It Bloggles The Mind

Seven Surefire Ways To Lose Weight This Year

2012-01-31T18:03:00.000-08:00

1. Go to the gym.

Now I know what you’re thinking. Oh no, not a gym membership! I’ll go once and never go back again. How on earth is this method ever going to work? Simple. What you’re going to do is WALK to the gym! That’s right. Even if it’s 50 miles away. Walk all the way to the gym and once you get there, walk all the way home again. That should help shed some pounds.

2. Tape a photo of one of those perfect-bodied Victoria’s Secret models onto your refrigerator door.

Or multiple photos, if you want. Yes, a refrigerator adorned with a montage of perfectly sculpted beach bodies might just be the ticket to total fitness in 2012. Why? ‘Cause every time you’re tempted to open up the fridge and grab a handful of fried chicken, darn it all, one of those babes will look you in the eye, admonishing, “You’re eating again? Piggy!”
Of course, you’ll slink away in embarrassment.

3. Tape a naked photo of YOURSELF on the fridge.

No explanation needed.

4. Buy yourself a dog that runs really, really fast (such as a greyhound or a whippet) and take it for a nice walk at least 3 times a day.

Did you know the whippet is the fastest dog on earth? Take your whippet out onto the bike path and perhaps he’ll take YOU for a nice long walk (make that RUN).

5. Run for President of the United States.

Hey, it IS an election year, right? Might as well throw your hat into the ring and run as an Independent. Some of the candidates ain’t looking all that great, anyways. Since it’s sure to be stressful and hectic out there on the campaign trail, with long days and nights, you probably won’t have time to eat anything.

6. Buy a whole bunch of bigger, baggier clothes.

What we’re going for here is the illusion of weight loss. An acquaintance sees you at the grocery store in your oversized shirt and says, “Wow, that shirt is just hanging off you, girl! Have you lost weight?”

And finally, if all else fails there’s this one:

7. Have your lips surgically sewn together.

Nothing beats this one! If the food can’t get into the mouth, the fat can’t get onto the hips. Or anywhere else, for that matter.

Happy New Year!

January's here!

2012-01-09T11:00:00.000-08:00

As December was coming to a close, I looked out the kitchen window one day and thought the sky looked rather picturesque. There was this unusual contrast--like 2 different blue layers of the sky.

I grabbed my camera and shot a few pics.

Some Fall Photos

2011-12-02T06:51:00.000-08:00

Bare November, winter's frost,
Another day is lost.
The trees shed their leaves like skin
and leave behind a ghostly grin.

Anniversary Photo Session

2011-11-07T13:17:00.000-08:00

My husband and I celebrated our 26th anniversary back in October. As a photojournalist who takes pictures of people, places and things of interest on a regular basis, you would think I'd take pictures of my own family, wouldn't you? Well, I usually don't.

So, on our special day, I decided to remedy that situation by making sure to capture the two of us in a photograph. The trouble was I couldn't possibly take a picture of my husband and me, and none of our kids was around to snap the photo. So we decided to just pose for it and snap it ourselves.

The result was rather comical, but we got maybe one good shot out of the deal. Below you'll see what we captured that day.

A Mouse in the House

2011-09-15T07:07:00.000-07:00

There may be a mouse in my house. Oh yes, there are signs!

Have I spotted the little critter? No. But I've found some little droppings here and there and I know they're not mine.

They're clever, these mice. They come out at night while I'm snoozing in my bed. And honestly, if they're going to leave their droppings somewhere, I'd prefer they leave them in the toilet!

We have a plan of action. We started by leaving the kitchen light on last night. My husband's theory was that mice would be afraid of the light, afraid of being spotted. But that didn't work; this morning the evidence was in full sight.

Sneaky little buggers. So now we have to go with Plan B. My husband will buy some mouse traps over the weekend and we'll do some mouse trapping. Let's see them wiggle their way out of that.

It makes me think back to my old third floor apartment in Pawtucket. Why, before I even moved in my 5-year-old nephew from downstairs announced, "Aunty Kathy, if you live here you're gonna have bats and mice."

Hmm. Surely the young man is yanking my chain, I hoped. I mean, he's only five, right?

However, on my very first night living there, I padded into the kitchen to get a glass of water before bed and right in the middle of the kitchen floor sitting there staring at me was a---

You guessed it, a mouse.

And of course, I screamed.

My brother-in-law from downstairs was summoned (the great white hunter, according to my sister), and the mouse problem was dealt with. At least for the time being.

There were other mice in my future... and bats, too.

We've been pretty lucky in this house, but I guess that luck has changed. I don't like the idea of sharing living space with rodents so they better beware!

I'm gonna go all Wicked Witch of the West on this mouse--

"I'll get you, you critter, and your little turds, too!"

And the beat goes on:

2011-08-31T09:34:00.000-07:00

Here are some more of my neighborhood on the day of the storm;oh, the last one was from yesterday--the bike path completely blocked.

More Irene damage

2011-08-31T06:45:00.000-07:00

More hurricane pics I shot after the storm.

Hurricane Irene Visits My Neighborhood on August 28

2011-08-30T17:50:00.000-07:00

As most people know Hurricane Irene made an appearance in Rhode Island on Sunday.

The wind was gusting, rain was slashing down and I, of course, just had to go outside to take photos.

I'm posting one of the effects of Irene that happened on my street.

The Beauty of Spring

2011-05-13T11:10:00.000-07:00

It is finally spring and I've started going around taking some flower pics.

Sometimes there are no words to convey the beauty of flowers so I'll just let them speak for themselves.

2011-02-02T08:33:00.000-08:00

The trees are getting hit hard by constant snow. All weighed down with snow on their shoulders, they are bending and breaking under the weight.

And I think a lot of us humans are feeling the same way about now. Every day we look at the ground, look at the sky, and wonder what's next. How much more can we take?

I am trying to find happiness in good books, good movies and anything that takes me away from the winter blues.

So how about you? Do you like winter? Snow?

If you do like it, tell me why.

Please.

Off to the race track!

2011-01-31T08:11:00.000-08:00

How fast do you drive in a parking lot? Do you drive as fast as you do on the roads? On the highway?

One of my biggest pet peeves is drivers who think parking lots are race tracks. Yup, I nearly got hit twice the other day while shopping for groceries. The first time I was making my way through the sludge and ice, attempting to get to the store entrance. On foot, of course. A little old lady decided she would pull out of her parking spot at that exact moment, instead of backing out. Backing out would have been much better.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw movement, so I turned to look at this automobile just inches away from me. I gaped at the driver. Really? You're coming this way even though I'm walking?

Remember that film with Dustin Hoffman? "I'm walking here!"

I can't remember the name of it. Midnight Cowboy? Well back to the story.

So she waved her hand at me to continue walking. Yes, I think I will, thank you.

Later, after filling my cart with groceries, it was back outside to the race track. Now I was attempting to push my cart through the slush, in between the parked cars, searching for oncoming cars, of course. To my left was a mini-van approaching fast. Good thing I was paying attention.

The female driver was looking, well, BEHIND HER while driving, perhaps scolding her kids in the back seat. Who knows for sure. Okay. What's wrong with this picture? Luckily, I observed that she was not looking, so I stayed put as she barreled past me.

Yes, I finally got to my car, unscathed.

Whew! Who would think a simple trip to the grocery store could be so riddled with danger?

I Need A Little Springtime!

2011-01-21T09:38:00.000-08:00

Oops, looks like I've already broken my NY's resolution.
I didn't post on this blog yesterday.

Today we have snow, snow, snow. Have I ever mentioned I hate winter? It is cold and dreary and tough to navigate and depressing.

My current blog header picture depicts the winter blues. I am considering switching it to a picture of summer or fall to soothe my winter blues.

What do you think? Should I change it?

MY NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS FOR 2011

2011-01-19T08:58:00.000-08:00

Boy, did I really fail on last year's resolution to post every day in this blog!

First of all, for anyone reading this, here is my excuse. This past October I got a freelance job writing news stories for The Barrington Patch. That keeps me very busy. I write 3 or 4 stories a week, sometimes more.

So, here are my New Year's resolutions for 2011, which I will probably break.

1. Post on this blog every day.

2. Brush my hair out as soon as I get up in the morning. (I always wait 'til later, and it takes forever to get all the tangles out, so it takes me forever to get out the door.)

3. Try to do something helpful for someone every day.

4. Eat better, eat smarter.

5. Exercise every day.

6. Take a Yoga class.

7. Stop complaining and try to find the positive in every day.

8. Get better organized.

9. Save money.

10. Publish a short story, poem, or heavens, even a novel!

Some Thoughts at Thanksgiving

2010-11-25T06:29:00.000-08:00

The turkey is roasting in the oven. My table is set, the rooms are clean, the rest of the food is waiting to be cooked. My oldest son is snoring in his bed; his siblings are silent at this time.

I'm thinking about Thanksgiving this year and Thanksgivings past. Some things remain the same, some things have changed. Last year my oldest son was living in a dorm room, now he's home. Last year was the first year without my mother and of course that cast a shadow on this holiday. Last year I had no job, no steady source of income, this year I do.

We lose things, we lose people. We gain things, we gain new friends. (Sometimes we gain some weight.) It's the ebb and flow of life, year after year. And so it's time to once again remember to give thanks for all the good things we do have in life. I think we humans too often focus on the things we don't have.

I'm thankful for my husband and kids, my sisters and their families. I'm thankful for the parents I once had, who are no longer with us, who raised me and taught me good values. I see parts of them in myself from time to time when I suddenly make a statement they made in the past. Oh they're still here really, living on in their four daughters. My mother's silverware is lovingly placed beside my china on our dining room table. My father's bedroom bureau now holds my youngest son's clothes and treasures.

