Cubs, home runs, and cheese!

This photo brings back all sorts of memories from last fall and the World Series. It looks pretty normal at first -- a ball cap and a bag of Cracker Jacks (which I'd consume during every post-season game when the stress got too high).

But if you look carefully, you'll see an empty string cheese wrapper. 

Yep, string cheese. For every home run the Cubs hit, we'd give Freda (our German wire-haired pointer) a stick of string cheese. She was as Cubs-crazy as the rest of us by the time the Cubs won Game 7.

Anyway, I'm back on the couch again, watching the Cubs play the Cards in the opening game. No score, bottom of the second. Cards are threatening. Ugh. Seems weird (wrong!) to have Dexter Fowler on the opposing team.

Before I forget, April 2 is also important for another reason. 86 years ago today, Jackie Mitchell struck out Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig. Check out the details on www.jeanpatrick.com

Mourning Pages

If you've done anything with "The Artist's Way," you know about morning pages.

But this post is about mourning pages, or rather, mourning paintings.

We've had a death in the family that has left an enormous void, and I've watched how my niece has been dealing with it. She's an incredible young woman with a high-stress, not-fun job, so it has been especially tough on her.

Anyway, she has been painting...and painting...and painting...and painting. Every once in a while, she'll send one of her paintings to me with a text message. They are intriguing -- full of vibrant greens and yellows and fierce purple-blue-blacks.

And her skies, wow.... She captures the nuances and light, yet almost always they are infiltrated by grey.

I find myself wanting to encourage her to keep her skies sunny and clear. But no, sometimes you have to let that darkness show, especially during the grief.

Write, paint, draw, create. It's how we survive.

My new author website up and running . . .

Okay, folks. My new website site is up at www.jeanpatrick.com   

I'm still in the process of adding information, but little by little it's coming together. When you arrive, use the sidebar on the left to start exploring.

If you have any questions about anything -- or if you'd like me to include more information about something -- please let me know. Thanks!

New Website in the Works

Hey Friends!

I hope you're all staying warm out there in cyberland. Here on the northern plains, we're getting snow and wind . . . and tomorrow we'll get more snow and wind . . . and tomorrow night the temp is supposed to bottom out at 26 below. That's the air temperature -- not the wind chill. Brrrr! 

Of course, my hubbie and I will be looking at each other, asking each other whose idea it was to move to South Dakota!  (It's the same discussion we've been having since 1986!)

Anyway, I'm getting ready to remove my ancient website -- probably the oldest website in cyberspace -- and am preparing to replace it with the new version. During the transition time you can still look at the old website or you can view the test site.  Little by little, I'll get the wrinkles out. (It's not like I plan to go anywhere this weekend!)  

If you have any comments, please let me know. Thanks!

Jean Patrick - Social Hermit No More . . .

Hey Everyone!

Those of you who know me know that I have no qualms about talking with kids (or adults) about books and writing. In fact, full auditoriums of kids don't scare me a bit.

But there's something about social media that is difficult for me -- I think it's the whole concept of communicating directly without being able to see faces, reactions, social cues, etc.

Anyway, I'm trying to turn over a new leaf and become active on social media.  Sooo, here's a couple places you can begin to see my progress and cheer me on.

*  My archaic website is still visible, but it's about to be replaced with a new version.  Right now, I'm still in the process of building, tweaking, rebuilding, tweaking, etc. You can take a look at its current form (test site) and tell me what you think:

* I've also put together a facebook author page under the name of Jean L.S. Patrick.  I've only posted a few times, but I've been having fun with Canva. (Who knew I could pretend to be a graphic designer???!)

* And, of course there's this blog, too...

Okay, so much for now. More later, right?

Mount Rushmore's final day

While the rest of the country is trick-or-treating, my thoughts go to Mount Rushmore. It was on this date in 1941 that the final dynamite blasts were heard on Mount Rushmore.

Who knows what Lincoln Borglum thought about on that day? My guess is that he was thinking about his dad, Gutzon Borglum, who had died on March 6, 1941 -- unexpectedly after minor surgery.

I can only imagine the memories Lincoln would have had. 

When I was researching information for Face to Face with Mount Rushmore, I had the opportunity to read transcripts of interviews that had been done with Lincoln. One of the things Lincoln talked about was the amount of time his dad spent with him, even before Mount Rushmore was part of their lives.

I don't really know how to end this post, but I'm left thinking about the concept of time. It's slippery. I can't hold on to it. On the other hand, the time that we give to someone can last a lifetime.

I Found My Park

I'm back home after signing books at yesterday's Rapid City's "Find Your Park" celebration.

What a fun day! I knew there'd be booths from the area's national parks and monuments.  But, wow. So many other organizations had booths, too, including the Black Hills Raptor Center. At their booth, they had a great horned owl, a ferruginous hawk, and a smaller bird (an American kestrel, I think).

Of course, I met people, too. The first were tourists from flood-damaged Baton Rouge, Louisiana (who knew their arms and legs would be needed when they got back home). 

As the day went on, I talked with locals and visitors alike -- including Theodore Roosevelt and his secret service aide, dressed in period costumes from 1916.

But the four presidents from South Dakota Tourism took the cake, especially as they led the conga line to Phil Baker's music. Call me irreverent, but there's something hilarious about seeing George and TJ leading a conga line!  

Little did our first leaders know how much fun they'd be having in the future....