Category Archives: choice and accountability

Cat, choice and accountability

Life with Sparky: Catch?

Sparky picks up one of his toys, shakes it, and jumps on my lap.

“What do you want, Sparky?” I ask.

After a while he take his toy and leaves.

Another day, Sparky brings a toy to my lap once more. I chat with him and ignore the toy. He gives up and jumps down with his toy.

It happens again.

Sparky brings me one of the mouse toys I bought for him. I pick it up and shake it, making the bell ring.

Sparky watches.

I toss the mouse toy across the room.

Sparky leaps from my lap and chases the toy. He picks it up and drags it back to me, dropping it on my lap.

So I pick it up and and toss it across the floor in another direction.

Sparky chases after it, wherever I toss it, and brings it back to me.

Sometimes he drops it and watches it fall on the floor. He stares at the mouse until I bend over and pick it up.

It finally hits me (yes, I’m a little slow). Sparky likes to play Catch!!!

Who ever heard of a cat playing catch? Dogs play catch, not cats!

He’s brought me that mouse or another every day since then. It’s become one of his favorite games.

Catch. With a cat. Who would have thought?

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Cat, choice and accountability, First Matriarch

Life With Sparky: Another Toy

A package lies at my door when I open it.
The package I’ve been waiting for!

I dance inside with it and set it on my sofa, surrounded by grandsons and …
Sparky,
Who sits on the back of the sofa.

I carefully slit the tape and open the box.

“What is it Grandma?” my grandsons ask.

Before I can lift paper or anything out, Sparky leaps into the box and curls up.

“My toy. My box.”

It’s Mine!

I lift him out and reach into the box, barely able to grab out the intended prize before Sparky reclaimed the box.

This shouldn’t be a surprise. I gave him a box when he first came to our home. Cats like boxes. I have found him in boxes, under the area rug, beneath beds, inside blankets, even inside the bathroom sink. He loves to snuggle my feet and keep them warm down at the bottom of the bed, under the covers. (No judging allowed! My son let him do it when he was tiny.)

You think you want to wash you hands?

It is no wonder that when my computer arrived he claimed the box it came in.

Another toy for Sparky.

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Challenges, choice and accountability

What Big Cat is He?

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He crouches low, creeping toward his prey. He bounds forward, leaping before it gets away. He races through the tall grasses, over a log, then hurdles the final obstacle. The female wildebeest jumps away.

He misses.
Yet again.
Next time.

Sparky thinks I’m his prey.

I have to dance away as he leaps over the sofa toward me. I heard him coming. Good thing, or he’d be dragging me down like a lion drags down a gazelle or a wildebeest.

I have to watch out for him. He hides behind the furniture and under the bed, streaking out to attack my calves as I pass. Sometimes, he manages to leap higher than my waist.

It’s a good thing he has learned to pull in his claws. Jack might be accused of abusing me with all the scratches and bites I’ve had on me.

Sparky is lucky he is a beautiful cat.

My scratches are healing.

I wonder if he descended from a lion, a tiger, or a cougar. He has beautiful stripes along his back legs like a tiger. He’s fierce like a lion. He lies in wait to attack along the back of my sofa like a cougar.

I wonder if he dreams of being a big cat?

Perhaps he does, as he lies across my keyboard.

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Challenges, choice and accountability

We Have a Problem

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Early on, we knew we had a problem.

I walked into my closet to see a quilt I had stored on the top shelf now lying on the floor. The quilt, made by my mother, waits for a granddaughter to grow old enough to graduate or get married. I had to take a chair into the closet to get the quilt on the highest shelf.

Now it lay on the floor.

Sparky!

But how?

I watched him when we were there for the next day or so. It didn’t take long to learn how he did it.

He leapt up from the floor, or from my husband’s oxygen machine, crawled up the sleeves of Jack’s shirts, and on up to the shelf above the clothing.

Later, we found Sparky sleeping on the shelf.

We banned Sparky from our bathroom.

