Monday, August 31, 2020

FEAR LESS: An Agoraphobic's Journey Out of Mental Purgatory by Shawna Baca



Fear Less:

An Agoraphobic's Journey Out of Mental Purgatory

by Shawna Baca  

"Fear Less: An Agoraphobic’s Journey Out of Mental Purgatory" intimately chronicles a downward spiral into debilitating panic attacks and agoraphobia that began on Shawna's twenty-first birthday; a mental illness that sequestered her inside of her home for over a year. When Western medicine failed, her Apache/Yaqui mother took her to the Pala Indian reservation to see a Medicine Man, who cured her that night in a sweatlodge ceremony, which was nothing short of a modern day exorcism. That was the last day she suffered from panic attacks and agoraphobia, but the aftermath left her in contemplation of what happened to her… and to her mind? How did that young woman who could do normal things - go to work, go to the gym, have lunch with friends - become the woman who could not leave her home for a year except to be driven to a weekly therapist visit, then be cured inside a sweatlodge by a Medicine Man, and POOF, magically have her anxiety and panic disappear?

Fear Less: An Agoraphobic’s Journey Out of Mental Purgatory goes on to detail a labyrinthine journey that explores her road to healing using various Western and Eastern modalities, conventional therapists, twelve-step programs, and spiritual healers, all of whom helped her learn how to deprogram the emotional conditioning that resulted from childhood trauma and a series of losses, and instilled tools to reprogram new life conditions and achieve breakthroughs that re-awakened her true self. It is a gritty inner exploration into the darkness that lived inside her, and how she challenged herself to re-frame her mind to face those inner demons to cultivate new life conditions.

Available in Paperback & eBook HERE!

Amazon Author Page

About the Author

Shawna Baca is an award-winning writer and director. She was selected by Steven Spielberg and Mark Burnett from more than 20,000 filmmakers to be part of his 2007 FOX reality show, ON THE LOT on the basis of her short film "Isabel." 

Shawna received a “Mujeres Destacadas” award by La Opinion newspaper and the City of Los Angeles. She was also honored at the Latina Symposium (Washington D.C.) with an award and recognition for being a “Latina Entrepreneur,” and given a scholarship to the prestigious Tuck School of Business Executive Education Program at Dartmouth University by Latina Style magazine.

Her feature screenplay, "Space for Raven," is currently in development. The screenplay made the top 50 screenplays in the 2020 Script Pipeline Feature Competition and was a Semi-Finalist in the 2020 WeScreenplay Diverse Voices.

Her television pilot "Curandera" co-written with Fox Diversity Writer's Initiative fellow, Dustin Paddock (House), made Quarter-finals in 2019 Script Pipeline TV Writing Contest, 2020 ScreenCraft Pilot Launch, and 2020 BlueCat TV Pilot contest.

She is the author of a transformational memoir, “Fear Less: An Agoraphobic’s Journey Out of Mental Purgatory," which documents her downward spiral into a panic disorder and agoraphobia at the age of 21 that left her sequestered in her home for over a year, before her Indigenous mother took her to see a Medicine Man on the Pala Indian reservation and cured her in a sweatlodge ceremony. This led her on a journey of exploration into Indigenous shamanism, spirituality and the unknown.

Shawna was born in east Los Angeles and is Apache, Yaqui, Spanish and French.



 

Milliron Monday: The Star 8 31 2020


Abbott "Pete" Smith, D.V.M.
June 16, 1938 - February 22, 2010

Painting is easy when you don't know how, 
but very difficult when you do.
- Edgar Degas

Welcome to Milliron Monday where every Monday we celebrate the legacy of Pete Smith, D.V.M., and  Milliron: Abbott “Pete” Smith, D.V.M. The Biography (Monday Creek Publishing 2017). A graduate of Colorado State University and a well-known veterinarian in southeast Ohio, Dr. Smith continues to motivate and inspire. 

