Maureen Lang's Blog, page 15

My husband and I are enjoying a small group study that tackles some tough subjects, among them how the universe reveals evidence of God. The Bible itself says creation points to God, and even a glance out the window — or in a mirror — reveals some pretty solid evidence of not only the complexity of life, but the miracle of it.


Here are a few interesting facts my husband and I were discussing in light of our study. And believe me, if I can understand these basic facts, anyone can (science-lover or not!).


Let's start big, with the miracle of where our solar system sits in our vast universe:


Our solar system is perfectly placed between spiral arms. What does that mean? If we were any closer to these arms, we'd never survive all of the star activity. Since we need a magnetic field to shield us from our own star (our trusty, reliable, stable sun), you can imagine how difficult it would be to exist around exploding stars.


We're also a long way from the galactic center, where there is a black hole. What's a black hole? I have no idea, except that I'm told they're spots in the universe that are so dense, once light goes in it can't escape. The mass of the universe is just right to sustain life here, even though the universe is so huge - more mass would mean only heavy elements would be produced, less mass would mean only light elements. There are elements all around us, Hydrogen, helium (lightest ) and lead, iron among the heavier ones. But our planet is just right to produce a mix, allowing and sustaining life.


Our solar system "happens" to sit in the life-habitable zone of all the rings surrounding our sun. We can't be too close (ouch!), or too far (brrrr….). And did you know since Jupiter just "happens" to be so big, it protects us from bombardment of things like comets and asteroids?


The moon is just the right size to keep the tilt of the earth's axis stable. Compared to other planets similar in size to earth, our moon is larger, but it needs to be this way to sustain life. Goodness, aren't we lucky?


And by the way, it's not that water is so rare in the universe, it's that we have just the right amount of it. In comparison to other planets, we actually have less, in some cases much less. Our oceans are maintained by the right atmosphere, transferring heat from warm regions of the globe to cold regions, they absorb carbon dioxide, and the biological inhabitants are necessary to keep the whole thing balanced.


Then there is the amazing information that's involved in human DNA - no matter how finite the examination of the body, we're a perfectly logical, designed machine. Even secular scientists have a hard time resisting a creator's fingerprint in this area, and coupled with the trouble of finding the origin of life, many have resorted to looking elsewhere - out to space - for life's beginning.


Well, they need look no further than Heaven...


Some of those who find it increasingly difficult to ignore the existence of God prefer to think if "a God" did design the whole thing, that's all He did. He started us going then disappeared, off to play God in other places. Nothing personal, He just created us and left us alone.


But not long ago I heard the best argument against such a thought. How could God create us to be personal, and not be personal Himself? Can the creator create something greater than Himself? Or did he choose to create us as personal beings, capable of love and relationship, but not want to be part of that Himself?


Of course to me it's obvious: God is a personal being and that's why He created us as personal beings as well. We're made in His image. That's just one more reason the Bible makes so much sense to me. It's called the Word of God because it reveals itself as divine in so many ways: from the creation account to historical facts, to the prophecies to its understanding of the human condition (morality). I may not have an extensive knowledge of any one of these facets, but even what little I do know seems too great to be ignored.


So this week, I hope you find some time to read from the most incredible book man has ever known ...










Jumping to the ARCs of my book Bees in the Butterfly Garden seems a bit trivial in light of God, creation and the Bible, but call me human: in one breath I can go from praising God to just plain fun. And giving away books is fun!


After collecting all of the comments from my two Facebook pages, Goodreads and here on my blog, I randomly drew four names. Drumroll, please! Those names are:






LeLe
Barbara Anne Waite
Jill Smith
Patricia Kemp






Congratulations, ladies! I'll be in touch so you can let me know how to send the books to you.

I was so happy to receive from Tyndale the Advance Reader Copies for my upcoming novel, Bees in the Butterfly Garden! The box arrived over the weekend, so I spent a couple of days floating on that happy-cloud that comes with having a dream come true. This is technically my twelfth book (counting three seculars from many years ago). I must admit seeing a story in print form that came purely from my imagination is, and I suspect always will be, an exciting moment. Especially when the covers are so lovely!

