Pam Webb
a writer's journey as a reader
Archive for the category “celebrations”
An anniversary is eclipsed…
Today’s focus is on the eclipse, which for some didn’t register as an event because of a)not being in the path of ta-dah or b)dealing with cloudy skies. There is also c)there was an eclipse?
For me the event of focus today was the four year anniversary of my debut picture book Someday We Will.
Yup, four years ago Beaming Books brought out my book in the beginning of April having postponed its publication from the previous fall. FYI: Grandparents Day is the first Sunday in September.
Instead of fall, the idea was Mother’s Day and the summer months of vacations when families visit. Good plan except four years ago about this time the pandemic showed up closing schools, libraries, bookstores, all those places where I might have personally promoted my book. A virtual book launch does not quite have the same impact.
Since then I have tried to make up for lost time and have done some story times with the library and have done a couple of bookstore appearances.
If you have yet to check out Someday We Will I hope you will. It’s a dandy little book for sharing just how special those family visits are, especially the grandparent ones.
As for the eclipse event? I hope your experience was satisfying. I ended tidying up the garage in hopes the clouds would part. They didn’t, but the garage looks better.
Book Signing!
Sunday, September 10th is Grandparents Day. Last year I booked a signing at Barnes and Noble at it was so successful I’m going back this year.
If you are in the Spokane Valley, Washington area this Saturday be sure to stop by the Barnes and Noble. After story time at 11 am I will be signing books until 3pm.
If you can’t make it you can purchase a book from your favorite online source and let me know and I will send you an autographed book plate.
Someday We Will celebrates that special connection between grandparents and grandchildren. The book was inspired by my visits with my granddaughter. I couldn’t wait for all those special somedays we would share together.
And my second grandchild is due for her debut coming up the end of this month! I can’t wait to read my book with her.
Hoping you have a special day with your grands!
Cowabunga!
The all important Cow Appreciation Day just about snuck past me but my handy National Day calendar alert informed I needed to pay attention. Cows are beyond special—they are bovine.
Having grown up around cows, and having lived across from a dairy farm for twelve years, I have an either an affection or a affectation for cows. I have gathered and created a plethora of cow jokes and cow facts and created a book that unfortunately no publisher is interested in at the moment. That doesn’t stop me from appreciating what Sandra Boynton has done for the cow with her winsome cowtoons and book. Gary Larson has also shown an affinity for cows. One of my other favorites is About Cows. There are scads of other books that regale cows from Dr. Seuss to meditative cows. Maybe the market isn’t ready for yet another tribute to cows.
Then again, why not? I’m not giving in or giving up even because cows are cool and the world cud appreciate another udderly cow time.
Here are some of my favorite cow jokes I like to toss out to unsuspecting listeners:
Why are dairy farms so noisy? Too many cows have horns.
If good cows go to heaven where do bad cows go? The udder place.
Why did the farmer place bee hives in his pasture? He wanted to live in the land of milk and honey.
What goes “oom oom oom”? A cow walking backwards.
And my parting riddle—
What is the best way to make a milkshake? Have it jump on a pogo stick.
I would love to hear your thoughts on why cows are so cool or a really good cow joke—I have enough bad ones.
Year in Books: Good Reads and Then Some
I’m ever so glad I found Goodreads. Not only does it help in discovering books to read, it more importantly keeps track of the books I have read. Lately I am reading books I have read previously. Goodreads confirms this. I’m contemplating the implications of this reading overlap.
Never mind deep contemplations on my reading habits. Here are the brass facts: according to Goodreads I read 155 books by December 30th. I don’t log books that are DNF (did not finish), which are more than I want to acknowledge this year. Apparently I am becoming more discerning in my book selections.
Instead of the usual how many pages, most popular, least popular factums I thought I would give 746 books activity a try. Using this year’s book list I answered posed suppositions:
- In high school I was Here and Now and Then (Mike Chen)
- People might be surprised by The Ethan I Was Before (Ali Standish)
- I will never be Maisie Dobbs (Jacqueline Winspear)
- My life post-lockdown was Little Broken Things (Nicole Baart)
- My fantasy job is The Finder of Forgotten Things (Sarah Loudin Thomas)
- At the end of a long day I need The Maid (Nita Prose)
- I hate being The Accused (John Grisham)
- Wish I had The Cat Who Saved Books (Sosuke Natsukawa)
- My family reunions are To Disguise the Truth (Jen Turano)
- At a party you’d find me with Birds of a Feather (Jacqueline Winspear)
- I’ve never been to The Last Bookshop in London (Madeline Martin)
- A happy day includes The Ingredients of Love (Nicolas Barresu)
- Motto I live by: The Art of Holding On and Letting Go (Kristin Lenz)
- On my bucket list is The Island (Gary Paulsen)
- Next year I want to have What the Fireflies Knew (Kai Harris)
That was fun and enlightening. Maybe my book choices reveal more about myself than I am aware of. Hope your year of books was enjoyable and here is to next year!
Cowabunga! It’s July 12th and Cow Appreciation Day!
Cows are beyond cool. They are bovine.
I admit to being a cow aficionado. I grew up mucking about on our neighbor’s farm. Later in life I lived across from a dairy farm for twelve years. I udderly came to appreciate the wonder of this animal. To chew green grass and deliver creamy milk is marvelous.