Traveling to Europe, young Jody Haley (before she became Jody Smith), revered the beauty of the European countryside, culture, natives, and art. While in Europe, she purchased a print of The Star by Edgar Degas. One of his most famous works, "Degas selected an elevated point of view for this painting. The dancer's skirt seems to vanish under the stage lights, which casts pale violet shadows on the dancer, followed by the rapid movement of the dancer across the stage with swift and sure calligraphic strokes." The original art is displayed at the Musee d'Osay, Paris. 

"I did not want to travel to Europe," Jody explains. "My parents wanted to take my mind off the handsome cowboy I met at Colorado A&M (now Colorado State University). Their efforts fell short. Pete and I were married shortly after I returned from Europe."

Jody has many fond memories of her trip abroad. She treasures the ballerina print she brought home from Europe so many years ago.

Have a great week ahead.


Through captivating, powerful, and emotional anecdotes, we celebrate the life of Dr. Abbott P. Smith. His biography takes the reader from smiles to laughter to empathy and tears. Dr. Smith gave us compelling lessons learned from animals; the role animals play in the human condition, the joy of loving an animal, and the awe of their spirituality. A tender and profound look into the life of a skilled veterinarian.

Wednesday, August 26, 2020

Understanding Hay Quality: Even "good" hay can have bad things in it. By Kim F Miller

 

Dr. Meriel Moore-Colyer
Dr. Meriel Moore-Colyer

Understanding Hay Quality

Even "good" hay can have bad things in it.

By Kim F Miller

 

            As the source of 50 to 90 percent of a normal, healthy horse's nutritional needs, hay warrants careful consideration. Yet, there is a lot of confusion over what, exactly, defines "good" hay. Nutrient content and cleanliness are distinct traits often presumptively and wrongly lumped together.

            "People need to be more vigilant about hay because it makes up the lion share of their horse's diet," explains Meriel Moore-Colyer, PhD. As a professor and graduate dean at the Royal Agricultural University in Cirencester, England, the feeding, assessing and treatment of hay is an ongoing cornerstone of her work in and study of equine nutrition.

            Two main aspects define the quality of hay, she explains. The first is nutrient value and its suitability for a specific horse based on its work level and stage of development. The second is "hygienic quality" -- the quantity of contaminants that occur naturally in hay's growth, harvesting, transportation and storage.  Their presence in hay explains the unfortunate reality that horses' most important nutrient source is also one of the biggest contributors to poor quality stable air that is linked to poor respiratory health.

           

            Suitability

            "There's no such thing as 'the best' hay," when it comes to nutrient value, Moore-Colyer explains. "That all depends on what your horse is doing. If you have a fat horse, you want hay with low nutritional value so that he can spend enough time eating without gaining more weight." Designed to graze throughout the day, the equine digestion system works best when a steady amount of roughage is moving through it.

            Conversely, a horse that's working hard needs forage with plenty of the digestible energy that comes mostly from carbohydrates and fat.  As with humans, the equine athlete needs more calories because it's burning them off.

            Moore-Colyer is often struck by misunderstandings about a horse's needs. "For the work they do, most horses can easily exist on a forage-only diet." (Forage is an umbrella term for plant-based livestock feed: Hay, haylage and silage are types of forage.) But that isn't the reality for many horses. In a recent survey of horse owner feeding practices, Moore-Colyer was dismayed to find that 70% supplemented their horse's hay ration with concentrated feeds.  "If we didn't feed concentrates, we wouldn't have the equine metabolic disorders we see." (Metabolic disorders mandate strict diets, especially in regard to water soluble, non-structural and non-fiber carbohydrates.)

            General guidelines call for horses to get 1 to 1.5 percent of their body weight in forage. The aforementioned study of feeding practices showed that few owners weighed their horses' hay, while the majority did weigh the concentrates. That was one of several findings reflecting misunderstandings of hay's role in their horses' diet. 