We'll make new memories every year as we go forward. It's my table and my traditions now and I know my children are watching what I do and say, and down the road they'll remember all the things I did to make their holiday special and memorable.

Ah, just smell that turkey!

Happy Thanksgiving to you!

Whose story is it?

2010-11-14T18:51:00.000-08:00

Lately I've been thinking about the issue of revision. As writers, we all get our words turned around, omitted, or tampered with by editors. Often the changes are for the best, but sometimes maybe we're not so sure.

My question is this: If an article, story or novel is edited quite a bit, does it still rightfully belong to the person who created it to begin with? Do you still want your name on it?

What do you think?

Music Isn't Music Anymore, or Is It?

2010-10-19T14:27:00.000-07:00

A few days ago I took my son up to college to help him with a film project. While we were sitting on a bench waiting for someone to arrive, I couldn't help listening to the music blaring from the nearby college radio station. I felt like sticking my fingers in my ears, to tell you the truth. I'm no fan of rap music.

Which got me thinking about the music I do like. The other day as I flipped the TV channels I caught a piece of song, a beautiful song sung by what sounded like James Taylor. The only lyrics I caught were "our town", so I immediately googled the words and found a Youtube video from the Pixar animated film Cars with James Taylor singing.

Good lyrics and a beautiful melody. I was impressed. I miss songs like that. I grew up in a time when there were some great songwriters. Some of them are still around today. But some of today's songwriters could learn a thing or two from the masters.

I don't buy many CDs or download many songs these days. Yes, I turn to the classics and my old favorites most of the time.

Good God, I think maybe I'm turning into my mother!

Hooray for the Arts!

2010-10-03T10:51:00.000-07:00

Hi everybody!

I took a short break in September, but more posts will be forthcoming in October.

I was job-hunting and dealing with other issues during the past few weeks. I also participated in a short film for my son's Filmmaking class in college. He needed someone to play the monster. My daughter stepped in to play the cop after another actor dropped out. The whole filmmaking process was quite interesting, but very time-consuming. I understand much better now what is involved in setting up the shots. Actors need to very patient while the director is working on the lighting, camera angles, and other factors such as cars and people not wanted in the scene. It's not easy to get everything right. The first evening we ran into technical difficulties, it got dark in the park, and the park rangers told us we had to leave. Oh well. We returned the following evening to finish up.

I thought my son did a great job for his first short film. Three minutes goes by fast, but not when you're filming. Lots of footage got cut, but that's what film editing is all about. He dubbed in some sound effects and scary music which helped create a scary atmosphere.

All of my three kids are pursuing their passions--film directing, music directing, and coincidentally writing and art, my two interests. I wouldn't have it any other way. When skeptics and naysayers argue: "Oh, those aren't good fields to go into for jobs", I blow them a mental raspberries. Life is short. My parents were stuck in jobs they hated for most of their lives and it wasn't until they were retired that they actually, finally fulfilled their lifelong passions.

I fully support my children's interests as I happen to be a strong supporter of the arts. The world would be a dull place indeed without music, art, films and literature.

When the bill hurts more than the cavity

2010-08-09T20:05:00.000-07:00

I think I'm going to become a patient's rights advocate. Recently my sister was torn, trying to decide how to take care of her daughter's dental problem. The poor girl was in major pain, it happened to be a Sunday and they have no dental insurance. My sister took her to an urgent care center. One little problem with this type of facility--they don't do teeth. The best they could do was give her pain medication and advise her to see a dentist. And that will be $65.00 for this visit.

So what do people do about their dental problems when they have no dental insurance and no extra money to pay a dentist bill?

What boggles my mind is the fact that you can go to a hospital if you have a medical emergency, and as far as I know, you can't be turned away if you have no insurance. They'll take care of you, treat your ailment, and then send you a bill and how you pay that bill--well, that's to be determined down the road.

But what about a dental emergency? The way I look at it is simple. Everybody has teeth. At some point, every person will need to see a dentist. Sure, we're told to see a dentist twice a year for check-ups and cleanings, but if you don't and develop a cavity, need root canal, etc., then what?

Not everyone will have a medical emergency, not everyone will visit a doctor, not everyone will need to take advantage of their health insurance, if they have it, but most everyone will need to visit a dentist.

So the way I see it we need a radical new plan. We need emergency dental care facilities that are open every day, even on weekends. And some provisions for those who can't afford a hefty dental bill. No one should be turned away because they can't come up with the money at the time of service.

Pretty summer images

2010-08-02T08:50:00.000-07:00

My camera and I went for a walk this morning, hoping to discover some lovely images to photograph. Above are a couple of pics of flower gardens I found. Now that I've posted them, I think you can see the signs that summer is starting to fade and the sun has burned the grass a lighter shade of green.

I also visited a local park and sat inside a lovely gazebo for a short while. I looked out over the immaculately kept park grounds and thought what a quiet and peaceful spot this would make for writing.

So I may go back there with a notebook and pen.

How is YOUR summer going?

Interesting House Design, Don't You Think?

2010-07-28T12:02:00.000-07:00

I remember telling fellow blogger Adam (when he was away on his trip and blogging about the interesting houses he observed in Canada) about a very cool house around the block from me. Today I hopped on a bike and went over to photograph it.

I really like the design of this house and find it very different and interesting. One thing I couldn't help noticing as I looked over the photo was an image in the right hand window. Was someone looking out the window as I snapped the picture, or was it a....

ghost?

Summer Thoughts

2010-07-18T09:41:00.000-07:00

I've been away from this blog for a while due to being on vacation. I guess it's time to start posting again.

Random thoughts:

I think it's interesting how both my daughter and I are now college graduates with a BA in English. That means we may find ourselves applying for the same jobs. Even though she tells me, "But, Mom, I'm just starting out and you have more experience", you never know. Employers might want to hire someone for entry level pay. We'll see what happens.

I'm still trying to exercise every day even though we've been going through heat waves here. Walking around outside some days is like walking through the desert. Must have a bottle of water with me!

Television has been totally boring over the summer so I'm reading. I finished Jeffery Deaver's Roadside Crosses and now I'm rereading The Lovely Bones. I am finding that as I've gotten older, I don't seem to retain many details from these books anymore. With some passages from The Lovely Bones it's as if I'm reading the words for the first time.

I love the commercials for Old Spice because they're funny and entertaining. Bravo to the advertisers for coming up with something I can actually watch without wanting to press mute or change the channel. I'd say with 90% of commercials, I either leave the room or do what I just described. And good for the Old Spice makers, I actually bought some of their product for my husband.

And now I'm going to go look for some shade or a cool room.

Thank you for the blog award!

2010-06-29T14:28:00.000-07:00

Thank you to bettielee for bestowing a blog award on me--The Versatile Blogger. You can visit her at this address: http://farseeingfairytales.blogspot.com/

And now I'm supposed to list 7 things about myself you might not know.
Hmm.
1. When I was younger, still in school, I wanted to be an artist. I used to draw all the time.
2. My first cousin was a member of a band from the 70's called The Ozark Mountain Daredevils. They had a top ten song called Jackie Blue.
3. I have never traveled on a plane.
4. I never learned to swim.
5. I can sing like Cher.
6. I know how to play the piano.
7. My father taught me how to play the guitar when I was a teenager.

Introducing my new blog

2010-06-18T10:33:00.000-07:00

Hi everybody!

I'm still keeping this blog, but today I'm starting up a new one.

It's called A Daily Dose of Comfort, and the plan is to start each day with an inspirational quote to keep readers feeling upbeat and positive. For years I wrote greeting card sentiments and only recently I've started getting back to that market. I truly feel we need motivation and inspiration these days to stay on the right track and keep going forward.

So, this blog, It Bloggles The Mind, will be a place for me to speak my mind on current events, happenings, and what's new in my world; my new blog will be a place for you to stop by if you need some words of encouragement and inspiration. And of course, you can leave a comment if you want!

The blog address is: http://adailydoseofcomfort.blogspot.com/

Summer Reading

2010-06-11T18:00:00.000-07:00

I am lining up some summer reading. This time of year TV has nothing much to offer except reruns, so it's the perfect opportunity to peruse the book stores or just sift through the books in one of my bookcases.

So far I have a Jefferey Deaver novel waiting on my night table, The Lovely Bones (to be reread), and I believe there are a few other novels unopened in my bookcase.

So how about you? What will you be reading this summer?

Thank You For Being A Friend...

2010-06-05T09:02:00.000-07:00

I was very saddened to learn of the death of actress Rue McClanahan. I loved watching The Golden Girls when it first aired in the 80's and still enjoy the reruns.

One of my sisters has a recurring dream of life in the future for herself and her 3 sisters. In her dream we're all sharing a house as The Golden Girls did, and apparently all of the guys have died off. She relates to us how nice this life is, how we're all helping each other, having fun, and just as she did when we were kids my youngest sister is still being sent off to the store to buy us food and drinks. We laugh at this, picturing a gray-haired Rose hopping on a bicycle with a basket to go fetch coffees and doughnuts.

That's what I loved about The Golden Girls, how they helped and supported each other in good times and bad. They say women outlive men, so it's quite possible for this scenario to occur. As I grow closer to the golden years, it's scary to envision life down the road, but somehow a little less scary thinking I might share those years with the three women I love most.

No nursing homes for us! We're all gonna be fun-loving, peppy, live life to the fullest golden girls!

Roughing It

2010-05-30T19:54:00.000-07:00

Life is challenging in the "roughing it without plumbing" days. At times I feel like a homeless person, even though I do indeed have a home. But those who live in their car or in a cardboard box on the sidewalk or perhaps underneath a bridge are challenged with the same thing I'm challenged with--searching for a bathroom on a daily basis. It is only now that I have a better understanding of what that is like and what it must be like every day for those whose situation is not temporary. The things we take for granted are the basic necessities everyone needs, and it's not until we find ourselves without them do we realize just how valuable they truly are.

