GROUNDHOG DAY, this is the only day groundhogs are honored. This tradition was brought by the German immigrants who settled in Pennsylvania.
Photo from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
When I lived in Idaho on the Snake River Plains high desert we knew spring was here when the Yellow-belled Marmots came out of their rocky dens.I loved to watch them sun themselves on the rocks and hear their warning whistle when I got too close.

When I was a kid in Wisconsin I went on a fox hunt and came home with two baby groundhogs that changed my feelings about wildlife. I have written a story/a rough draft on that spring adventure. I have so many stories I need one year to donate all my time to.
I love the memories I have growing up on farms – what a playground!

Enjoy the wild creatures for they have feelings too and bring a lot of joy into our lives.
Yesterday, I walked up Oakridge Mountain (discover neat items to photograph) and along the banks of White River at Bull Shoals-White River State Park. I seen eagles, but not close enough for my camera, but was able to photograph two vultures perched in a tree overlooking the river and one of the beautiful Sycamores.

This Saturday February 4, children’s author & illustrator Elaine Wilson will be at the Baxter County library at 10:30 in the children’s library for more click on http://www.baxlib.org/ I’ll be there will you?

THAT BOOKSTORE: Robert Leleux Book Signing!January 28 at~ 1 p.m Greetings!Robert Leleux will be here with his mother signing copies of his new book, The Living End. The Living End is a tribute to an unforgettable woman, and a testimony to the way a disease can awaken an urgent desire for love and forgiveness. Told with sparkling wit and warmth, The Living End will resonate with families coping with Alzheimer's,and any reader looking for hope and inspiration.Robert Leleux's grandmother JoAnn was a steel magnolia, an elegant and devastatingly witty woman: quick-tongued, generous in her affections, but sometimes oddly indifferent to the emotions of those who most needed her. When JoAnn began exhibiting signs of Alzheimer's, she'd been estranged from her daughter, Robert's mother Jessica, for decades. As her disease progressed, JoAnn lost most of her memories, but she also forgot her old wounds and anger. She became a happy, gentler person who was finally able to reach out to her daughter in what became a strangely life-affirming experience, an unexpected blessing that gave a divided family a second chance.Come out and meet Robert Jan-28 at That Bookstore In Blytheville.That Bookstore in Blytheville316 West Main Blytheville, Arkansas 72315 870-763-3333

SQUIRREL APPRECIATION DAY Always January 21st.

This is one of my friends Mrs. M. We have been friends since she was born in the big Red Oak. That was about five years ago. She comes to visit me at my bedroom window that is high off the ground. She stands up to catch her peanuts and if I am not fast enough, she motions with her hands to hurry and throw one. She is such a little sweetheart. She and her family has provided laughter while entertaining me. I have taken lots of photos.

THE PATH THROUGH the TREES by Christopher Milne published in 1979, the full story on Winnie-the-Pooh's companion who escaped from under the shadow of his famous father. The further adventures of the author of THE ENCHANTED PLACES - The memoir of Christopher Robin's childhood. In 1979 Mr. Milne was living with his family in Dartmouth, England where they owned a bookstore.

Today, January 18th is WINNIE THE POOH DAY the birth date of A.A. Milne in 1882. The initials stand for Allen Alexander.

I have a little statue of Piglet who was one of my favorite. Maybe, it is because I raised a piglet in my house. No, not a Pot-belled pig, a pink farm pig;a runt of the litter. I fed Wiggles with a bottle. No, I never called him "Runt."

Missouri Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrator has a new website http://moscbwi.org/ and their events calendar shows a lot of exciting events at Springfield, MO and throughout the state. I know I have to get their newsletter to keep up with all that is happening. This is very exciting.