The close proximity of cows inspired me to create a book that celebrates the cow with over 100 cow jokes with some stuff and nonsense thrown in. No publishers yet are interested. I remain hopeful that they will eventually realize my book, while not Pulitzer Prize material, is outstanding in its field.
To celebrate the cow here are some riddles to help you appreciate the cow:
1.What’s green and black and white all over?
A field with cows.
- What did Old MacDonald say when the cow stepped on his foot?
“Ee-ii-ee-ii-ouch.”
- What did Old MacDonald say when the cows began to stampede?
“Aaugh, I’m having a herd attack!”
- What did he say after the stampede?
“Cows should be seen and not herd.”
- How did the farmer divide up his herd of cows?
He decided between the calves and the calve-nots.
- What did the farmer say to the old cow?
“It’s time you retired. You’re pasture your prime.”
7. Why do you call a pregnant cow?
Calfenaited.
8. What do you call a cow that isn’t pregnant?
Decaf.
9. Why did the cow jump over the moon?
The farmer had cold hands.
10. Why did the farmer install bee hives in his pasture?
He wanted to live in the land of milk and honey.
Celebrate the cow today. If a hug isn’t possible, then an ice cream cone is acceptable.
Ya Dah!
Monday marked the closure of my teaching career. A rounded off twenty years of teaching: 19 in the classroom with 1 year as the credit recovery coordinator.
Our school holds a retirement breakfast and each principal or supervisor says a few words about their retiring staff member before handing over a handsome plaque. My principal did say a few nice words then stumped me with an obscure Shakespeare quote. With a reputation as the resident Bardinator he must have thought I would be able to quote what play it hailed from. If I had known there was going to be a pop quiz I would have studied the night before.
WHEREOF WHAT’S PAST IS PROLOGUE; WHAT TO COME, IN YOURS AND MY DISCHARGE. —The Tempest, 2.1 (missed this one, so distracted by Ariel and Caliban)
Our vice-principal, who handles most of the disciplinary issues, decided a mild roasting was in order. He declared me the most prolific behavior referral writer among the staff, keeping him busy (isn’t this called job security?) and handed me “Webb’s Greatest Hits”—a thirteen page document of all my discipline referrals over my classroom tenure. (Isn’t this just doing my job with dedicated zeal for behavior modification?)
Post breakfast meant turning in my phone, keys, and final farewells. Being homeless, since another teacher was moving into room with gusto, I left. Basically my teaching career ended before 10 am. That’s a ponderful thought: you can take away a teacher’s room but there is always room for teachers.
I spent the rest of the day reading, napping, finding a place to put away my accumulation of classroom stuff acquired over 20 years. That’s a very different post.
Over the past week people kept asking how it felt to be retiring. I had a different reply depending on the day. After all, it wasn’t over until my grades and keys were turned in. On this last day, the reality of leaving the career I inadvertently was herded into washed over me when a former student, now our study hall supervisor found me after the breakfast and said, “I’m sad you’re leaving. I’m happy for your retirement, but sad you’re leaving.” Yes, that’s exactly how I feel as well.
As how to spend the first day of retirement? It’s my birthday—so I’ll do whatever I want. It’s Flag Day to boot!
Happy retirement! Happy Birthday! Happy Flag Day!
Book Birthday Two
Two years ago on April 7th, Someday We Will debuted ready to greet the world with its message of the joy that comes with anticipating a visit with those we love, especially visits with grandparents.
Two years ago was also the start of the pandemic. Schools, businesses, transportation, borders, so much shut down as the world learned how to cope with Covid.
Not the most advantageous time to promote a debut picture book. Ironically enough (although one librarian deemed it prescient) the book’s focus is on the joy of coming together after being separated.
Covid was not on my mind when I submitted the book for publication to Beaming Books two years earlier.My thoughts were on the joy experienced whenever I visit my granddaughter.
Separation has taken on deeper meaning with Covid. There is more involved, more considerations when planning a visit. “Someday we will…”and “Someday is here!” has more personal meaning these days.
With libraries and bookstores open once again to in-person events, I look forward to making the rounds and promoting Someday We Will.
In these past two years have you had your someday turn into today? I hope so! That moment of being reunited with a loved one is not just for grandparents and grandchildren.
In the meantime I’ve been busy writing and submitting other stories and look forward to sharing more book birthdays with you.
Looking to order the book?
Looking for reviews? Goodreads
Word Nerd: December
It’s December, the last month of the year. Getting through another tough year might involve celebrating and celebrating might also involve some appropriate words.
nimiety: excess, overabundance
galimatias: confused or unintelligible talk
pharaonic: impressively or overwhelmingly large, luxurious, etc.
foozle: to bungle; play clumsily
effulgent: shining forth brilliantly; radiant
specious: apparently good or right though lacking real merit; superficially pleasing or plausible
brummagem: showy but inferior and worthless
encomium: a speech or piece of writing that praises someone or something highly
terpsichorean: pertaining to dancing
shivoo: a boisterous party or celebration
So, celebrate this last month of a challenging year, and let’s hope the new year brings new hope and healing.
Pam Webb aka Cricket Muse
A writer's journey as a reader
Recent Award
Children’s Insider
Society for Children’s Writers and Illustrators
Pam Webb 