I walked into the guest bath not long after and found claw holes in the toilet paper he had unrolled, completely.

Enough!

He’d jump up on me and onto the counter by the sink. Once, I had to move him from the sink so I could wash my hands!

He’s banned from both bathrooms.

In the living room, Sparky climbed on top of the empty birdcage and starred at the moving ceiling fan.

That wasn’t going to happen.

I moved the birdcage outside. I can’t give it away yet. I can’t get another bird yet. So it sits on our back patio, waiting.

Meanwhile, Sparky jumps from the floor to the top of the printer, which rests on a bar stool. He sits on the back of my chair, higher than me.

Brat.

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Challenges, choice and accountability, First Matriarch

Life with Sparky

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Our son set the small purebred Siamese kitten into my husband’s arms. “You need something to keep you active,” he said, only a little in jest. “Besides, he is scratching the baby.”
Before Jack could do more than pet him twice, the cat leapt from his arms and raced to the back of the house.
“Sparky. His name is Sparky, like the sparks of fire. Look how fast he goes.”
With that, we inherited another animal from our sons.
We already have turtles, and their fish, (We gave them the fish to eat. They kept them as pets!) one son left home when he moved out.
We also had a love bird, left behind when he got married.
Now, we had a cat.
He’s a beautiful Siamese, but he is feisty!!!
When we pried him out from under the bed, he took an interest in the lovebird. He’d stand on his hind legs, trying to see what was in the cage.

Then, on the second or third day, he knocked the cage off the stool it had been perched on for nine years with no disasters.
The cage collapsed.
Eryl escaped.
We thought he was fine.
Wrong.
In less than a week, I found her with his wings splayed out like she was too hot.
We pulled him from his cage and loved on her for the hour we had left before she drew her last breath.
And then, we cried.
Apparently, her escape from the collapsed cage wasn’t without injury.
We are back to two kinds of pets. Turtles, and their fish, and the cat.

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Author, Challenges, choice and accountability

How Will You Change the Country?

“What are you going to do to change the country?” my friend asked me the other day.

This has had me thinking for several days. “What can I do? I’m a lonely author, who has little impact on politicians and others who make laws for our land. I can vote, complain to others, respond to social media, and write letters to my Congresspeople. It has little impact on the country or the world.

My response to my friend was, “Nothing. Except live the best life I can, obeying God’s laws and the country’s laws to the best of my ability.”

Later consideration brought a few more ideas. I can be a friend to others, and do all I can to make my part of the country, and thus the world, better. I can offer assistance to others. I can do my best to be kind. And, I can write more books.

I’m an author. I try to change the world with my books. My imagination takes me to places I can never go. I share things I’ve learned as I tell my stories. I learn more things in the things I write. A long time ago, as a teacher, I discovered you don’t know what you know until you write it down. Writing my books helps me understand what I know about a few things, as I explore a time no one knows about.

The human experience doesn’t change, only the leaders and the things people gather around them. They walked, rode horses, or rode in carriages. We walk, ride in cars, airplanes, and soon spaceships. We all eat, dress, have children, or die. We love, hate, argue, solve problems, and search for happiness. It has been so from the beginning.

I’ve considered challenges in my life in my books. Some of the results I don’t like and hope my children never suffer the consequences I write about. Others of my stories I love. I hope more of my family receive these results in their lives.

So, I finished the editing of my next book, Betrayed Trust. I will release it in about a month. I still need a cover and a description for the back. More to come when it is closer. It, too, explores a different part of the human condition.

What will you do to change the world or the bit of the world in which you live? How will you make the lives of those around you better? (I’m hoping you will choose to read more of my books and review them.)

What would you suggest I write about in my next book? The one I’m working on now was recommended by a reader, one of you. I do listen.

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Author, choice and accountability

What Happens When He Throws a Rock?

