June 2010 Vacation

Gil and I went to the National Rally for CMA on Iron Mountain near Hatfield, AR, and had such a good time meeting with dear friends there. The preaching services each morning and evening were so inspirational that we did indeed come away from the mountain top refreshed in body, mind and spirit. CMA's Got Talent show one night was a lot of fun. Gil sang "Long Black Train" and the judges said he reminded them of Johnny Cash because of his deep bass voice. Everyone enjoyed the show!

We also took the opportunity before the rally began to once again look for a house to suit our needs if we get to move there. After touring dozens of houses with a local realtor, we decided that one we had seen in April was still the best one for us. It has a large garage/shop in the back yard that is big enough for our motorhome, both motorcycles and one car. The home itself is large and located on the main highway that goes through Mena so we would be near the hospital if needed, and best of all IT HAS A MOUNTAIN VIEW. Now we pray God will bring to us the perfect family to purchase our home in Camden.

When the rally ended, we headed for Kansas to visit Gil's family in Ft. Scott and attend his 45th high school reunion. What fun Gil had seeing his classmates, some of whom he had not seen in many years; some of whom he had not seen since grammar school at Hammond Elementary School. Our daughter Pat drove down from Wichita and was able to stay several days for a visit.

Book authors interviews

I have recently connected with another Tate author, Elaine Littau, who has a blog and website where she features interviews of other Tate authors. This website highlights those authors and connects them with each other and information about our books. My interview (via email) with her will be highlighted there this summer.

Just today I also connected with Mike Huckabee's blog on line where a link to the blog to yours truly may be posted as well. I am trying to connect with as many possible resources as I can to promote the book Mama and I wrote several years ago. Unfortunately we have not had but one book event in the past 12 months. We found out by trial and error that the book does not sell well unless we have book events and meet people and talk about the book. Tate Publishing and Enterprises has done its job of getting the book on many websites such as Borders, Books A Million and Amazon.com but that alone does not sell books.

Sharecropping in North Louisiana is so interesting because it not only gives history from a real family's perspective, but because it tells the true story of a family's struggle through the Great Depression and World War II. So many people have told us how exciting it was to read about those hard times during the 20s, 30s and 40s and that they too lived through that era of history. They all stated how important it is that we keep history alive in the minds and hearts of Americans so those lessons taught by the people who lived during the era are not lost. If you are interested in learning more about the book, go to my website at www.niemeir-duff.com or to the website of Tate Publishing and Enterprises (just google the name). Good reading until next time.

Spring Vacation to Texas

Gil and I love vacations in April because the weather is so nice - not too cool and not too hot! We reently went to Mena, AR, in our motorhome to look at houses there in anticipation of moving there if/when our house sells in Camden. After spending two nights at Iron Mountain, just south of Mena, at the CMA campgroud and looking at about a dozen houses, we headed south to Texarkana, then west to my Aunt Margie's for a visit. We also visited Jeff and Patty Fletcher, my cousin, and their daughter and grandson.

We camped in Canton for three nights, then headed to the Dallas/Ft. Worth area to see dear friends, Sylvia and Lucio Bustamante, whom I have known since 1968 when they and I lived in Germany. It was a wonderful visit with them and we tried to catch up on news of children and grandchildren and the past 40 years of not seeing each other.

After a wonderful time with the Bustamantes, we headed to McKinney, TX, just north of Dallas to visit my cousin, Charlie Haddox, his wife Judy and their 16-year-old daughter Sarah. Charlie and Judy showed us around the area of lovely homes, downtown McKinney, and their beautiful church, First Bapitst of McKinney. We dined out a couple of times and then Judy fixed a lovely evening meal for us our last night with them. Charlie and Sarah also entertained us with songs - some of Charlie's many ballads, and a couple of Sarah's lovely songs she has sung for school or choir groups. It really was nice to visit them and catch up on their lives, and catch them up on ours.

