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Barbara Brabec’s
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Short Takes on Life

August 2026 Blog Post
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— MANAGING YOUR LIFE —
Aggravating Real Life Intrusions

Did you ever have a day with so many aggravating real-life intrusions that you can’t get anything done? Dean Koontz, one of my favorite authors, wrote about this problem in his 4-28-26 newsletter that introduced his new book, Friend of the Family, to his readers. He complained that there was no Bureau of Real Life Control to turn to on days like this.

“My complaints are all about mundane problems that ruin the day not because any of them is a catastrophe but because at times there are so many of them that there is no time left at the end of the day for anything but an aggressive face massage to relax the muscles that have been painfully frozen in a grin of delight.”

Dean Koontz is best known for writing bestselling suspense, horror, and thriller novels that often feature blended genres. With over 500 million copies sold and 14 #1 New York Times bestsellers, he is one of the most prolific modern writers, creating notable works like Odd Thomas and Watchers, one of my favorite Koontz books. It happens to be about a “dog of alarming intelligence,” which reminds me of the dog I happen to be writing about in Call of the Heart: A Rescue Dog’s Dream.

Ginger’s intelligence was amazing, to the point that we saw no end to her ability to learn new words. Her dream was to learn how to communicate with humans, and in this book-in-progress, I share the teaching strategies I used to teach her and how I learned to communicate with her in return.

—  BOOK UPDATE  —
 Knee-Deep in Editing

I have now finished the first four PARTS of Call of the Heart and am rereading and doing another edit of PART III of the book to cut more unnecessary content not essential to the multi-themed story I’m telling. Before the writing is done, I must write PART V and the End Matter, which will leave me with all the photo work for Parts III, IV, and V to do. My problem is how to cut as many words as possible from this hefty tome, which is going to be the longest book I’ve ever written no matter how I carve it.

I often remember a quote by English writer and critic Samuel Johnson, who advised authors to “Read over your compositions, and wherever you meet with a passage which you think is particularly fine, strike it out.”

It’s a reminder that I must be ruthless while self-editing, but it’s hard to cut content that’s self-indulgent even though many readers might relate to it. What I must remember during the final editing is that maintaining the story’s flow and focus is what’s most important.

—  NATURE — 
A Lonely Petunia in an Onion Patch

In the spring of 2026, the first bloom in my patio garden was a lonely daffodil that a bird must have planted. It reminded me of a song I used to sing as a child, titled I’m a Lonely Little Petunia in an Onion Patch. When I searched for it, I was delighted to find that Molly Whuppie had posted a video on YouTube in 2023 of her singing this popular novelty song from the late 1940s.

I sang my heart out as a child. Mother always had the radio on, so she must have helped me memorize this tune and other popular songs of the day. My favorite song was You Are My Sunshine, and a search for it led me to Wikipedia, which says it was released in 1940 as a single by Jimmie Davis. I wasn’t the only one who loved this song. By 2000, this American standard of old-time and country music had been recorded by more than 350 artists and translated into 30 languages. Odds are that you know the song and love it as much as I always have.

—  TECHNOLOGY  — 
Do You Know What and Where "The Cloud” Is?

“The cloud is really 5,400+ warehouses packed with servers, and one sits about 10 miles from my house,” says Kim Komando. She adds that this data center, which is only one of 5,000 such facilities in the U.S., occupies enough land to hold thirty football fields. Her concern is that U.S. taxpayers and cities are getting stuck with the incredible costs related to running these data centers. Read her full fascinating, illustrated article here.

If you’re not a follower of Kim Komando, consider subscribing to her informative email messages (click “Free Newsletters” in the button bar). All of them are loaded with her keen perspective and tips on what new or changing technology we need to be aware of. She tells us how to use it or deal with it, and how it is affecting our lives and the various electronic devices we use. I’ve learned much of value from this fine writer who generously shares specific how-to information the average person doesn’t know and might never find on their own.

—  WRITING & LANGUAGE  —
The Odd English Language

What two-letter word in the English language has more meanings than any other two-letter word, and is listed in the dictionary as an adverb, preposition, adjective, noun, and verb?

If you are a word lover, read “The Odd English Language: You Can’t Make This Stuff Up,” a delightful post by book agent Steve Laube, and then join his mailing list to get blog updates if writing is important to you. 

— CHRISTIAN ENCOURAGEMENT  —
What Will Heaven Be Like?

David Jeremiah answered that question in a sermon with that title that prompted me to buy his book, The Promise of Heaven: 31 Reasons to Get Excited About Your Eternal Home.

“Heaven is one of those biblical words in our cultural conversation that can mean everything and nothing. But in the Bible, it means something specific: It’s the dwelling place of God and the destination of those who will live with him forever.”

For more information, see the book on Amazon and this article on his website: 9 Insider Secrets About Heaven. I’ve been reading Jeremiah’s books and listening to his sermons on radio or TV for decades, making him one of my favorite and most trusted Bible teachers. When I get to heaven, I’ll look forward to meeting him and readers like you who have stuck with me for so many years.

—   BARB’S SNIPPETS  —

About reaching old, old age, a writer friend of mine said this meant we were “nearer to life’s exit than entrance.”

Do you keep running out of time to do what you want? I’ve found that time will always expand to accommodate our needs when it’s important and necessary.

P. S. Visit the HOME page for Timely Quotes and a link to 15 categories of life-related topics discussed on this website.

Archived Brabec Bulletins
Publication of the Brabec Bulletin ceased in
June 2025, after 25 years of publication.
Year 2021-2022 <=>  Year 2023  <=>  Year 2024 <=> Year 2025

Brabec Bulletin Tidbits on Life are archived here.

See below for
Musings and new Blog posts About Life
published in 2026
Earlier Musings About Life posts and
other faith-building articles are archived here.

July 2026 Post: Writing and Publishing a Book + A Ginger Story. Barbara discusses the many hats a writer must wear to turn a raw manuscript into a self-published book, comparing this to how our changing technological world has greatly complicated this process. A short Ginger story concludes this post.

June 2026: A Behind-the-scenes look at Barbara’s book helpers. This post introduces readers to the two book strategists who are helping Barbara bring new visibility to her earlier memoirs while also introducing Call of the Heart to a wider audience of readers on Goodreads and Amazon.

May 2026: Special Announcement. Needing more time for her new book in progress, Barbara decides to take a three-month hiatus from writing new website content and use her blog page differently. This premier blog post includes an introduction to her book, Call of the Heart: A Rescue Dog's Dream. 

April 2026: What It Means to Be “Born Again.” In walking with Christ for more than three decades, I’ve learned that some Christians don’t understand what it means to be born again. If you’ve wondered about this, you’re not alone.

March 2026: Thoughts on the Reality of Loss and Death. There’s something about turning 40 that wakes us up and makes us look at life through different eyes. Few people want to think about the eventual end of their lives, but sooner or later, we all must accept that we won’t live forever.

February 2026: My Encounter with the Living God. God has a plan for your life that will astonish you once you give Him the reins and trust Him to work all things together for your good.

January 2026: My $2,000 Guardian Angel Miracle. Every day, God sends His angels to guard His people on earth. I’ve journaled many instances when I believed I had angelic help. Here’s the story of one of them. 

Copyright © 2026 by Barbara Brabec. All Rights Reserved.