Rejuvenated

The cancellation of VampCon Chicago left several people in my family (and a few friends) with some unexpected time off.

We strove for a balanced used of the last three days. The old wedding rhyme came to mind:

Something old,

something new,

something borrowed,

something blue,

and a sixpence in her shoe.

Something old: I watched two old movies (the 1931 Dracula and the rare Hammer film The Shadow of the Cat, which I hadn't seen in 50 years). I also worked on the werewolf story, which takes place during the summer of 1961. I researched old werewolf lore. We made it up to Homewood for Divine Liturgy on Sunday, which we had not done since Pascha, and hugged old friends. I also did not go swimming (which has definitely gotten old!). We ate Saturday leftovers for Sunday lunch (see below).

Something new: We introduced Joshua and Amber to fresh culinary delights with treating some of us to Friday Night Dinner at Joliet Junior College's Thrive (Herald-News story coming this week). Joshua pointing out more than half the items on the menu, asking, "What's this? And what's this? How about that?" Amber ordered salmon and reveled in the fact one bite could produce five flavors! On Saturday, Timothy and Amber made a phenomenal dinner (cured chicken, au gratin potatoes with freshly grated Parmesan, a green salad (with broccoli, cucumbers, peppers, and two types of olives), and a layered dark chocolate cake (with homemade strawberry jelly and whipped cream). I finally spent some time (albeit very little time) with Cornell Dyer and the Flu.

Something borrowed: Rebekah lent me the money to enter a literary contest. Timothy is staying on top of our booth refund for the convention. I finished the final edits for WriteOn Joliet's third annual anthology (Rebekah will adjust the formatting today, I hope). I FINALLY had an overdue haircut (the money is always borrowed from somewhere else because I'm too cheap to budget for it).

Something blue: Since we are "moving," the kids have been looking at couches. Timothy put a deposit down on a blue one. Rebekah found a gray one (with blue tones) that she really liked. If Daniel likes it, she will hold that one with a deposit, too. Timothy, Jasmine, and I visited Ron in the nursing home, and he did not know us at all.

A sixpence in her shoe: With new financial rewards and responsibilities come new budgets and new items to buy, like computer desks. Lots of planning this weekend! Also, Daniel and Cindy brought me home a large container of turnip greens from Cracker Barrel. And Timothy bought me the dark roast of the day from Brewed Awakenings in Morris one minute before closing time. Rebekah and I walked and talked.

Because people who love you and care for you are better than money in your shoe!

Have a great Monday readers, writers, and BryonySeries fans! :)

Story Round-Up: Features in The Herald-News, Sept. 8 through Sept. 13

I have a meeting in just a little bit, so no great commentaries this morning - just sincere wishes that anyone reading this post today has a wonderful Friday and even better weekend, full of simple pleasures and sublime blessings.

Immediately below is where to find various information. Directly below that are this week's feature stories. Enjoy! :)

Non-bylined features:

Monday through Saturday I assembled my non-bylined works - brief posts and calendar listings - into one convenient file and posting them on Facebook in the evening, so readers can easily choose the ones they want to read.

One can also find those event listings, the Gotta Do It calendar, as well as the pets, health, faith, and arts and entertainment calendars, under the sections tab on the left hand side of http://www.theherald-news.com/. Click on "features" and the topics drop down.  Gotta Do It runs under "people."

Community news? Again, under the sections tab, under features, and by topic. Updates are posted on these days in print and web (and some only on web on other days as I have the time): 

 Social media:

Daily updates: I do post the briefs and calendars on Twitter during the week, so you're welcome to follow me at @Denise_Unland61.

BryonySeries stuff: I post curated content relating to the BryonySeries at @BryonySeries. And assorted related content at www.facebook.com/BryonySeries. And of course, please follow the adventures of Bertrand the Mouse on Instagram at bertrand_bryonyseries.

If you're a writer anywhere in the world, you're welcome to jon WriteOn Joliet's Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/groups/writeonminooka/?ref=bookmarks. We're based in Joliet, Illinois, but we love to meet and interact with writers outside our area, too.

Upcoming events:

Once Timothy Baran is done updating this page, these will listed here: https://www.bryonyseries.com/fetes-and-feasts.

Check out the progress he has made so far. Each square is hand-built. And be sure to "hover" your hand over the first square. Note: this only works (so far) with the desktop version.

But he's also made A LOT of changes to the website. So be sure to roam around a bit.