Bees in the Butterfly Garden is my most escapist book so far. Not that all of them haven't provided some form of that, but this one especially so. I guess because I laughed more with this book. Not that anyone else will—it's not really meant to be comedic. I laughed because of all my books, this puzzle-plot was not only the lightest, it was probably the most intricate. When each piece fit with another (even the little ones) I laughed right out loud nearly every time—particularly toward the end.

Here is the back cover blurb:

Raised in an exclusive boarding school among Fifth Avenue's finest, Meg Davenport has all she's ever needed . . . but none of the things she's wanted most—like family or dreams of a future that include anything other than finding a suitable husband. So when her distant father dies, she seizes the chance to throw etiquette aside and do as she pleases. Especially when she learns that John Davenport wasn't the wealthy businessman she thought, but one of the Gilded Age's most talented thieves.

Poised to lead those who were loyal to Meg's father, Ian Maguire knows the last thing his mentor would have wanted is for his beloved daughter to follow in his footsteps. Yet Meg is determined, and her connections to one of New York's wealthiest families could help Ian pull off his biggest heist yet. But are they both in over their heads? And in trying to gain everything, will they end up losing it all?

So there you have the gist of the story, and perhaps a peek into why it's a light, escapist story. In contrast, my book club selection this month is kind of a downer; it's a collection of one novella and several short stories. One story is just as nightmarish as the others (thus, the subheading ". . . and other nightmares"). While the stories are imaginative and emotionally evocative, I'm not finding this kind of escape to be very refreshing. That's likely why I don't write stories about murder and kidnapping and torture!

I don't know about you, but I prefer a happy escape—especially these days when the news on television is mostly bad, politics are more negative than ever, prices are going up as investment values are going down—and that doesn't even cover personal reasons to escape! Admittedly, I have a wonderful life. A great husband and three children who are easy to love and who love me in return (most days anyway). But with a wedding on the horizon and the hustle and bustle that comes with that (fun yet sometimes stressful), with my youngest son going to high school next year (and we all know when I turn around he'll be headed off to college!) not to mention all of the regular challenges that come with my lovable but challenging handicapped child, I need an escape! Regularly. That's what reading, and writing, provide for me.

What about you?

Tell me, briefly, why you love to escape into a book, or what kind of book provides your favorite escape. Leave a comment at the end of this blog posting, either here on my blog, on Goodreads, or on either one of my Facebook pages. At the end of the week (Sunday night, Feb 26th) I'll draw four random names, each to receive one of my Advanced Reader Copies. No obligation to buy anything, no strings attached. You don't even have to promise a review, I just want you to enjoy it. Make sure you let me know how to contact you privately via e-mail so I can ask how to mail the book to you. In the name of equal effort, only real comments will be included, so "Likes" on Facebook or Goodreads won't count. :-)

I hope your week ahead permits some time for a reading escape!

This past weekend, for the first time in sixteen years, our house was quiet. Not just for a few hours while our Fragile X son was involved in school or a special rec program or outing, but quiet from Friday night until Sunday afternoon. He was away for a respite weekend at a camp for special needs kids. And while I had mixed feelings about it—looking forward to the time while wondering how worried I'd be—as it turned out everything went very well and I needn't have worried at all. Having other kids there whom he knows helped (at least my own comfort level) and the aid assigned to his care is someone he's worked with before through another program. Since he's basically non-verbal and not affectionate, he came home without a word and as if he'd never been gone. But he was happy and clean, and they told us he had a good time. That's one of our son's best qualities: few transition troubles.

But here is what I realized during this very quiet weekend. While I think agoraphobia is too strong a description for me, I did find myself wanting to stick close to home. This is a little surprising considering I've spent the last sixteen and a half years feeling tied to it—home to meet the needs of a handicapped child. He's away at school for six hours a day, which is when I get my writing done, but that, too, is something that keeps me home. A few years ago I'd have guessed I would want to feel the freedom of leaving the house whenever I felt like it. But I didn't. Instead, I wanted to enjoy the quiet.

Because that's something else I felt aware of over the weekend. The contrast of what our house would sound like without Fragile X in it. Lots of noise comes with my son's particular lifestyle. He likes to watch kid-videos, and we let him because there are not many things he can do to pass the day. So this weekend, there was no Barney playing in the background, no musical toys he likes to bang on. No Clifford computer games. No raspberries he's so fond of doing whenever he's awake.

Just quiet.

Ah.

