On Friday night watch the lighting of the Mt. Rushmore presidents. I’ve seen it in person on a regular evening and it was very moving, so I can’t wait to see how this Friday evening goes.

Then Saturday, WHY NOT eat a hot dog or hamburger and say “Happy Birthday, America!” You don’t even have to bring a gift to this birthday party, how great is that? At night there will be firework displays all around and if you’re part of that, please be safe. I plan to watch the world’s biggest fireworks display on television from the comfort of my recliner. I just hope we can hear the sound effects, too. That would be awesome. This country has waited 250 years to celebrate this particular birthday and it will be 250 years before we can celebrate another 250 years. I was around for the 200th and have a folder of clippings to prove it; I’m quite sure I won’t be around for the 300th so I shall celebrate with Winston in style Saturday.

Tell me what YOU did to celebrate.

So, raise your flag and get in the spirit—the Spirit of ‘76!

Have a happy and safe Fourth!

Quote of the Day: We hold these truths to be self evident that all men are created equal. . . Thomas Jefferson

Number One. I’ve been in touch with Sara the editor working with me, from England and we’re going to be doing a zoom call in the near future so we can meet face to face. We’re going to work on a way to tie my historical novels into the country’s 250th birthday. I’m getting more and more excited about the future every day.

Number Two. At a dear friend’s suggestion, I am reducing the price of my E-books on both Gumroad and Amazon to $2.99 instead of $9, in an effort to make them more attractive and accessible to readers so my audience can grow. I’ll start a full-on campaign in July to promote the new price. But remember, you heard it here first! I have also reduced the Willard Manor, print version, from $15 way down to $9 for the month of July, so if you haven’t yet had the pleasure of reading it, now would be a great time to do so or start stocking up on Christmas gifts.

This book starts before the Civil War where two of the Willard children serve, continuing on up to two members of the family serving in WWII. See who comes home and who doesn’t.

Experience the building of the house called Willard Manor, the planting of the apple tree (which has a story of its own to tell), the purchase of the owners’ first automobile, telephone, ice box, television, and indoor plumbing. Watch as the house becomes a safe haven on the Underground Railroad, celebrate New Year’s 1900 with the family. Live through births, deaths, polio, the Prohibition, the Depression, and the Woodstock Festival and so much more.

There’s so much to learn in this book, as in all my books, that you will remember the story and the family for a long time to come.

Quote of the Day: You know you’ve read a good book when you turn the last page and feel a little as if you have lost a friend-Paul Sweeney

While packing, we went through each item she took out of a drawer and asked, “Pack or yard sale?” By the end of the two days, we had a mountain of items set aside for a yard sale. Items I soon learned I could live without.

Next, the landlord said I didn’t have to move after all; they’d found another place for their soon-to-be-married grandson. In the meantime, I’ve learned to live with one pot, one baking pan, two plates, two bowls and two glasses, etc. Now that I don’t have to move, I know my dishes will go back in the cupboard, but for a couple of months I got to experience minimal living. There are no decisions to make when you only have one pot and two plates. There was no pile of pots and pans in the bottom cupboards to lift every time I wanted to get out or put back a pan. It was nice.

The pile for the yard sale is still growing. So be on the lookout for an announcement. Actually, it’s only two weeks away, so it’s getting closer and closer. It’ll be the weekend of July 11 and 12. Cyndi and I are doing this together on my front lawn. So come on over and get a good bargain! Don’t you be a minimalist yet, we need to sell this stuff! So save the date: July 11 and 12 in Angier, NC.

Quote of the Day: Minimalism is the intentional promotion of the things we most value and the removal of anything that distracts us from it-Joshua Becker

As I wrote last week, I purchased a new flag to fly on my porch to help celebrate America. My son-in-law Bill came over Saturday and hung it for me so a torn and tattered flag, looking like it had flown over Fort McHenry in 1814, no longer waves but will be disposed of properly.

Speaking of history, I have prepared some short quizzes to go with some of my books. Let me present one here that is based on Restoring Simon. The idea is to read the book, then answer the questions. Please let me know how you did on the quiz, even if you haven’t yet read the book.