Books and Such

Information on my books (including where to buy) along with upcoming events is at www.bryonyseries.com. Again, Timothy is in the process of updating the website, so all titles may not appear. If you have any questions, email me at bryonyseries@gmail.com.

Thank you for reading The Herald-News. And for reading this blog. And if you've read (or plan to read) any of my books. Your support is greatly appreciated.

New Lenox mother speaks out after daughter's serious vaping-related illness 
Teen’s mother wants other parents to learn from her daughter’s experience

Dr. Aaron Weiner, director of addiction services at Linden Oaks Behavioral Health in Naperville thinks it isn’t THC or nicotine alone that may be contributing to the mysterious vaping-related respiratory illnesses. It’s the toxins in the vapor aerosol, he said.

https://www.theherald-news.com/2019/09/06/new-lenox-mother-speaks-out-after-daughters-serious-vaping-related-illness/am4onmz/


Giving back to those who served
Joliet Boy Scout creates memorial patio for Shorewood veterans

The project, a brick memorial paver patio honoring veterans, will be privately dedicated on 9/11, following the remembrance ceremony for the Shorewood Glen veterans.

https://www.theherald-news.com/lists/2019/09/05/98cc66a5f3784354bb5bc3413ee5f11a/index.xml


An Extraordinary Life Keeping a child's memory alive
Joliet family to dedicate Caleb's Corner on Sept. 14 in Mokena 

“It’s very tricky,” Claudia Neff said. “No one wants to talk about death, let alone the death of a child. It’s very scary to talk about. We’re trying to find a way to talk about it. I think that’s very important.”

https://www.theherald-news.com/lists/2019/09/07/5f89dfb726de4b34aeb135c891886810/index.xml


Quick tips for healthier eating
Plan ahead for cost-effective, nutritious meals the entire family can enjoy 

Family life seems to get busier with each passing year, and it’s hard to plan for healthy eating.

https://www.theherald-news.com/2019/09/11/quick-tips-for-healthier-eating/armqkxx/


Joliet artist creates with a purpose
'I'm not here to entertain you, I'm here to make you think.'

Kump’s recent CD “Animal Spirit Soul” features “Wovoka Ghost Dance” and “My Favorite Part of a Woman."

https://www.theherald-news.com/lists/2019/09/10/c48ea97810d84753b266bc35233ac37a/index.xml


Stage or screen, this Minooka teen loves acting and singing

"I love portraying different characters and stepping out of my comfort zone to do something," Lauryn Glossett said. "In the long run, that has always been a positive experience."

https://www.theherald-news.com/2019/09/10/stage-or-screen-this-minooka-teen-loves-acting-and-singing/aj0o5j0/


LocalLit book spotlight: 'Life's Wisdom Overcoming Addiction' by Ralph Carey of Joliet

Read how one local man addressed his addiction.

https://www.theherald-news.com/2019/09/12/locallit-book-spotlight-lifes-wisdom-overcoming-addiction-by-ralph-carey-of-joliet/ahf448q/

Illustration by Matt Coundiff for "Visage." Follow him at facebook.com/artbymattcoundiff

Saving Decklin (and more)

Getting plenty of practice "going with the flow" this week.

One, a large convention, for which me and several family members and friends have planned to work and attend, was abruptly cancelled yesterday, just ten days before the event, leaving other con participants shocked and upset.

My family and I have spent nine months in preparation for this event: making sure we had enough stock, costumes, work schedule rearranged, vacation time, etc., but also the opportunity to immerse ourselves in all things vampire (Victorian vampire ball, panels, photos ops, film festival, etc.).

It's a huge blow, but since I've officially written about, I'll be reaching out to organizers today and see if anyone will provide insight.

However, two very pleasant things happened immediately after, which I'll share here.

One, after a day of dodging "pebbles," I accomplished a good portion of my "to-do" list and left for a meeting with Alby Odum at Book and Bean Cafe in Joliet for a light supper, coffee, and to talk about the Bryony audio book.

He had never been at the cafe until we first met there two weeks ago and actually got there early to work on some other projects and soak up the ambiance. After discussing technical things, we shared resources and just had a long talk about all things creative, etc. 

It appears we'll meet every couple weeks just to keep the project moving until it's done. The goal is not to rush it (which is funny, considering we recorded the files in 2012), but to not stall again either. 

