In the KDP Print Previewer, everything’s fine. You click Approve. You dance. You weep. Then you get the proof copy and suddenly—it’s all off. Centered? Not even close. That title looks drunk.

Vanquishing strategy: Never trust the previewer alone. Order a physical proof. Examine it like a cursed scroll. Accept that you will have a round two.

Bonus Wisdom: Learn the Spell Scrolls Before You Swing the Sword

Before you fight dragons, you need to speak their language. What's a bleed? A mirror margin? An embedded font? These are spell scrolls, dear author—learn them first, or you’ll be casting gibberish into the wind.

The glossary is your grimoire. The KDP Help pages are your spell books. Understanding the lingo turns chaos into confidence. Otherwise, you’re just stabbing shadows with a spork.

Final Advice from One Who Has Fought and Barely Lived

• Use Word, InDesign, Affinity—whatever weapon suits you. Just save to flattened PDF.

• KDP wants exact dimensions. Don’t wing it. Don’t trust templates from 2019.

• The red warning banner is a lie. Sometimes it’s real, but sometimes it’s just… dramatic.

• Most importantly, breathe. You are not alone. Thousands of authors are out there, fighting their own formatting dragons, shouting into the void, and triple-checking margin specs like caffeine-fueled knights.

So grab your mouse. Raise your font size. Save your file as PDF (again). And remember:

You are the author. The slayer. The wizard. The one who will rise again—better formatted, less frazzled, and ready to hit “Publish” like a boss.

Smells Like Book Spirit

Let me set the scene. 

Just about every night, for about a year, I was being assaulted by what can only be described as a tactical strike of skunk stink. Not the once-a-year “oh no, the dog found something in the bushes” kind of smell. Not the odor that encounters solid brick walls. No. This was a daily occurrence creeping through paper-thin mobile home walls. Like clockwork. Skunk o’clock. Often as early as 3 am. 

 At first, I thought it was my imagination. Maybe I’d left a window open during a particularly rebellious breeze. Maybe a rogue trash panda was pranking me with cologne choices. But no. The universe had sent me a message. A pungent, persistent, furry little messenger. 

It smelled like dread. Like defeat. Like a prank I hadn’t quite figured out the punchline to. My nervous system balked daily, my mind thought of many unflattering things about neighbors whose, shall we say, disorderly practices seemed to invite some of nature's most pungent events. 

And then it hit me. Not the smell—well, yes, the smell—but also, the idea. What if this wasn’t an attack? What if this was... inspiration?

Because here's the thing: when something annoying happens every single day, you can either cry about it (been there), curse the gods of wildlife, or... write a children’s book. So I did the third one.

I turned my olfactory nightmare into a whimsical, emotionally grounded children’s story. Not just any skunk story, mind you. A story that helps kids deal with big feelings—like rejection, loneliness, sensitivity, and, yes, the occasional urge to spray the world with emotions.

The main character? A skunk who doesn’t mean to stink up everyone’s day—she just feels things so deeply that sometimes… they leak out. Can’t we all relate? Writing it became therapy. Editing it became healing. Publishing it? That was a triumph over Eau de Doom. 

And the best part? What started as a joke between me and the stink cloud turned into something that resonates with actual human hearts—kids, parents, grown-ups with inner children still wearing emotional training wheels. 

Sometimes your worst daily nuisance is just an unprocessed plot twist in disguise. And sometimes healing doesn’t smell like lavender and sage. Sometimes it smells like skunk. But you write it anyway.

And that, my friends, is how It's Not My Fault came to life: a children’s book born from a very real need to turn stink into story, and frustration into fun.

So, I released the ebook mid of June. The ebook was my first attempt to alchemize irritation into insight. It worked. It was fun. And then… I got an idea that smelled almost as strong as the real thing: Let’s make an activity book. Because what do kids love more than a story? A story they can draw all over.

So I expanded this humble tale into an activity book full of creative prompts, emotional check-ins, skunk-themed fun, and yes, a few therapeutic surprises snuck in under the radar. (I’m looking at you, “draw what your feelings smell like” page.)