Here it is:

Restoring Simon Trivia Game

1. When did the U.S. enter WWI? 1914____ 1917____ 1918____

2. When did the war end? 1917____ 1918___ 1919____

3. What was the name of the Red Baron? _____________________________

4. What major country were we fighting? _____________________________

5. Where did the term Spanish Flu originate? _____________________________

6. When did the Boy Scouts of America start? 1916 ___ 1917 ____ 1918 ____

7. Who was president during the U.S. involvement in WWI? ______________

8. What killed more soldiers in WWI? Bullets ____ Flu ____

9. What’s another name for polio? ___________________________________

10. What year was the Lusitania sunk? 1914 ____ 1915 ____ 1917 ____

I’ll have another quiz for you next week and give you the answers to this week’s quiz.

Happy Birthday, America!

Quote of the Day: Americanism is a question of principle, of idealism, of character. It is not a matter of birthplace, or creed, or line of descent. – Theodore Roosevelt

By the way, my books are all available in print and audio on Amazon and in digital version at lindaharmony40.gumroad.com. Check them out!

So, I checked around and found two flags at Walmart.com for under $20 for both. This way I’ll have one for now and one in reserve for when this one is no longer in one piece. I wish I’d done this before Flag Day but I didn’t; but at least I’ll have a nice looking flag for our country’s 250th birthday!

I love seeing the flag flying. Everytime I look out the window, I get proud of my country all over again, like fifty times a day!

The flag will get put up when Bill has a chance to come put it up for me. But my success is that I now have one ready for him, rather than cringing every time I look outside.

What is your success? Nobody ever tells me, but I sure wish someone would. It’s nice to have other people proud of your accomplishments, whether big or small. So please share with me so I and others can be proud of you.

Quote of the Day: Oh! say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave, O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave- FS Key

So pretend it’s still Wednesday and here goes your Why Not for the week. Why not . . .check your pills. You know, make sure you take the right ones in the right amount and make sure you have enough and if not, order them before you run out. I fill four pill trays at a time so once they’re done, I’m good for a month. That way, if I run out of something, I still have time to order it. I filled my trays this morning and ran out of some so I’ve taken steps to reorder them.

And while we’re on the subject of medicine, it might be a good time to go through your old pills, ointments, sprays, etc. to see what has expired. You might be surprised.

Quote of the Day: White pill, blue pill, yellow pill, purple pill; its like swallowing a rainbow every bedtime-Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

Have you had experiences like this? Wondering if you’re spinning your wheels doing something you enjoy because you get no recognition?

Well, this week I got a bit of validation. Three, count ‘em, three, people have written to me asking about my books. Trust me, I’ve had enough scam letters to be able to tell the difference, especially if the scammer says, “I love your book” and doesn’t name which book he “loves.” These three all named specific books of mine. Believe me, I did my due diligence and checked them out to the best of my ability.

The first of the letters wants to enter Restoring Simon into the Book Riot Read Harder Challenge 2026. There is a slight fee but since I never pay for anything to do with my books—editing, covers, publishing, promotion—I figured I could gamble a few dollars on seeing what can actually happen with my book. I KNOW what you’re thinking because I did, too,since I’m very skeptical and don’t trust anything good happening to my books.

The second letter was from an editor who is impressed by the craftsmanship of my books and how they’re connected to one another. If I choose to work with her on my latest work-in-progress, she’d love it. If not, that’s okay, too.

The third letter was in the same vein, being nice and complimentary and admiring my work and not asking for any money.

If they all turn out to be scams, I still have their very nice words about my writing that they can’t take back. So until I find out otherwise, I will enjoy the glow and bathe in the welcome words of encouragement.

I’ll let you know what happens. By the way, the three books being talked about are Restoring Simon, Saving Lou and Creating Carter

Quote of the Day: It’s amazing what a little encouragement can do-Winnie Harlow

You never know when you’ll get another chance to show them how much you care for them.

Please let me know what kindness you did and why. Let’s get some stories of love out there.

Quote of the day: Remember that the happiest people are not those getting more, but those giving more—H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

If you’re interested, here is the link to her obituary. If not, just ignore it.

https://www.spearmillerfuneralhome.com/obituaries/donna-daddario

I hope you can open it.

She leaves her three sons, two live in Connecticut and one lives in San Diego County. One of my favorite memories, among thousands I have, is of Donnie (her nickname since I was born) standing in the kitchen close to 5:00 preparing dinner as only she could do. Joe entered the kitchen to lift the lids and smell the food to see what was cooking. That brought the three boys in, all in their small kitchen, and soon Joe and the boys were wrestling on the floor as guys will do and Donnie was continuing to get dinner as though nothing was happening right at her feet. I stood there laughing at her cool and calm demeanor as though that was the most natural thing in the world. Which, I guess in her world, it was.

