Happy Thanksgiving, 2018 Style

Why not? Be happy! I'm happy. Why? Well, it is a state of mind and sure beats depression by a long shot. Really, I wish nobody in this world was depressed. But let's not talk about depression. I could get deep into that topic but no... let's talk happiness.

Last night I went to church where we had a nice albeit short sermon about thankfulness. What other topic would have been so timely?

Pastor Carl suggested that this year, we keep thankfulness journals, and rather than just being thankful for the good things happening in our lives, also be thankful for the bad stuff that happens to us because ... it is because of the bad stuff that we grow, mature, and learn. So, both ways, good or bad, we're getting experiences here to be grateful for.

Maybe this blog can be my gratitude journal because, if you look around my office here, you'll easily see I have no need for another journal. Journaling has been a way of life for a long time. That's probably why blogging works so well for me.

Hope you're having a good Thanksgiving, or just had one..?

I'm staying home alone. My choice. I love my solitude. Tomorrow I'm going out to lunch with a friend at a fancy restaurant in Coeur d'Alene. I decided to wait one day as a cost savings measure, and so we could enjoy the regular menu.

My dinner tonight will be a vegetable burger - Morningstar Farms. Also a big plate of cruciferous vegetables and mashed potatoes. I have some carrot juice to enjoy with that.

My diet is changing again. I've been vegetarian for many years. I have to eliminate cheese and bread, because my diet isn't good for me.

Oh, this coming year could be fun. I'm thankful already for it.

Go Pro Hero7

And I'm getting a new camera tomorrow - a GoPro Hero7 ... I've never had one before. I'm thankful for the opportunity to buy one.

Okay, bye for real now.

Happy, Happy Thanksgiving. And Happy, Happy Every Day.

Thanksgiving Eve

We're heading into the holiday weekend, and tonight I'll celebrate Thanksgiving Eve at a special church service in Washington. This church has a special fellowship night every year, the night before Thanksgiving.

I'm glad I have somewhere to go, because tomorrow I'll be alone. Such is life. My family is scattered and my nearest child will have dinner tomorrow with her landlord and his family. That's fine with me.

Honestly, I like being alone. Doesn't bother me in the least. I don't eat turkey anyway; I'm a vegetarian. Nearly vegan. The day after Thanksgiving I'll be going out to dinner with a friend of mine. I'm really looking forward to that.

Life's good. Celebrate!

Book Loving

I've been working on my annual TBR list over at my main blog: http://lindajomartin.com ... For the last three years I've been doing the PopSugar Reading Challenge and I keep track of my books for each prompt on that blog, and also record when I read a book.

I never manage to get all the books read. I'm a slow reader, unfortunately. I'd like to read a lot more than I actually do. In 2018 I've read 17 books from my PopSugar TBR list. That's less than half of the books I chose. Every year it is like that. I've read 25 books from the 2017 list, and 26 books from the 2016 list. Still I plod ever onward in my journey, wanting to read more, do more, learn more, and be enriched more by these wonderful books.

According to my 2018 page at Goodreads, I've read 25 books this year. I'm currently reading The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah.

I read both fiction and nonfiction. I have a desire to read more variety and so I'm setting a goal to read one book in each of five categories, each month during 2019:

1. a recently published novel
2. a nonfiction book
3. a Newbery list book
4. a classic
5. a novel I wrote (in other words, do a full revision)

There can be some overlap or rule breaking. I won't hold myself to a strict interpretation of this list. After all, I'm not doing this for anything but pleasure and self-enrichment. I'm too old to be hard on myself. I have no reason to be.

Happy reading, everybody!

Just Started Reading: The Gift of Fear

Even though I leave fear in the hands of Jesus, knowing He will take care of me - sometimes fear is a gift. That's the kind of fear that you get as a sudden knowing that you're in danger, even if you don't consciously know what the danger is. This is intuition, and this is what this book teaches us to develop and pay attention to.

I just started reading The Gift of Fear this week, and am sorry I didn't know about it sooner. It was published way back in 1997, and should be read by everyone, man and woman alike, but especially women, as we rely on intuition to save us because our muscles usually won't.

Idaho-Canada border crossings in Porthill, ID and Eastport, ID

Ever wonder what the nearest border crossing looks like? I never had a reason to drive to the Idaho-Canada border crossings because I don't have a passport, so I decided I wanted to go see them just for the sake of seeing them.

Well, it was more than that. I want to start a travel YouTube channel, and decided it made sense to start at the top of Idaho, and work south, for my first videos.

Unfortunately I've run right into winter at this point, so my travels will have to wait until springtime. I like to do this when the skies are blue. Right now they are white and gray.

This day, however, I had great weather. It was a beautiful drive.



My plan is to buy a van in the springtime and start traveling around quite a lot, so please, if you have any interest in travels, please subscribe to my newest YouTube channel: Travel Around.

November 2018 Reading Update

My most recent Booktube video. Booktube is part of YouTube.

#nonfictionnovember
#popsugarreadingchallenge
#amreading

If I Could Have My Childhood Back... - video

Former foster children - speaking out about foster care.
http://fightcps.com

Creative Work and Blogging Plans

As much as I neglect it - this blog is still a living, breathing entity. So long as I am.

I'm considering the future of this blog. It was my first-ever blog and since then I've gone through many other blogs via WordPress... but I kept this one Blogger.com blog because it is the first.

These days I call this my main blog: LindaJoMartin.com - it is focused on books and writing - one of my obsessions in life.

I'm getting older. 64 now. Looks like life is limited so I considered what to do with my blogs from years past. What I'd like to do is compile all my blog posts from all the blogs together with my compilation of "morning pages" (my journals) and other things I've written - and publish them all on Amazon as a series of books chronicling the life of Linda.

Anyhow, life goes on. This blog has been fun...

Here's a photo of me now, from earlier this year, in January, when I went to visit my mother in Texas.



And here's my latest video - from a hike up Mineral Ridge Trail, near Coeur d'Alene. When I did this video, I didn't get to the top of the ridge, but I've climbed to the top twice since then. I love this trail loop... 3.3 miles. Awesome climb! I'll have to do another video about it.



Here are a few of my most recent book reviews:
Hillbilly Elegy – Book Lady’s Review
Book Review: One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia
Abusive Men: Why Does He Do That? – Book Lady’s Review

I also wrote this recently:
Baptism of Jesus Location: Jordan River

And a couple of prayers:
Gratitude for Salvation
Release From Sin

Here's something I wrote a while back but recently re-posted to my main blog:
Finding Your True Writer's Voice