I Wanna Have More Fun!

I don’t want to sound ghoulish, but I have the feeling I’m not going to make it to be a little old lady with a walker and too much perfume. So, that means I’d better hurry up and have some fun. It is no longer enough to wake up, work, watch TV, go to bed, and start the whole thing all over again. I am bound and determined to have a whole lot more fun in 2015 than I did in 2014.  Interestingly, there are scads of other social networkers feeling the same way.  So… I am officially throwing out the gauntlet on  THE  2015 HAVE MORE FUN CHALLENGE! The […]

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Forever Counting Sheep

Hi, my name is Amy, and I am an insomniac. Now, I’m not talking about occasional sleeplessness that can be overcome by an over-the counter or herbal remedy; mine is the chronic, never-sleep-a-wink-without-a-prescription kind of insomnia. For more than thirty years I have taken prescription medication to induce sleep, but insomnia was a problem long before that. My dad and I regularly stayed up until the wee hours watching TV together – mostly prizefights and Dirty Harry movies — because we both had trouble catching zzzz’s. Somehow I muddled through college, but by the time I married and settled down in the early 80’s I hit the proverbial wall and […]

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A Founding Father’s Prediction

The Fourth of July marks the day in 1776 when delegates from the thirteen colonies approved the Declaration of Independence. Interestingly, John Adams, who would become the second president of the United States, had written his wife Abigail a letter the day before telling her what an auspicious day July 2nd had been. Wait a minute. If John Adams was supposed to be such a brilliant statesman, why did he mess up such a key date in American history? Well, the Second Continental Congress actually made its decree for freedom on July 2, 1776, by signing the Lee Resolution. A couple days of bickering over the fine points of the […]

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Bedroom Chair from Michael Jackson’s Final Home for Sale on ebay…

  The bedroom chair from the rented mansion where pop star Michael Jackson tragically died on June 25, 2009, is up for sale on EBAY. The chair became famous by crime scene photos shown at the trial of Michael Jackson’s doctor, Conrad Murray. The chair was also featured in the premiere episode of CMT’s 2014 reality series, RAIDERS OF ROCK. The Henredon style bergere chair with button-tufted upholstery was located next to Jackson’s bed in the master bedroom of the rented Holmby Hills mansion where he died. Particularly notable are the makeup stains on the chair, where Jackson is said to have sat each day while getting ready. “This chair is […]

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FREE Kindle Copy of “Facing the Dragon!”

Nope, I’m not kidding. the Kindle version of Facing the Dragon: How a Desperate Act Pulled One Addict out of Methamphetamine Hell is FREE from May 28 – June 3. (If you don’t have a Kindle, you can still take advantage of this offer. There is a free Kindle app available for smartphones, tablets, and PCs.)   In Facing the Dragon, you will witness the slow, agonizing metamorphosis of a good-looking high-school athlete into a violent, drug-dealing, psychotic wife-beater whose children were terrified of him. After more than twenty-three years addicted to methamphetamine and other drugs, David Parnell put an SKS assault rifle under his chin and pulled the trigger. The […]

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Spring Has Sprung… Hopefully!

Every spring I innocently recite a little ditty upon the first sign of winter’s departure: Spring is sprung, the grass is ris. I wonders where the birdies is. They say the birds is on the wing. Ain’t that absurd? I always thought the wing was on the bird.* I say innocently, because it is always wishful thinking. I live in Minnesota, after all, and the third week in March is still winter in the frozen tundra. Author Henry Van Dyke clearly knew what I was talking about when he said, “The first day of spring is one thing, and the first spring day is another.  The difference between them is […]

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Ch-ch-changes…

  After looking at my freshly minted, totally redesigned website you might be thinking: What’s up with this new look? Why did you change everything?  Well, I’m going to tell you. A website is a little like a hairstyle; it must evolve over time or risk being out of it, uncool, passe, even dweebish (good luck with that one, spell check). My old site was absolutely gorgeous, thanks to webmaster extraordinaire, Sandy Juettner, but it was a little too…yesterday. It was like having a bi-level haircut when the other girls sported an inverted bob. The biggest reason for the re-do, however, is that I longed to rebrand myself. I wanted my visitors, friends, potential […]

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Wherefore Art Thou, Juliet?

I am a bookie and a foodie, and I love sharing random musings on my social media sites. Nearly every day I post a quote (most are inspirational, but every once in a while I throw in a zinger), a Wacky Word of the Day, and an  Itty Bitty Question. The questions are my favorites, because they are open-ended and generate some interesting responses. The other day I posted a question on Facebook (www.facebook.com/amy.hagberg) about William Shakespeare’s tragic love story, Romeo and Juliet: What is Juliet’s last name? It was an easy question since many of my friends and followers are book nuts and almost everybody got the correct answer: Capulet. […]

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The Name on the Door

I thought of my mother often yesterday. It wasn’t a very productive day; it’s hard to get much done when you have a lump in your throat. Exactly one year ago, February 25, 2013, my sister and I looked on helplessly as our mom struggled to take her final breaths. It was if she embraced the words of poet Dylan Thomas: Do not go gentle into that good night, Old age should burn and rave at close of day; Rage, rage against the dying of the light. Watching somebody die is difficult, I’m not going to lie. People who say it is a beautiful experience weren’t in the same room […]

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Plums and Prunes and Cherries

By Amy Hammond Hagberg My Grandpa Art, God rest his soul, was a proud and sturdy Norwegian – a farmer from the plains of North Dakota.  He was the kind of grandpa who told silly jokes, gave me a crisp $5 bill every time he saw me, taught me how to play cards and bounced me on his knee for hours on end singing old family favorites. Once I was old enough to know better, I thought it was strange that this stoic Norseman sang a song called “I’m a Swede from North Dakota,” but I guess Art embraced diversity long before it was trendy. Grandpa Art used to sing […]

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