Joe had been in the Marines, then he became a police detective for the town of Fairfield, Connecticut for many years meaning Donnie was a policeman’s wife with all the worry that entails.

Donnie and Joe were married 59 years and as much in love at the end as at the beginning. I was delighted to be her maid of honor in 1958.

Donnie went to school to get her certificate in childhood education and worked for years in the Black Rock Nursery School of her church. The kids loved her.

Donnie spent a few years researching and writing a book about our dad’s mother, Bessie Wheeler Gay. This was before the internet so she traveled to many town halls and newspaper offices to get the information she needed. Her book is called, Bessie Wheeler Gay, Her Story, and it’s very good. I highlighted it on my blog one time. It’s the story of our grandmother, born in Vermont in the late 1800s. Her brief life was lived as a farmer’s wife and mother before the advent of electricity, automobiles, and telephones. When our dad was about twelve years old, she went to the hospital for a minor surgery and never came home. The book is available on Amazon.com. I was honored to publish it for her.

My book, also on Amazon, If You Don’t like Worms, Keep Your Mouth Shut, is about Donnie and me growing up in Springfield, Vermont and the fun we had together. The cover picture shows her and me. She’s the older one. Her book is in the Woodstock, VT Historical Society. My book is in the Springfield Historical Society.

Donnie graduated in 1956 third in a class of five to six hundred students in Fairfield, CT. and made the National Honor Society. Fairfield built another school so in 1958, I also graduated in the top ten; 9th in a class half the size of hers. I , too made it into the National Honor Society. Not that we were competitive at all!

So, since our parents were Robert and Ivis Gay, we were “The Gay Girls” and felt a special bond being called that. Now, I’m the only Gay Girl left, the only member of my original family left, and the only Gay left, to my knowledge. I’m not ready to take on the title of matriarch. I don’t like that I can no longer call Donnie to ask her for family information. I don’t like that I can no longer call her to ask her anything or tell her that I love and admire her greatly.

Rest easy, Donnie, with your Joe and Judy.

Quote of the Day: When we all part from this life and gather on the other side, the only thing each of us will have to share is his own story― Richelle E. Goodrich, Slaying Dragons:

It was suggested by the vet that he should probably have dental surgery to the tune of lots of dollars. I put it off, figuring it was allergy season and he’d get over it. He didn’t. I finally made the appointment to take him to the vet for the dental surgery on Tuesday morning.

He could have nothing to eat after ten pm on Monday and I had to have him at the vet by 7:30 am. Yes, fellow retirees, there is such a thing as 7:30 am. Meaning I had to be up by six am to get dressed and get him to the vet on time. I left him in good hands and while I was still driving home from dropping him off, the vet’s office called to say the x-rays showed he needed four teeth pulled as they had deep pockets around them. They also told me they found a mass in his throat and would be taking it out and did I want it sent to the lab to determine what it was? I said no, since they said it would be pricey to do so. I mean, he IS a dog, a dog I never wanted in the first place.

They finally called to say he did well and was coming out of sedation and could be picked up by 2:00 pm. The hours seemed to drag until it was time to pick him up. When I got there, I could hear him yapping from two rooms away, obviously as anxious to get out of there as I was to get him home.

For the rest of the day, he was a little subdued but by the next morning, he was his frisky self again. Running around and wanting to play like a puppy, albeit a nine-year old puppy!

So, my success for the week was finally biting the bullet, taking money out of my checking account, and getting my little guy taken care of. Thankfully, the vet didn’t charge extra for the removal of the four teeth nor for the removal of the mass. He, Winston, is still doing a certain amount of sneezing but not like before.

What did you succeed at this week? Please tell me.

Quote of the day: If you find it in your heart to care for somebody else, you will have succeeded. Maya Angelou

And boy do I have a good one for you. It’s called Leaving Mark and it’s by someone you know - me, Linda Loegel Hemby.

I hadn’t read it in a long time so I decided to refresh myself and spend a day reading it. I picked it up and couldn’t put it down until it was finished. It was that good, if I do say so myself. I marveled at the craftsmanship and consistency of theme. I even started to blubber at one sad point in the story and I laughed at other points.

This is a coming of age story where something happens to young Mark Fortier that could send him on an upward or a downward path. He’s helped along his journey by his mother, his friend Gary (who has his own book), a biker friend, and an Amish friend, among others. The lessons he learns can be applied to anyone.

Travel across the country with Mark and Gary and see what they see and learn the life lessons they learn. You just might walk away with a nugget of wisdom, or maybe two.

