Monthly Archives: September 2014

The Bone Whistle, book review

13 Saturday Sep 2014

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Book Review, The Bone Whistle
Book 6 of the Gateway Chronicles
By K. B. Hoyle

From the time I read the first book in this series, The Six, I have been eagerly awaiting, as well as somewhat dreading, this last book in the series. Awaiting it, to discover the answers and ultimate outcome. Dreading it, fearing the age old questions, who would survive. And dreading the end of something that has captivated and thrilled me from the first chapter of the first book.
MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD!

At the end of book five, Darcy’s parents have come to believe she’s into something bad and have told her they are moving away, and that she will not be returning to Cedar Cove Family Camp the following summer. As this book opens, we see Darcy and the showdown with her parents. Darcy knows she absolutely must get to Cedar Cove, so that she and the rest of the Six can get to the gateway and hopefully save Alitheia from the evil that has been trying to destroy it. She ends up telling her parents the truth and they believe she is suffering from some kind of mental illness. Well, who wouldn’t think that? If I had had children and my teenager came and told me a story about gateways into another world I would likely think she’d been smoking something she shouldn’t, had been watching or reading too much fantasy or had a mental illness. But nothing can stop Darcy. She must get there, must find out if her beloved Tellius is alive and must fulfill the destiny of her and the others to save Alitheia at last.
After eluding her parents, Darcy drives alone from Tennessee to Cedar Cove. She is late and she doesn’t know if her friends have crossed over or not. Next thing she knows, she’s waking up in Alitheia, bloody and wounded and not remembering a thing. And this at last is how the final story, the final battle begins. No more spoilers from now on.
I adored this book. It was everything I’d hoped for in the final adventure of this series. All the questions introduced in the first book come to satisfying conclusions, all the answers are there.
What does that prophecy mean?
How are all the messages from the Oracle connected?
Will Colin be redeemed or lost forever?
What will happen to Darcy and the others once their Quest is completed for good or ill?
At last we learn the truth of the prophecy, and the only way the world can be saved. We are reunited with beloved characters, those we have come to know and love. We learn the tasks the six and ultimately Darcy must accomplish. There is adventure, romance and danger. The themes of friendship, love and sacrifice ring strong and true. No great task can be accomplished without great sacrifice and the Bone whistle is no exception to that rule.
And I loved it, every single word, until the last two, the end.
The Six have grown into very special young men and women. Their bonds of friendship and trust have only deepened. Their maturity is beyond their physical years in our world. Their commitment to saving Alitheia and completed their mission is unbroken and enduring. I fell in love with them all over again. And especially Darcy, who has grown from the shy spoiled socially awkward girl we first met all the way back at the start, becoming this true heroine. She is ready to step boldly into her role, to do what must be done. I alternately cheered and wept for her and felt incredibly proud.
If you have followed this series, you will not be disappointed in this last volume. I felt deeply satisfied, full and content. Yes, I wish there would be more, more books, or short stories to show us the characters we love, but realistically, they have reached their finish, come out where they all needed to be. If you’ve never started this series, I encourage you to give it a try. I only wish it was available in more formats, particularly audio, so everyone could have a chance to meet the characters, to visit Alitheia, to learn about day and night Narks and to lose themselves for a little while in the beautiful land of Alitheia and the adventures of the Six.
A most definite five out of five stars and all the praise I can heap on the author and this series. I could babble on endlessly trying to find words to say what the series has meant to me, so I’ll just say, go forth and read. You won’t be sorry.
Thank you, K B Hoyle. And farewell for now to Darcy, Sam, Perry, Lewis, dean and Amelia. And oh yeah, my favorite, dear Yahto Veli. I shall miss you all and will start over at book one and read of your exploits again and again.

one year of home ownership

11 Thursday Sep 2014

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Though today’s date has sad and tragic memories for us all, last year, those memories were … well, not replaced … so I’ll say, new happier memories became a part of the date for me. Because one year ago today, I signed papers for an hour or more, int he company of my friend, my realtor, my loan officer, someone else’s realtor, and a couple other officials. When all the signing and notarizing was complete, I became I first time home owner, at the age of fifty-five!

I’d given up on my dream of owning my own home. Ever since I’d moved out of my dad’s house at age eighteen, I’d dreamed of having my own place. I never thought I’d have the money for a down payment. I didn’t believe it would happen. Well, I told myself, renting isn’t so bad. sure, I’m not investing int he future, but I never have to worry about yard work or maintenance. It’s really okay. But my heart still dreamed, in those secret mopments, those times you hide away and don’t share with anyone, that place in your heart that never can quite give up on the dream.

Then in the summer of 2013, I realized, to my great surprise, that I had the money for a down payment. My friend reminded me, as I thought of trips to Paris and New York, “sherry, you can finally buy a home, what you’ve always wanted.”

“wow, so I could!

Within days, I was in touch with wonderful realtors, Toma nd Beth, and the best person to advise me through the bewildering world of financing, Dianna. They were patient. they answered hundreds of questions, from deep and complicated to mundane and laughable.

And so, on September 11, 2013, on a cold rainy day, I sat in the office, signed those papers, and walked out with keys to my home and a huge pile of documents!

Tom, Beth and I, came back to the condo. I unlocked *my* door for the first time. It was empty and cold, but we walked around, planning where furniture would be placed, talking paint and carpet. had anything ever been so wonderful?

Tom went to the store and came back with wine, crackers and cheese,a nd we toasted to my new role as a home owner. we talked for a long time, while my then guide dog Olga, wandered the empty rooms, sniffing, spent time out in the fenced yard,a nd then laid at our feet, enjoying the company.

over the next few weeks, walls were painted; carpet was replaced, new furniture ordered. And on September 28, I moved into my home officially.