It turns out that sometimes the best self-help is found in a crayon box. So what started as me trying not to turn our house into a dish of baking soda and peroxide (useless!) became a whimsical, healing, laugh-through-it project. Now it’s out there in the world, helping others sniff their way through their own big feelings.

Moral of the story? Not all stink is bad. Not all books are planned. And sometimes, therapy comes with stripes.

Space Ships and Potatoes

 

There’s a special kind of tragicomedy in trying to publish books online and to build a sleek, modern website when your brain looks suspiciously like Swiss cheese… even if your laptop is a state-of-the-art marvel that could probably pilot itself to Mars.

Yes, thanks to a kind soul, I finally have a brand new, whiz-bang laptop that hums happily under my fingertips, loads giant files in a blink, and auto-saves so I stop losing entire chapters to my wandering mind. It’s glorious.

But here’s the catch: my brain didn’t upgrade with it. My sharp-cheddar brain stayed somewhere behind in the 20th century, and now it's like a block of moldy Swiss cheese - riddled with holes from years of stress, life, and forgetting why I walked into the kitchen. (Spoiler: probably goat milk. Always goat milk.)

So now I’m like some hapless rookie astronaut plopped into the pilot seat of a sleek starship. I’m gripping the controls, squinting at blinking lights, hoping I’m pressing the right button to launch forward — not eject myself into deep space. Meanwhile, digital asteroids (pop-ups, errors, plugin failures) keep whizzing by, and stray space junk (like 42 open browser tabs) threatens to spin me off course.

Then there’s my old phone.
Good grief.
It’s still limping along beside me, glaring resentfully at my shiny laptop. It freezes at the slightest provocation, refuses to load half my sites, and closes pages in mid-scroll like it just got bored. If my laptop is a spaceship, this phone is a potato — occasionally useful, mostly just sitting there, sprouting eyes, doing absolutely nothing to help.

And sure, my new laptop is perfectly willing. It purrs along, obeys commands, doesn’t crash or whine like the prehistoric brick I used before. It’s me — the Swiss cheese pilot — who’s lagging, still figuring out which dashboard goes to which website, which image I meant to upload, and why the page I thought I published is apparently lost in orbit.

But here’s the thing: even a holey brain, an old potato phone, and questionable piloting skills can still steer a mighty fine ship. I’m building. I’m writing. I’m (sometimes) pressing the right buttons.

Because perfection is overrated. Determination is everything.
And if I accidentally warp into a black hole once or twice? To quote Thomas Edison: "There is great value in disaster. All our mistakes are burnt up. Thank god we can start anew."

A to Z Challenge 2019: Z is for Zambrano, Carlos

In my house, we love baseball, big and small. For the major league kind, we follow the Chicago Cubs who finally won the World Series in 2016, after a 108-year drought of not winning it. This was the longest drought in sports history.

On a smaller scale, we discovered the Chicago Dogs last year. They are Rosemont's AA-baseball team. Rosemont is just a few minutes from here, and they have an awesome new stadium that holds about 7,000 people. Parking is easy because the garage is attached to the stadium and only costs a few dollars. I can also manage the stadium layout as it's not far to walk to get to everything.

Carlos Zambrano ties the two things together. He is a 37-year old pitcher who played for the Chicago Cubs for 11 years. He last pitched in the major league in 2012. Last year, he pitched in Mexico, but now he is ready to make his return. He will function as a relief pitcher for the Chicago Cubs this season.

Here is a local newspaper article, if you're interested. https://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-spt-cubs-carlos-zambrano-comeback-attempt-20190418-story.html

A to Z Blogging Challenge: Y is for Yu Darvish

Like many others, I love the Chicago Cubs but Yu Darvish, not so much at first. He is a pitcher the Chicago Cubs acquired a couple of years ago for a whooooole lot of dollars. He sat out most of the 2018 season because of injury. The 2019 starts weren't good, but a couple of days ago he finally delivered and brought them a 9 - 1 win against the Arizona Diamondbacks. He  had a rough start, walking people and even hitting a batter. He got his act together and pitched a very good game. Yay!

