Who Knew This Was A Thing. . .

Posted on February 28, 2023 by miriamjonesbradley_jd26km

Who knew this was a thing. . .Walking a pig, that is.

Let me start at the beginning. Tomorrow, March 1^st, is National Pig Day. This realization immediately reminded me of several things. A couple of years ago I read a memoir titled How To Walk A Pig and other lessons in country living by Steven Coffman, published in 1995. I picked it up from a free table at a local library and thoroughly enjoyed his tales of a city person adjusting to farm life. One story involved a pig he had to walk home from the neighbor’s house. It was pretty hilarious, but I never in my life imagined that walking a pig was a real thing.

Fast forward to Fall 2021 when we made our big trip out West. Between book marketing and sales events, we visited family along the way. While visiting Uncle Tom and Aunt Twyla in Nebraska, we had the opportunity to go up the road to their son, Terry’s, place. When we arrived, Terry’s son, Tyler was out walking his pig.

Yes, you heard me right. He was walking the pig. Turns out they were training the pigs for the fair and that’s part of it. You walk them. He had a switch and with a gentle touch the pig would walk and turn as Tyler wanted him to. I was amazed. Check out the picture I took! It was quite an investment of time as you need to walk them more than once a day.

You think that’s amazing? Listen to this. Those pigs were “potty-trained.” They would wait until they were taken out of their stalls and outside to do their business. I kid you not.

Pigs have been a curiosity to me since I was little, I guess. According to Grandma Jones’ favorite “Miriam Story,” I was unimpressed with what I had been told as a child. Apparently, when I was about five we visited the ranch and Grandma took us down to the barn. I stood at the fence and watched the pigs grunt and snuffle around for a bit, then announced, “Pigs don’t say oink!”

I also loved Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White. But they never said anything about training Wilbur to follow directions before the fair. Maybe if they had he would have won first place. I guess it wasn’t in the plot.

So, tomorrow, remember to celebrate pigs. We will celebrate with pulled pork sandwiches.

Don’t tell Wilbur.

Of Christmas and Coffee Mugs

Posted on December 30, 2022 by miriamjonesbradley_jd26km

A Christmas Story AND

Ten Ways To Recycle Coffee Mugs

Every morning I choose my coffee mug based on my emotions, what the date is, or who I’m thinking of that day. On the 14^th of December, I drank out of my “Marv” mug in honor of the 90^th anniversary of Daddy’s birth.

“Where did you get a Marv mug?”, you might ask.

Let me share a Christmas story!

In 1975, Daddy and Mom gave each of us ten dollars to spend on Christmas gifts. Even back then, that wasn’t much. Daddy’s suggestion was that we go together to get gifts, so our money would stretch further.

I clearly remember our excitement when we found coffee mugs with names on them. Marv was as close as we could get to Marvin, but we were delighted. And it had a cool antique car on the mug. The problem with Mom was that her name is Dortha and the closest we could find to that was Dorothy. So, she got the Dorothy mug with the lovely rose.

When they opened the mugs, their pleasure was obvious. They were impressed with our finds and they used those mugs every day for years! When Daddy retired and they were downsizing, I spotted those mugs and knew I had to bring them home. Now, when I want to remember Daddy, I drink from the Marv mug. On Mom’s birthday, I drink from the Dorothy mug. My collection is so big that even though I’ve given several away over the years, my mug wall is full, and there are more in the cabinet. It made me wonder about options for recycling coffee mugs. Here are a few that I found!

TEN IDEAS FOR UPCYCLING COFFEE MUGS

1. Plant Holder: Small succulents are particularly delightful in coffee mugs.

2. Coffee Mug Cake: Recipes are easy to find online for these yummy cakes, and they are naturally portion controlled.

3. Pencil/Pen holder: Use on a desk to hold all of your pencils and pens.

4. Coin Collection: Place on your dresser and put coins from your pockets in the cup.

5. Workroom/Sewing room collections: They would make a great holder for screws, buttons, or small pieces.

6. Candle holder: They could be used for tea lights, or even with poured wax as actual candles.

7. Candy dish: Especially for something like M&M’s.

8. Birdfeeder: I’ve seen mugs or teacups glued to a saucer and hung outside with birdfeed in it!

9. Soup dish: I love drinking my tomato soup right out of a coffee mug. Especially if you have a really large mug.

10. Regift: Mugs in great condition can be given as a gift. Put some candy, tea bags, or other delights in the mug and give it to a friend.

Do you have any other suggestions? Next time you pull out a coffee mug, think about where it came from. Who gave it to you? Who does it remind you of? Is there a special memory associated with that mug? Take a few moments and remember those people and experiences, then share in the comments!

Remembering people is my favorite thing to do with a mug. Well, that and drinking coffee!

Primary

Secondary

Now, when I want to remember Daddy, I drink from the Marv mug. On Mom’s birthday, I drink from the Dorothy mug.

As Time Goes By-Of Stuffed Animals and Weddings

Posted on June 8, 2021 by miriamjonesbradley_jd26km

Somewhere, buried in Mom’s photo albums is a picture.

Vonda, my little sister, was good at entertaining herself. She would line up her stuffed animals—and her cat if she was in a tolerant mood—and she would lead them in Sunday School songs, followed by a lesson.