           

            Nutrients

            Nutrient value in hay varies widely. Even within the same species of hay, energy, protein, mineral and vitamin content is affected by where it's grown, the soil it's grown in, when it's harvested and weather. 

            However, some generalities can be made. Alfalfa, a legume hay, is relatively high in energy, protein, calcium and vitamin A. Grass hays --including Timothy, orchard, oat and Bermuda -- are generally lower in protein and energy and higher in fiber than alfalfa. That's why grass hays are often suitable for most adult horse's basic nutritional needs, and alfalfa is often a staple of Thoroughbred racehorses' diet. These horses' digestible energy needs are very different.

            A hay analysis is the best way to determine what quantities of each nutrient exist in hay. When that's not possible, a visual assessment offers useful indicators. "Even those who don't know that much about hay can identify what hay of good nutrient content looks like," says Moore-Colyer.

            "Hay with the highest digestive energy will be green, have a fine, thin stem, and be soft and flexible. It may smell a little like green tea. Pick the hay up in your hands and rub it: it should feel a little bit gritty." Hay with the lowest digestible energy is "dry and looks like straw. It might feel prickly and smell a little moldy."

            Hay harvested at its nutritional peak will have a high proportion of leaf to stem and the bale should be 85% dry matter. Too dry and the resulting increase in "leaf shatter" adds to respirable dust particles. Too moist and there's an increased likelihood of mold and bacteria growth.

             

            Hygienic Quality

            The hygienic state of hay is the second component in evaluating hay quality. Beyond obvious cases of excessive dust or smelly, discolored mold, it's not evident without a microscope. Since helping develop Haygain high-temperature steaming to purify hay, Moore-Colyer has spent over a decade studying what's in all types of hay, including hay of good nutrient value.

            The answer is dust, mold, fungi, bacteria and other allergens, often in the dangerously small particle size of 5 microns. That's approximately one-tenth the size of a human hair: small enough to infiltrate the horse's lungs where it can cause inflammation and impede the transfer of oxygen from the lungs to the blood stream. That, in turn, restricts the horse's ability to get oxygen to the muscles and limits performance.

            The human eye typically can't see particles less than 40 microns in size, rendering invisible the most dangerous respirable irritants that make their way deep into the lungs. But out of sight should not be out of mind, Moore-Coyler stresses. High temperature hay steaming is the one safeguard against the reality that these dangerous irritants exist in hay of all types and nutrient quality.

            Using steam injected evenly through hay in a thermally-sealed chest, the Haygain process reduces up to 99% of the respirable particles and allergens found in hay. The key is steam temperatures of at least 212°F, necessary to achieve that reduction.

            Along with evaluating each horse's nutritional needs and assessing hay either by lab analysis or touch, sight and smell, Moore-Colyer recommends hay steaming for horses in all stages of life and levels of work. Drastically reducing these particles drastically improves barn air quality and the respiratory health of its residents, including people.

            In the lab, at the barn with her retired dressage partner, an Irish Draft, or at a podium speaking to veterinarians, Moore-Colyer promotes the benefits of hay that can be fully defined as "good" -- nutritionally and hygienically and suitable for the horse to which it's served.


Article provided by Haygain. Posting and printing encouraged and photos available on request. Haygain manufactures high temperature hay steamers and ComfortStall Sealed Orthopedic Flooring. For more information, visit www.haygain.us

              

Tuesday, August 25, 2020

Stephen O'Shea, Author

 


About the Author

Stephen O'shea singer, songwriter, and now author. I am a Australian born Citizen. I love to sing, write original music and play guitar. And so now I have progressed to writing books.

My first book explains how to create success in the Real Estate Industry. I have worked in the Real Estate Industry in Australia and have very real life experience on this subject.

Connect with Stephen!