A to Z Challenge 2019: X is for Xtreme Sports

What is an xtreme or extreme sport? Here is what Brittanica says: "Extreme sports, also known as action sports or alternative sports, sporting events or pursuits characterized by high speeds and high risk. The sports most commonly placed in this group are skateboarding, snowboarding, freestyle skiing, in-line roller-skating, street lugeing, and BMX and mountain biking."

The sports mentioned are okay, but I don't really follow them. However, I am thinking more of skeleton, luge and ski jumping. Those I like. If you don't know what they are, the first two of these sports take place on an icy track. They both involve a light toboggan, or, as we call it in our house: a glorified mechanics creeper.

Among the winter sports, I find those the most fascinating (other than ski jumping, which seems extreme as well). The difference is that luge goes feet-forward with the rider on his back while for skeleton the athletes throw themselves belly down, head-first down the icy tube-shaped track. If that isn't extreme enough, the athletes reach crazy speeds, going up to around 90 mph.

A to Z Challenge 2019: W is for Wanderlust

Wanderlust is a German word that has made it into the English language. If you type wander and lust into the Google translator, it comes out migratory lust. Well, I am German, so let me tell you that dictionaries often don't get it right, especially when it comes to compound words.

Wanderlust refers to a feeling that people get when they don't want to be where they are at the moment. However, it doesn't really imply traveling either. Many people travel, but then they come back home, wherever home might be. To me, wanderlust is more the word for people who might pause for a while before moving on. My translation is "a desire to meander."

I was born with wanderlust. I tried counting in how many places I have lived, but I forgot many of them. I would say about 30 (and I am 51 years old). My parents didn't stay still in one place either. When I moved into my own place at age 17, I had already changed address six times.

Strangely enough, where I live now is the one place I have stayed at the longest. Tom is the opposite of me. He has never lived anywhere but in a 25-mile radius of where he was born. He has taken me many times around the neighborhood in which he grew up, just a few minutes from here.

I love this sense of home, but I don't understand it. Actually, just about everything I have I don't own. I "own" only a few things, and they probably could fit into two suitcases. Everything usually ends up left behind. I think that a person with wanderlust doesn't attach to things the way other people do, or they were forced to give up things many times over.

While I have often wondered what it would feel like to have a normal sense of belonging, we are what we are. And yes, I still want to go to other places and see what is out there, but I am happy in the moment.

A to Z Challenge 2019: V is for (Greta) Van Fleet

Sometimes something good comes out of something not so good. That is what happened to me with Greta Van Fleet, a young rock band that burst on the scene in 2017. Alas, I only heard of and listened to them first a few months ago. I saw all these bad comments on Facebook about a band that "ripped off" Led Zeppelin.

The “critics” (and I use this word loosely) mostly complained that younger people shouldn’t duplicate what better, “greater” people have done. In this case, they begged the members of Greta Van Fleet to find their own style.

I do wonder why people make those statements. Interestingly enough, these seemed to come from men in my age group. Perhaps, when they look at Greta Van Fleet, they see themselves in their youths and miss the way they were? What makes people cut their hair and trade in what they liked to something they don't? When do you decide to put on the comfortable khakis or sweat pants?

All those comments did was make me curious, so we checked out free copies at the library of both of their CDs. From the first lyric on, yes, the singer reminded me of Robert Plant. The music is hard rock style, so I guess people could say the music is uninspired--as in, it's been done before. Ah, but there is more to it.

What are you supposed to do when your vocals sound like Robert Plant? Also, what does it mean to find your own style? The members are barely older than kids. They were born in 1996, 1998 and 1999. Young enough to be Tom’s grandchildren! They formed when the youngest was just 12 years old.

They dress in seventies-style clothing, and 3 out of 4 sport long hair. I am not sure what people are complaining about. While people can look any way they want, I dislike the style of today, so kudos on doing something else. Plus, if they did the music of today, then I am sure that people would complain that today's people have no taste. Hah!

The more I listen to their music though, the less it reminds me of Led Zeppelin. Also, they write their own songs. While you can't believe everything you read on the Internet, Robert Plant himself allegedly likes them. As it is, they have gazillions of followers, and they're touring worldwide, so they have masses of people who like what they do. Are we going to see them? Hell no, but we are waiting for a third album.