I spent most of Saturday doing a marathon Downton Abby viewing. I don't tend to watch much television, unless I'm in the kitchen putting together lunches or cooking a meal, and then it's usually the news because I don't have to actually look at the screen for that. I can just listen. My husband and I did go out to dinner on Saturday for an early Valentine's date. (Olive Garden! It was great.) But even while we were out I found myself thinking I'm glad I'd stayed home that day. There was just something about a quiet house that refreshed me.


I did wonder, fleetingly, if having had a taste of what "normal" life would be, I'd resent the return of constant interruptions, the unending service required to take care of someone who cannot do for himself, and of course the noise. But you know what? Like our son, we didn't have any transition trouble, either. The duties we've had around here for so many years are just part of who this family is. And we all slipped right back into our roles, like a tailor-made coat. It fits us, or perhaps we've grown to fit it over the years.

But I think we may do this respite thing again if we can work it out . . .

This week I'm pleased to bring to your attention the latest book from Robin Lee Hatcher! Don't miss the online party happening tomorrow, February 9th (see below for details).

HEART OF GOLD
by Robin Lee Hatcher
The truest treasure is found deep in the heart.

Back in her beloved Virginia, Shannon Adair loved nursing injured soldiers back to health. But in Grand Coeur, Idaho-the rough-and-tumble place where her father has been called to lead the church-she's not sure where she fits in. Then a critically ill woman arrives, and Shannon knows her place at last: to care for this dear woman and ease her pain.

Matthew Dubois is the fastest and most reliable stagecoach driver on Wells Fargo's payroll. But his widowed sister is dying and he's about to inherit his young nephew. So he takes a job at the Wells Fargo express office in Grand Coeur until he can find the one thing he needs to get back to driving: a wife to care for the boy.
What neither of them knows is that God is at work behind the scenes—and is lovingly bringing them together to discover the true desires of their hearts.
************************************
About the Author:
Best-selling novelist Robin Lee Hatcher is known for her heartwarming and emotionally charged stories of faith, courage, and love. She discovered her vocation after many years of reading everything she could put her hands on, including the backs of cereal boxes and ketchup bottles. The winner of the Idahope Writer of the Year, the Christy Award for Excellence in Christian Fiction, two RITA Awards for Best Inspirational Romance, two RT Career Achievement Awards (Americana Romance and Inspirational Fiction), and the RWA Lifetime Achievement Award, Robin is the author of 65 novels and novellas. Her historical romance Catching Katie was named one of the Best Books of 2004 by the Library Journal.
Robin enjoys being with her family, spending time in the beautiful Idaho outdoors, reading books that make her cry, and watching romantic movies. She is passionate about the theater, and several nights every summer, she can be found at the outdoor amphitheater of the Idaho Shakespeare Festival, enjoying plays under the stars. Her main hobby (when time allows) is knitting, and she has a special love for making prayer shawls. Robin and her husband make their home on the outskirts of Boise, sharing it with Poppet, the high-maintenance Papillon, and Princess Pinky, the DC (demon cat).
**********************************
A Note from Robin:
Please join me on Thursday, February 9, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. (Mountain Standard Time) for an online party to celebrate the release of Heart of Gold, a Women of Faith™ novel!
We will be gathering on my Facebook page <https://www.facebook.com/robinleehatcher> under the Notes section to get to know each other better (look for the link in the left sidebar of my wall, click it, then click the link to the party which will be the top Note listed). I will be sharing behind the scenes stories and a favorite recipe. If you have a recipe to share, please have it ready! (For a better understanding of how the party works and a list of all the prizes, please read the information on the Event page <https://www.facebook.com/events/185357471546685/>.)
I'll also be hosting drawings for autographed copies of the book and other prizes with ties to Idaho and the story. We'll have a party game with a grand prize of a Kindle Touch loaded with my two Women of Faith™ novels, The Perfect Life and Heart of Gold! I'll also be announcing an exciting new contest during the evening.
Please share this information with your friends. The more who come to the party the merrier!
I'm looking forward to mingling online with all of you! Please be sure to calculate the correct time zone for you. If you need help, use: www.timezoneconverter.com
In the grip of His grace,
Robin

Yesterday was our dog's birthday. This is always a day my youngest son remembers, and so do I—although I think I remember it because it's a few days after my own birthday. But my son? Usually February starts with a smile for him, because he says "Oh, it's Susie's birthday month. And maybe somebody else's in the family, too…"

Gee, thanks.