In the meantime, we're gaining a slow, but solid, education about the audio book industry, similar to the steps I took to learn about self-publishing about ten years ago.

Onto the second pleasant occurrence.

For one reason or another, I have not been in a pool all summer (I LOVE the water, so this is hugely disappointing). But with this lovely hot and humid weather (so far) this week, surely ONE NIGHT will happen before the pool shuts down.

Well, last night was not the night.

After the meeting, and after some "con" stuff was addressed, it was too late for the pool. So Rebekah and I decided to walk the track behind a local school building.

As we came up the other side, we saw an object off the road. That object turned out to be a cat.

It was now getting dark, and here was this very thirsty, very domestic cat out in the middle of the field by itself. Had it run off from the neighborhood? Or worse, was it dumped off?

We brainstormed a planned. 

We would ask the boys to bring the cat carrier. Then we would go around to all the houses in the surrounding neighborhood to see if someone had lost a cat.

If not, we would bring it home for the night, isolate it from our cats, and then take it to the vet first thing in the morning to scan for the microchip.

In the meantime, we took a picture of the cat and posted it on social media with a short description) hoping someone would recognize it.

The boys were at the fitness center, so they didn't arrive with the box for thirty minutes (at this point, they met us on the sidewalk when we were walking home with the cat to get it ourselves).

As Rebekah started to put the cat in the box, Timothy cried out, "That's Decklin!"

Immediately, I recognized the cat. He did live in one of the surrounding neighborhoods. Well, this was easy. We'd just take Decklin home.

It wasn't that easy.

As Rebekah placed Decklin into the cat carrier, the bottom broke, and the Decklin bounded away!

For the next twenty minutes, we chased after him, steering him in the direction of home and not farther away from where he needed to be.

His family was very happy to see him, and we stood outside chatting for about fifteen minutes or so. In fact, his family lives behind another set of neighbors who had given us information when Rebekah rescued a hawk a couple years ago.

So all's well that almost ended well.

Because I still had a list of work-related stuff to do AFTER the meeting last night. I haven't even peeked at it yet this morning (gonna finish this cup of coffee first).

I'm sure it will all get done eventually (the work, not the coffee. The coffee I absolutely plan on finishing).

The only upswing about missing the con (which, so far, organizers are promising a vague "spring date" for the rescheduling) is that, as one of my kids pointed out, I now have a long weekend for getting some serious creative writing done, something that's eluded me for over a month.

I am not consoled.

Story Round-Up: Features in The Herald-News, April 7 through April 12

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times."

This quote from Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities (an extremely subtle nod to Staked!), best sums up our family's last couple of weeks: extremely trying and full of blessings. Strange how that works, isn't it?

But it's also been (so far) a extremely productive week at home and at work, production that's gone relatively smoothly. This morning (so far) is serene, and the coffee cup, while not quite half full anymore, is relatively full, and I'm looking forward to the tasks ahead of me.

Not a bad way to start a Friday, n'est-ce pas?


Non-bylined features:

Monday through Saturday I assembled my non-bylined works - brief posts and calendar listings - into one convenient file and posting them on Facebook in the evening, so readers can easily choose the ones they want to read.

One can also find those event listings, the Gotta Do It calendar, as well as the pets, health, faith, and arts and entertainment calendars, under the sections tab on the left hand side of http://www.theherald-news.com/. Click on "features" and the topics drop down.  Gotta Do It runs under "people."

Community news? Again, under the sections tab, under features, and by topic. Updates are posted on these days in print and web (and some only on web on other days as I have the time): Monday (pets), Tuesday (health), Thursday (faith), Friday (arts and entertainment), and Sunday (people).

 Social media:

Daily updates: I do post the briefs and calendars on Twitter during the week, so you're welcome to follow me at @Denise_Unland61.

BryonySeries stuff: I post curated content relating to the BryonySeries at @BryonySeries. And assorted related content at www.facebook.com/BryonySeries. And of course, please follow the adventures of Bertrand the Mouse on Instagram at bertrand_bryonyseries.

If you're a writer anywhere in the world, you're welcome to jon WriteOn Joliet's Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/groups/writeonminooka/?ref=bookmarks. We're based in Joliet, Illinois, but we love to meet and interact with writers outside our area, too.

Upcoming events:

These are listed here: https://www.bryonyseries.com/fetes-and-feasts.

Books and Such

Information on my books (including where to buy) along with upcoming events is at www.bryonyseries.com.