The neighborhood grocery store has been a godsend for my family, open from 6 am until 12 midnight, seven days a week. Oh, we've visited other stores and restaurants as well, but this particular store is 3 minutes away by car. Yes, I've timed it. When my husband and I were house-hunting 13 years ago, I had a checklist which included nearby stores. There HAD to be stores close enough to walk to. Back then we only had one car which my husband drove to work every day, leaving me car-less. I remember that hot August when we moved in, walking my three kids over to their new school for registration. Yes, walking them there. I don't know how many miles away it was, but it would take about 10 minutes to drive there. But since I had no car, we walked in that awful heat.

Most of the inconveniences I've faced in life pale when compared to this current crisis. I would love to take a shower, but I can only take a sponge bath. (we're having 80 degree weather here) I would love to cook real meals on the stove, but that would mean having to wash dishes and I can't do that. I would love to use my own bathroom instead of public restrooms, but flushing the toilet would create a disaster down cellar. I would love to wash clothing in my own washing machine instead of running to the laundromat, but that would create a flood all over my cellar floor.

The things we take for granted are the things I will cherish as soon as my situation improves and life is back to normal.

In our time we have luxuries we take for granted--electricity, indoor plumbing, heat, air conditioning, running water, telephones, computers, televisions, etc. Take one thing away and life gets very stressful and throws us off balance.

I have a better appreciation now of what life is like for those who have nothing or very little. I am enormously thankful to have a roof over my head. I am going to make a solemn vow to stop complaining about petty problems now that I see how fortunate I've always been.

And I think maybe this happened for a reason so I could learn from it.

It All Started With A Tree...

2010-05-26T14:24:00.000-07:00

So here I am at the library. Not an unusual place for a writer to hang out, right? Of course not. Except this writer usually works from home. So why am I not working at home?

Well, you see it all started with a tree. A big tree. In our front yard. Not that we knew the tree was the real problem. We thought it was a simple plumbing problem. One day when I went down cellar there was water all over the floor. So I mopped it up. I thought our washing machine had a malfunction. We even unhooked the machine from the wall.

Well, things got really interesting when the toilet backed up. I knew there was more to this little mystery. So we called a plumber. Apparently there was a big clog in the pipes and they proceeded to suck out the clog with this big, heavy machine which almost didn't make it down our cellar stairs. But that didn't totally solve the problem.

What do you mean there is still a problem? They did some investigating and discovered there were tree roots in the sewer pipe in our front yard and under the house. Oh wonderful.

Fast forward to today. Two weeks have gone by and the problem has yet to be resolved. We need a tree guy to chop down the tree immediately, but so far no one has been available. Then we need another guy to do some digging to clean out the pipe. The wait goes on.

So basically my whole family has to clear out of the house for the whole day every day until this situation is over with. We can't flush the toilets and we can't run the water.

I must admit I have learned some things during this crisis. The number one thing, I suppose, is just how much water we use on a daily basis. Too much! Water for showering, water for dishes, water for washing hands, water for laundry, and most important, water for flushing the toilet!

You don't know just how much you value indoor plumbing until you don't have it anymore. We have had to become very creative. I bought a big plastic basin we can fill with water to wash up. Then we dump the dirty water outside. My sister was called upon recently to allow my son to take a much-needed shower. (He only takes one about once a week anyway.) Today I washed my long hair using this new basin and a large cup. A strange way to do it, but it worked. I also bought three or four boxes of wet ones for freshening up, hand-washing.

Since I cannot wash dishes at this time (this part I actually love!), I've had to purchase easy-to-fix foods which do not require pots and pans. I have paper plates and cups at the ready.

The toilet issue is the toughest one to deal with. Five people who need to go. I have scoured the neighborhood for accessible bathrooms, open long hours. We have a library, a grocery store, a Dunkin Donuts, and a Target pretty close by. If people notice me zooming down the street in my car, you can bet I'm headed for a bathroom!

Update:

A tree guy is supposed to be chopping down the tree tomorrow or Friday! When he came by to check out the tree yesterday I told him how urgent the situation has become. When he said he would do it this week, I must admit I almost kissed him.

I'm still at the library only it's one day since I began this post. This is my home away from home now.

I am a Shower Singer

2010-05-09T15:31:00.000-07:00

On May 5th, I wrote about being a shower singer on the Army of Ermas blog.

The title of the essay is This Stage Is All Mine, Baby!
Here is the link: An Army of Ermas.

A Trip Down Memory Lane

2010-05-06T09:05:00.000-07:00

(I meant to post this yesterday, in honor of my son's birthday, but was busy with another essay.)

So today I'd like to go down memory lane--24 years to be exact. On May 4th, a Sunday afternoon, I was lying on my bed all alone in the apartment. My husband was at work; normally he'd be home, but he was filling in for someone else that day. I was nine months pregnant with our first child and experiencing a few twinges and odd feelings I'd never felt before. I really wished my husband was home so I could run my symptoms by him and see what he thought. Could I be going into labor? Or was it just that spicy pizza coming back to haunt me? Or was it really nothing at all?

Well, it wasn't nothing at all. My water broke and that set everything into motion. My husband was now home, running around looking for the doctor's phone number. He found it, called and was told all three of the doctors I'd been seeing for the past nine months were out of town! WHAT? Oh, don't worry, there is a doctor covering for the group.

Yeah. Sure. But I don't know this doctor! And he doesn't know me. I'm supposed to feel comfortable and relaxed with a doctor I don't even know delivering my baby?

Well, what could I do? I went to the hospital and had my first baby, a little boy. It was a wonderful experience. I had natural childbirth, no drugs. My husband served as my labor coach and did a great job. He even outlasted the student nurse who fled the room at one gory point. I still wonder today if she ever became a nurse or if the birthing of my baby scarred her for life and she wound up flipping hamburgers for a living.

That little bundle of joy is now 24 years old (as of yesterday) and graduating from college in a few weeks. He is a multi-talented, creative, sensitive, intelligent young man who has made me proud since the moment he came bursting into this world.

I hope he will be very successful in his chosen career. (And maybe so successful he can send his dad and me on a nice trip to Hawaii!)

Finding The Fun

2010-05-03T08:23:00.000-07:00

I went to see You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown yesterday afternoon. The auditorium was filled with lots of children and their parents along with a number of senior citizens. My kids are young adults now, so one of them sat next to me during the performance while the other two were seated down in the orchestra pit since they were part of the orchestra. It was a different kind of experience for me as a parent; normally I'd be watching one of my kids up there on the stage.

I loved listening to the songs, some familiar, some not. I grew up watching and reading Charlie Brown stories and sat watching videos with my own kids. I smiled as You're a Good Man played out on the stage, thinking back to the many times I tuned in to A Charlie Brown Christmas or any of the various holiday specials. I do miss the childhood fun with my kids. These days we're all adults and life is always so busy, hectic and sometimes lacking in fun or just plain spontaneity. Kids always seem to find the joy and humor in life. I know I've gotten awfully serious in my fifties and I really need to stop and laugh or go out and smell the roses. I want to find that funny girl I used to be.

So take some time to find the child in you today. What made you laugh? What silly things did you do in the past? What silly songs did you sing?

Nature's Beauty

2010-04-24T06:10:00.000-07:00

Spring is here at last, so I went out and looked for some nice nature pics. Everything is budding and blooming as the earth renews itself.

Here are a few illustrations of nature's beauty. If you click on the photos, you can see them close up.

Mystic is Mesmerizing but There's No Place Like Home

2010-04-09T12:48:00.000-07:00

So I promised I would post a descriptive photo of my trip to Mystic.

Here goes.

Along the highway the signs of Spring were beckoning to us. Trees with budding leaves lined up along the left and right, in various shades of red, brown and green. Once we passed the Rhode Island border into Connecticut, farms popped up on the right with cows chewing grass on the sunshiny afternoon.

When we arrived at the street which housed the hotel, we noted a familiar trend we'd just left behind in Rhode Island. And what might that be? Why, road construction, that's what. They were tearing up the street as evidenced by orange cones, men with hard hats, trucks and so forth. One person was holding up a SLOW sign. I commented to my husband, "I wonder how long he has to stand there and hold up that sign?" An hour? Two? All afternoon?

The water was sparkling beside the S & P Oyster House Restaurant, across the street from our hotel. People were strolling across the drawbridge and along the sidewalks. There was a peaceful, easygoing feeling here replacing the everyday stress and rush rush rush feeling I'd left at home.

When we took a drive along some of the roads in Mystic, I noted the stone walls and lovely flowers in bloom. I wish I'd been able to photograph them, but since I left my camera behind--well, just wasn't able to do so.

It was wonderful getting away from the all too familiar, same old, same oldness of day to day life. A change of scenery can be so helpful to the mind and body.

But on the third day, our time was up, and we had to pack up the car and head back home.

While I love getting away and seeing new and different places, I find I must agree with Dorothy who once stated so aptly:

There's no place like home.

Away today but with you in spirit

2010-04-07T10:44:00.000-07:00

I am away today in Mystic, Connecticut celebrating my 55th birthday.

It's a beautiful day here, we're right on the water, the sun is shining and we're just about to go for lunch.

I couldn't ask for a nicer day.

I didn't sleep much last night--too noisy outside. It reminds me of my trip to New York City--the city that never sleeps.

Unfortunately I forgot my camera so when I go back to Rhode Island I'll have to post some descriptive photos.

Have a nice day and I'll talk to you later!

It's Finally Spring!

