holiday | Linda McLaughlin/Lyndi Lamont

Looking back on 2018, I’m amazed at all the changes in my life, starting in January when my niece Patty and I adopted a darling little puppy.

My new love, Miss Callie.

The pup, all 4 1/2 pounds of her, filled up the holes in my heart and drove me crazy at the same time. She’s about 13 months old now and still a little scamp at 16-17 pounds. This is what she looks like fully grown. Her coat is darker and I still don’t know where the long legs came from. Her mother was tiny.

Callie, my rescue pup, all grown up

In June I started a new book set in Montana and made good progress until late August/September when a plumbing problem set off the spark that led to a whole house remodel. Oy! It’s difficult to write in the midst of chaos, and after a while I gave up trying. We are now down to the dining room and kitchen. Unfortunately the latter is the most complicated room.

I’m especially excited about my new office. Surely I can write in such a lovely spot. I love my big cherry wood desk.

new office

In September I also had a chance to travel to Montana on a 13-day trip through the western third of the state. I got a much better idea of what Montana looks like and picked up a lot of historical tidbits to make the story more authentic. One of the highlights was a visit to the Grant Kohrs historic ranch.

ranch photo

One of the highlights was a day in Glacier National Park and it’s a memorable one. We had rain, fog, hail and snow. Now I need to go back to get a better look at the glaciers, as visibility was limited, esp. early in the day. But what an adventure! Here I am posing by the 1937 White bus we were traveling in that day, the one with a leaky convertible top. I haven’t gained twenty pounds; I was wearing four layers of clothing.

Linda at Glacier Park

The Montana trip was fun, and this year I’m looking forward to a Cherry Blossom tour of Washington, D.C. in April and a trip to Iceland and New York City at the end of August.

Wishing everyone a wonderful 2019.

Linda

2019 New Year

Labor Day is a holiday that doesn’t seem to have much purpose any more beyond BBQ and a long weekend, but there is a reason for the holiday. Begun in 1894, Labor Day was intended to celebrate the labor union movement, which started in the 19th century and reached its height in the US at mid-20th century.

International Worker’s Day is celebrated worldwide on May 1st, but the date coincided too closely to the May 4, 1886 date of the infamous Haymarket affair in Chicago. Anarchists threw a bomb into the crowd as the police attempted to disperse a peaceful rally in support of labor rights. Seven policemen and at least four civilians were killed in the blast and subsequent gunfire, and dozens of other people were wounded. The Communist embrace of May 1st further discredited it in the minds of the American people.

I grew up in a union household. Before her marriage, my mom worked in a factory and joined the union. When she turned 65, she started getting laughably small pension checks from the union. My dad was a lifetime member of the Brotherhood of Teamsters, and his union pension was a godsend in their later years. My nephew has worked construction since finishing high school and the only pension he will get will be from his union.

Sadly, union membership in the private sector has dropped below 7%, and surprise, surprise! wages are stagnant. Cause and effect, people. Large corporations have worked very hard to destroy labor unions, in part by supporting Right to Work (for Less) laws in states all over the country. I’d love to see a resurgence in union membership in this country. There’s a reason why workers in the old days wanted to organize, and some things never change.

I’ll get off my soapbox now and leave you with a laugh.

Back to the barbie. Happy Labor Day!

Linda

Linda McLaughlin/Lyndi Lamont

Romance author

Tag Archives: holiday

Looking back on 2018 #newyears2019

Take the Day Off: Happy Labor Day!