Thank you for reading The Herald-News. And for reading this blog. And if you've read (or plan to read) any of my books. Your support is greatly appreciated.

Non-bylined features:

Monday through Saturday I assembled my non-bylined works - brief posts and calendar listings - into one convenient file and posting them on Facebook in the evening, so readers can easily choose the ones they want to read.

One can also find those event listings, the Gotta Do It calendar, as well as the pets, health, faith, and arts and entertainment calendars, under the sections tab on the left hand side of http://www.theherald-news.com/. Click on "features" and the topics drop down.  Gotta Do It runs under "people."

Community news? Again, under the sections tab, under features, and by topic. Updates are posted on these days in print and web (and some only on web on other days as I have the time): Monday (pets), Tuesday (health), Thursday (faith), Friday (arts and entertainment), and Sunday (people).

 Social media:

Daily updates: I do post the briefs and calendars on Twitter during the week, so you're welcome to follow me at @Denise_Unland61.

BryonySeries stuff: I post curated content relating to the BryonySeries at @BryonySeries. And assorted related content at www.facebook.com/BryonySeries. And of course, please follow the adventures of Bertrand the Mouse on Instagram at bertrand_bryonyseries.

If you're a writer anywhere in the world, you're welcome to jon WriteOn Joliet's Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/groups/writeonminooka/?ref=bookmarks. We're based in Joliet, Illinois, but we love to meet and interact with writers outside our area, too.

Upcoming events:

These are listed here: https://www.bryonyseries.com/fetes-and-feasts.

Books and Such

Information on my books (including where to buy) along with upcoming events is at www.bryonyseries.com.

Thank you for reading The Herald-News. And for reading this blog. And if you've read (or plan to read) any of my books. Your support is greatly appreciated.

Bringing resources to the homeless
Guardian Corps of America expanding into Joliet, needs volunteers

JC Afternoon Inspiration: Tony La Piana said, "It saddens me seeing Americans in this situation... The sad part is, our society looks down on these people."

https://www.theherald-news.com/2019/03/26/bringing-resources-to-the-homeless/abzseaq/


An Extraordinary Life: A spinal cord injury didn't stop Chuck
Shorewood musician always invested in his family, no matter what

Gloria Kramer of Yorkville said, "My dad liked to take the scenic route. Every time he could, he took the back roads and stayed off the highways. He liked showing us stuff."

https://www.theherald-news.com/lists/2019/04/02/b30f239219bd4d749aebf8a7f510a5bc/index.xml?page=1


More than hunting for goodies
Some Joliet area Easter events also draw children's attention to Jesus' resurrection

Steve Fox, ministries coordinator for Child Evangelism Fellowship of IL, Inc., Three Rivers Chapter, said, ""We have so many more activities than just the hunt. We have a Bible lesson. We learn memories verses. We'll have snacks and games."

https://www.theherald-news.com/lists/2019/04/08/6e889d9166374c448b7e86ccd438cad4/index.xml


Moderation is key when consuming black licorice
Too much can lead to an irregular heart rhythm

Use moderation when celebrating today.

https://www.theherald-news.com/lists/2019/04/09/08e8268457ee45c1bbb173ab3327b456/index.xml


A convention for vampire fans coming this September

"If you have a strong love of vampire culture or any connection to it," Christopher Davis, organizer, said, "or if you are a fan of live visual entertainment, this is for you."

https://www.theherald-news.com/lists/2019/04/09/093ff672a99745b5998517b66ee0c047/index.xml


Artworks: Joliet 12-year-old has knack for digital art

Words of wisdom: "Always do what you think would be best. There's no clear-cut art style. People may put you down or try to talk you out of it but don't listen to them."

https://www.theherald-news.com/lists/2019/04/09/1f76c696cd25415e950a5747b24d07ba/index.xml

LocalLit book spotlight: Dale Hansen of Joliet, author of 2 devotionals 

Both “One Week at a Time: Grounded and Growing Through His Word” (2017) and "Journey Through the Old Testament: 52-Week Bible Devotional" (2018) are structured in 52-week formats, so people can reflect on one verse at a time for an entire week and not feel guilty for not trying to memorize one day.

https://www.theherald-news.com/lists/2019/04/11/862baac3eebb4f36b386b30c362d4331/index.xml

Illustration by Matt Coundiff for "Visage." Follow him at www.facebook.com/artbymattcoundiff.