Garvan Gardens in April

Gil and I took a field trip today to Hot Springs to see the lovely gardens there. It is past "peek tulip time" but we were able to see some lovely flowers in the garden, and a few tulips. It was an absoutley lovely day, perfect temperature and the picnic lunch was so good on the deck under the shade trees just inside the gardens. We knew there would be a lot of walking in order to see the entire garden, so we took advantage of the carts and a driver. One other couple rode with us through the trail of flowers, ponds and waterfalls. The Gardens are near Lake Hamilton on the outskirts of the city and only a 2 1/2 hr. dirve from our home.

The tulips will be dug up in May, bagged up and sold to individuals at a very cheap price. Then in the fall, another 130,000 bulbs will be planted for the new crop in the following spring. Enjoy the pictures and plan your own field trip to see Garvan Gardens. They are also open during the winter with millions of Christmas lights.

Smilebox Memories

Personalize a scrapbook design

March trip to Little Rock

Gil and I had a lovely camp trip to Little Rock this spring, staying 3 nights at the Maumelle RV Campground on the Arkansas River. We had some business to attend to and also spent some time with friends while there. Carl and Darlene Kitchens took us to lunch one day at the Olive Garden and we had a nice visit with them there. One day the RV was in the shop to have some routine maintenance and then on Friday Gil had his checkup with his heart doctor for his annual stress test. He passed again this year.

To the right are a few pictures we took at the campground.

Mid March 2010

Spring has sprung in Camden and the 17th Annual Daffodil Festival was a huge success and attendance was largest in history. Many of the daffodils in my yard and the little field on the other side of the house where mama used to live were picked and used in the local businesses during the festival.

The kids are settled in China and Ed has started his 3rd week on the job of teaching English to the Chinese students both in Ivy English (private) School and several public schools. It is still cold and snowy there. DJ is growing with leaps and bounds and talks "baby jabber" to us on the skype webcam calls.

Gil and I have almost completed painting the 3 bedrooms and 3 baths in our home and it will be ready to put on the market first week of April. We have a business trip to Little Rock next week and we have company coming for the weekend we get back. Then I plan to visit my sister and mama in Louisiana before Easter.

Kitchens Family in China

I have not been posting anything lately because we have been so busy at my house painting the bedrooms and bathrooms getting ready to put our house on the market in April. We hope to move to Mena, AR, so Gil will be closer to the Christian Motorcycle Association Headquarters at Hatfield so he can do volunteer work there.

To update anyone interested, my son and his family are now settled in an apartment in Jaimasui, China, and he is teaching English at a private school as well as going into public schools there also teaching English. The school provides them with a furnished apartment including a babybed for little Destiny who is now six months old. Suzanne, who is 12 yrs. old, is being home schooled. Right now the weather is rather cold, getting to below zero at night and barely above freezing in the daytime. They have snow on the ground and seems like it will stay for a while. I have included some pictures they sent from their trip.

On their way to new adventure in China

My son and his family are now at the Houston airport this morning (it is 5 am CDT on Feb. 9) awaiting their flight to Beijing. I spoke to Suzanne a short time ago and she said she was still anxious about her first airplane ride. They were at the airport waiting at the gate to be checked in and I could hear little Destiny in the background talking up a storm and chewing on her fingers. They will leave Houston at 6 am (in about an hour) and have a two hour flight to Newark, NJ, and have about a 2 hr. layover before going on to Beijing. Spot will join them in NJ for the long flight today. This picture was taken just before they left my house in Arkansas.

Grandchildren moving to China Feb. 8th

My son and his wife are moving to China to teach English in a school there and the two granddaughters are going with them, along with granddog Spot. It is Friday night Feb. 5th as I write this and they are staying with us over the weekend until they drive to Houston in a rental car and drop Spot at the airport on Feb. 8th. They are supposed to leave the next day on a flight going to Newark, NJ, and then on a non-stop flight from there to Beijing. I pray the big snow storm on the east coast does not delay their flight out. They will be in Beijing a week while Spot is in quarrantine, then take a train or bus to the town north of Beijing where they will live. The school has arranged an apartment for them, furnished even with a baby bed for DJ.

I will keep posting updates on their trip as I receive email or phone calls on skype from them.

No travels in January 2010

It is hard to believe that we are more than half way into January of the new year...and ten years now into the 21st Century. It has been cold in Arkansas this January and we are looking forward to spring this year. Gil was able to take a motorcycle ride this afternoon on his bike because the temperature was up to over 60 degrees. He said it was a nice rice. I will be glad when it is warm enough for us to take the trike out for a ride, but that may be a while.