Actually, our dog is probably the one member of the family that everyone loves all of the time. What's not to love? Her biggest goal in life seems to be to please and serve us. She has a knack for making all of us feel like she loves each one of us better than the others.

My husband was recently reading a book about how certain animals in God's Kingdom point to God's great love for us. He gave "soulish" animals an ability to bond with human beings, even if that bonding has nothing to do with its survival (as would be the case for dogs dependent upon the owner for food). It mentions lions and ravens, goats, horses, eagles, even the ox that historically as a bovine group has probably provided more work benefits to mankind than any another animal species.

Each one of these animal, and a few more, are mentioned in the Bible. What we learn is that they've all been programmed not only to be of special value to serve mankind, but to be able to bond with humans in some extraordinary way, if treated right. Horses, for example, will charge into battle to please their owner—something that defies any logical survival-of-the-fittest requirement. The bonding capacity is stronger than its will to survive. (See the movie War Horse if you doubt that!)

Well, I don't know if our sweet Susie would charge into battle with us, but she's certainly been designed to please and comfort just as every other dog has been. What human being can fail to be comforted, amused or pleased by the sight of a wagging tail?

There are so, so many examples all around us, every day, of God's great love for us. I just don't understand someone who can see the miracles in every direction and not see God's hand.

Here's an old video of a lion that bonded with two Englishmen back in the late 60s. This is the kind of extraordinary bond I'm talking about! Who can doubt that God gave us animals as a gift when we see something like this?


So... if you have a dog or cat or any kind of pet go give 'em a hug today! Then thank God for his incredible imagination and generous gifts.

Last week I read the non-fiction book The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, the story of the woman whose cells were taken without her knowledge or consent in the early 1950s. Cells that, unlike other cell samples, didn't die in the Petrie dish soon after being harvested. In fact, the cancer cells taken from Henrietta Lacks kept on multiplying and to this day still multiply and continue to be used in research. They're the HeLa cells used around the world, which have advanced treatments for things like cancer and polio and helped in many other areas of study.

Although I didn't plan to enjoy a book about human cancer cells, this book club choice was so much more than a book about cells. It was a biography of Henrietta Lacks and her family, a compelling—often tragic—story that kept those pages turning, even when addressing how complex (yet orderly) disease function tends to be.

As it happens, reading this book coincided with my son beginning a drug study for Fragile X research. If you've visited my blog before, you probably already know he is a very low functioning Fragile X patient. Although he's sixteen years old, he functions like a two year old. Little language, not toilet trained. Sweet, praise God, but a sixteen-year-old-two-year-old is, as you can imagine, quite a challenge.

When he was first diagnosed, I read a pamphlet that said since Fragile X is a single-gene disorder, they estimated a cure in ten years. That was over fifteen years ago. I had yet to learn that fundraising language was far different than that of a researcher. A few months later my husband and I met one of the leading researchers in Fragile X study, only to be told we'd "probably" have a cure in perhaps two generations. The brain, he said, is a very complicated and highly protected organ.

That was when science killed my hope. I didn't want to hope for something that wasn't going to happen in my son's lifetime. I told myself to cling only to the hope of Heaven. No one can take that away.

Then a few years ago I started hearing rumors in the Fragile X world about researchers having "cured" Fragile X in mice. Now, granted a mouse's brain is a far cry from a human's, but still . . . This was the moment I started battling with hope. I told myself not to let my hopes get too high. But surely that mouse was the beginning of something . . .

So now, based on what they did with the mouse, they've developed two new drugs. At this stage neither have a name, just numbers. After initial testing, the drugs were given to adult Fragile X patients. Only recently have they opened up a study for 12 to 17 year olds. Since the drug has been used on adults for a couple of  years and proven safe as far as side effects, and because my son is so big now, I felt it was worth a try if he qualified. He hasn't qualified for many studies in the past, mainly because he's just too low functioning. But for this study, that wasn't a factor.

Drug studies are far safer, and far more ethical, than they were in the days of Henrietta Lacks - when they took samples or injected patients to study diseases without explaining everything they're doing. (A stark reminder of my father's POW experience.) This particular study with my son is a double blind, meaning neither the patient/family nor the doctor will know, until the end of the study four months from now, if my son is actually taking the drug or a placebo.