If you want to listen to them, they have a lot of stuff on YouTube, including one of my favorite songs, the Safari Song.

A to Z Challenge 2019: U is for Uriah Heep

Uriah Heep is my favorite band. I love it so much that I changed my name to incorporate a part of it. The band is also the reason Tom and I found each other. We connected on Facebook when he sent me a friend request. The only reason he did that was because of that name he knew me to be a Uriah Heep fan. They are among his top-five favorite bands. No, we had no intention of becoming a couple, it took years, but life is funny that way.

A few facts about Uriah Heep:

• They named themselves after a character in the David Copperfield (by Charles Dickens) novel.
• They were established in 1969.
• They have had over 20 members.
• They have released 25 studio albums.

If you are interested in some music clips:

Sunrise (1973 live)

Pilgrim (1973)

July Morning (2009 live) mine and Tom's favorite

Easy Livin' (2017)

A to Z Blogging Challenge 2019: T is for Tea

I have always loved tea, even as a child. I have been drinking it for as long as I can remember. I like black tea and herbal tea. I do not put any sweetener in herbal teas, but I drink hot, black tea with honey. I also like cold, black tea (it's called iced tea here), and I drink that without any sweetener. too.

Luckily, you can get unsweetened iced tea without any sugar at most restaurants. In Virginia, where I used to live before, you can't. They call it "sweet" tea, and it's totally over-the-top sweet. The unsweetened cold tea is my go-to beverage when eating out, but I don't make it at home.

In Germany, I used to drink black tea with all kinds of flavors. Back then, I added rock sugar to them. The one tea I have tried that I can't stomach at all is the smoky one. I thought it was called Earl Grey, but when I researched it, I read that Earl Grey is made with bergamot orange. So, I don't know. Green tea I find tasty, but I can't drink it because it gives me chest pains. No, it's not the caffeine, I can tolerate caffeine from other sources.

In regards to herbal teas, I drink nettle leaf and linden tea daily. I also make a daily ginger infusion and throw a peppermint tea bag in it. Chamomile is my favorite, but I don't drink it a lot. Why? Well, I already have three cups going, and there's only so much time in the day. Plus, drinking tea leads to bathroom visits.

What is your favorite tea?

A to Z Challenge 2019: S is for Sunflowers

I was wrangling with the idea of whether to use sunflowers or snowdrops for this post. Snowdrops are my favorite spring flower and sunflowers my favorite flower overall. Because the season for snowdrops has passed, I decided to go with sunflowers instead.

Since I've moved to the Chicago area, I've grown them every year. I especially like the non-yellow varieties, and I've even grown "black" ones (they're really a deep burgundy). I have grown miniature ones, but I love the mammoth size best. This year, I am participating in a sunflower/bee challenge. You can read about it (and join) at https://www.greatsunflower.org/.

However, my love for sunflowers started in childhood over 40 years ago. It sparked a creative piece I wrote a while back, and it eventually was published in an Australian literary journal called Meniscus.

Writing it was one of the most emotionally tolling experiences because I don't like to visit my childhood, and the long process to get it published wasn't much easier. Alas, the editor of the paper saw something in that piece, and it remains my only creative work for which I received more than a token payment.

(It's called "The Garden" and is on the last page--how appropriate): https://www.meniscus.org.au/Vol3_Iss2.pdf

A to Z Challenge 2019: R is for Rainbow

Rainbows are one of nature's amazing feats, at least in my opinion. They do seem hard to capture, especially when you only have a cellphone camera. This one is one of my favorite pictures, and yes, I took it with a cellphone camera. If you look closely, you can see that it is a double rainbow.

A to Z Challenge 2019: Q is for Quark

In this case, I am not talking about subatomic particles, I am talking about a German cheese. It's pronounced "kwaarck." It's made from curdled, soured milk to which lactic acid bacteria is added.

If you make it at home, combine a bit of buttermilk with heated milk, let it sit overnight at room temperature, and strain it for a day in the refrigerator. It sounds disgusting, but it looks and tastes like a mixture of sour cream, ricotta and yogurt. Thankfully, it does't have the lumps that ricotta has. I've only eaten the store-bought stuff.

