Cindy Bradford's Author Blog
Aspens
I’ve spent a week in the mountains, and feel remarkably refreshed and rejuvenated. The cool air and peacefulness of autumn in New Mexico seems to always do that for me. Although I love living at the tip of Texas, I long each year for the change of seasons, which is not noticeable at the coast. [Read more...]
Woodpecker Wouldn't Give Up
Yesterday morning a woodpecker woke me up pecking on the big cedar tree right outside my condo. It had been a long time since I’ve heard a woodpecker—not many are interested in the palm trees in South Texas. I remember when I was a kid, when we would have a woodpecker in our yard, and we had a lot in the piney woods of East Texas, my dad would say, “the woodpecker pecked on daddy’s leg because daddy had a wooden leg.” Who knows where he got that? Of course, my daddy didn’t have a wooden leg, but he had a lot of funny lines that I fondly remember.
This one woodpecker just wouldn’t give it up, so I finally drug myself out of bed, although I was cold and not really ready to crawl out from under the warm covers. When I looked at the thermometer, I knew why—it was 16 degrees. What is a woodpecker doing out in this weather?? Where is Al Gore these days? I turned on the news, and it is cold everywhere, even in the Deep South. Surprisingly, in South Texas, the forecasters are predicting near freezing temperatures. Crazy. Just think what it would be like if we were not in global warming!!!
Atticus Books & Teahouse
In all the holiday excitement, I almost forgot to share my book signing experience with you. Obviously, I was excited and a little nervous. After all, it’s not every day someone has a book signing. I should not have worried because most of the people there were locals who apparently hang out at Atticus Books and Tea House to drink tea, eat scones and hear the musicians, but it wasn’t a complete bust, and I did finally get to sign.
The musicians were good, the crowd jovial, except for one cranky old woman who said my book was depressing and so was the music!!! She didn’t even read the back of the book, much less the inside, and the music was a wide mixture, including some upbeat Christmas. I was glad when she left, and everyone else probably was too. But before she left, she was bragging about being a Sagittarius who spoke her mind, and then I found out we share the same birthday!!! Urggggggggg!
As you can see from the photo, the place is quaint. The inside is quite Bohemian, with all sorts of “bookish things” one might not find elsewhere—a fun, cozy place for a cold, Saturday afternoon in the mountains.
Cindy Bradford's first book signing at Atticus
Cindy Bradford with Social Media Friends
Saturday was a nice extension of Christmas because I had the opportunity to make new friends because of Keeping Faith. It all started back in early December on Twitter when a young teacher from the Austin area saw my “follow” and wished me a happy birthday. She then indicated on Facebook that she was going to be in Ruidoso for Christmas, but would miss my book signing at Atticus. As we continued to communicate via FB, we planned a meeting, but of course, the snow had other ideas for us since her cabin is on a shady hill and mine is similar. Too much snow and too little sun rendered us both home bound or not venturing out very far.
So, it wasn’t until the 26th that I was able to meet her, her husband, and her aunt at Starbucks, where they bought two books and we visited. And what a nice time it was! As it turned out, Hope Melayne is a kindergarten teacher in Buda, and an award-winning one at that. In 2004, she was named Texas Exes Elementary Teacher of the Year, Teacher of the Year for her campus, and for Buda ISD. And I can see why—she is bubbly, enthusiastic, and personable. And Rob, her husband, was such a sweetheart to come and listen to three woman talk about school. He’s an avid golfer, tennis player, and engineer, so I know if the truth be told, he was bored out of his skull. But he was, nonetheless, pleasant and patient.
Also joining us was Hope’s Aunt Linda, who was a long time educator and a retired principal. She also served at Texas Education Agency for awhile as well as holding other administrative assignments. She lives in Ruidoso part of the year and is super interesting. We even knew a couple of the same people from the education field. You can imagine how much we had to talk about, and could have continued but Linda had a skier visitor arriving from the Dallas area, and Hope and Rob had a bathroom to paint at the family cabin. So, we said good bye and promised to stay in touch. What a nice way to continue a Christmas weekend.
I am loving the opportunity to spend the holidays in a winter wonderland, but I will be glad in about a month to toss the socks and coats. After all, I’m a beach bum at heart, and all these heavy clothes are becoming a nuisance.
But I am enjoying the change of weather, the smell and sound of crackling fires and beautiful surroundings. And the deer! They are everywhere. They are fun to watch, and many times they are just outside my condo window, fearless in their forging for food. I’m sure that is what happened to my pretty junipers I planted on my last visit. At the house next to the condo, two 8 point bucks hang out most afternoons. At dusk, they rule the streets and yards, and it is “driver beware time.” It’s not uncommon for more than 15 deer to amble across the road right in front of a passing car.
If I were Bambi, I would want to live and grow old here in this protected environment. But Bambi would have to love cold weather! Yikes!
Deer Hangout at Cindy Bradford's condo in Ruidoso
Paragraphs on Padre
…Just Saying