THAT BOOKSTORE IN BLYTHEVILLE, AR: Check their schedule to see all the authors that will be there. One is using Calico Rock, AR as the backdrop for his book. He is a famous author. I will not give you his name as I want you to be surprised.
Jan-167:00 pm Newbery Honor winner Margi Preus will be having dinner with teachers and librarians from local schools and it is open to the public for $7.50. You must have a reservation to attend. She will visiting with Gosnell students the next morning

PELICAN PUBLISHING COMPANY PUBLISHER AND OWNER PASSES(Gretna, La.) January 9, 2012––In March of 2010, New Orleans area based Pelican Publishing Company, Inc., celebrated the fortieth anniversary of publisher and president Dr. Milburn Calhoun. Today we mourn his passing.A bookman, publisher, philanthropist, and retired physician, he died Saturday, January 7, 2012, at West Jefferson Hospital in New Orleans following a lengthy illness. He was eighty-one. Visiting takes place today, Monday, January 9, 2012, from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. with a service immediately following at Oak Park Baptist Church, 1110 Kabel Drive, New Orleans. Additional services will be held Thursday, January 12, 2012, at Kilpatrick Funeral Home, West Monroe, La., with visitation from 9:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. with a service and interment immediately following at Sibley Cemetery in Choudrant, La.Born in West Monroe, on January 15, 1930, he was a graduate of Ouachita Parish High School, 1947; Northeast Junior College, 1949; Louisiana State University, 1951; and the LSU School of Medicine, 1955. After an internship at New Orleans Charity Hospital, 1955-56, he practiced medicine in Buras for nine years, interrupted by two years in the United States Air Force where he attained the rank of major. He practiced medicine at Nicholson, Baehr, & Calhoun from 1965 until his retirement in 1997. He also served as chief of staff at West Jefferson Hospital. He was a longtime member of Oak Park Baptist Church where he served as a deacon and in numerous support positions.A lifelong bibliophile, he was a recognized expert on rare books. He founded Bayou Books, an old, rare, and out-of-print book dealer specializing in Louisiana and Southern subjects, and in 1961, he opened a Gretna bookstore by the same name. In 1970, he and family members acquired Pelican Publishing Company, a small New Orleans book publishing company that they relocated to Gretna. Publishing standouts include the blockbuster success of motivational titles such as Zig Ziglar’s See You at the Top and the publication of Cajun Night Before Christmas®. In addition to spawning Pelican’s wildly successful series of more than thirty Night Before Christmas titles and products, the publication of Cajun Night Before Christmas® marked the beginning of Pelican’s children’s book division, which is now the company’s largest niche. Other areas of specialty include cookbooks, architecture titles, the Best Editorial Cartoons of the Year Series, works on Southern history and culture, Civil War scholarship, black studies, and books covering every aspect of life in Louisiana.“We were not a people of means,” Dr. Calhoun said, describing the challenge of purchasing a bankrupt publishing house, “so we did it the old-fashioned way. We published important books that other publishers were not publishing and a large part of the population wanted.”The model worked. Pelican’s sales doubled each year during the first ten years of Dr. Calhoun’s leadership. Business expanded into all fifty states, and soon the company began to establish its international presence and enjoy global distribution in the sale of English-language rights to publishers throughout Asia, Africa, Europe, and South America. Today, with a backlist of more than 2,500 titles, Pelican is the largest independent trade book publisher in the South. In continuous operation since 1926, Pelican remains a family-owned, independent general trade and children’s publisher committed to publishing books of quality and permanence on a wide variety of subjects.In 1998, he funded the Mary and Darrell Calhoun Recreational Center at the Louisiana Baptist Children’s Home in Monroe, and in 1999, he endowed the one-million-dollar Mary E. and Darrell L. Calhoun Chair in Pharmacology at the University of Louisiana at Monroe. He and his wife established the Milburn and Nancy Calhoun Foundation in 2009 to support religious and educational activities. Donations may be made to the foundation at 9 Muirfield Place, New Orleans, LA 70131.Dr. Calhoun reflects on some of the highlights from his forty years, along with Pelican’s history and the publication of Sherwood Anderson and Other Famous Creoles, the first trade title by William Faulkner and the first book in Pelican Publishing history, here.For media inquiries, contact Antoinette de Alteriis, Promotion Director, Pelican Publishing Company 504-368-1175 x 331 or adealteriis@pelicanpub.com.###Sam GoldenPelican Publishing CompanyFan us on FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/PelicanPublishingFollow us on Twitter: @PelicanPub, www.twitter.com/PelicanPubFind us on the web: http://www.pelicanpub.com/