2010-04-05T11:04:00.000-07:00

in Just-
spring when the world is mud-
luscious the little
lame balloonman

whistles far and wee

and eddieandbill come
running from marbles and
piracies and it's
spring

when the world is puddle-wonderful

the queer
old balloonman whistles
far and wee
and bettyandisbel come dancing

from hop-scotch and jump-rope and

it's
spring
and
the
goat-footed
balloonMan whistles
far
and
wee

by e. e. cummings

This is one of my favorite poems about Spring. Any thoughts about the poem? What images come into your mind? I think it sums up the season very nicely.

My most recent post...

2010-04-03T08:24:00.000-07:00

...can be found over at An Army of Ermas. It's called Married With Children

Here is the link: An Army of Ermas

I Just Wanna Go Back to Bed Today

2010-03-29T10:07:00.000-07:00

It's raining, it's pouring, the old man is snoring. Rainy days and Mondays always get me down. Rain, rain, go away, come again some other day. On second thought, don't!

As you have probably surmised, it is raining here. How depressing. I really need to hop in the car and go to the store but I just can't summon the energy or motivation to get out of my chair. I am typing away here to keep myself awake. When I look out the window, all I see is torrential rainfall.

There are those who maintain, "Well, better rain than snow!" I suppose that's true. But when I awake to rain in the morning, the rest of the day just doesn't seem to matter. I can't get motivated and inspired.

In a little while, I'll force myself to go out the door and do those errands. Right now I think I'm going to practice the piano. I now have four lessons under my belt so I know something, even if it's only a little something. I can find middle C. I know the names of all of the white keys. I can play a few notes of Beethoven's Ode to Joy. I know what a half note looks like. And a quarter note. And a rest. But I have miles to go before I sleep. (or master the piano, anyway)

So how about you? Do you do your best work when it's sunny? Or does sunshine make you want to skip work and go lie on a beach somewhere?

And The Winner Is.....

2010-03-26T11:53:00.000-07:00

Thank you to everybody for entering my caption contest! It was fun. I enjoyed reading the entries and thought they were all good. But there could only be one winner.

Since I had a hard time choosing the winner, I asked my son to help me out. He has a great sense of humor. We liked them all but there was one that made us laugh the loudest.

Congrats to Matt at Pensive Sarcasm for his caption!

It was:

Kathy: "I am sooo going to eat her cake, too."

Rose: "I'm smashing her cake in her face if she goes for mine."

If you knew my sister, Rose, she probably WOULD say/think something like that! She is a tough cookie.

So, Matt, go to my profile and click on my email to let me know which book you choose and where to send it.

Thanks again, everyone, for playing!

Did you enter my contest?

2010-03-25T16:30:00.000-07:00

This is the last day to enter my Caption contest. Just tonight to come up with something clever. I will pick a winner tomorrow, Friday, March 26.

That is all for now.

Of oldies and Barbies...

2010-03-18T12:01:00.000-07:00

I've been away from my blog as of late! Sorry about that. Lots to do, people to see, kids to oversee. Before I get to today's topic, here's a reminder that my Caption This contest is still going. You can still enter.

Right now I'm listening to Mick Jagger sing, "I can't get no sat-is-fac-tion." My googling reveals the song was released in 1965. I was 10 years old that year so I only vaguely remember hearing it. I was probably too busy playing with Barbie dolls, creating little stories and getting them into all sorts of mischief. I remember one time deciding my sister's Barbie needed a new hair style. Now this doll had long black hair, nothing wrong with that, but I thought she should go shorter. Who knows, maybe it was a hot day. So I got out the scissors and started cutting! It was going rather well, I thought, when suddenly I put down the scissors and stared at poor dark-haired Barbie. Oops. Her hair was indeed shorter, but unfortunately she now had a big bald spot on the back of her head. I tried to hide my handiwork (probably stuffed Barbie in a hamper or something), but when my sister found her she was livid. "Who did this to my doll?"

But back to Mick Jagger who can't get no satisfaction. Do you remember the song from years ago? Or did you first hear it later down the road as an "oldie"? Do you have any particular memories you associate with the song?

You can also share your Barbie stories here.

Oh, one more thing. For more of my musings on Barbie, you can read my essay on a new blog called, An Army of Ermas. Here is the link: http://armyofermas.blogspot.com/

There are also lots of other funny essays by some very talented women writers. Check it out!

Caption This!

2010-03-11T07:02:00.000-08:00

I decided to borrow an idea from a fellow blogger.

Yes, it's a caption contest! And there will be a prize. In fact, you can choose from 4 of them.

Since my sister and I have birthdays coming up in April, I thought I'd use this photo I found of the two of us from about 25 years ago. Our birthdays are two days apart so we always used to celebrate both of them on the same day.

Here's what you have to do: Write a caption telling what either my sister (on the left) or I (on the right) is thinking. Be creative, be witty. If you want, you can write what both of us are thinking (within one comment). Post your caption in the comments section. Only one caption idea per person. I'll let it run for 2 weeks so you have until March 25th. Good luck!

Oh, and if two people happen to come up with the same caption and it turns out to be the one I like best, the person who posted it first will be the one who wins.

Prize is a CHOICE between FOUR books in my book collection (all in good condition):

1. I'd Rather Be Writing (by Marcia Golub) (a guide to finding more time, getting organized, completing more projects and having more fun.) Non-fiction hardcover

2. How to Start and Run a Writing & Editing Business by Herman Holtz (NF paperback)

3. Open House (by Elizabeth Berg) (hardcover novel described as "a love story about what can blossom between a man and a woman, and within a woman herself.")

4. How to Write Tales of Horror, Fantasy & Science Fiction ( a paperback non-fiction book by the masters of speculative fiction: Ray Bradbury, Dean Koontz, Marion Zimmer Bradley and others.)

Survived a Trip to Hell

2010-03-08T12:21:00.000-08:00

The sun has returned! If you take a look out the window you'd swear it's Spring already. But it's not. Quite. The outside thermometer is reading about 67 degrees. I'll take it.

I went to a rock concert on February 27. My son's band was playing at Club Hell, a little night spot in downtown Providence. Yes, Club Hell. Relatives gasped when I told them the name of the place. My kids and I joked that evening that we were all going to hell. And we did.

A nice little family outing. Most of us donned black clothes because it just seemed fitting. I haven't been to a nightclub in God knows how many years so it was quite an experience for me. The first thing I noticed upon entering the joint was how dark it was in there. The second thing I noticed was the sticky floor. What exactly had created the stickiness....I don't even want to know. The third thing was the condition of the rest room. Holy cow! It was dark in there, too, not very clean-looking and seemed to be devoid of paper towels and soap. Were we supposed to bring our own?

We had to wait about two and a half hours for my son's band to take the stage. They were the main attraction. Don't even ask me the names of the songs or even the names of the bands that started things off because I can't recall. Mostly we tried to find a quiet corner to sip our drinks and "talk" above the music. That involved shouting into each other's ears.

At last the guys took the stage and we moved up closer on the dance floor. After a couple of cocktails I was relaxed enough to enjoy the music and leave my worries behind. They played about six songs off their new CD and a few other familiar cover songs. The audience cheered, swayed to the music, applauded and even shouted for more.

My ears are still ringing. No, not really, but they did for a while. I truly enjoyed the show but I must admit the volume was louder than it needed to be. This was a very small building not a football stadium, and I'm sure I could have heard the music just as well if I'd stayed outside.

But all in all it was fun and broke me out of my usual Saturday night routine. And now I can say I've been to hell...

and back!

CDEFG GFEDC CDEFG GFEDC

2010-03-02T11:55:00.000-08:00

Well, in keeping with my New Year's resolutions, I did indeed sign up for piano lessons and had my first one today. I was very nervous. I haven't been a student for a long time.

I discovered I don't have too much trouble using my right fingers, but the left hand is a whole different matter. I don't have trouble TYPING with my left fingers, can hit that q key or z key without much difficulty. But piano keys? For some reason, my fingers do not want to cooperate.

I also found I needed to trim my nails when I got home. Long fingernails are not so good for piano playing. How come nobody tells you that?

So I'm off. I'm doing it. He gave me some exercises to practice at home and I shall practice. I am going to learn to play piano no matter what. Even if I break a nail. Even if arthritis warps my fingers. Even if my left fingers stubbornly refuse to stretch and bend over the keys.

And when I master the piano, I'm gonna learn to play the tuba.

(No, not really)

Here comes the SUN?

2010-02-25T06:10:00.000-08:00

It's raining today. Rain, rain, rain. It's been raining every day for the past 4 days. Or maybe longer. Talk about depressing! I forget what the sun looks like.

I think it's yellow or perhaps orange, circular shaped, hanging up there in the sky against a blue background with a few wisps of white clouds hovering near. But I could be wrong. After all, I haven't seen it in a while.

Do we take the sun for granted? Is it any wonder some cultures worship it? Think about what the sun does and how it makes us feel. It provides warmth, light, energy, vitamin D, helps plants grow, and yes, makes us feel GOOD, cheerful, upbeat. Without it, life's a real downer.

I've tried turning on every light in the house to replace the sunlight but it's just not the same and of course my electric bill will soar. I just can't feel sunshiny happy without the sun.

So, I've posted a picture of the sun in the absence of the real one. I'm just gonna stare at it frequently throughout my day and repeat a little mantra: It's sunny, it's sunny, it's sunny!

I need to feel cheerful again. I'll let you know if it works.

Time to celebrate!

2010-02-23T06:25:00.001-08:00

I just realized today I have passed the 100-post mark. I have 120 posts on this blog, not counting this one. Time flies when you're having fun!

So today I think I'll just celebrate the fact that I've hit 100 posts. We'll just have a little party. And I'll pose the question: What will you be celebrating this year? A special anniversary? A graduation?

A milestone birthday? Publication?

Come on over and have some cake.

WAKE UP!!!

