Peace on Earth

Rockrollers and Pancakes

Last fall I met Marilyn Brown, an award winning novelist who is well-known in the west. She and her husband are multi-talented, I discovered, when I visited their gallery in Springville, Utah. Both are accomplished artists. And Bill Brown has a long history of theater credits to his name as theater owner, actor, producer and director, and, in the case of Rockrollers and Pancakes, writer and director. He gave my sister and me free tickets to that night's performance. Loving regional theater as I do, I wasn't going to miss it.

Rockrollers and Pancakes is a touching drama based on real events Bill experienced as he was growing up. His father suffered a serious injury on the job, and the family lost their home as a result. They lived for several months in a tent in a nearby canyon. I hope this actually happened in the spring or summer, as Utah winters can be brutal. Bill told us that for him and his brothers, it was great to camp in the canyon, as they could fish and hike to their hearts' content. He didn't realize the dire situation his parents faced until he was older.

(I should add that I'm not exactly sure what rockrollers are, but I think they're worm-like creatures that live on the underside of rocks in the river. I looked up the term on the web, but all I found were references to rock collectors' clubs and rock and roll, and I'm sure those two elements weren't mentioned in the play. Well, there was a brief reference to Elvis, now that I think about it.)

As the play unfolded there were chuckles and tears from the audience, and appreciative, enthusiastic applause at the end. The best part of the evening, however, was glancing at Bill now and then to watch the expressions that crossed his face. I imagine he was pleased to see his drama produced again, and that he was justifiably proud of his cast. I also think he reflected with a tender heart on those days when his parents made a good life for their family despite very difficult circumstances the children couldn't fully understand at the time.

I hope Rockrollers and Pancakes is produced again and again. It's a play about hope, never giving up, and unbreakable family ties.

Isn't that a great message for us today?

Basic black goes with everything . . .

. . . which is why I chose it for my cast. On November 5 I had surgery to remodel my ankle. It was a major enterprise. The damaged, nonfunctional posterior tibial tendon was removed, and another tendon was moved forward and attached in its place. A bone graft was screwed to the side of of my heel to stabilize the foot in its proper position, and my Achilles tendon was notched in three places and stretched. It has been very painful.

Morphine is good. Not needing it anymore is also good. Large bags of frozen peas are great for ice packs. As I had work done on the left, right and back of my ankle, there was no direction to rest it that didn't press on something that was very tender, and of course my skin began to itch. Then there was the challenge of showering. Crutches proved to be generally dangerous, with a few spectacular crashes and lots of bruises as a result, so I've been in a wheelchair. The worst thing about this whole time is that I'm not productive and my creativity has been in a slump. What an excuse for not writing. I mean, nothing was wrong with my hands.

To counter these complaints, I've been grateful that good surgeons and solutions exist, and that I will be walking again. This is temporary and the worst is over.

2009 will begin my rehabilitation (lots of physical therapy), and I am looking forward to a healthy, functional foot in a few more months. And then I can return to my Silver Sneakers and Rusty Joints exercise classes and my writing. So............here's to a good holiday for everyone, and hope for a healthy new year.

A remarkable look-alike

A woman in our community bears a remarkable resemblance to Sarah Palin, especially when she dons a wig and glasses. She elicited many startled glances at the party. I'm on the left . . . . .

Say it ain't so, Steve!

When asked about the new Amazon Kindle product, Steve Jobs CEO of Apple computer had this to say:“It doesn’t matter how good or bad the product is, the fact is that people don’t read anymore,” he said. “Forty percent of the people in the U.S. read one book or less last year. The whole conception is flawed at the top because people don’t read anymore.”

I don't know where Jobs got his statistics, but as one of the 60% who do read a lot, I don't think reading will ever go out of style. Has he been to his local library lately? Ours is a hub of activity. Has he been on a plane lately? Most passengers will pull out a book to read during the flight. Just for the heck of it, I'd like to know what his favorite books are, as I'm willing to bet he's a reader, too. Along with at least 60% of the rest of the USA.

BOOKS FOR CHARITY

Reader Views is featuring an article about my quest for autographed books. They will be featured at a silent auction to benefit Bridgerland Literacy, a nonprofit organization that serves people of all ages and reading abilities. See the article at http://www.readerviews.com/

Winner of Carolyn Howard-Johnson's "Noble (not Nobel!) Prize"

Author Carolyn Howard-Johnson mentions my book in her "My Favorite Utah Authors" posting at her www.myshelf.com/backtoliterature website. Thanks, Carolyn!

"Janet Kay Jensen's Don't You Marry the Mormon Boys seems especially appropriate with the break-away Yearning for Zion group in Texas still in the news. It is a bit romance, a bit mystery and a USA Book News award winner."

I read 'em in the Want Ads

Today's paper provided a few laughs as I scanned the want ads. Here are a few:

* Grizzly Dust Collector (OK, it was under "tools" but still it was startling to read that someone collected dust from grizzly bears)

* Good Mare Broke (sorry for your loss?)

* Free kittens - free 2 liter of pop with each kitten given away

* Golden Retriever Puppies - potty trained (never heard of that! Remarkable!)

And the last, which I'll be careful to avoid:

* Miniature Pincher Puppies (ouch!)

Priorities . . .

You can help military abroad

Julie Bellon, author of All's Fair, is gathering care package items for our military serving in Iraq. See details at her website: http://www.juliebellon.com/
It's easy to contribute to this effort. Everyone has something they can give, and our forces appreciate it so much. Kudos to Julie for her project!