Happy Bastille Day. It’s Bastille Day (La Fête nationale or le 14 juillet) here today. We commemorate the storming of the Bastille prison in Paris on 14 July 1789, an event that became the symbolic beginning of the French Revolution, with its national motto: Liberté, Égalité, et Fraternité. It’s only early summer, and I’ve already reached my reading goal. Today, since it's a public holiday, I’ll start turning pages of “Les éclats du passé” (Fragments of the Past). I got to the last page of “Born to be Wired”, John Malone’s memoir, on June 30. John Malone is an American billionaire businessman and one of the most influential people in the cable television and telecommunications industry. In this book, he shares lessons from decades of business leadership, deal-making, and innovation in media communication and technology. Xavier Romon’s novel, “Gratte-ciel” (Skyscraper), combines elements of a techno-thriller, political thriller, terrorism, and suspense story, set in Shanghai. Xavier and I were at the Fismes bookfair, and we exchanged books (fiction in French and non-fiction in English, respectively). I finished reading Marie Pierre’s short story, “La baby-sitter rose bonbon” (L’encier Francophonie, Hiver 2025-2026) two days ago. I like its last sentence: “Elle reste la seule baby-sitter de mes souvenirs; celle qui m’à appris à méfier du rose bonbon” (She is the only babysitter from my childhood I remember; the one who taught me to be wary of pink candy). This is another of its resonating sentences: “La vie n’est pas rose bonbon pour tout le monde” (Life isn't all rosy for everyone), which is close to the common English idiom, “Life isn't a bed of roses for everyone”. This summer, I’ve also decided to master the art of wholemeal bread making. Baking is a piece of cake for many people, but not for me. Measuring ingredients is not my cup of tea. Stepping away from routine and embracing the unexpected can bring fresh energy into both our professional and personal lives. Simply changing our habits can spark creativity, inspire new ideas, and help us see familiar situations from a new perspective. Small changes can break monotony, encourage growth, and remind us that some of the best experiences come from stepping outside our comfort zones.

Our family wrote a children's book about our dogs and how they came to us and how they got their names. We would love to hear stories about your dogs and how they got their names. Rocky was named after Rocky Road Ice Cream and Lucky was named because it was our "Lucky Day" when he found us,

It is time to rally around Kathy Big Book Love Authors! She is doing well but she needs everyone to continue to support her in this contest. ----- Here is a word from The People's Artist Team: We’re trying something a little different today… All votes count as double until 9PM PDT tonight. This could be just what you need to secure your place in the Top 15 before voting closes tomorrow (5/21). Share your profile link for doubled votes: https://peoplesartist.org/2026/kathy-l-murphy-dJnx The artists who stand out from the crowd are the ones who aren’t afraid to try something new. Art is shaped by experience, experimentation, and new discoveries—and the evolution of your style is part of what makes your art uniquely YOURS. Join Colette Miller in the latest dashboard video as we celebrate artistic growth, and leave a comment sharing how your art has changed over time. Join the Conversation Never stop creating, The People’s Artist Team

From Kathy: Kathy L. Murphy I paint my story so others can visualize their own story in these portals of my imagination and curiosity of the world I create, beauty! What is your favorite type of art to create? Mixed Media paintings. Where do you find inspiration? ========================= For me everything I have created in art has to do with a lifelong love for being out in nature and escaping into the wonderful world of literature around the globe. I was highly influenced by my teachers and librarians who recognized that I had a preposterous for the arts which including dancing, starring in school productions, creating backdrops for school plays, to contests of drawing regarding conservation of our natural resources in saving our planet. Art saved me as in was very shy, no more What would you do with $25,000? =========================== I would have the funds to continue to tell my story and journey in this thing we call life. Everyone has an artist in them but often times they are told they do not. Art is expression and I want to travel the world to tell my story and demonstrate anyone can create art. I have taught classes in expression, first to get them use to the main medium I use Alcohol Inks, once I see their style and direction I introduce ways to showcase their own unique voice and style. Here is the link- https://peoplesartist.org/2026/kathy-l-murphy-dJnx?fbclid=IwY2xjawRnIFJleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBicmlkETFQS1JoT3RkOG40aWpSM1Zrc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHlQ2QJsNtjSkDWKGyNsH-J6hBkYc-SD4l0ZL6vmJ0ig2HipTcuY7ghb6GDQe_aem_KTvhd3JfkG3regiJVTpfVA

Reminder: We will be having our March book club meeting this Sunday on March 29th at 5:00pm central time. We invite all of our members who able to attend to join us as always. The link to join is https://www.skool.com/live/swXMLYMYZSx If you are going to join us, you will have to be inside Skool either on your laptop or on the Skool mobile app. If you have any questions, please leave them below in the comments. See you Sunday! Paul Roberson