2010-02-19T05:53:00.001-08:00

We had a silly, but fun discussion this morning, getting ready for school and work. My youngest son was commenting about his older brother away at college, who has enormous difficulty getting out of bed in the morning. Evidently he's frequently late for his morning classes. So my youngest son was suggesting we buy him a talking alarm clock, something really loud or obnoxious that would make him bolt out of bed in order to silence the annoying voice or sound.

Our discussion revolved around the possible clock sounds/voices. What animal noise might do the trick? I thought a rooster crowing, but my youngest suggested a cow mooing or a pig squealing. My daughter chimed in with dogs and wolves.

Then we progressed to other sounds. I thought maybe Steven Tyler of Aerosmith screaming one of his songs might do it. "Dream onnnnn...", but my son said, "No, that would just make him think he should keep dreaming."

So we discussed other singers with unusual, loud or somehow unique vocal skills. Ozzy Osbourne, Joe Cocker, Janis Joplin, perhaps Minnie Riperton? ("la la la la la--ah ah ah ah ah ah") Yeah, that last one ought to rip right through the brain!

We pondered whether a piercing movie scream might do the trick. Imagine waking each morning to Janet Leigh's Psycho shower scream. Or maybe just The Godfather or some other scary dude threatening you to "GET UP NOW!"

Yes, we ran the gamut from animals to rockers to screamers to criminals in our attempt to pinpoint the perfect alarm clock for my oldest son. I don't even know if they make such devices, but if not, it's high time they did!

After all, some people simply do not wake up to your typical beeping noise or radio station music. For these people much more effort is needed.

I just might have to go into the clock business.

A New Face in the Mirror

2010-02-17T07:09:00.000-08:00

Routines. Do you ever get sick of them?

Do you ever get tired of seeing the same face in the mirror each day? What if one day when you got up in the morning and looked into the mirror, a completely different pair of eyes stared back at you? A different mouth gaped back at you. A wonderful new mane of hair sat on your head.

I think about these things. I love variety in life and get bored easily. Housework? So, so repetitive. What's the point in washing the floor when it's only going to get dirty again? Those dishes in the sink? Sure, you can wash them, dry them and put them away. But in another few hours they're going to go back to being dirty all over again. They never get done!

I'm thinking this might actually be a cool idea for a novel or short story. A person wakes up in the morning looking totally different. Has this idea been done before? I suppose it has. There's nothing new under the sun, right? It's all been done before. Just like routines, story ideas are explored over and over again. The trick is to put a new twist on it.

Excuse me now, I've got some thinking to do.

Some Winter Imagery

2010-02-11T07:26:00.000-08:00

Winter is upon us in the northeast. Yesterday was a "snow day", with a blizzard predicted, but not much happened. Those weather guys blew it.

I decided to take a walk and snap some winter photos. There's not much of interest to photograph in winter. The trees are stripped naked and look lonely and empty. I did glimpse some frozen lakes with a touch of snow covering them. And just about everywhere squirrels bounced from tree to tree or scurried across my path in search of food or whatever squirrels do. I captured one or two on my camera.

I hope these photos will paint a picture for you of winter in my corner of the world.

Playing By Ear...

2010-02-05T07:34:00.000-08:00

I've been trying to teach myself how to play the piano. I have a keyboard, so I figured how hard could it be?

Years ago my parents shipped me off to some woman's house for piano lessons. I only vaguely remember this; the memory is filed somewhere in the back of my mind. It's funny how people have such selective memory; there are reams of memories stored in the brain, but many can't be accessed no matter how hard one tries.

I recall learning how to play "I love coffee, I love tea" on the piano. I can still play it to some extent. My fingers have tried to remember the right keys. Not that there's any great need for me to be able to play this song in 2010. My father always played by ear and I'm trying to do it, too.

I only got so far with my childhood piano lessons. Who knows why. Maybe lack of money, maybe I was bored, maybe I didn't want to practice at home. Kids would usually rather play with toys than sit and listen to a grown-up try to teach them something.

So this morning I sat down at the keyboard and tried to play a song. I've got the notes figured out and now I just have to learn the chords. I'm stubborn like that. I'll keep tickling those ivories until I get it right.

There are plenty of self-taught musicians. Joni Mitchell is one I know of. She certainly did okay for herself.

Practice, practice, practice!

Truth

2010-02-03T10:10:00.000-08:00

How do we ever know for sure that someone is telling the truth?

Can it be ascertained by simply reading someone's words on a page or is it necessary to sit across from someone, look him or her in the eyes, and judge by body language and facial expressions/cues?

There are supposed to be telltale signs of lying. Sometimes a person will shift their eyes away from the person they're talking to. (not make eye contact) (Of course that could also indicate shyness.) I think constantly rubbing the nose is another sign. (But then again the person could just have an itchy nose.) A nervous laugh might be another indicator. Moving the arms around might be employed to distract the other person from what is being said. But again, it could just mean the person is nervous.

Some people are easy to read; others are not. When it comes to stories, we don't have the luxury of seeing what someone's characters are doing, so as writers we need to make these characters come alive on the page.

How would you make this person appear to be lying?

Sally looked at John and started telling him her story.

Maybe you can rewrite the above line in the comments box.

Follow Your Heart

2010-01-28T08:25:00.000-08:00

There's a song I like on one of my Beth Nielsen Chapman's CDs called, "I Keep Coming Back To You." I've interpreted the lyrics of the song to mean the woman is in a relationship with a man that's like a see-saw--the two have their ups and downs, but always seem to get back together. I think it's an interesting song because it can relate to both couples who are dating and couples who live together. Married couples have their share of fights or arguments, but don't have the luxury of "going home" if they're mad. No, it's more a matter of slamming some doors and finding another room to occupy for a while until things cool off. Slowly, when one or both have decided to test the waters and actually speak to the partner, they get "back together again."

A couple of lines of the song I especially like are, "Hold me now, just think about this room that we have shared so long/ We've studied that map of cracks on the ceiling, talking 'til the break of dawn".

I love that part because it rings so true. When you've shared a bedroom with someone for many years, there's a closeness and familiarity that's unmistakable and unique. There is safety and comfort in snuggling up to someone you trust completely and telling him your thoughts and concerns and listening to him tell you his.

That's why when I hear the line that goes: "there is something strong as history telling me this love is true", I nod and think, yes, there is something about having a history with someone that reminds you to remember the good times you've shared in spite of the bad. When you've had a lifetime of memories with one person, you have a connection that's worth keeping.

And the summary of the song is:

"They say follow your heart and you'll be happy, so I keep coming back to you".

I think that writers can also take something from these song lyrics. Was there a genre you used to love to write in, but gave it up for one more marketable? Did you once dabble in poetry, but stop writing it because "there's no money in poetry"?

Writers need to follow their hearts to accomplish their best writing.

Images

2010-01-25T09:40:00.000-08:00

First, I'll do my writing exercise. For ten minutes I'll describe what I'm hearing. But today I'm also going to look outside, too.

Ten minutes on the timer:

Raindrops pattering on my roof. Outside the wind howls, and like a huge mouth opening wide, blows, rustling leaves on the trees, whipping and scattering loose leaves across the street.

The street is slick with rainwater, like large tears flowing from a giant's eyes.

Winter grips us in its hands, indecisive about the outcome. Will it be snow or rain or some of both?

Well, the timer just went off. That was interesting. I might be able to use those images in one of my stories.

I'm really trying to focus more on descriptions. I've looked over my WIP and find it sorely lacking in description. I think I need to remember what I learned in college poetry courses. One of my instructors told us to make sure we use all of our senses when we write. She said the readers need to see, smell, hear, taste and feel what we are sensing.

Sounds like good advice to me.

What Do You Hear When You Stop to Listen?

2010-01-22T05:26:00.000-08:00

I thought I would try something different today. I'm just going to sit here and record what I'm hearing. Just a little experiment to try tuning into my environment.

Outside noisy trash truck's brakes screeching to a halt. Trash cans bumping and scraping as they're emptied, then tossed back on the ground. Sounds are fading now as the truck makes it way around the block.

Inside: oil burner kicks on, hums steadily. Crackling sounds emanate from the baseboards as heat is passing through them.

Outside: a dog barks at something unseen to me. On my roof, the sound of little feet scurrying across the surface. Squirrels no doubt.

Another truck outside. Glass shattering as it's emptied onto other glass.

Try this experiment yourself. Take about ten minutes when you can, sit at your computer, listen to the sounds around you and write down what you hear. I think it's a good exercise for writers. If you come up with some sentences that sound particularly good, use them in your work in progress.

Battling the Ah-choos...

2010-01-20T14:13:00.000-08:00

I've been battling a cold the past few days and noticing how different everything smells and tastes. Well, foods don't actually taste like much. They are absent of flavor. And smells? Let's just say you could stick a skunk in front of my nose and I'd never even notice.

As for sitting down to write and trying to string together coherent sentences--that's not so easy either. My mind is muddled due to medication. I like the sound of that. Alliteration of the m's. Writers are supposed to write no matter what. Okay fine. But you get what you get.

I did manage to throw together 11 humorous greeting card ideas and email them off. How funny they are remains to be seen. Humor is such a subjective thing. I've noticed that even my sisters and I have different tastes in humor. Two of them love the TV show, The Big Bang Theory. I've tried getting into it, but it doesn't really do much for me. I have laughed out loud at 30 Rock but my sisters don't find that show funny. Different strokes for different folks, I guess.

So now I need to go find some tissues before I sneeze all over my keyboard and screen.

Winter is such a fun season, isn't it?

One More Time...

2010-01-18T10:56:00.000-08:00

This post is intended to be an update on my New Year's resolutions.