I am working on the first draft of book three in the Lost Children of the Prophet series. (No. I don’t have a name for it yet. I’m sure I’ll find the name sometime soon.) I wrote a scene I’d like to share with you, but remember this is rough, I’ve done no editing on it yet.

You may wonder the things that helped me write this scene. Many years ago when I was a little girl, my brother had a friend who lived across the street from us in our small town. One day, this friend wanted me to see a rock he thought was particularly pretty. Instead of running it across the street and placing it in my hand, he threw it to me. I, of course, caught it on my head, not in my hands.

In January, we visited our son in Arizona. He took us to a river purposely kept low to save water during the winter. He and his little boy stood for almost an hour throwing rocks into the river. I stood for a long time watching father and son throw rocks into the water. As I watched, I wondered how I could include this in my books.

Here is a part of that scene:

“It may be my fault. When we were still young boys, Father took us out to the horse farm with him while he checked on the horses. Kimnor hit on a great game, or so he thought. We stood across the stream with a stack of smooth rocks, Kimnor stood on one side while I stood on the other.”

David shrugged and pulled his head down into the collar of his cape. “It was Kimnor’s idea. Peter and I were his younger brothers. We always did what he told us to do. Usually, his games were fun. On that day, we were tossing the rocks from one side of the stream to the other, trying to throw them close enough to the other boy that he could catch it.”

“That does not sound safe to me.” Daphne glanced at David, then faced forward to keep her eyes on the road ahead of her.

“Looking back, it wasn’t very safe. We were young boys. What did we know? I threw a rock to him, and he caught it. Then he threw one to me. We stepped back and Kimnor told me to throw the rock to him. It was a flat, little rock, easy for boys to throw. I threw it, he caught it and threw it back, before we stepped back another step. We did this several times.”

“And then he did not catch it?” Daphne asked. She guided the mules around a rock that stood in the center of the road. “Good boy, Jack,” she called out to the mule.

David caught up to her.

“So what happened to Kimnor? Did he miss the rock?”

David grimaced and swallowed. “We had stepped back a distance from the edge of the stream. I had barely managed to throw the rock to him the time before. I worried it would not reach him this time. Kimnor had yelled at me, called me weak. I didn’t want him to call me weak yet again.”

David stared at the ground between the wagon and his horse. He swallowed and cleared his throat. Daphne glanced his way, then stared down the road. She sat in silence, waiting for David to find the words.

David cleared his throat and spoke once more. “I stepped back with one leg and pulled the rock next to my ear. I flung that rock as hard as I could to Kimnor.” David swallowed again. “He didn’t catch it. It moved too fast. He lifted his hands to catch it, but he missed it. It hit him on the head, here.” David pointed to a spot above his eye and dropped his hand.

 

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Challenges, choice and accountability

Is the Problem Guns or God?

The world seems to be falling apart, a city at a time. This last few weeks, there has been hurricanes, fires, shooting in Las Vegas, shootings in other towns and cities, and this Sunday a shooting that killed 1/10 of the population the small town, mostly children.
What is going on?
The pastor from the church shot up on Sunday and a fellow pastor from down the road suggest the problem is a turning away from God. God is not invited into our universities and schools or our courts, and is driven from many of our families.
Governments pray at the beginning of a session, then turn their backs on God while they “grind on the faces of the poor” and take bribes from big corporations. How is God welcome in halls of government? The hypocrisy of these so-called leaders is disgusting.
Once again, the call for increased and tougher gun laws is heard from men and women of government who would not leave their homes without armed guards. The purchase of weapons by some is a problem. Men and women who have violent mental illnesses and those who have violent crimes in their past should not have access to fire arms of any kind. Further, no one needs automatic weapons, or the “bump stock” that turns a semi-automatic weapon into an automatic weapon.
It is common knowledge that criminals don’t go through legal channels to purchase their guns. Most home invasion robbers are seeking legally purchased guns. They don’t go down to the local gun store and have their backgrounds checked, like legal purchasers.
Guns are not the problem. If someone wants to create havoc, they can. Remember Timothy McVea? The problem, as the preachers from the small town in Texas said, is our distance from God.

