Gianetta Palmer

The travelers sat together at the long table and looked quietly at the plates being served. No biscuits. No grits. And no gravy. We all looked at each other; this wasn't something we were accustomed to. Mom asked the one question we all were thinking. "You got any sweet tea?" It was day eight of our trip up the East Coast and our taste buds were starting to show signs of withdrawal. Don't get me wrong, most of the food that we'd eaten was exceptional, save for that one order of belly clams I was encouraged to try on Martha's Vineyard. I like clams; or more accurately, I like clams that have been stripped of their bellies--something I like to call clam strips. The withdrawal I'm speaking of isn't one that every American can understand. Only those living below the sweet tea line know that it's the icy cold and delectably sweet beverage that's a staple in nearly every southern household. We drink our sweet tea for breakfast, lunch

For someone my age-mid 40sish and up calling directory assistance was something you only did in cases of extreme emergency. For starters, making a long distance phone call was not done on an everyday or anytime occasion. At my house we had one telephone and it hung on the wall in the kitchen. It must have had at least 50 feet of cord attached to it because you could take it outside, across the porch and almost to the end of the sidewalk. That was your only chance for privacy--at the end of that long cord. Of course, calls were never uninterrupted because someone was always running in and out the door or you were being yelled at to get off the phone because there was work to be done. When mom was going to make a long distance call we all gathered around and tried to pick up any good tidbits of information such as who was coming to visit, where we were going on the family vacation or who had gotten sick and died. Long distance was for important and emergency calls only--plus, it was do

FoxTale Book Shoppe I'm super excited to be participating in Emerging Author's Night at FoxTale Book Shoppe, this Friday, August 7, 2015 at 6:00 pm. I will be the third author to discuss their books and you can be sure I'll be talking about humor. (Without humor, there would be no humans.) It will be a short 3-5 minute presentation and hopefully I won't be as nervous as I was at the last one. What really makes this so exciting is that it is being held in Woodstock, Georgia. I worked for nearly ten years at the Woodstock Main Post Office and still have a lot of friends there and in the local community. Here are the details: When: August 7, 2015 @ 6:00 pm Location: FoxTale Book Shoppe                 105 East Main St #138                 Woodstock GA 30188 Telephone: 770-516-9989 Stop by if you have the chance and I hope to see you there! P.S. More good news: I'll also be at the Decatur Book Festival Labor Day Weekend--details to come.

I'm super thrilled to be participating in the Summer Reading Program at the Adams County Public Library in Peebles, Ohio this Saturday. On Saturday, June 27 from 1:00 – 4:00 pm, the Peebles Magazine Club will host a Local Author Book Fest at the Peebles Library. Stop by to meet fourteen published authors with Adams County and Ohio ties, visit with them, and learn more about their stories. Signed copies of their books will be available for purchase. The authors’ works include humor, non-fiction, cookbooks, children’s stories, Amish inspirational fiction, wartime fiction, supernatural, suspense, self-help, and more. Here's the flyer: And here is where it is located: Peebles Library 157 High Street Peebles, Ohio 45660 Come on out and show your support. Let's talk about humor! And books! Hope to see you there!

It's been a long since the "seens" have graced the blog. If you've been around for awhile you'll remember that it is just a play on words that I like to use occasionally. If you're new then you'll probably think it's a typo. Either way, as you can see from the photos, we had a fabulous time. See my name? Pat-a fellow classmate The illusive Sister Display at the library The Poopmobile girls-Anita and Barbie Friends from church--Myra and Patty Patti-a fellow classmate Books and more books

I'm very exited to announce that I will be participating in National Library Week in my home county in southern Ohio. Come see me in person! Let's talk about humor! And books! Here's the flyer: Sponsored by Peebles Magazine Club Location: Peebles Library                                 157 High Street                                 Peebles OH 45660                                 (937) 587-2085                                  April 18  1:00-4:00 PM There will also be copies of both of my books available for purchase. Come on out and support your local authors. Hope to see you there!

Author's note: For the next few weeks I'm going to be posting several of the humorous essays that were included in my books. I have been invited to return to southern Ohio to participate in National Library Week and will be participating in the local author book fair on April 18 from 1-4 pm at the Peebles, Ohio library. I'm super excited to be participating in this event and if you're in the area please stop by for a chat with me and the rest of my fellow authors. The following story is from Reflections On A Middle-Aged Fat Woman : During a recent overnight business trip, I was excited to get to stay in a really nice hotel that offered room service. It was late by the time I finished up my tasks for the day that I didn't really want to venture out anywhere so I ordered room service. The book that was in my room that told the specifics about the hotel and listed the room service menu seemed to be missing a page or two. Somewhere I had read that they offered

Diabetes. No matter how you say it, it's still a dirty word. According to Diabetes.org, in 2012, approximately 29.1 million people had diabetes in the U.S.; that's nearly 10% of the population. I'm one of those people. Luckily, I didn't get it until 1998, when I had just turned 30. That puts me right smack in the middle of being a Type 1 and a Type 2 diabetic. One of my doctors always told me I was a Type 1 1/2 (I would be less than thrilled about this if it was on a scale of 1-10.). I guess I consider myself lucky because I got to enjoy life before the needles became such a big part of my life. My second cousin, Andrew Eichenlaub, was diagnosed as a baby and has never had the freedom to eat what he wants to or go off with his friends or do anything, really, without thinking about his disease and all that entails. I'm not complaining, mind you, because I would rather have diabetes than, say, being six feet under, but sometimes, it's a real drag. Eve

In keeping with my New Year resolutions I am trying to cook more at home and eat out less. This is a favorite recipe of mine. Confederate Bean Soup: This a great soup to make when you have leftover baked beans. If you don't have leftovers, you can substitute Bush's baked beans. (I had that and I also added a can of Bush's hot chili beans.) 1/2 pound of smoked sausage, slice in 1/4 in slices (I used a whole pound) 2 slices bacon, diced (I used ham lunchmeat) 1 clove garlic, minced 1 medium onion, diced (I omitted the onions, because I'm allergic to them) 1/2 green bell pepper, diced (optional) (I didn't choose this option) 2 tablespoons butter 2 cups Bush's baked beans or leftovers 1 1/2 cups half-n-half (I used 2 cups) Saute sausage, bacon, onions, garlic and peppers in butter until bacon is cooked. Add beans and simmer for a few minutes over medium to low heat. Add half-n-half. Increase or decrease h-n-h for preferred thickness. Serve with hot