Last week when I took my son to a music store to get some equipment for his electric guitar, I spoke to an employee about piano lessons. He told me they charged $19 per week and you pay on a monthly basis. That sounded pretty reasonable. I took a pamphlet home to read and I'm hoping to begin lessons in March.

I've been exercising regularly and did indeed tape a picture of a woman with 6-pack abs on my fridge. This is a reminder for me not to pig out every time I go to open the door. It seems to be working so far. I'm thinking of taping up similar pictures all over my house. I have found however that many family members and friends sabotage my efforts by tempting me with cakes, brownies, chips and various other goodies. It does teach a person to use self-control.

On the writing front, I'm not living up to my vows. This is another area where family members attempt to keep me from writing by talking to me and bugging me while I'm trying to concentrate. Thinking is a very big part of writing. Just because I'm not typing doesn't mean I'm not writing. Much of the plot plays out in my head before it ever gets to paper (or computer). But I don't think non-writers understand that.

Oh, and the children's picture book. My daughter has not done any drawing as far as I can tell. That means yours truly will have to do it herself. That should be quite a challenge, but probably fun.

Thomas Edison once said: Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.

Friends are the best medicine

2010-01-13T05:10:00.000-08:00

Friendship seems to be something many people put on a back burner due to time constraints. Those of us with families, jobs and household and other obligations simply have to give something up. Unfortunately we let our friendships fizzle out and that is just so sad. Friends can brighten our lives in so many ways, offer support, lend an ear, make us laugh.

Recently I went out to dinner with two girlfriends I met at two different jobs. One I worked with about 26 years ago and we've remained friends to this day. The other I met in 2002 when we both worked at the same bank. They're both very different, but together we have common bonds. After dinner as I was driving home I was in such a good mood and thought how great it would be to meet with these two friends at least once a month. I'm so glad I've kept in touch with them over the years instead of letting life and its many complexities get in the way. They make me smile when I don't think I have any smiles left.

Ralph Waldo Emerson said the only way to have a friend is to be one.

Sounds like good advice to me.

Watch Out for Those Over the Counter Drugs!

2010-01-11T07:35:00.000-08:00

Something happened while I was shopping at Target over the weekend that still has me amused and bewildered. After plopping all my items on the counter at the check-out, I waited for the clerk to total it up standing ready with my credit card. As he was finishing up he sort of casually told me he'd need to see some ID for one of my items. Huh? "Just get out the card and I'll scan it." I looked at him through narrowed eyes and wrinkled eyebrows. Not understanding, I started sliding my credit card through the machine. That was fine to do at that point, but not what he meant. No, I was supposed to get out my license, some form of ID.

I stared at him and said, "I don't understand. Why?"

He then told me that since I was purchasing a bottle of NyQuil, he needed to see my ID. WHAT?

A dim light of reason filtered through my brain. Ah, alcohol. NyQuil has alcohol in it. Here I am a 54-year-old woman buying a product with alcohol in it. The clerk wants to make sure I'm over 21. Ha Ha ha! Good God.

I laughed out loud. Being in a hurry, I simply complied with his request. I left the store with my purchases mulling over the whole thing. Never before have I had to show my ID in order to buy items such as NyQuil. Is this something new? Are stores so petrified about getting in trouble with the law (in case some minor decides to swig a whole bottle of NyQuil to get drunk) that they now force everybody to whip out their license if they want to purchase a bottle?

Or is it everybody? Does everybody have to do it? I don't have to show my license at the liquor store whenever I buy wine or beer. Why do I have to show it at a department store?

It doesn't make sense to me. I got home and took out the bottle. Another laugh when I looked at it. It isn't even NyQuil, it's DayQuil. There's no alcohol in it! Gee, I guess I could have stood there arguing with the clerk. I could have made a scene!

Sigh. Maybe the clerk was just paying me a huge compliment (if looking younger than 21 is a compliment at this stage of life).

Nah, that can't be it.

I wonder what will happen if I try to buy some glue.

Technology: friend or foe?

2010-01-08T07:06:00.000-08:00

As you've probably noticed there are different kinds of blogs and bloggers. Some people write theirs as a kind of daily journal, like so: This morning I got out of bed. I took a shower, brushed my teeth, flossed, combed my hair, got dressed, fed my goldfish, and got ready to begin my day. Then I....

Well, you get the idea.

Not too interesting, is it? No, it's not. I wonder why anyone would think such daily rituals are fascinating enough to share with readers. If you want to keep a diary, buy one of those lovely little cloth books with blank pages, tuck it in your top drawer and write in it at your leisure.

But blogging? Let's have something meaty! Writing, current events, politics, pop culture, fashion, cooking--the list is endless. I think people need something to chew on.

So today's topic to chew on is new technology and how it might be making us all dumber. Why do I say that? Well, because I think people rely on modern gadgets so much now they can scarcely function without them. For example, let's take clocks and watches. When I was learning how to tell time (back in the caveman days), we used a round object with numbers on it. My kids, on the other hand, can't seem to fathom how that works. "What does quarter of three mean?" They need to see 2:45 on a digital clock to understand quarter of three. No thinking is required with a digital wonder. It is what it is.

Then there are calculators. My kids grew up using them in math class. Instead of figuring out math problems on paper, step by step, they simply whipped out the trusty calculator. My husband is always amazed that they can't do simple adding and subtracting mentally.

Now let's take GPS systems. Lots of people are installing them in their vehicles these days. Sure does make getting places easier, right? I won't argue that point. But recently, as I sat in the passenger seat while my daughter drove us to the movie theater, I had to laugh at the "woman" guiding us to our location. Sitting between us was this little device SPEAKING each turn, each direction along the way. While my daughter and I tried to have a conversation, the mechanical passenger kept interrupting with street names, route numbers and highway exits. It sure does take all the thinking out of trying to figure out where you are, doesn't it? It made me think of the old days when cowboys and Indians had only the sun, moon and stars to guide them.

So, that's my theory. Technology seems great, but we'll pay a steep price for it in the end.

We're all gonna get dumber.

What do you like to read about?

2010-01-07T13:30:00.000-08:00

So I've been surfing around the various blogs I follow and noticing that there seem to be many more female bloggers/participants than there are males.

Why do you suppose that is? I'm curious. And after you're done pondering that question, here's another one: Do men and women enjoy the same blog topics equally? Now, I suppose if the topic is fashion, there are bound to be more women jumping in with comments. Sports, probably men. But I'm wondering if it's a good idea to try to choose topics both genders will enjoy.

I've always tried to be versatile with this blog, choosing a variety of topics. I like the idea of giving everybody something to think about.

So what do you think? What subjects/topics interest you?

Abs of Steel!

2010-01-05T06:49:00.000-08:00

Good morning! See, I am already keeping one of my New Year's resolutions to blog every day.

I was looking over my list of goals for 2010 and realized I forgot one. Even though I managed to lose about 12 pounds last year, what I'd really hoped to do was flatten my stomach. Not an easy task for sure and one I failed to accomplish. So recently I asked a fitness expert for some helpful tips. She told me I needed to do cardio exercises (which I'm assuming refers to jogging, speed walking or swimming), ab muscle training, and try to maintain a healthy diet. So.

Of the 3 cardio types of exercises listed above I'll choose speed walking. I can't jog these days because I've got a little bit of arthritis going in my knees. I never learned to swim, so that's out. I love going for walks; it's just a little tricky navigating those icy sidewalks and streets during our New England winters. But I'll do it. In fact, yesterday I braved the snow and wind and took a 25-minute walk.

Now for the ab muscle training part. She told me I need to re-train my abdominal muscles to get them to tighten up. How would one do that? I am assuming that means I should suck in my stomach and hold it for, I don't know, 30 seconds or so? Maybe do that at intervals all throughout the day. Like when I'm standing in line at the bank or grocery store. Yes, other customers might look at me a little weird. (Why is she making such a strange face?) I won't be able to converse since I'll be holding my breath. Guess I'll just have to hold up my index finger in a "just a moment" gesture.

And now for the third thing: maintain a healthy diet. Hmm. Yes. Well. I did a pretty good job of that last year. Right up until the holidays hit. I hate to admit this but about an hour ago I hopped on the scale expecting to see a certain set of numbers and...well...somehow the scale had jumped ahead about 5 pounds! My eyebrows shot up. (Must be something wrong with this scale!) I stepped off and played around with the dial. Got back on. Same set of numbers. It's not the scale. Oh no! Could it have anything to do with those chocolates my husband tucked in my Christmas stocking? Or the 7-course Christmas dinner? Or the goodies that popped up everywhere I went in December? Have some of this, have some of that.

Well, it's time to return to a healthy diet. I can do it. I won't always like it, but I can do it.

I'm thinking of putting a photo of someone with six-pack abs right on my fridge so I'll have to see that every time I open the fridge. That could work. Nice visual motivation, right?

So that's another of my New Year's goals. Abs of steel. A lofty endeavor, to be sure. But I do so love a challenge.

Making Goals For 2010!

2010-01-04T07:18:00.000-08:00

So it's a new year and I've yet to post about it. Shame on me.

First off, I'll comment on my last post which was about making plans in 2009. I had mentioned I wasn't too keen on making plans, but preferred to wing it as I made my way through the year. Of course, there are drawbacks to that method, such as not much gets accomplished. I can admit that. I think the only thing I did accomplish in 2009 (of the things I'd hoped to do) was lose weight. We all know many people begin a new year vowing to lose weight/get in shape. It's a noble idea, but not so easy to accomplish. Probably because I had health concerns, I worked hard to lose the weight.

Now when it came to writing goals, I fell short. I did not complete my romantic/erotic novel. I did not self-publish my children's picture book (lack of funds and because my artist didn't work on the drawings). I did not blog as often as I should have. I did not come up with a decent recording of the song I wrote.