So far we haven't noticed much change. He's always had a few words in his vocabulary, and so now when he strings more than one word with another our first thought is: Maybe he's on the real drug!

But here's the thing. While the drug is supposed to make brain conditions better for learning (something never been done before!) even this drug isn't an instant cure. Even if it ultimately works, he won't wake up one day with a brain full of knowledge. If he's ever capable of learning, he'll still have to go through the long process of acquiring skills and knowledge. It'll be a long process—but one of hope, if he proves capable of learning more than he's ever been capable of before.

If that's a possibility, even for him to improve just a bit, then I think all those hopes I've been stuffing away, squashing or ignoring all these years might just burst out like one of those springy "snakes" from a trick can. I'm already having a little trouble keeping a lid on it.

At the moment, though, we don't even know if he's on the real drug or a placebo, or if it will work for him. The good news is that at the end of the study, he'll be able to go on the real drug and hopefully, if he hasn't already shown some improvement during the study, he will then.

These are indeed interesting times...

All prayers welcome!

For the past few weeks, in between my writing schedule, I've been reading several books and manuscripts as a judge for various contests. While it has definitely added to my already busy schedule, I have to say I've enjoyed the task. I've been judging contests literally for decades. And boy-oh-boy have things changed in twenty years. Aspiring writers have so many more resources available to them nowadays, and most are wise enough to take advantage of those resources. People have found online critique groups, book "doctors," freelance editors, writers loops that share information, online courses, a plethora of how-to books—and they're using them! Gone are the days (at least in my recent experience) of receiving a manuscript where the entries are barely readable.

The romance market has matured, of course. The demand is greater but with this wider exposure come many more writers aspiring to write for such a popular market. Romance sales hold a huge share of overall book sales, and competition for a spot in the field has only increased—which naturally raises the quality. Editors not only have more to choose from, but they're more demanding and discriminating. They can afford to be, with so many people drawn to writing.

That's all the good news. The bad news is that my foray into judging has been mostly in the secular romance area, and the secular romance market has also developed over the years. What might have been considered racy twenty years ago, even ten, is merely tame these days.

If I've been asked to read something that I normally wouldn't choose for myself, I usually don't refuse to judge it. Only if it contains an aspect that I find blatantly insulting to my faith would I contact the coordinator and ask for the piece to be assigned another judge. But when judging secular writing, I don't refuse to read books that have more graphic sex or violence than I would otherwise choose to read. For one thing, the majority of secular books include these aspects and it's hard to volunteer as a judge without agreeing to read something containing such material. For another, and to me this is the more important argument, my faith is strong enough (and old enough) to read such things without feeling my spirit tugged downward. I judge the book for what it is: all of the entries in this particular contest are required to be a romance. Does the romance work? Is the writing engaging, even if the content isn't something I would normally read? Has the story convinced me that someone looking for this kind of secular book would be satisfied or pleased to read this? Has the writer done the job of telling a compelling, believable story, using all of the elements she's introduced without extraneous scenes, characters or subplots, and populate it with characters that touch the reader in some way?

Which are all, by the way, things I ask myself as I'm writing my own
stories . . .

So now I'm off to do some writing, and then a good deal of reading. This is one of those days when I feel truly blessed to be able to plan my days in such a way!

[image error] This week I'm pleased to introduce the latest book from author K. Dawn Byrd!

About the book:

Zoe's cousin Emma thinks she's the recipient of some sick jokewhen an old boyfriend she thought dead shows up on the internet. Can Zoe solvethe mystery that's causing Emma so much pain when her attraction to the townbad boy is so distracting?

When Zoe Mack moves in with her grandparents to start college, she's throwninto more mystery than she bargained for. Her cousin, Emma, is terrorized by astalker who breaks into her house and leaves a photo-shopped image of Emmahanging from a tree. Nothing is as it seems and Emma soon learns that even theman she thinks she can trust is suspect.