In the meantime we mostly stay indoors and go out only when we need to for groceries and to church. I have new pictures of little DJ who is now almost 15 lbs. and growing like weeds in my yard! She is a sweet baby and enjoys sitting and watching TV with her sister or listening to country music.

Sad new year beginning

Gil's Dad passed away Jan 2nd and we drove to Kansas for his funeral. Even though Dad had been ill for a long time, it is still a shock to lose a loved one. Gil's stepmother Helen was surrounded by family and friends during the visitation time and the funeral service but undoubtedly the loss will be felt by her and the family for a long time. Mr. Niemeir had many friends and relatives whose life had been touched by his kindness, his wisdom and his loving generosity. He left behind not only a dear sweet wife but also four sisters, four children, ten grandchildren, 18 great grandchildren and one great-great-granddaughter. His suffering and pain from the illness he fought for the past many years is over and he is now with our Lord and Saviour. The angels in heaven rejoice at his homecoming as does Gil's mother, Dad's parents, his five siblings and many dear friends who went before him. We shall see him again some day!

Christmas 2009

We have had a blessed Christmas day with Ed, Deb, and the girls. Gil called his Dad and Helen to check on them. He also talked with both his sisters in Ft. Scott. They had snow there. When he talked to his son Dan in Iowa he found out they had snow as well. Gil's daughter Pat called from Kansas and they were having a nice Christmas at her mom's house with snow as well. Emma, Gil's 5 year old great grand daughter got new boots for Christmas and was begging to go out and play in the snow.....but it was very cold there and grandma would not let her go out.

News from Tate publishing this week let us in on a new advertising on TV. Our book will have a trailer made and the 30-second ad will air on four major newtworks which will give us some good publicity all over the nation. It will air on Fox News, Lifetime, History Channel and American Movie Classics. I should see some activity on the website soon afterwards.

I am publishing a new picture of DJ, our 4 mo. old granddaughter. She sure is filling out and growing! I am eager to hear how much she weighs at her check up next week.

December 2009

Merry Christmas to all my blog followers! Gil and I are taking Ed, Deb and the girls to Hot Springs tonight to the Garven Gardens to see the millions of Christmas lights. We will have a nice dinner in Hot Springs beforehand and return after the sightseeing tour of the lights. I will get some pictures to post here.

Visiting in Kansas with Niemeirs

Gil and I traveled to Ft. Scott, Kansas, last week to see his Dad and step-mother, Glen and Helen. We stayed with Gil's sister, Carol and her husband, Dan. Carol had a brand new grandson, Noah, born Nov. 30th. We spent time each day with Dad and Helen, then visited Gil's sisters and brother in the evenings after work. We had only 2 days to stay, but had a very good visit. We wanted to visit early in the month because sometimes if we wait until Christmas, the weather is very cold and sometimes icy. We had lovely weather for traveling there and home. Suzanne went with us as she always enjoys visiting the Niemeirs in Kansas. I am attaching a couple of pictures taken there.

Celebration in Shreveport, Louisiana

The Louisiana Arts Council for several Louisiana districts held a Celebration of the 80th Anniversay of the Great Depression at the Artspace Center, Shreveport, Louisiana. Mother and I were honored to be invited to be speakers at this celebration on Nov. 14th. Mama was unable to attend, but Aunt Sue and Suzanne went with me to Shreveport that beautiful sunny Saturday. We did some shopping on the way and got into Shreveport about 1:00 but had a little trouble finding the Artspace Center. As it turned out we had been passing it by on Texas Street several times in our search but the building was not marked well enough to see the name on the front of the building.

When we got our table set up with books ready to sell, we joined the group of authors and speakers there for the program. It was very interesting to hear about other people's books and their lives or the subjects about which they wrote, many including people or times during the Great Depression. After I gave a review of our book "Sharecropping in North Louisiana: A Family's Struggle Through the Great Depression," Aunt Sue read the chapter about the Flood of 1927 and shared with the group mama's oil painting of the syrup mill. A fun time was had by all.