The book is available in print and audio on Amazon.com or for your Kindle at lindaharmony40.gumroad.com.

Quote of the day: Nobody lives in your head but you; nobody but you is responsible for what you do, ya? Samuel King, in Leaving Mark

I actually do have something to claim as a success this week. I found a narrator for my book Judging Joe, a medic in the Korean War. The narrator is Lawrence Sonderling who has narrated five of my books so far, this will be number six. I’m excited to get to hear him bring my story to life. When he did, Finding Gary, I cried during the story as if I’d never heard it and didn’t know what was going to happen, even though I wrote it.

Lawrence has great credentials and I know he will do an outstanding job on Joe. I’m awaiting the first fifteen minute sample and when I approve it, he will do the entire book. So stay tuned.

Today’s success will bring a new audio book to the market in a month or two. It is done through Audible via Amazon.

I also put an offer out to a narrator for Defining Julia. I’m looking for a female narrator for this book. I have not heard back from her yet.

However, two offers made is quite the success for this week. How about you? Tell me what you did that you’ve been putting off, or just finally got around to doing? I’d love to know that I’m not the only procrastinator in the world.

Quote of the Day: Life always begins with one step outside of your comfort zone. Shannon L. Alder

Later in the day, I was in the living room and when I heard the tapping again glanced up in time to see a bluebird at the window looking for all the world like he was trying to get in. I was sure he didn’t want to come inside to a strange world, but I couldn’t explain his actions.

Yesterday was the fourth day in a row of tap, tap, tap. I went so far as to open the door and let him come in if it was that important to him, but as soon as I opened the door, he disappeared.

A week earlier I had taken what I thought was old straw out of a bird house on the porch but to my surprise, there were two blue eggs in it that dropped and broke while I was messing with it.

So obviously, I figured that now the bird wanted to come inside and pluck my eyes out in revenge. Evidently seeing the movie, The Birds, so many years ago left an impression on me. I texted my children to see if they had any ideas for such behavior since this is the first time in eight summers a bird has consistently tapped on my window. My son, Mike, actually did what I should have done—he researched the problem.

It seems that papa bluebird sees his reflection in the window and, thinking its a rival bird, does everything in his power to drive the unwelcome bird away. Today is the fifth day and as I sit at my computer and watch the birds outside my window, I no longer fear they’re going to come in and attack me. Papa bluebird is just being a good provider and protector of his family. What more can any family ask than that the head of the family step up and take a chance on hurting himself to protect those he cares about.

Every day I’m more and more impressed with God’s creation and wish humans could eumulate what wildlife knows instinctively.

I did not see bluebirds when I lived in San Diego nor do I remember them from my childhood in Vermont, but since moving to North Carolina, I’ve seen many of them and love each and every one. My front porch bluebirds bring a huge smile to my face.

Quote of the Day: When nature made the bluebird she wished to propitiate both the sky and the earth, so she gave him the color of the one on his back and the hue of the other on his breast. John Burroughs

In the meantime, my daughter, Cyndi,had packed up a couple of rooms for me so I now have boxes—some full and some empty—all over the house and fairly empty cupboards—two plates, two bowls, two juice glasses, you get the picture.

After I returned home from Connecticut, I received a call from the landlord. She said, “If you haven’t found a place yet, stop looking.” She went on to tell me about other plans they might have for their family member after he gets married this summer. The operative word here is MIGHT. In other words, I might still have to move or I might be able to stay where I am. Everything is up in the air. Where I am checks off all the boxes for what I’m looking for in another place—no stairs, walk-in shower, covered front and back porch, pet friendly and room for Winston to roam, terrific landlords, and, no small item, it fits my slim budget. And, it’s close to Cyndi and Bill who are a Godsend for me.

Front of my current home

Back of my current home

These same checklist items are what I was asking God to find for me (since He very nicely found me my current home after I laid out to Him just what I needed) and now that I have a dog, my list has grown a bit longer.

It would appear that God might have answered my prayers by letting me stay right where I am!

Do I hear a “God is good. All the time.”

I asked Him to find me a house to fit my needs and instead, He might have found a house for the landlord’s grandson so I can stay right where I am.

When I know for sure that I can stay, then I’ll start unpacking. But during the process, I found a bunch of items I don’t use and can do without, so one room is brimming with items for a yard sale. Stay tuned for more info on that.