Home ownership is a blast! it’s complicated,a nd there are times I still feel like I’m swimming upstream against the current, over my head and confused. There are expensise you never dream of when you rent. sometimes there’s a nagging fear that something major will go wrong, and I won’t have the money to fix it. Home owner’s insurance is a requirement of course, and it was amazing to renew that yesterday and think, I own a home, I have to have this. coooool!

Because after all, even with the expense, the worry, the finances involved, I am sitting in my living room, in my condo, planning dinner tonight with all those who helped me get here, celebrating the one year anniversary of being a home owner. My dream came true. Yeah, most dreams, they take a hell of a lot of work, time, effort and absolute commitment. They don’t just fall into your lap. except for that unexpected ability to make a down payment, of course.

Am I glad, oh yeah!!!!

Did you know? I own my own home! A sweet, two bedroomd, two bathroom condo, a washer and dryer, a dining room, a small office room, a sweet kitchen and a fabulous fenced yard. It’s mine mine mine mine mine! Yeah, I wouldn’t change a thing.

I offer my thanks to all those who helped me get here. It’s been a wild year with a lot of changes, but every day, I can settle down and let the stress of the day roll off me, relish my own space, lose myself in my own little world.

Dreams do come true. Now, which one is next?

A Legend Moves On

05 Friday Sep 2014

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A Legend Moves On

Today, September 5, 2014, my sweet beloved retired guide dog, Bianca went on to her next great adventure.
I know it’s become tradition to refer to the time when an animal dies as crossing the “rainbow bridge”, but I’ve always hated the very concept of it. It’s frilly and frothy. It’s schmaltzy. There’s nothing frilly, frothy or sappy about death. It’s miserable. It’s disgusting and hateful. It tears your heart to pieces, rips something in you to shreds. It has nothing to do with rainbows. My feelings are more in tune with Edna Saint-Vincent Millay’s poem, I am not Resigned. And though I may be resigned to the choice I’ve had to make for the good of Bianca, as the poet said, I do not approve.
But Bianca is nearly fourteen years old, around 100 in human terms and it’s time for her to go on. Can anyone who ever knew Bianca think of her and rainbows? No, for Bianca, she’s moving on to the next great adventure, and that’s absolutely what I want for her.
When Bianca retired, I wrote a poem called Dancing, because to me, she always seemed to be dancing. She wiggled and wagged and danced through her every moment, full of joy and spirit. I can imagine her dancing over green fields, chasing everything she was taught not to chase in her life, scavenging, eating, sniffing, running and leaping with joy. That’s what I want for her now.
Because now she’s old, she’s ill. She can’t dance. She can’t scrounge and get into mischief. She can’t jump on the bed and cuddle up. She can’t climb into my lap and smother my face in kisses. But still I feel her love surround me, as she spends these last moments lying at my feet.
Ever since she came into my life, back in January of 2003, Bianca has brought so much into my life. I’ve done things, been places, taken chances, I never would have done without her. She knew when I was sad, forgave me when I yelled at her escapades. She made me laugh during the worst of times, when my life was shattered and my confidence broken. She made me laugh every single day. She gave me constant unconditional love. Can I do less for her?
Her passing was gentle, peaceful. I stroked her head and soft ears, petted her back, and told her all the wonderful things about our life together. I sang her song one more time. P rayed a blessing over her. I told her she’d wake up in a field of green green grass, where chocolate plants would grow tall, and friendly cats would play games with her. I told her to find Granny and Dad, and to meet me when my time comes along.
I imagine her, leaping eating, dancing. I see her curled up by a fireplace next to Granny. Or maybe lying at the throne with her head on Jesus’ foot. I see her happy, no longer in pain, no longer tired, no longer old.
The home is quiet, too quiet. There’s an emptiness that can never be filled again. But there’s a sweet young golden retriever, asleep in the corner. She’ll cuddle up to me tonight. She’ll make my heart hurt a tiny bit less.
Bianca was not my first or even my second guide dog, but she has been my soul mate dog, in ways deep and indefinable. Now, with heart heavy and aching, with spirit sad and lonely, I send her on to whatever comes next for her. I pray that she has a blast, that she fills the hearts of those around her with joy, and that when my turn comes, she will be there to meet me, wagging, wiggling and dancing for joy again.

Bianca’s Song
to the tune of Black and white by Three dog Night

“The dog is black; her name means white,
She guides by day and sleeps at night,
The dog is black; her name means white,
With her by my side, my world is right,
A beautiful sight.”

Go Bianca, fly away into your new adventure. I love you and will never forget you.

I AM NOT RESIGNED

I am not resigned to the shutting away of loving hearts in the hard ground.
So it is, and so it will be,
for so it has been, time out of mind.
Into the darkness they go, the wise and the lovely.
Crowned With lilies and with laurel they go;
but I am not resigned.
Lovers and thinkers, into the earth with you.
Be one with the dull, the indiscriminate dust.
A fragment of what you felt, of what you knew, A formula,
A phrase remains,-but the best is lost.
The answers quick and keen, the honest look, the laughter, the love,-
They are gone.
They are gone to feed the roses.
Elegant and curled Is the blossom. Fragrant is the blossom.
I know. But I do not approve.
More precious was the light in your eyes than all the roses in the world.
Down, down, down into the darkness of the grave Gently they go,
the beautiful, the tender, the kind.
Quietly they go, the intelligent, the witty, the brave.
I know. But I do not approve.
And I am not resigned.
Edna Saint-Vincent Millay, “Dirge Without Music”