Thursday's Twisted Links

Since it lands on Thanksgiving, of course this week's twisted link needs to start with my favorite "eating" holiday. #:0) So here goes. This week's odd set of links is:

Thanksgiving.         Red Dawn.         Migraines. 

Yes, I know. Blood may shoot out of my eyes on this one. But I'm going for it anyway.

What could be better than a holiday that celebrates life in all its forms. Thanksgiving isn't about being thankful for stuff, though I'm certainly thankful for chocolate cream pie! It's a time to reflect on the bounty of our lives. Our health, our family and friends, and the ability to pursue success and happiness. We celebrate these things because we understand there is no guarantee that we will have them tomorrow. In fact, I wake up many nights terrified of losing the right to pursue those joys in life.

That's where the movie Red Dawn comes in. I haven't seen the current remake yet (I'm going today!), but I'm familiar with the story line. To me, the idea of something external, beyond my control, taking over my life and forcing me to do something is horrifying. But the thing that calms my fears is knowing there's a way out. I'm perfectly willing to fight for that way out (which is probably why I love writing romantic suspense so much). But I need to know it exists.  I don't want anybody making my choices for me. I suffered that when I was a child. But I'm an adult now and I want to forge my own path in life. I have that right. That's what's so cool about the movie, Red Dawn. In the movie a small group of young people refuse to just succumb to the usurpation of their world. They fight for the people they love and for the freedoms our forefathers died to give us. I think that's a very uplifting message and I embrace it. I'm thankful that stories like this exist.

Which brings me to migraines. I've suffered them since I was in high school. They pretty much suck. Like any health issue, a headache isn't planned or welcome, but I do believe that what I would call internal challenges such as physical pain make us stronger in the end. Over the years I've learned what I need to do to work my way through a migraine and I have some measure of control over how much they debilitate and their duration. I met the enemy and I...well...kind of conquered it. As long as I know I can do that I'm okay. I'm thankful even for my pain because it teaches me to be proactive, strong, and resilient.

So life is to be embraced, appreciated, and celebrated on Thanksgiving and every day. With the right attitude, life can be enhanced by the external things that threaten us. Meeting those threats head on strengthens and frees us from our fears.  And life is improved by internal challenges like pain and illness, because they help us appreciate the things that are really important, instead of focusing on the negatives all the time. Which brings me to the end of my link. (That snapping sound you heard was the sound of the link closing!)

Happy Thanksgiving everybody!

Thursday Tidbits

Coming Soon!

DO THE HOLIDAYS INSPIRE YOU?

I’ll admit it, around this time of year I start feeling my imagination gearing up. There’s just something about cool weather, the smell of burning leaves, and the promise of the holiday season ahead that makes me want to delve into the realm of make-believe.

I think it’s magic.

I believe in magic, don’t you? That’s why I write paranormal/fantasy and why I love to immerse myself in fantastical stories and watch fantasy movies on the big screen. The magic in the real world may not include energy shooting from someone’s fingertips, or the cool scrape of vampire fangs along your throat, but it can be no less powerful.

Magic is potent because it isn’t mired in concrete ideas. It’s subjective and adaptable. You can find magic in the haunting call of an owl on a moonlit night, or feel it in your lover’s touch. It’s a hundred fireflies dancing on the air in your front yard, or a perfect note captured by a talented musician. Magic surrounds us. We can’t clasp it in our hands, but we can feel it, and there are certain times of year when it saturates the air around us. For me, the Holiday season is one of those times. So I tend to write more around this time of year, because I’m desperate to capture the magic in my heart, and share it with my friends.

It’s not an easy exercise. Magic can be an elusive creature. And I may not always succeed, but I always enjoy the effort.

Happy Holidays everybody! May your magic run deep this season. 

Thursday Tidbits

In honor of the upcoming Thanksgiving season, here are some fun turkey day tidbits. I hope you enjoy them. Source: http://www.coolest-holiday-parties.com/thanksgiving-facts.html

Did you know?

At my house, we have a herd of wild turkeys that occasionally moves into our evergreen trees? Gobble gobble! #:0)

Have you ever heard of Turducken? Apparently this interesting dish, which originated in Louisiana, consists of a turkey stuffed with a duck stuffed with a chicken, some recipes have a different stuffing for each bird!

Turkeys are some of the oldest living Americans. Fossil evidence shows that they existed in the Americas 10 million years ago.

Apparently Thomas Jefferson once said Thanksgiving was "the most ridiculous idea I’ve ever heard." Apparently the joke's on him!

Since crab season starts in November, many people on the West Coast of the US eat Dungeness crab for Thanksgiving instead of turkey.

Corn comes in many varieties and colors, including red, white, yellow and blue. Apparently some Americans considered blue and white corn sacred. The oldest corns date 7000 years back and were grown in Mexico.

Turkeys are the bird of choice for Thanksgiving because they just happened to be the most plentiful meat available at the time of the first Thanksgiving in 1621.

Forget your beloved dog or cat, apparently turkeys were one of the first animals in the Americas to be domesticated!

Columbus thought turkeys were a type of peacock (they’re actually a type of pheasant). So he named them “tuka”, which is "peacock" in the Tamil language of India.

The cranberry is a symbol and a modern diet staple of thanksgiving. Originally called crane berry, it derived its name from its pink blossoms and drooping head, which reminded the Pilgrims of a crane.

Native Americans didn't eat cranberries but they discovered they were great for dying fabric and decorating pottery.

A spooked turkey can run at speeds up to 20 miles per hour. They can also burst into flight approaching speeds between 50-55 mph in a matter of seconds. Apparently they are prone to heart attacks when they're scared!

If you like dark meat better than white, you'd probably like the meat of a wild turkey. It's all dark, even the breasts, and apparently has a more intense turkey flavor. 

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For more fun Thanksgiving tidbits go here!