Amazon Author Page 

Instagram: stephenosheaauthor 

Twitter: stephen92930064

Facebook:  stephenosheaplaysguitar


Monday, August 24, 2020

Milliron Monday: Vivian Akers, Fine Artist 8 24 2020

Above: Portraits of Dr. Smith's father and mother by Vivian Akers, Fine Artist
Abbott "Pete" Smith, D.V.M.
June 16, 1938 - February 22, 2010


Welcome to Milliron Monday where every Monday we celebrate the legacy of Pete Smith, D.V.M., and  Milliron: Abbott “Pete” Smith, D.V.M. The Biography (Monday Creek Publishing 2017). A graduate of Colorado State University and a well-known veterinarian in southeast Ohio, Dr. Smith continues to motivate and inspire. 

Dr. Smith's father and mother were beautifully captured in two separate portraits (above) by renowned Maine fine artist Vivian Milner Akers (1886-1966). The couple, Elizabeth Cooper Saunders Smith and Abbott Pliny Smith, were married on December 7, 1934. Their portraits were painted in 1940, at 28 years of age.

Akers, famous for his landscapes, was born in Norway, Maine. He attended the Art Students League in New York City, later studying in Paris and Europe. In the early 1940s, Akers traveled to California where he experimented in an "expressionist style using heavy brushwork and applying multiple glazes." 

The portraits belong to one of Dr. Smith's siblings. 
 
Have a great week ahead.


Through captivating, powerful, and emotional anecdotes, we celebrate the life of Dr. Abbott P. Smith. His biography takes the reader from smiles to laughter to empathy and tears. Dr. Smith gave us compelling lessons learned from animals; the role animals play in the human condition, the joy of loving an animal, and the awe of their spirituality. A tender and profound look into the life of a skilled veterinarian.

Saturday, August 22, 2020

Release All In Love & Trust by Haven Turner


Release All In Love & Trust

by Haven Turner

Welcome to a brand-new way to love yourself.

Release All In Love & Trust, is not about losing weight but releasing it through self-love and mental practice. Author Haven, shares her personal hardship and how she was able to attain victory, by releasing over 80 pounds. Release All In Love & Trust is for those who lost a part of themselves and seek to redefine who it is they truly are. Learn the term, 'what you lose, you can find, ' and uncover how those words changed Haven's life and can change yours as well. Here's to Releasing your weight not losing it!

Available in Paperback & eBook HERE!

www.havenbyhaven.com


About the Author

As a former classroom educator, Haven Turner’s life was spiraling out of control along with her waistline. Through weight lost experiences she learned to Release her weight instead. As a Master Life Coach her goals and desires are the same for you. To be able to Release, resurge and navigate the demands of life.

Meet Author Haven Turner

What is the premise for your new book?

For years I struggled with being overweight, from comments like “pretty for a big girl” and being plagued by my own negative thoughts, obesity seem to chase me down, everywhere I walked, ran, or sprinted. It was not until a miracle of love came my way and I learned and earned, that your physical weight is not lost, yet it is Released. Here’s the thing, what you lose, you can and often times will find. Once we begin to release our mental weight of low-vibrating beliefs, you will see the physical affects of weight release. Here’s a cool tip, when weight release has truly kicked in for you, you’re going to learn that you were beautiful all along.

Who is your target audience?

My target audience is humanity that has had enough. Men and women who are looking to let go of old beliefs so that they are able to attain the body and life they desire and deserve.  That’s one of the reasons why my book, regardless of being about weight release, falls under self-help -you are believing the wrong things about yourself and life.  Release all those nasty habits and thoughts in love & trust.  It is a must if you want to see your physical pounds melt away.

Can you share an excerpt?

Of course, below I explain what’s going on with those daily, pesky, unwanted, negative thoughts.