This was forward by Dr. Fred Pfister, Editor of The Ozarks Mountaineer magazine http://www.ozarksmountaineer.com/

Updates and Good News:
I have been busy reading and mind writing to put pieces I am working on in order. Need to stay calm and not rush around setting too many goals. I must remember finish/prepare one at a time and send by snail mail or email. I will not allow negative spam to stay in my
thoughts over a second before I delete it. No worry –Be happy.

Children’s author David L. Harrison’s blog with W.O.M. (Word of the month) where we write a poem each month from a suggested word from David or one of the involved poets; it is great fun. This month’s word is “eternity.” New Year’s Day we were invited to share a poem only for that day. Mine was titled, “Cold Water and Aspirin.” Also, David and author/playwright Sandy Asher are sharing information to help writers. They started this week. Sandy was once the Missouri’s SCBWI Regional Adviser. So, we can gain a lot of knowledge from both.

44th Annual Children’s Literature Festival James C. Kirkpatrick Library, University of Central Missouri, Warrensburg, MO March 18-20, 2012 For information and registration forms visit http://guides.library.ubmo.edu/cif or call 6660-543-4306 or email to cifreg@ucmo.edu

I was surprised to see my name mentioned on Flashlight Press’s blog for helping spread the word for Pobble’s Way written by Simon Van Booy and illustrated by Wendy Edelson. Dotti Enderle’s book Grandpa for Sale for ages 4-8 and 32 pages was published by Flashlight Press.

I received a card yesterday from The Wisconsin Veterans Museum and Research Center, Madison, Wisconsin that they had received my book, Submarine Stories of World War II that was requested by them to submit to their library. I am a native of Wisconsin
and Ervin O. Schmidt one of the veteran’s story in the book is from Marshfield and he also was at Pearl Harbor when it was bombed. It is an honor to my book in the different museums.

Deborah Niemann is a homesteader, writer, and self-sufficiency expert who presentsextensively on topics including soapmaking, bread baking, cheesemaking, composting,and homeschooling. She and her family raise sheep, pigs, cattle, goats, chickens,and turkeys for meat, eggs, and dairy products, while an organic garden and orchardprovides fruit and vegetables.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Follow-up LinksEvent Calendar [http://www.tbib.com/event/deborah-niemann-book-signing]More About Deborah [http://deborahwrites.com/index.html]Buy The Book! [http://www.tbib.com/book/9780865717022]~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Deborah Niemann Book Signing!Deborah Niemann, author of Homegrown and Handmade: A Practical Guide To More Self-ReliantLiving, will be at That Bookstore In Blytheville promoting her new book.Where: That Bookstore In Blytheville316 West Main StreetBlytheville, AR 72315Date: Monday, January 2, 2012Time: 4:00 - 6:00 pm~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

HOPEFUL

New Year once again
Time to reflect and reject
Keep the good
Reject the bad
March forward
Explore and expand
New beginnings
Time to celebrate
Chance for renewal
The year of possibilities
Dreams and ideas
Rise up, fly the flag
Of trust and confidence
Create the world
Surrounded with dreams
That does come true
© Mary Nida Smith

I wish each and everyone a Blessed Christmas!

CORRECTION: The wonderful picture book from Flashlight Press is titled Pobble's Way not
Knit Pobble Mittens. I am thankful for the correction from Flashlight Press. I sent the email I received about this book on to friends. Sorry, about the mistake.