So...I have much to accomplish/shoot for in 2010. One of my goals is to take piano lessons. That will require money. Another goal is to finish my novel. That will require dedication and discipline. Another is to complete and publish my children's book. That will require money and my artist's doing her part. Another goal is to blog every day. Again, that will require dedication and discipline. Another goal is to find a steady source of income. That will require good luck, job/career availabilities, and stubborn persistence.

So there you have it. Wish me luck! Or just tell me to get busy and work my butt off!

It's time to make a plan!

2009-12-28T09:01:00.000-08:00

Do any of you have trouble coming up with blog topics? I've been racking my brain trying to think of one.

I have been attempting to make a mental list of New Year's resolutions. And trying to plan for the new year ahead. What will 2010 bring? To begin with, I've copied and pasted my thoughts from last year. In my next blog post, I'll comment on last year's post and what I'm planning now.

This was written at the same time (end of December) in 2008:

So the madness is over now and life can return to normal. Right? Whatever normal is.

In a few days I can hang up my new Wizard of Oz calendar, purchased during my visit to Mystic, Connecticut. A new year ahead so it's time to start planning for 2009. Do you have a plan? So far I don't. But it's time to get busy and make one.

I've never really liked plans. I've always been a "fly by the seat of her pants" kinda girl. (Thank you, Julia Roberts' character in Pretty Woman) Just shuffle along, take life one step at a time and see what happens. Only flaw in that philosophy? Quite often nothing happens.

I will never forget a line from one of Shakespeare's plays. (Sorry, but I can't remember whether it was Richard II or Richard III) Richard is locked up in a prison and he says, "I wasted time, and now doth time waste me." And why is that so memorable? Because it concerns the nature of time-wasting. Just what constitutes wasting time? How does one determine that? If a person spends the entire afternoon playing video games, is that wasting time or is it time spent having fun/relaxing?

If a person spends the entire evening watching television or DVDs, is that wasting time or is it spending an enjoyable evening on the couch being entertained?

Who can say? It's all a matter of opinion. But the gist of that line spoken by Richard is that HE felt he had wasted time, wasted his life not doing important things, and now he was rotting away in prison. And that's the point I want to make here. Each of us has to determine what it is we want in life and how we are to make it happen. Time is only wasted if we're not accomplishing the things we want to accomplish. Everyone needs some down time to unwind and have some fun. But too much down time means that list of accomplishments will never get fulfilled. The master plan will just be a bunch of meaningless words on a piece of paper or computer screen.

So I'm going to make a plan. And I'm going to try to make it come to life. I don't want to end up like Richard dying on my deathbed spouting the words, "I wasted time and now doth time waste me."

Nope. It's time to make a plan!

Who do you see when you read?

2009-12-22T07:52:00.000-08:00

I've finally finished reading Stephen King's Under The Dome. Since I don't want to give away the plot or the outcome, I'll try to watch what I say here.

How many of you try to imagine certain actors and actresses playing the characters in the novels you read? I'm assuming Hollywood will decide to make an Under The Dome movie at some point, so as I was reading this hefty novel, my mind tried to conjure up the appropriate actors.

The lead hero is Dale Barbara, thirty-something. Even though he's been working as a short order cook, he's an ex-military guy. So who would fit the bill here? Russell Crowe, Bruce Willis, too old. I can think of a bunch of actors who are in their forties or fifties. Need a younger guy. Matt Damon, Christian Bale, Leo DiCaprio, Mark Wahlberg, James Franco?

And then there's the newspaper editor, Julia Shumway. I think she's supposed to be a bit older than Dale Barbara. Need a tough cookie for her. I kept picturing someone like Sigourney Weaver but she's about 60. Maybe Kyra Sedgwick, who is about 43 or so? Hmm, I'll have to think about this one.

It's kinda fun to speculate on who will play these parts. Even if you don't try to picture an actor or actress as you're reading a novel, chances are you still have an image in your mind.

I think it's really funny when Hollywood casts the "wrong" actor or actress for a part. As I read The Horse Whisperer, I pictured a thirty or forty-something, dark-haired, rugged sort of guy as Tom, the lead character. Instead we got Robert Redford in the movie role. He was in his sixties when that movie came out. And then there was The Bone Collector with Denzel Washington playing Lincoln Rhyme, who is not supposed to be black. I definitely had a different image in my mind for this guy.

Sometimes Hollywood gets it right. Ian McKellen was perfect as Gandalf in Lord of the Rings. So was Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn. In fact, I think director Peter Jackson got all of the actors right. I also thought Jodie Foster nailed the character of Clarice Starling in The Silence of the Lambs. Hmm. Maybe she could play Julia Shumway in Under The Dome?

So what do you think about this? Do you imagine certain actors playing the characters in the novels you read?

The Power of Positive Thinking

2009-12-19T07:23:00.001-08:00

Upon reading someone's post on the writing web site I frequent regarding being in a bad mood all the time, I started thinking how to respond to it.

What I know from my own personal experience is that negativity breeds negativity. The poster wanted to understand why he has such constant bad luck, bad experiences while others seem to thrive. I once was advised to read Lynn Grabhorn's book, "Excuse Me, Your Life Is Waiting" in which she explains the concept of drawing positive energy your way by making sure you are putting out positive energy. It's really a very simple concept. Let's say something bad happens to you. You're getting ready for Christmastime, all set to go shopping, and you go outside to jump in your car and find a window smashed in. There is broken glass all over the front seat. Suddenly your lovely plan to go shopping has to be cancelled because your window will have to be replaced. And now you're in a lousy mood as well. Let's suppose it has snowed overnight and the roads are icy. Even though it's tricky, you decide to walk to the nearest drugstore hoping to buy a few gifts there. You're walking along grumbling about the asshole who smashed in your window when suddenly you slip on the ice and land on your butt. Man, that hurts! You sit on the ground swearing about how much pain you're in, finally get back on your feet, walk the rest of the way to the store and find out it's closed! Closed? You have no idea why they haven't opened yet but who cares, they're closed! You start swearing. A little old lady passes you, hears you swearing and says, "What's wrong, dear?" You say, "Mind your own business lady!" and you start walking away. Eventually you find out this woman is actually your boss's mother and she has told her son about this nasty woman she encountered and your boss fires you.

Okay, so all of the events in the above example are quite the exaggeration, but you get the idea. One bad thing seems to lead to another--all that negative energy keeps producing more negative results. If we turn things around and try to put out positive energy, we may find that good things seem to come our way.

Christmastime is the perfect time to start this chain of positive energy. Smile at someone when you're out shopping. Hold the door open for someone. Give a small donation to your favorite charity. Let another driver onto the road in front of you. And, as my friend Kim said to me the other day, "Don't sweat the small stuff."

It's time to start making some good things happen.

Some thoughts at Christmastime...

2009-12-14T11:20:00.000-08:00

The expression "here and now" just popped into my head. It's the title and one of the songs on my son's band's new CD, but it's also meaningful in other ways.

Some people get stuck in the past, reliving either sad or happy times in their minds or in their hearts all through the year. They can't let go of these memories, can't put them to rest. Now sometimes it's good to hang on to memories; they really are part of the fabric of our lives. It's when these memories hover over us like dark clouds that problems may arise. We all need to move forward since that's the way we're meant to go.

I've been trying to focus on ways to make this Christmas special and meaningful, as I always do, but every time I come across a photo of my mom I think about what's missing this year. I know I should focus on the "here and now", but I'm having trouble with that. She won't be here to share the fun and laughter, the hugs and kisses, the family togetherness we've always enjoyed. I hope she's smiling across from Dad up there in heaven, maybe looking down at us as we're opening our presents. It's not the same as having her here, but it's a nice image to draw upon.

There's a song by Amy Grant that sums up some of my feelings quite nicely. In a song called Heirlooms, she describes being up in the attic, going through old boxes and finding "letters and photographs, yellowed with years, Some bringing laughter, some bringing tears. Time never changes the memories, the faces of loved ones who bring to me all that I come from and all that I live for, and all that I'm going to be...My precious family is more than an heirloom to me."

So my "here and now" is different, it changes with every passing year, and all I can do is try my best to make it as good as I can. Each year we seem to lose someone, and our family grows smaller. I think that makes us grow closer because perhaps we need each other more.

We do have the addition of my sister's granddaughter who has just turned a year old. This year will be her first real Christmas and I know she'll help everybody feel like a kid again.

So we will make some new memories this year and keep our lost loved ones close in heart.

Reading and Writing...

2009-12-07T08:24:00.001-08:00

I just realized I haven't blogged since last Wednesday! This is such a busy time of year.

So....

I've been absent for two reasons: Christmas shopping/decorating and--

I have been trying to make my way through 1000 pages of Stephen King's latest novel, Under The Dome. Now, I am normally a very slow reader because I have a thing about trying to read every single word, really absorbing each one so I don't miss anything important. However, when I'm pressed for time, I'm apt to skip over some words or even passages in order to get to the finish line. As it happens, my three sisters and I split the cost of this novel we're all planning to read, one at a time. I got to go first. So I really want to finish reading as quickly as possible so they can have their turn. It's so frustrating to have to keep the plot to myself. And some questions have arisen as I've read along that I can't ask my sisters since they haven't started reading yet.

As a reader, I'm enjoying this novel as the plot unfolds and I'm getting to know the characters. As a writer, I'm trying to pay attention to the sentence structure, word choices, POV, plot development, and so on. I'm hoping to learn from King. In the past, I always read his novels simply from a reader's perspective.

So with all this in mind, I raise two questions here:

1. Do YOU read novels as both a reader AND a writer?

and

2. Do YOU sometimes skip over words/passages in order to finish a novel faster?

Late autumn, early winter

2009-12-02T14:04:00.000-08:00

At the top of this blog, in the header picture, you'll see how it looked in my area in late October. As I previously promised, I am updating with this post, showing how one of my favorite spots looks now in early December. (different location than the header photo.)