November book events attended

This week has been a busy one for me and Mama as we traveled to book events in Louisiana and Arkansas. Wednesday morning we drove to Minden, LA, and met with the library staff there and talked about our book and signed them afterwards.

That afternoon we drove to Jonesboro, LA, where we had a room full of ladies who listened to us read from the book and then asked questions of us about mama's growing-up years. It was a wonderful time had by all...refreshments included. Thank you to the ladies at both libraries who hosted those events.

Friday, Nov. 6th, we drove to Magnolia, AR, to the Columbia County Library and spoke to a room full of students from the area schools. There were 4th graders, 5th graders and 6th graders in attendance as well as a number of adults. The room was full and the questions were wonderful. The students listened to us read from the book, then questioned us about the way mama and her family lived during the 20s, 30s and 40s. We sure had a nice time there. Thank you Laura, Dana and Dennis. You were perfect host and hostesses.

CMA Colors Rally in Hatfield, AR

Our trip to the Changing of Colors Rally with the Christian Motorcyclists Association was wonderful this year in spite of rain several days. The 3,000 plus bikers enjoyed the church services morning and evening along with seminars each day. We had a special treat this year with Herb Shreve preaching on Saturday night. Herb is the founder of CMA which was started in 1975. He had a truly inspiring message for us all. All the preaching was great and Miss Becky Ogden sang a wonderful song this year. Go Becky! Stand up for Jesus!

When we left the rally on Sunday we took our RV and trike to Eureka Springs and stayed two nights at Beaver Lake. The fall color was spectacular until the rains came again. Still, we are glad we went. We spent our last night on the road in Toad Suck RV park near Conway on the Arkansas River. That is a beautiful park.

November book events scheduled

Wednesday, Nov. 4th will find us at the Webster Parish Library in Minden, La. from 10:30 - noon. Then we will be at the Jackson Parish Library in Jonesboro, La. that afternoon from 2-3 pm. We are excited about these two events and hope that some of the area people will come see us.

Then on Friday, Nov. 6th we will go to the Columbia County Library in Magnolia, AR from 9:00 - 11:30. Area schools will bus in about sixty 5th graders for our book review that morning. That will be a fun time reading some of the book to those students and hopefully some adults in the area will come to meet us and buy books.

Meeting old friends at book events in October

The Bastrop book events were wonderful. The Snyder Museum was the perfect backdrop for us. A number of people came to see us and buy books. It was a surprise for me to see three of my classmates that day. Thanks Sandra, Dianne and Cherie for dropping by that day. I hope you enjoy reading the book. The Morehouse Parish Library was our afternoon event. Not a lot of people came to see us, but thanks to those who did. Ellen, thank you for inviting us.

We had a fun time at the Lake Providence book events. The Louisiana Cotton Museum is very interesting. We did not sell many books that morning but it was a beautiful sunny and cool fall day. I guess most people were out on the lake or enjoying the sunny day. The rain had really fallen in that part of the state and some of the cotton was still in the fields. Harriet Bridges was a wonderful hostess for us.

That afternoon we did meet some ladies at the library who bought books. The librarian there turned out to be a niece of Lillian's sixth grade techer. What a small world it is. Thanks Renee for your hospitality.

Our last October book event was at the Schepis Museum in Columbia. We stopped by The Martin Home Place that morning on our way to the Schepis. The hostess there was so glad to meet us. She was new in the gift shop and said five of our books had sold and she was glad to have more there to sell. What a unique old home place there in Columbia that has been preserved. We had many visitors at the Schepis, one of whom is a granddaughter to one of my grandparents' friends down on Beouff River named in the book. Mama and I enjoyed meeting her and talking about her family who knew our family many years ago. She is from Rayville and did not know we would be at the Schepis that day so it was a great surprise for us all. She had read and enjoyed the book. Another visitor that day was Mr. Buster Shipp who remembered mama when they were children. Buster knew and remembered mama's grandfather Judy who lived on Buster's fathers land at one time as described in our book. He had read the book which had been checked out of the Columbia library. He wanted his own signed copy. We are so glad those folks came by to see us.

Now it is time for the November book events.