Eve, First Matriarch is currently available for $0.99. Now would be a good time to check it out. Additionally, I am participating in two book promotions.
The first available for FREE, and you can find other great books about gods and goddesses (my Avenging Angel is one of these). Of course, Avenging Angel includes our God, Jehovah. Other books are mythological or science-fantasy. I know of at least one on that list that is a fun book to read—Redemption by Tora Moon.
These books are available until November 12th and can be found at http://goo.gl/pb8Rnk

Instafreebie Fall Gods Big Square

The second book promotion I am participating in is the Freedom to Read Promotion. All these books are written by women and are about women. Most genres are represented. All these are clean, meaning you won’t be surprised by language. Eve, First Matriarch is among these books. All are available for $0.99. These books are also available until November 12. You can find them at https://rachellechristensen.com/freedomtoreadbooksale/

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Author, choice and accountability

A New Book in a New Month


I have been swamped the past weeks writing, editing, and preparing for the launch of my newest book, Ancient Matriarchs Book Four, Moving into Light: Zehira, Wife of Enoch. Now, it is available on Amazon for Pre-Sale. It would be an understatement to say I am excited!
I’m doing more to share this book than I have the others. Thursday, throughout the day, I’ll be checking in promoting it on a Live Facebook Event, Moving into Light Book Launch Party. I have games and questions, stories to tell, and excerpts to read. I think it’ll take most of the day, so check in when you have time. Everyone who responds with a comment, likes, shares, or participates in a game, will be put into “the hat” for one of the prizes I’m offering. (Watch the event page for the list.)
Go ahead and start sharing now, I’m collecting names of those who do and putting them into my “hat” to be considered for prizes.
I hope you choose to join me sometime during the day.

In other news, I am participating in a Book Funnel Giveaway: October Historical Fiction. Along with other authors, we are sharing a variety of fiction with historical fiction as the connector. Some are romance, others mystery, there are 18 authors and 19 books. See if you can find mine. You can find the Giveaway here.
Happy Reading.

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choice and accountability

Stop the Insanity

Over the past few years, we in the United States have been horrified as ancient historical landmarks were defaced and destroyed by ISIL and the Taliban. We cried out in rage and horror to see these ancient monuments defiled and destroyed. How will we now visit these ancient places?

Does anyone else see the similarities to what is happening in the United States today? Our history is not as ancient, but it is our history. Some complain that they are destroying the remnants of slavery. How do we know those ancient monuments destroyed in the old world were monuments to slavery? Slavery was integral to the lives of many nations in ancient days.

Will the haters destroy this monument to the Massachusetts 54th Brigade, made up of black soldiers in their frenzy?

The monuments in our country are monuments to our history, to people who gave their lives for what they believed. I believed our constitution gave us the right to believe, regardless of the popularity of the belief. Those beliefs are historical, no longer a part of current practice. How can they be offensive to those of us living today?

How far will this go? Will we demand that monuments to religion will be destroyed? If you honor Christ and the cross, will you quietly stand by as images of these are hacked to pieces and torn from their bases? Will you be so intimidated you will not complain? Whether you honor Christ, Buddha, or any other god of any other religion, will you stand by while others’ gods are defaced?

One final thought, the monuments and statues remind us of a past we do not want to replicate. Their very existence reminds us of a time we never want to live through. I suggest these monuments, though they may stand for a terrible time in our history, they also remind us not to repeat that time.

How can you stand by and watch the defamation of our history? It is time for this insanity to end. Find a way to make peace with our history and understand it is history, our history. Desecrating and destroying the monuments will not change the history.

Take a stand against the destruction. Write letters, call your federal and state leaders, demanding protection for all the monuments and statues reminding us of our history. Stand up for the right. Don’t let the world point at us, as they point at the destroyers of the monuments in the middle east, wondering how we could allow this to happen.

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