July Ultimate Blog Challenge - java

The word of the day is java. Some of you youngsters may not be familiar with the word. It's a slang word referring to a cup of coffee. In earlier times, the island of Java was a source of coffee beans (and it would have been stamped on the sacks they came in), hipsters of the early 20th century adopted java among many other terms as slang for coffee.

Did you know people have been drinking coffee since the middle of the 15th century? Wives of Norwegian immigrants originated the coffee break in the late 19th century. There's even a  Coffee Break Festival celebrated every year in the city of Stoughton, Wisconsin.  (http://www.stoughtonwi.com/events/details/stoughton-coffee-break-festival-2018-2351)

Close friends know how much of a coffee drinker I am. The drink of choice here in East Texas is sweet iced tea. Even though it's been sixty years since I 'came south', I never developed at taste for iced tea.

My day starts with a cup of steaming coffee as I scroll through  messages and emails. Usually there's a second cup at mid-morning. For some reason, in the summertime I skip it with lunch. My drink of choice then is usually a tall glass of raspberry iced tea. Perhaps our Texas summers have something to do with my choice. There could be n afternoon break for coffee if I can stop what I'm doing long enough. But most evenings, there's coffee beside me as I wind down my day.

Well, enough of this...time for a java break.

July Ultimate Blog Challenge - intimate

(Not sure if this is the species of my visitor)

The word I've chosen for today is intimate.

Have you ever had an intimate encounter with a hummingbird? Yesterday I noticed the feeder that hangs on my front porch was near empty. Knowing it had at least one daily visitor, I hurriedly made feed and refilled it.

As I enjoyed the cooler morning air and savored my first cup of coffee for the day, I heard the distinctive buzz of hummingbird wings. It flew past the feeder and hung in the air a moment as if inspecting a change in surroundings.

I assume it was a she because of the lack of distinctive coloring although I've not been able to identify its species yet even after consulting Birds of Texas. (https://www.amazon.com/Birds-Texas-Field-Natural-History/dp/0890965455/ref=sr_1_12?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1530800571&sr=1-12&keywords=Birds+of+Texas)

More than once, between sips of hummingbird nectar, it would leave the feeder and fly closer to hang there, its head jerking side to side. Then as if satisfied, it would return to its sipping. One last time, it left the feeder, came close and paused in mid-air as if to say thank you before flying off to perch on a nearby branch.

A few minutes later, another buzz of wings told me the hummingbird had returned. Must have been thirsty this morning. You're welcome, neighbor.

July Ultimate Blog Challenge - history

The word of the day is history. Not my usual blog but the tenor of recent times has me disturbed.

Why are people so intent on re-writing history simply because it doesn't reflect how things are presently?  You can't eradicate something that happened in the past just because you don't agree with it now. Don't they realize what happened in the past affects the future? Even if you manage to erase all memory or mention of an incident or an attitude that happened to be prevalent at that time, it has already imprinted the present.

I am a fiction writer. Many of the novels I've publish have been set in the past, preferably our country's past. My greatest satisfaction comes with the research this requires. I put a lot of effort into being historically accurate in all the details. If you're interested, go to https://www.amazon.com/author/gayingram and check out a couple like Mai Lin, Troubled Times or my latest George Washington, From Boy Surveyor to Soldier.

History, both the good and the bad, is there to teach us and to illustrate how we humans have evolved. Learn from the past but keep it in context of the times. Recognize society and people at that time differed from the present. What was acceptable then is not today simply because of history's effect.

You can't go back & change history but you can look back, learn from it not to make the same mistakes. That is the value of our word of the day - history.

July Ultimate Blog Post - enjoy the music

Today I'd like to share with you a video made some time back. My older son David died unexpectedly in June of 2010. He began composing music when he was eight years old. At the time this picture was taken a couple years before his death, he was associated with Willamette University in Oregon and teaching privately.

This is the only performance he recorded on YouTube, an original piece composed for his daughter.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2emgtAjEOoI  I hope you'll find the time to listen and enjoy.

July Ultimate Blog Challenge - ginkgo

(Thanks to

 /https://www.pinterest.com/potterydog1/ginkgo-trees/

for the photo)

The word of the day is ginkgo. I'm sure you've heard of the ginkgo tree, considered a living fossil. Only found in the wild in China, it's cultivated around the world. It has a long history in traditional Chinese medicine but  mainly it’s the seeds that are used. When the female ginkgo trees shed their leaves and berries, they smell like vomit. So why do people still plant them?

It's a survivor. A ginkgo can live hundreds of years in a city. Through London smog, New York congestion, and Washington’s swampy summers, the ginkgo has been the old standby. This slow-growing tree gives us a big show during fall when its leaves turn a vibrant yellow.

Some experts theorize the ginkgo smell would have attracted dinosaurs to eat it. It’s the outer part of the seed that produces the smell, so if you happen to have a tree that's bothersome, try to pick the berries before they fall to the ground.

For the definitive word on  the ginkgo tree, check out this site: 
https://e360.yale.edu/features/peter_crane_history_of_ginkgo_earths_oldest_tree

Satisfying my curiosity about this unique tree got me thinking. Learning of a plant that's been around since dinosaurs trod the planet made me more conscious of how short my days here on this earth are in comparison. 

I had to ask myself, am I making the most of the limited time I have? Is there more I can do to leave this a better place?  

July Ultimate Blog Challenge - family

The word of the day is family. When I checked Miriam-Webster's dictionary, it listed four definitions of the word. There's the basic unit consisting of two parents and children. Then we have a group of individuals living under one roof. Another definition considers a group of persons of common ancestry a family. (Kind of resembling the characters in my novel Mai Lin.) Then there's the group of people united by their convictions or a common affiliation.  

I'd like to add another group - the folks who occupy my family enclave here in East Texas. There's myself, the matriarch widow. Another residence is occupied by my only living son and his daughter with whom he was reunited after a ten-year separation. Recently come to this area is my oldest brother who moved here from Kentucky six months ago. All of these highly individual folks make up my immediate 'family.'

True, we are all blood-related, but until recently, years went by when we were out-of-touch with one another, especially my brother and I. My family could be considered people who share a common ancestry, if not a shared life experience.

Miriam-Webster's definition is in danger of becoming obsolete as present-day society is quickly changing what constitutes a family. I'd love to hear some response, pro & con, on this topic. What does your family'consist of?

July Ultimate Blog Challenge - expectations

The word of the day is expectations. Again I refer to Miriam Webster's dictionary. : the act or state of expecting; anticipation. So, what are my expectations from taking this challenge to write a blog a day for the month of July? 

Of course, I expect to return to writing after a very long absence due to life's interference. A blog a day is a good way to reinstate the habit of daily writing. Long-term expectation is to gain a host of new readers for the novels I've published in the past. 

Oh, have I not mentioned the dozen or so books, both fiction and nonfiction, are available in both print and Ebook format? The easiest way to check them out is to go to my Amazon Author Page https://www.amazon.com/author/gayingram.

But what about expectations that will resonate in my personal life? Well, being forced to come up with something to post every day causes me to take a closer look at  myself and where I am in life. I've reached an age (I'll let you guess at that) where I don't anticipate any life-changing adventures, but you never can tell. God does have a sense of humor, I've discovered through past experiences.

But, I tend to agree with a comment John Mellencamp made in a recent Sunday Morning interview...and I paraphrase:"I only have so many summers left and I intend to keep doing."