Zoe can't wait to reunite with Nate, the bad boy who doesn't talk about hisfeelings much, but the passionate kiss he gave her last summer had to havemeant something. When she arrives back in town and discovers that he's introuble with the law, she must take matters into her own hands in order toclear his name. She has her hands full with a needy Emma, a cop who gives herthe creeps, and Nate, the guy she desperately wants to call her own. Can Zoesolve the mystery, clear Nate's name, and make him fall in love with her?
[image error]  
About the author:
K. Dawn Byrd is an author ofinspirational romance and romantic suspense with five books published so far. Recently,she tried her hand at young adult fiction and found that she really enjoyedwriting it. Three books in the Zoe Mack Mystery Series are scheduled to releaseJanuary, June, and December 2012. Shattered Identity, the sequel to MistakenIdentity, will release in April.
K. Dawn Byrd is an avid blogger and givesaway several books per week on her blog at www.kdawnbyrd.blogspot.com, mostof which are signed by the authors. She's also the moderator of the popularfacebook Christian Fiction Gathering group at http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=128209963444.
When not reading or writing, K. Dawn Byrdenjoys spending time with her husband of 16 years while walking their dogsbeside a gorgeous lake near her home and plotting the next story waiting to betold.
Links: Website:www.kdawnbyrd.comBlog:www.kdawnbyrd.blogspot.com and www.zoe-mack.blogspot.com Twitter:kdawnbyrdBooktrailer on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1aJrlR0fd4&context=C37a6c3aADOEgsToPDskI03937RSubxSN3pzKZqfrl


Q & A:1)    How did this story come to you?SometimesI get the strangest ideas! I love a good mystery and I love romance, but youdon't find the two together very often. Also, there are very few booksavailable with college-age characters. I pitched the idea of combining all ofthe above to Desert Breeze and the rest is history.2)    Tell us about the journey to getting thisbook published.I had alreadypublished several books with Desert Breeze when they opened a young adult line.I'm excited that they liked the idea for this new series.3)    Tell me three things about yourself thatwould surprise your readers.1)    I own two hairless Chinese Crested dogs.2)    I love sour things....pickles, lemons, sourcandy.3)    I used to ride a Harley, but gave it up inorder to have more time to write. (My husband always wanted to stay out way toolong and take the scenic route home. He still has his bike, but I don't missmine at all.)4)What are you working on now and what'snext for you?I just finished the edits on my Aprilrelease, Shattered Identity, which is the sequel to Mistaken Identity. I'm nowworking on the second book in the Zoe Mack series.5)Partingcomments? Thank you for hosting me! For those of you who love Christianfiction, please check my blog for weekly book giveaways. I interview 3-5authors a week who give away their books. www.kdawnbyrd.blogspot.com

This past weekend I happened to be tuned in to eggs. There are several reasons for this:

Whenever I've forgotten to defrost something for dinner, I usually resort to eggs. This happened last week. Hubby loves it when I add cheese and fresh mushrooms, zucchini, and dill, and my oldest son will eat eggs in nearly any way, shape or form, while youngest son likes them plain. Since I've started Weight Watchers (as it seems I do every January!) eggs have once again become one of my best friends.

I also watched a silly old Bob Hope movie—well actually I watched only part of it while I was folding laundry, and I can't even recall the title. But I saw enough to watch him accidentally run a grocery cart into a display bin of eggs. I found myself wondering why, even in the dark ages of the 1960s, any grocer would display loose eggs outside a refrigerator case… Which was why, perhaps, I didn't watch any more of the movie. It was just too contrived for a visual laugh (note to self: readers don't like contrived scenes any more than movie viewers do).

Then my husband read a news story to me about a disgruntled group of Chinese shoppers who were anxious to purchase the Apple iPhone 4S only to learn they'd already sold out. Eggs were thrown in protest. Without minimizing the seriousness of a riot, my husband just looked at me point blank and said "Who carries eggs around with them so they'd be handy to throw at an Apple Store? Does one friend say to another 'Let's go get our iPhones. And hey, don't forget the eggs."?

Which naturally led us to wonder how many other ways eggs have been involved in history. According to Wikipedia, egging has long been an unfortunate protest practice all over the world, mainly because eggs are cheap and they can do damage. Halloween, when it was solely a night of mischief, was a time when cars got soaped or egged. I also recall reading about traveling acting troupes who used to have rotten eggs or vegetables pelted at them if the performance didn't meet expectations.

So . . . do certain kinds of people just carry eggs around in their pockets, or what? Hmmm… Personally, I'd rather be pied. If someone's going to throw something at me, I'd rather lick that off my face than a raw egg. Preferably blueberry, if you please.