Thank You For Flying Release Airlines

Please Place Your Trays in the Upright Position

Welcome aboard Release Airlines! As we prepare for takeoff please place your trays in the upright position, fasten your seatbelts, and stow all luggage in the overhead bin or beneath your seat. During this flight, you will experience turbulence, drops in cabin pressure, and the occasional bumps, knocks, and knicks, from your fellow passengers, their children, and our beautiful staff in the form of airline stewards.  As always, enjoy your flight, and thank you for flying with Release Airlines.

Now that we have prepared for takeoff, travel with me for a moment. Envision an airplane as well as airplanes, taking off at an airport.  For instance, “at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, one plane leaves about every 37 seconds, with destinations to over 50 countries and 75 international locations”.  Your subconscious is like an airplane, boarded to capacity with beliefs.  Good, bad, or indifferent, these beliefs, like airplanes at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, lift off, every moment, reaching the final destination of their thought.  Who is the pilot of your beliefs, does your co-pilot believe in the same values?  What are the thoughts of your flight attendants and crew?  Where are the passengers in the airplanes of your subconscious mind headed?

An amazing journey, describe your writing space and daily inspiration...

Ouch! describing my writing space is exposure on another level. 😉 Let’s just say I have to repeat daily “I am organized and clutter free!”  One thing I will and love to speak on is inspiration. Now that gratitude is my friend and forgiveness is my co-pilot, I have the ultimate respect for hustle. For an individual to go from thought to product and actually bring an idea to fruition is an incredible journey that merits respects and admiration.

Are you releasing anything else? If so, what and when?

Yesss! Thank you for asking, I have a children’s picture book, Untitled: You & Me that is being published in September.  I can’t wait for all young ladies to see themselves reflected within the illustrations of the story. I also had my story translated into Spanish and several other languages to incorporate all girls who look like you and me. You can head over to HavenByHaven.com and leave us your e-mail, for when more details become available.

How can your readers connect with you to learn more?

We will be waiting for you over at HavenByHaven.com, you will find my tour dates and opportunities to order your copies of any forthcoming material.  Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, iTunes and Google Play also houses my books just type in Haven Turner books and shazam!, you have it. 😊






The Pearl of the Adriatic Sea: Rovinj: A Travel Guide for the Croatian City of Rovinj by Luka Riva


The Pearl of the Adriatic Sea: Rovinj:

A Travel Guide for the Croatian City of Rovinj

by Luka Riva

If you want to discover the best places to visit in Rovinj, Croatia then keep reading.

Today, everyone wants to travel the world. More specifically, people want to travel around Europe. It is important for you to know the best places to visit before going to any new city. Before going to a foreign city, you must first get a feel for the destination. In a sense, a guide that you will use to explore while on your trip. The worst thing that you can do before going to a new destination, is not be prepared or to not have any idea of the most exciting aspects that this new city has to offer.

In 2019, Rovinj was awarded the title of "Best Croatian Tourist Destination of the Year" which they have now won for two years straight. This is the highest possible tourism acknowledgement that a city can receive. In the year of 2019, Rovinj had over 4 Million overnight stays from tourists just in the one city alone.

The city of Rovinj has so much to offer to explorers and travel enthusiasts.

While in Rovinj, you will discover the beautiful old town, which has so much history behind it.

You will discover natural landscapes, such as National parks, beaches and bays.

Travelers will discover historical buildings that have so much importance to the overall existence of the city of Rovinj.

This guide and presentation of Rovinj is so easy to follow that you will have a memorable trip, even if you did not enjoy your last guided tour of a city.

 

Available in eBook and Paperback HERE!