Quote of the Day: Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God. Corrie ten Boom

By taking I-95, and putting up with a ton of New York traffic, we did, indeed, get to Newtown, CT in one day, arriving at Cyndi and Bill’s friend’s house at 8:00 pm. After a welcome night’s sleep, we went to Fairfield, CT to see Donna. Thank God we got there in time. She was bedridden and sleepy, but she did recognize me and was happy I was there.

That night we went back to Newtown where we stayed for three nights. Side note: I graduated high school in Fairfield and my kids graduated in Newtown. The next day, Robby said Donna was asking for me, so I did face time with her. She was a bit more awake this time.

I had lunch with my former sister-in-law which was very nice indeed. Our husbands were brothers; both now deceased.

On Sunday, we drove north to Manchester, CT and I spent a most enjoyable Mother’s Day with my three children, Tammy, Cyndi, and Michael and Michael’s son, Monterey, along with husbands Curtis and Bill. I couldn’t have been happier.

The next night I made a new friend, a woman who works with Tammy and the bunch of us laughed the night away.

We started home on Tuesday and arrived back in Angier, NC around 2:30 pm, after picking up Winston from the sitter. Winston and I are both ecstatic to be back home but, as you can see, the week away was bittersweet. Except for facetime on Robby’s phone, I’ll most likely never see my sister again.

And now it’s time to get back to the business of finding another house to live in and making the move out of my house. It ain’t easy being 85! Thank heavens for Cyndi!!

Quote of the day: Count your age by friends, not years. Count your life by smiles, not tears. John Lennon

When you read this, I’ll be in Connecticut with Cyndi and Bill. I took Winston to a sitter Wednesday. We went north hoping to see my sister while, hopefully, we still can. She’s home from the hospital and is under hospice care. I’m 85, she’s 87, we’ve been sisters a long, long time. Friday will no doubt be the last time I get to see her and talk with her. My daughter Tammy, who lives in Connecticut, went to see her Sunday and had the foresight to let us Facetime with each other. I certainly hope I make it in time to see her one more time, but if I don’t, we had the gift of Sunday being able to tell each other, “I love you.”

Friends, I love you, but it’s a whole different type of love. There’s nothing like family. Appreciate your family while you can.

Donna and Me

Quote of the Day": Sister is probably the most competitive relationship within the family, but once the sisters are grown, it becomes the strongest relationship. — Margaret Mead

Let me know if you did this and if so, what happened. I’m about to call someone right now, not a family member but a once close friend who lives on the other side of the country.

Quote of the Day: Just as ripples spread out when a single pebble is dropped into water, the actions of individuals can have far-reaching effects. Dalai Lama

But besides that, I DID do something I’m proud of myself for doing. I decided that since my historical fiction books are more than suitable for homeschoolers’ to supplement their history lessons, I prepared and sent a letter to a homeschool association for North Carolina plugging my books and suggesting they include them as a further resource. It’s easy to let days go by thinking something might be a good idea, but it’s quite another thing to actually put the idea into action and do something about it. I did, so now I’m keeping my fingers crossed.

I’ve recently written to about one hundred North Carolina public school superintendents suggesting they might want to use my books in class. I have no more fingers to cross!

I told you about my week, now you tell me about yours. How was your week? What did you do different? What did you accomplish? I’d love to hear about it.

For the quote of the week, I have llived my life on the saying: Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Today, I’m suggesting we clean out our linen closets. I know mine has more sheets, towels, and washcloths than I’ll ever use. I asked myself who could use spare linens and I determined that pet shelters just might like them.

I’m on a cleaning campaign now that I have to leave my rental home and find another. The less stuff I have to move, the better. I’m sure you have your own reasons for downsizing, so go for it. It’s actually a relief to lighten the load of “stuff” you’ve accumulated.

Let me know what you get rid of and what you did with the items.

I wish my linen closet looked this neat! It probably will when I’m done going through it.

I found my hummingbird feeder and hung it out on the back porch. I bought a bottle of concentrate from Ace Hardware to fill it with so there’s no preparation involved. Now, I wait for the little darlings to find it.

Besides that, I wrote another fifty emails to school superintendents to introduce them to my historical fiction for use in their schools. I’m starting to get a few “Thank you, we’ll look into it,” replies. I appreciate that they took the time to reposnd. I plan to start gathering a list of private schools. Stay tuned for a future Success Friday column.

Tell me what you did this week. I love hearing from you.

Quote of the Day: An excuse is the most expensive brand of self defeat you will ever purchase.― Johnnie Dent Jr.