Mom’s picture is of one of these “Sunday School lessons.” A dozen stuffed animals attentively listen from their perch on the couch as Vonda diligently taught her “lesson.”

It seems, not so long ago that Vonda was that little five year old, but yet, we have another generation already grown and getting married.

I teased my niece, Megan, at her wedding a couple of weeks ago, that she might be married, but she was still eight in my mind. That she always would be.

But, as I watched her stand under the lovely trellis with her groom, absolutely princess-level beautiful in her wedding dress; I didn’t see an eight-year-old after all. I saw a woman, and I teared up. Joy? Or sadness?

A bit of both, I guess.

But wait! Maybe one of these days there will be more great-niblings from some of these eight year old brides and grooms.

Possibly a little girl or boy teaching their stuffed animals or pets about Jesus.

Maybe a little girl with three pigtails running with her arms rotating like a windmill “to make her go faster.”

Or, several, gathering around the new books they received from Great-Aunt Miriam.

And, in three blinks, there will be another group of weddings. That’s how life goes, isn’t it?

For more on the below opportunity follow Double Cousins Mysteries (Ages 7-13) on Facebook!

“Now What?”

Posted on December 6, 2020 by miriamjonesbradley_jd26km

A few years ago a friend asked me a question. “When you finish the Double Cousins Series you aren’t going to be one of those authors that grieve the loss of your characters are you?”

“Probably,” I answered, without a pause. After all, these kids have been “part of my life” since 1999. That’s longer than some of my nieces and nephews. I had no clue when I created Max, Carly, and the rest of the cousins, that they would become so special to me. But they are.

So, that brings up another question. Now that the series is complete, will I just sit around feeling sad?

Or, am I going to remember the question Grandma Jones always asked me when I called after a rejection, or a delay. “Now what?”

I think I’ll do that. So, what’s next? I’m so glad you asked! Here is a little bit of a sneak peek at some of the ideas in the queue.

First, I am writing a devotional to go with each of the Double Cousins books. These devotions will feature—you guessed it—Max, Carly, and the gang. They are intended to use alongside or independent of the books. I am quite excited about this project.
Next, I want to continue the Nearly Twins Mystery Series. This series is set in the South and the first book, The Nearly Twins and the Secret in the Mason Jar, was released in 2016. It is set in Saluda, NC. I have not decided, for sure, where the next mystery will be set but I am leaning toward either Elizabethton TN, or Linville/Crossnore NC.
Thirdly, I am planning a picture book telling a story about Grandpa Jones. This was my original dream when I started the writing life.
And finally, I have one more project that involves YOU! Last Spring, we presented the first Double Cousins Read Along on Facebook. In January, I will host another one. I’ve debated whether I should use the newest release, The Double Cousins and the Mystery of the Sod Schoolhouse, or go with the second book and continue chronologically. After much thought, I’ve decided to stick with their order and do book two this time. So, in January, we will read The Double Cousins and the Mystery of the Torn Map. I will release the dates soon, so stay tuned. If you don’t have this book, they are available online, through your local bookstore, or from me.

This week I worked hard to learn and successfully install a sign-up button on my website for both the blog and the newsletter. Go to MiriamJonesBradley.com and sign up!

I would love to hear from you in the comment section of the blog! Let me know which idea is your favorite and why.

A Moment to Bask in the Joy

Posted on December 1, 2020 by miriamjonesbradley_jd26km

A couple of weeks ago three boxes of the Double Cousins and the Mystery of the Sod Schoolhouse showed up on my porch. It was an exciting day, very exciting!

But, the excitement was tempered by the fact that I was still recovering from recent foot surgery. Now, however, my mind is kicking into gear and I’m ready to get excited about this. But, I’m a little befuddled.

After all, how on earth did I go from this:

To this?

I’m not kidding. The realization that I’ve written an entire mystery series—“kind of like Trixie Belden Mysteries, only Christian”, my lifelong dream—has me experiencing a bit of disbelief.

One day, when I was fretting about the fact that I needed to get cracking on marketing for this book, a good friend said this: “Maybe you should just take a moment and bask in the realization that you wrote an entire series.”

Indeed.

So, this morning my husband moved the three boxes of books off of the piano bench and into the guest bedroom so we could take the above photo. And I basked a little as I stood there gazing at the books.

The first book was a dream, something I honestly never thought I would finish. After all, I had a lot of dreams which I never completed.

But God.

God wouldn’t let me give up on this one. He used nieces, nephews, grandparents, writer friends, cousins, and my husband to push me ahead. And miracle of miracles, I finished it and we published it, just in time for Grandma Jones to see it before she went to heaven in 2009.

By then, I realized that I would have to write another book about Max and Carly. And another. And so it happened. But getting to my goal of seven? Not sure I really saw it happening. But, idea by idea, book by book, and word by word I kept going. And here I am eleven years later with a completed series.

The Double Cousins Mystery Series.

I’ve been reading a lot while recovering from surgery. I think I’ll pick up this series and read it from beginning to end. After all, it won’t hurt to bask a little more in what God helped me do.

The Double Cousins Mysteries are all available through the usual sources. To order directly from the author email me at miriamjonesbradley@gmail.com