Finding Clarice by Jo-Brew exerpt
Chapter 4

The bright sunlight woke Clarice early but she closed her eyes and snuggled into the warmth of the bed. She lay half awake and realized she felt wonderful, full of anticipation. She stretched and discovered the longish soak in the hot bath last night had done a lot to avoid stiffness. In spite of the coziness of the bed, she had no desire to linger once she'd reached awareness. She wanted to be up and active. She threw the covers back and felt for her slippers with her bare feet. She located them, stood and stretched again, as tall as she could.

She marveled at the change from her usual morning blues. The fear of a seriously damaged career wasn't her first waking thought. The boredom of the recovery routine hadn't kept her weighted down in the bed. It was a promising morning.

She began her regular recovery routine with her stretching exercises and then poured her juice. While she swallowed pills and drank, she stood at the east facing window and soaked up sunshine. She admitted to herself, the excitement she was feeling was because Ray would call, probably soon.

Before she'd had time to savor the anticipation, the phone rang. Her "Hello?" was followed by a short silence.

"I'd forgotten your voice could sound so husky. Good morning. I hope you were up." Ray explained, "I didn't want to wait."

www.Jo-Brew.com

With the return of rain to bring me out of the garden, I went to my stack of unread books to choose one for an evening's entertainment. The treasure I picked was Alice's Tulips by Sandra Dallas. Set during the civil war, it is a dramatic story of relationships between women, survival and strength while the men were gone. Quilts and the importance of quilting as artistic expression, entry into a community of women and as a source of warmth for the men fighting the war provided the framework for the story. The history of many classic patterns and quilting itself was provided separately so as not to distract from the story. A skillfull writer
developed an engrossing story. www.Jo-Brew.com

After hearing Anne Lamott's book, Bird by Bird, recommended everywhere writers meet to talk, I picked up a copy. Not fiction but a revelation of the writer's life. The last chapter, in particular, reminded me of just why I keep writing. Good inspiration.

Knowing that March is women in History month, I decided it was the perfect time to read FOUNDING MOTHERS by Cokie Roberts. The excerpts from the letters of Deborah Franklin, Abigail Adams, Mercy Otis Warren, Martha Washington and others I'd never known of caused me to think deeply about the difficulties those women faced. Not only did they raise families, bury children who didn't live, run businesses and maintain households alone while their husbands built a country, they did it when they had no right to own anything of their own nor have a voice in major decisions.
Reading the stories of the remarkable women of that time and place, my respect grew with my knowledge. They made major contributions to the formation of this country, to their families and to our future. They grew and thrived in spite of restricted lives and what was dished up on their plates.

My walk this morning was cold with crunchy frost on the path, I hurried. On my way back in the house, I closed the garage door and locked it from the inside before I took a minute to walk across the almost empty space. I lifted the corner of the old bedspread for a quick look at my secret The thrill surged through me again. The shiny bicycle is there...waiting.
For the most part, I'm not a big fan of things mechanical With a sense of resentment, I use the technology to make my life easier but I walk away from the more complicated. I prefer my manual can opener to an electric, but I depend on the microwave, computer and car.
The bicycle is different. My first gave me freedom, almost freedom to fly as I explored the city, the orange groves, the near desert on the outskirts and the parks where I honed and tested my riding skills.
My new Sun Cruiser is almost the same bike-built a lifetime later. It has fat tires, wide handlebars, three speeds and brakes that work when you push the pedal backward. Even the bell is the standard ringer that sounds ting-a-ling when you press the handle. This bike spends more time parked under cover than the first.
Commitments I've taken on as an adult keep us both more grounded. I'm not as brave either. It takes more effort to get on the bike now, more space to make a turn and I'm sure I'd break easier if I happened to fall. Those thoughts aren't enough to squelch my interest in an adventure nor the desire to fly again but they do limit the places and time I bring the beautiful cruiser out for a spin. Spring is on the way.

SOMETHING BREWING IN OREGON
In keeping with beginning a new year, I've taken down the trappings of Christmas and packed it all away, or tried to. The memories aren't packed and there will be a few unnoticed shiny reminders that show up unexpectedly over the next few weeks to bring back flashes of good times.
Christmas week, we drove north on the old Hwy 99 from Eugene to to Corvallis for an afternoon concert and to deliver grandchildren gifts. We've made the winter trip often and have occasionally seen the wild swans visiting from the north settled in the fields. never as many or as near to the road as on this trip. South of Junction City, I was thrilled to be able to see the large flock close enough to watch as they moved around. I could even see some were muddy. Impressive, beautiful birds and a very special sighting for me.
That drive north, the middle school performance, a visit with excited young people, and the drive back, after dark, through a countryside brought to life by the lighted farmhouses scattered along the road, was the real beginning of our season. We added cheerful family gatherings, time and greetings from good friends, lots of music and immense love. A wonderful way to end a year and take the beginning steps into a new one.
Now my web page has been updated with a new essay and a partial listing of upcoming events. A couple are readings of What Next, Ms. Elliott? Another pair are workshops, Wade into Writing, greared toward beginning writers of any age. That's a new project I'd like to go farther with. I've written new columns for the Creswell Chronicle, easy to read from the link on my web page, the newspaper itself or on the Chronicle web site. Between the other writing projects and normal family life, I've been working on the next novel, Marge, Back on Track and find myself almost satisfied.
Now I'm beginning to think toward other goals. Inspiration is high on my list and not terribly difficult to search out. Next weekend, I'll be attending the Writers By the Sea workshop in Yachats where I'm hoping John Reed, novelist and instructor, will help me turn the inspiration into improved story telling skills. Possibly a new direction.
One of my important goals is to keep in touch with readers during the long spell between book publications. This blog is an experiment to see if it is on interest and if it is something I can keep up. Jo- Brew www.Jo-Brew.com