Then there are the phrases "egg on" and "egg on your face" and "lay an egg." One site I checked said the "egg on your face" phrase might harken back to the days poor actors were pelted with raw eggs. It also said the phrase "egg on" didn't necessarily trace back to being motivated to move if someone's about to lob an egg your way, although that may very well be true. It actually goes back to a Norse word "eggja" meaning to incite, stimulate or provoke. In this sense eggja also derived the word "edge" as in to "edge someone out." To "lay an egg" is obviously something we all want to avoid — a flop or failure. If it's used in sport team terms, that's been traced back to an egg being the shape of a zero . . . in other words, they didn't score.

Did you know egg shells contain pores that allow oxygen in and carbon dioxide out?
Egg production in the US — 75 billion per year — only accounts for 10 percent of the world's total. China produces the most eggs (390 billion, about half the world's supply). And turkeys lay eggs, too, but because turkey moms (is that a real term?) have stronger maternal instincts than chickens, those eggs are harder to collect. Turkeys take up more room to nest anyway, so they're just not economical to use. Those are just a couple of interesting facts I learned from a list of 12 Extraordinary Egg Facts.

And this, no doubt, is more than you ever wanted to know about eggs. But I do hope you have an egg-straordinary week!

A P.S. To Last Week's Readers: I'm so egg-cited! I bought the dress! So now I'm walking on clouds . . . until the bill comes in, when I'll be walking on egg shells.

Picture this: A coach in a locker room just before game time gives the speech of a lifetime. The team is inspired to such a pitch they're ready to ram through a brick wall to prove their coach right to believe in them. The excitement of the anticipated competition builds to a loud, thunderous roar as every team member lets out their excess energy. The team rushes to the door, ready to OWN that field, only to stop dead in their tracks because someone mistakenly locked the door. All the energy and unity of purpose that was instilled in the team to beat the opponent is stymied.

Or this: A writer finishes the most inspiring scene in their work-in-progress. They're so pleased they share it with a friend who tells them it's the best thing they've ever written. The writer basks in the glow all evening, even dreaming up a new scene to follow with the next day. But they check their email first thing in the morning and see a response came from the agent or editor they'd been waiting to hear from. A rejection. No way is that follow-up scene going to be written today.

I guess it's easy to figure out which analogy is my husband's and which is mine. The reason this came up is that a Ready, Set, Stop situation happened to me the other day. Have I mentioned my daughter is getting married in just a couple of months? Although this is a day we've all been expecting literally for years, a lot of the plans couldn't have been made until recently.

One of the things I was looking forward to was buying the traditional "mother of the bride" dress. I knew I wanted to wait until after the holiday season because, like my mother before me, I'm frugal (that's the word she always used but all of us kids would tease her that she was just cheap).



Confident that my frugality would pay off, I went to several stores looking for the perfect dress. And while I did indeed find many sales, I also found the dresses remaining on the hangers after the holiday season are anything but unique, and some cheap in a way my mother never would have settled for.


But then, meeting my daughter at the very dress shop where her bridesmaids ordered their dresses, I tried on several gowns I hadn't seen anywhere else. They were lovely! But frankly, I was afraid to look at the price tags even as I assured myself they were on sale. An unavoidable glance at one tag told me unless the sale was substantial, I'd have to sell a whole lot of books to make a dent in a downpayment.


Then I saw it. A dress I'd noticed the first time I went to that little dressmaker shop, when the bridesmaids were ordering their dresses. It had been on a mannequin before the holidays, and I could see why the shop owner wanted to highlight it. I still can't tell you what aspect of the dress is lovelier: the style or the color. The beaded bolero draws the eye first, and the waistline is gathered off to the side, cascading into the most beautiful material I've seen yet. It's a golden turquoise—when you look at it from one angle, it appears gold, but from another, without changing the lighting, it appears turquoise. It's striking without being gaudy, classy without being ostentatious.

I was so ready. I was so set. Until I asked the price, including alterations.

I left the store without it, but the friendly shopkeeper assured me she'll hold it for me a few days while I go home and think it over. So here I am, counting my pennies…

Oh, dear. I want that dress.

By this time next week, I'll have made up my mind. I'll let you know!