Excerpt from

The Pearl of the Adriatic Sea: Rovinj:

A Travel Guide for the Croatian City of Rovinj

by Luka Riva

 

Rovinj (pronounced ro-VEEN) is a city on the western coast of the Istrian peninsula of Croatia. It is located on the north Adriatic Sea. This Venetian old town or in Croatian known as a “Stari Grad” is on a headland consisting of old houses and cobblestone streets leading to the church of St. Euphemia or Sveta Eufemija, at the top of the hill. Surrounding the old city of Rovinj is the breathtaking Cerulean Adriatic waters with many shades of blue. The harbor of Rovinj is surrounded by fishing boats, ferries, charter ships, and occasionally large yachts. In the summer months, these boats are constantly out on the water with tourists or with the locals, going out for a ride. Due to being so close to Italy, Rovinj to this day is a bilingual city, Croatian and Italian. Today, the locals continue to speak their distinct Croatian dialect with the Italian influence at home, keeping up with the old traditions. Rovinj was built during the Venetian Empire and later was taken over by the Austrians, Yugoslavians and today is part of the Republic of Croatia.


About the Author

Luka Riva was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. Both of Luka's parents are from the country of Croatia and grew up just outside of the city of Rovinj. This guide was put together based on his personal experience and knowledge of the city of Rovinj.





Friday, August 21, 2020

Thursday, August 20, 2020

I Love You In Any Language by Trudi Tolani

 


I Love You in Any Language

by Trudi Tolani

I Love You In Any Language features different countries with the translation in their language of I love You. The illustrations feature a snapshot of their culture and flag. Children of all ages will enjoy learning to say I love you in the languages featured.


Available in Paperback & eBook HERE!

Amazon Author Page


Wednesday, August 19, 2020

Tuesday, August 18, 2020

A Writer's Journey: It Begins! by T. W. Harvey, Author & Historian


Guest Post 6

November 19, 1994, 3:00P.M

Shaker Heights, Ohio

It Begins!

          Whoa, that was one helluva movie. I went to see “Gettysburg” last Sunday afternoon at the Richmond Mall by myself. Paula decided to play tennis instead, and she was probably right. A lot of blood and guts in the Battle of Gettysburg, men losing arms and legs. Scene when Sergeant Kilrain died was heart-wrenching. The charge by Colonel Joshua Chamberlain’s 20th Maine regiment was so real, first holding down the extreme left flank, at least that’s what they called it, then charging down the hill with bayonets since they had run out of ammunition. Killed, wounded, and captured a whole bunch of Confederate soldiers who had fought valiantly in my opinion. And, the music. Amazing. I bought the CD, and it’s playing right now. Boy, do I have the Civil War etched in my mind. I gotta see it again, just to get the feel for it once more. Loved the way the soldiers talked, both North and South. Pickett’s Charge was gruesome but looked really real. Tom Berenger as General James Longstreet. Beard was fake, but he was really good. Wow!

          Well, with that in mind, I decided to get to work on the letters, so, on Monday, after my run, I spread them out on the dining room table and began to look at them to get the dates they were written. The handwriting was perfectly legible and beautiful, and, as I worked my way through, I kept a legal pad with the name of the author and date it was written. When done with each one, it and its envelope, if there was one, went into an acid-free folder which went into the acid-free storage box. After each set of ten, I went into my study, made sure the Avery labels were aligned in my IBM Ink-Jet printer, typed in the author’s name and the date the letter was written, and printed them out for placement on the tab of a file folder. Tedious, yes, but I was learning something.

Most of them were written by Thomas S. Armstrong, my great-grandfather, to Francis Porter, who was my great grandmother. Some are addressed to her in Hopewell, Ohio and some to Clinton, Illinois. I have to find out about that. Then, there were some written by George W. Porter, also to Francis, his sister, as some of the salutations noted. But, I am still curious. She must have kept them and then stored them in the crates, but that begs the question. How in the hell did the letters get from Clinton, Illinois in 1866 or so to Cleveland Heights, Ohio in 1994? I’m beginning to think I will never know for sure, but maybe there’s some way I can figure it out.