In Germany, Quark is frequently combined with cream cheese to make cheese cake fillings. I used it myself in that manner. I also liked eating it on hearty rye bread with sugar on top. I have not had it since I left Germany, oh about 32 years ago. I am more sensitive to foods now, so perhaps that is a good thing!

A to Z Challenge 2019: P is For Postcards

I have always loved postcards. I did have a collection when I was a teenager, but I had to start over again about two years ago. In that time, I have amassed over one thousand of them. I don't have just one favorite, I have many favorites. To illustrate this post, it was difficult to choose one. I decided to showcase this postcard from Kazakhstan, for several reasons:

• It's from an uncommon country.
• It shows a sunset.
• It has an unusual size.

There are many ways to go about collecting postcards. I mainly obtain them through Postcrossing, a postcard exchange site. I am also a member of PostcardUnited, it's another postcard exchange site. Sometimes, I trade postcards with people on Facebook or the Postcrossing forum because the sites match you up with random people only. Other times, friends send me postcards from their vacations.

Now, you can just buy postcards online from any place. However, I prefer those that are stamped, written and sent from the point of origin. To me, it's as much about the journey as it is about the actual item. I do have postcards from each continent (including Antarctica). 

What is my rarest postcard? Well, that is difficult because ... what is rare? Is it a hard-to-get postcard (North Korea)? Is it from a place with few people (Vatican)? Is it from a remote place (Tristan da Cunha)? I don't know the answer, but I am especially fond of a card I received from Antarctica (South Pole station). I am also stoked about a card I got from the Faroe Islands.

So far, the strangest place I've sent a postcard to is Tromso in Norway. It's above the arctic circle. Strangely enough, its lowest temperature in the winter isn't that bad: It is 9 degrees Fahrenheit. In Chicago, so far we have had a low of -23 Fahrenheit, and in Michigan I experienced -31 Fahrenheit.

However, summers in Tromso aren't that warm, only in the 50s. Also, it does have some mind-blowing long winter nights and summer nights. In the winter, the sun stays gone for 1.6 months, and in the summer, the sun stays for 2.3 months. What on earth can you grow in that climate? Also, they have unending weeks of Aurora Borealis. 

If you're wondering, there are over 245 "countries." This includes territories and independent observer states. Google will tell you that there are only 197 countries right now. That's because places come and go. My number is based on Postcrossing, which lists 248 countries. The site uses ISO 3166 standard for compiling countries and territories.

As of the date of this post, I have postcards from the following countries and territories: (If you want to exchange one with me and you live in or visit a country I don't have yet, please let me know)!

1.   Algeria

2.   Antarctica

3.   Australia

4.   Austria

5.   Bahamas

6.   Belarus

7.   Belgium

8.   Brazil

9.   Canada

10.                   Chile

11.                   China

12.                   Croatia

13.                   Cyprus

14.                   Czechia

15.                   Denmark

16.                   Estonia

17.                   Faroe Islands

18.                   Finland

19.                   France

20.                   Germany

21.                   Great Britain (England)

22.                   Greece

23.                   Guernsey (Channel Islands)

24.                   Hong Kong

25.                   Hungary

26.                   India

27.                   Indonesia

28.                   Ireland

29.                   Israel

30.                   Italy

31.                   Japan

32.                   Kazakhstan

33.                   Latvia

34.                   Liechtenstein

35.                   Lithuania

36.                   Luxembourg

37.                   Macau

38.                   Malaysia

39.                   Mali

40.                   Moldova

41.                   Monaco

42.                   Morocco

43.                   Netherlands

44.                   New Zealand

45.                   Norway

46.                   Peru

47.                   Philippines

48.                   Poland

49.                   Portugal

50.                   Puerto Rico

51.                   Romania

52.                   Russia

53.                   Serbia

54.                   Singapore

55.                   Slovakia

56.                   Slovenia

57.                   South Africa

58.                   South Korea

59.                   Spain       

60.                   Sweden

61.                   Switzerland

62.                   Taiwan

63.                   Thailand

64.                   Turkey

65.                   Ukraine

66.                   United Arab Emirates

67.                   USA

68.                   Uzbekistan

69.                   Virgin Islands (U.S.)