How do you do laundry when you have no electricity and the only source of water is the river at the bottom of the hill, which is under three feet of ice for at least half of the year?
Rural Livingston County resident Linda Mae Usher has written her autobiography - A Shiver of Memories: My Life in the Slow Lane. Born in Houghton Lake, Michigan, she lived in four states (Michigan, Arizona, Oregon, and Alaska) by the time she finished first grade. She later moved back to each of those states again (Arizona, Oregon, Alaska, and Michigan).
"I wrote my book because people always seemed to be fascinated with my life and how we managed, especially in Alaska, and because I always wanted to tell the whole story, how we got from here to there to there, all the background information."
Usher spent more than 27 years in Alaska, "so far from the beaten path, we weren't even sure there was one." She lived for a time without electricity, indoor plumbing, telephones, and television, and had minimal contact with anyone outside her family.
In her book, she details home schooling, making root beer and ice cream, getting water from the river when it would be -50 degrees or colder for weeks at a time, cutting down trees and building a log home with her husband, raising three children, etc.
"The title - A Shiver of Memories - just popped into my head one night as I tried to get to sleep. The more I considered it, the more it seemed to fit. I looked for a definition of 'shiver' to explain it but couldn't find one that worked, so I wrote my own, to introduce the book: 'A shiver can be an all-consuming, teeth-rattling shaking, when you're thoroughly chilled, or a sudden inelegant spasm caused by a wayward cool breeze. Or it can be that little electrical tingle that courses unseen along your spine - a shiver of dread or joy, premonition or happiness. It can be caused by the touch of a loved one, or by the absence of a loved one. A whisper in your ear . . . a memory . . . "
To purchase A Shiver of Memories: My Life in the Slow Lane, search by title or author at www.Amazon.com, or you may order it directly at www.CreateSpace.com/3554735.

Julie Jacobson Hines
Local News Editor
theoaklandpress.com
48 W. Huron, Pontiac, MI 48342
(248) 745-4632 / (800) 260-2298
Twitter: juliejacobsonh

Hot Deals are here! Save at least 50% on the Deal of The Day. New deal available every day - at www.fyioakland.com/hotdeal <http://www.fyioakland.com/hotdeal>
To find out how your business can be part of the "Deal of the Day" Call your Account Executive at 248-745-4595 or e-mail michelle.mills@oakpress.com
**Confidentiality Note** This transmission is intended only for the use of the individual or entity to which it is addressed and contains 21st Century Newspapers Inc. information that is privileged, confidential and exempt from disclosure under applicable law. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient, or the employee or agent responsible for delivering the message to the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution or copying of this transmission is strictly prohibited. If you have received this communication in error, please notify us immediately by telephone, and destroy the original and all copies. Thank you.

________________________________

The information contained in or attached to this e-mail contains confidential or privileged information. If you are not the intended recipient, be aware that any disclosure, copying, distribution or use of the contents of this e-mail is PROHIBITED. If you have received this e-mail in error, please notify the sender and delete the e-mail immediately. Thank you.