Armstrong’s letters were written from places like Camp Goddard; Fort Donelson; Shiloh; Winchester, Virginia; and Libby Prison, wherever that is, or was. Porter’s were from the same places, except that after Shiloh, he wrote from Milliken’s Bend and Grand Gulf, Louisiana; Vicksburg, Mississippi; Kennesaw Mountain and Resaca, Georgia; and Atlanta. There was also one from Savannah. That’s in Georgia, too, I think. I wonder what story they tell, but they must be different. Armstrong in prison, I guess, and Porter near Atlanta. I thought I better get some books to tell me just what went on back then.

I finished cataloging the letters on Wednesday, wondering about the story, but right then, at 2 o’clock that afternoon, I had another matter to attend to. You see, after I put the box in a black trash bag to keep out the light, I drove down to the Western Reserve Historical Society to talk with Mrs. Hendershott about books that would provide me with the background that would help me understand the Civil War. She didn’t waste a moment, once I got the question out.

“The Shelby Foote Trilogy,” she said matter-of-factly. “There’s three books, The Civil War: A Narrative… For Sumter to Perryville, then Fredericksville to Meridian, and finally Red River to Appomattox. Seven hundred or more pages in each one. That’ll keep you busy, Mr. Harvey.” I asked where I could obtain them.

Loganberrry Books. It’s relatively new in my neighborhood in Shaker. On Larchmere.”

“Wow,” I said, “I can walk over there from my condo. If they don’t have Foote’s work, can I have them order it.”

“Surely.”

So, on the way back to my condo at Shaker Square, I found Loganberry Books, parked in the back and walked in.

There was an older gentleman, with white hair and glasses, putting books on the shelves. I approached him and asked if they had Shelby Foote’s Trilogy on the Civil War. I loved his answer… "Not right now, young fella, but I can get it for you.”

Well, now, I’m 47 years’ old, and he called me “young fella.” I just asked him to order the set of three for me and was told to come back in a week. He’d have them ready. Turns out he had been a history professor at Case Western Reserve University, retired, and was asked by the owner of Loganberry to help out. Lucky for me, he accepted. Wonder if he knows anything about the Civil War.

Stopping here. The Ohio State – Michigan game is on in an hour, and I need to get to Paula’s place to watch it.



About Dr. Harvey
Dr. T.W. Harvey is a retired Associate Professor of Finance at Ashland (Ohio) University. He has published two books, Quality Value Banking: Effective Management Systems that Increase Earnings, Lower Costs, and Provide Competitive Customer Service, with Janet L. Gray, and The Banking Revolution: Positioning Your Bank in The New Financial Services Marketplace. Further, he had articles published in both practitioner and academic journals.

Dr. Harvey has always been fascinated by the history of the United States and was grateful to have the opportunity to study it in detail while researching and writing Seeing the Elephant: One Man’s Return to the Horrors of the Civil War.

He was born and raised in Cleveland Heights, Ohio. He graduated from Hillsdale College with a BA in English, from Case Western Reserve University with an MBA in Finance, from Cleveland State University with a doctorate in management and strategy. He and his wife, Paula, reside in Cleveland Heights, Ohio.


Monday, August 17, 2020

Milliron Monday: Maine, Wanderings 8 17 2020


Abbott "Pete" Smith, D.V.M.
June 16, 1938 - February 22, 2010


Welcome to Milliron Monday where every Monday we celebrate the legacy of Pete Smith, D.V.M., and  Milliron: Abbott “Pete” Smith, D.V.M. The Biography (Monday Creek Publishing 2017). A graduate of Colorado State University and a well-known veterinarian in southeast Ohio, Dr. Smith continues to motivate and inspire. 

This month we remember Dr. Smith's mother, Elizabeth Cooper Saunders Smith. "Betty" was a prolific writer, writing for several publications at different times throughout her lifetime. An excerpt from her obituary...

Elizabeth was a longtime member of the Millbrook Garden Club for which she wrote their newsletter for many years. She also wrote a column, My Side of the Street, for the Millbrook Round Table for 12 years. In 1996, the family moved Abbott, overtaken by Parkinson's and related medical conditions, to Farmington to reside at Edgewood Manor until his death in 1998. After selling their Millbrook home, Elizabeth moved to Kingfield in 1996 to live with her daughter Susan. In addition to a short stint writing a column for the local (Kingfield, Maine) paper, The Irregular.  