I LOVE CHILDREN'S BOOKS AND INDEPENDENT PUBLISHERS: I want to share both with you, one special book KNIT POBBLE MITTENS, by Simon Van Booy and illustrated by Wendy Edelson. Beautiful illustrated Winter scenes and the story of a lost mitten and the joy several animals found it to help keep them warm. Kids will love it and there is a mitten pattern where they can learn how to knit a pair of warm cozy mittens for themselves or for a friend. I have always wanted to learn to knit, maybe I'll try my hand at it. Pattern by Bev Qualheim. Click on http://www.flashlightpress.com/ to check out KNIT POBBLE MITTENS and all the other neat books.

Check out http://www.arkansaswriters.com/ and http://www.arkansaswomenbloggers.com/
To help you change your VHS movies to DVD you can find a converter at Radio Shack.

Yesterday, was a beautiful warm sunny day - a day of joyful events. I had an enjoyable
lunch at 178 with several friends which three were celebrating birthdays. Laughter and
creative ideas and future plans were whirling about the table. Three of us with 22 more
authors will be at the library Sunday to show, sell, and sign our books. The fun part is
visiting.

That afternoon I went for a walk to check out what Christmas decorations neighbors were displaying to photograph later and to check on my little duck on the pond. It appeared lonely
by itself as it swam toward me it shared a little voice that I hadn't heard before.

Drove down to the White River, then on to Gastons White River Resort to see their
Christmas displays. Boy! That place was hopping.


Enterprise printing Company Inc.,
870-445-4571 http://www.enterpriseprintingweb.com/

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

FROM OUR HOUSE.

This can be the day you and your guest

make a list "A Blessing List." Share

them one by one.

What a thankful day it will be!

BOOK SALE at Baxter County Library Thursday 17, Friday 18, and Saturday 19th.
Ozarks Writers League all day event filled with speakers is Saturday 19th, at the College of the Ozarks. Twin Lakes Writers will be selling their books at this week-end craft fair at the Baxter County Fairgrounds.

I am sorry, I was unable to get a good photo of the three wonderful creative wood burning panels of ducks in nature. Each one is 2x6 created by artist Carole Tormey Jones of Yellville, Arkansas. They are on display at Toll House Antiques & Gifts in Cotter. While you are there check out my book, Ozarks Sunrises.

Information to check for writers who want to be published. I hope this blog post helps you find information that will protect you from getting burned.

Writer Beware (R) Blogs http://accrispin.blogspot.com
http://www.sfwa.org/for-authors/writer-beware

Velda Brotherton - Being a Writer http://vbrotherton.blogspot.com

SPAWN ( Small Publishers,Artist and Writers Network) http://www.spawn.org

Directory of ePublishers, Electronic Publishers http://ebookcrossroads.com/epublishers.html

My book blog: http://marynidasmithbooks.blogspot.com

I am back from the shadows of darkness reaching for the stars of hope. My monitor died a slow death last month where I was unable to reach the outside world for a couple of weeks. With the support of my family I am back. Where would we be without a loving family?

Dave Butts of BBS Computer Sales and Systems Services, Inc., Mountain Home (870) 425-9467
came out to my studio hooked up a large screen flat monitor (my son left me). I love it! It is like having new glasses where I can see more clearly. He hooked up my Skype ( my grandson and family gave me) to be able to see and keep in touch with them who are so far away. Plus, my newly purchased EPSON -Perfection V330 Photo that scans documents to edit, slides, film strips, and negatives into photos. I am looking forward to developing my slides into photos to be used with my books and poems I have finished and others I am working on. Also, photo essays for magazines. I still have things to clear up on the computer and then I am off and running toward my goals. It is hard to kill the dreams of a dreamer when they have been blessed by God.

I recieved a beautiful arrangement from my daughter Margeret and family-filled with bright colors of Fall that brighten up the house. Today, is the start of another day to believe in myself and go forward.