I have two different articles from Betty's My Side of the Street. Last week I shared Spoiled. This week, Maine, Wanderings. Still relevant today, her writing embraces her own personal journey, her family, and her love of Maine...

Maine, Wanderings
November ?, 1997

Only a few days remain of deer season, which ends with the month. I have seen very few deer draped across cars and heard of few kills, but no doubt a good number have been taken. Every state seems to have a deer population explosion; so much as we dislike the thought of slaughter, it seems necessary. Orange caps on people and orange bibs on dogs keep us aware of the hunting season.

There are plenty of deer around, but they disappear when hunting season begins, I recall driving to New York on the Taconic the day after the season ended, seeing several of them beside the road watching the traffic, and no doubt having a good deer laugh at having survived once again.

My father's deer hunting days ended after spending a winter on survey camp in Glacier Park, where they fed the deer.

This is written the week before Thanksgiving. Here in western Maine we have had three small snowstorms, most of which has disappeared. The local snowmobile club, the Sno-Wanderers, is putting trees along the bridge, and they will be hooked up and ready for lighting on Thanksgiving. Every town, large or small, has its own snowmobile club. They groom miles of trails and have weekly potluck suppers - altogether a happy, busy group. Maine really enjoys winter! There are 280 clubs, 250 of which belong to a state group. These clubs have 12,000 individual members, not including family members, There are 10,000 miles of groomed trails, possibly more.

These clubs control their members very well, and each year the number of casualties goes down. The little machines are capable of high speeds, making it tempting to travel fast, especially for young members. If the summer watercraft drivers on lakes can develop equally good rules, it will be a relief to summer residents.

I sometimes get the feeling that Maine is almost a separate country from the other states. There is a strong "booster" attitude, most evident in public radio and television programs. One program host, Lou McNally, has a long-running program called "Made in Maine," in which he travels around the state to smallish factories that make mattresses, teddy bears, lobster bisque, croquet mallets, handwoven blankets - on and on, items shipped to every state in the union and overseas as well. Family loyalties permit me to report that one of his most popular segments was on daughter Susan's Stanley Museum here in Kingfield.

There is also a very visible governor, Angus King, who appears on a television program with an excellent and non-biased reporter and equally broad-minded commentator. This was particularly evident in the recent election that included a referendum on the forestry question about clear cutting. Stronger opinions were expressed in the Maine Times, where all sides are offered. The governor's compact was defeated, apparently because a man who is a big investor in a huge Canadian company, which wants the lumber business for overseas clients such as Japan, donated impressive amounts of money to the Jonathan Carter ban-clear cutting program

The long-running battle over forestry uses was difficult to decide, since both sides claimed to be protecting the forest and landowners. In that sense, I guess Maine is no different from the rest of the country!

Well, I guess we could all think of plenty of things to be thankful for in spite of that. Personally, I shall be thankful by the passage of time to get a cast off my left wrist, placed there to stabilize a broken bone from a recent innocuous slip in the snow. As a result, I have had to write the foregoing random thoughts with the hunt-and-peck system - no doubt the way many other computer uses do who never learned to type. It is amazing how dependent we are on two hands. I did discover that the elbow can be very helpful, but not with buttoning shirts or opening cans of dog food!

So on we go toward Christmas. May you all have a jolly, sociable season.


Have a great week ahead.


Through captivating, powerful, and emotional anecdotes, we celebrate the life of Dr. Abbott P. Smith. His biography takes the reader from smiles to laughter to empathy and tears. Dr. Smith gave us compelling lessons learned from animals; the role animals play in the human condition, the joy of loving an animal, and the awe of their spirituality. A tender and profound look into the life of a skilled veterinarian.