If you click on the pictures, you can see a bigger version. You can even see the ducks!

A long time ago I wrote a poem in which I tried to convey my thoughts about the cycle of the seasons. As luck would have it, the poem has vanished, and all I have left is fragments of it in my memory. So today, I pieced together what I remember of it and added some new lines.

THE CYCLE

Bare November, winter's frost,

another day is lost.

The trees shed their leaves like skin

and leave behind a ghostly grin.

All trace of summer's gone,

vanished like the early dawn.

Fall too soon will also be

a fond but distant memory.

Icicles will stab and pierce

like fingers. Winds so strong and fierce

will whip across the fields and sky,

'til snowflakes drop like tears we cry.

But time will find awakening

With many yawns and stretches, spring.

Dressed up in dazzling shades of green,

parading 'cross the nature scene.

And once the buds and seeds have grown,

and birds return from where they've flown,

The air is thick with summer heat,

we walk through sand with naked feet.

When summer bows to autumn's call

and hands off her baton to fall,

Just as a soul is redirected,

the cycle will be resurrected.

I'm a Peacemaker

2009-11-30T08:39:00.000-08:00

I'm the peacemaker in my family. Perhaps it has something to do with being the middle child. I believe I read somewhere that's a telltale trait of a middle child--serving as the one who maintains peace between family members.

It's a tough job, riddled with responsibility and anxiety. I don't know if it's expected of me or if I expect it of myself. All I know is I have a serious need for harmony and peace. If two members of my family are fighting, I just have to intervene. I've always been this way.

It's certainly a plus for those who need a referee, but not so much a plus for me. I've stuck my neck out many times, coming to someone's aid, only to put myself in harm's way. Back in fourth grade, standing at the bus stop, a boy I considered a bully was harassing my sister and my girlfriend. He was my age, but, of course, a boy, bigger and stronger. I moved between him and the two girls, trying to get him to stop. His response was to pull his arm back and punch me in the mouth. Shocked and bleeding, my first and only thought was to run. I was, after all, 9 years old and a child of the early sixties-- a time when boys simply did not hit girls. It was unheard of. A major no-no. (At least, where I lived.)

This story had a happy ending for me with the boy getting yelled at by the principal, my mother, his mother, his teacher and my teacher, but still, none of it would have happened if I'd simply hung back and kept my mouth shut. But I just can't do that.

Fast forward to 2009 and I'm still doing my best to come between warring factions. Should I just let my husband and teenage son hurl obscenities back and forth like Frisbees, or step in before they hurt each other? Well, recently, I did nothing. It was just a war of words, but the blast in the air glowed for hours. I know I'll have to find a way to make peace between them because they won't do it themselves. Too much pride on each side.

I will have to choose the right time, the right words, the right approach. A hefty responsibility for me to shoulder.

But I'm a peacemaker. That's what I am. That's what I do.

It's time to be thankful...

2009-11-25T06:32:00.000-08:00

NOTE: THE FOLLOWING IS A RE-POSTING OF A POST FROM LAST YEAR AT THIS TIME OF YEAR, ALONG WITH SOME UPDATES IN PARENTHESES.)

Are you ready for Christmas? No?

Well, why not? After all, when I visited my mom today in the nursing home the little Charlie Brown Christmas tree was already up. Or perhaps they never took it down. (Sadly, my mother passed away this past May, 2009)

It's kind of sad the way Thanksgiving gets lost in the shuffle. The media does make a big deal about Halloween with stores bursting with decorations, masks, costumes, and accessories. Why, my daughter even sent me on a frantic last-minute mission to purchase some fake blood. No costume is complete without it. So Halloween gets its share of attention.

And now, apparently, it's time to move on to Christmas shopping. Time to decorate, play those timeless songs, and get out there and hit the stores. Except...

What about turkey day? Where are the turkey songs on the radio? Are there any? Surely there must be SOME Thanksgiving songs? Is Thanksgiving really just one day in November? Or perhaps we should be celebrating it all month long. If the holiday is about giving thanks, maybe we should be doing that every day in November.

So today I tried to put aside my griping about the poor economy, my many bills, and lack of money. I have a roof over my head. It's a leaking one, but it's a roof. (We have since had our roof repaired!) I have clothes to wear. I have enough food to eat. I can feed my kids. My health is not perfect, but it's good. I have a great family and wonderful relatives. I have a one week old great-niece, just starting out in life who will move our family into a new era. (She turned one year old this past October!)

Today I told my sister, "I'm thankful for everything I have." And I'll try very hard to remember that all the days leading up to Thanksgiving.

Gift or Guilt?

2009-11-23T06:30:00.000-08:00

How do you feel about charities?

This is the time of year when we're bombarded with requests for donations from food banks, The Salvation Army, and a slew of other organizations.

Nothing wrong with giving. In fact, it's a wonderful thing to do. The problem is there are too many charities and each person's wallet only holds so much. And that's where GUILT comes in.

Every time I visit my local grocery store, I'm forced to walk past The Salvation Army bell ringer. There he is ringing his bell and we all know what that means. I know what it means. But my focus is on filling up my grocery cart with needed items. "Maybe I'll toss some money into the kettle on my way out", I think to myself. And sometimes I do. Believe me, I do. But the problem is I'm at that grocery store quite frequently during the week. That means I have to encounter the bell ringer on numerous occasions. I can't contribute every single time. But IF I have to walk past him without donating some coins, I feel guilty. Ah, the guilt!

It's gotten so I've had to figure out some sneaky ways to outfox him. If he's at the left hand entrance to the store, I enter via the right hand side. (Even if I have to walk all around to the other side of the parking lot.) And of course I do the same thing when I'm exiting. Crafty, yes, but effective.

Then I'm riddled with guilt twofold. First, I've failed to give a donation. Second, I've chosen stealth to avoid giving a donation (or being detected).

But if my mounting guilt should get the best of me one of these days, I see only one solution. I'll just race up to the bell ringer with a big smile on my face, open up my purse and spill every last dollar and cent into his kettle. "Merry Christmas!"

Heck, I'll even throw in the purse. And my hat. And my gloves. And my coat.

Free of guilt at last!

How Many Other Things Are We Missing?

2009-11-18T06:24:00.000-08:00

I just read an interesting anecdote in an email I received from the songwriting group I belong to. I'll try to summarize it and then this post will be my response.

On a January morning in 2007 in a Washington DC Metro Station, violinist Joshua Bell, one of the greatest musicians in the world, performed a little social experiment on an unwitting audience of about 2000 people on their way to work. In the course of about 45 minutes, he played 6 Bach pieces while men, women and children passed through the station. In that whole time only 6 people stopped to listen, about 20 threw some money into the hat, and Bell collected about $32.00. Now the crowd did not know who this musician was. They didn't know he had played very intricate musical pieces on a very expensive violin and had appeared just two days ago in Boston in a sold-out show to a crowd who paid about $100 per ticket.

The question raised from this experiment is if we do not have time to stop and listen to a very talented musician playing beautiful music with one of the most beautiful instruments ever made, how many other things are we missing?

I think this is an important question for us to consider. We lead busy lives, always scrambling to get to work on time, get to appointments on time, get to school on time--our goal is simply to get there. But what if we're missing something important along the way? How important is it to be on time anyway? What if someone falls down, collapses on the sidewalk? Do we step over that person because they're in the way? Or do we stop and help? And how about simply observing and appreciating something beautiful that pops up unexpectedly in our busy day?

What if you had been there to witness the violinist at Metro Station? Do you think you would have stopped to listen?

Enjoy the Ride

2009-11-14T08:28:00.000-08:00

Life is a carousel ride. Choose your horse and climb aboard. Pick a pretty one or one that's just the right size for you. Hold on tightly as the ride starts up and spins you 'round and 'round. For once you're strapped in, there's no stopping, no getting off no matter what.

Life will take you where it wants to go. Close your eyes and listen to the music as your body's lifted up and down. Open your eyes and scan the beautiful sights flying by--rivers, grass, trees, children, babies in buggies.

When the ride is over, time has slipped away. You are still you, but older now. This carousel ride can be fun, exciting, scary, adventurous, short or long. But the length of the ride is not what matters; it's the ride itself.

Let's try to enjoy the ride!

I'd rather hang out with James, Carly, Carole and Joni...

2009-11-09T10:23:00.000-08:00

I guess I'm just an old fart. Driving around today with the radio playing, Taylor Swift was singing, and I started thinking about today's music and how out of touch I am. There are so many teenyboppers/youngsters on the air now; most of them are unfamiliar to me and those I do recognize just rub me the wrong way.

Flipping the dial, I sighed. It was James Taylor singing Carolina In My Mind. Love it! Such a soothing, melodic, comfortable kind of song. Instantly, I was transported back in time and a flood of memories came rushing back. My friend Karen loved that song and she's the one who introduced it to me. I knew Fire and Rain and You've Got A Friend, but not Taylor's earlier songs. I grew up in the sixties and seventies when James Taylor, Carole King, Carly Simon, Joni Mitchell and others ruled the airwaves. These were my musical heroes and I think they always will be.

My sisters often tease me about my taste in music. "Why do you still listen to all those old songs?" they ask. Well, because I like them. And they have meaning for me. And special memories.

I'm very fond of singers who are also songwriters. That's multi-talented in my book. I suppose some of today's singers are both, but there's just something missing in the lyrics. There was a certain poetry in those songs from the late sixties and early seventies, and I miss that.

So I'll just cherish and keep the old CDs, albums, and tapes I own and replace them if they wear out, break or go missing. I'm growing older with Carly, James, Carole and Joni and I find their company very warm, friendly and familiar.

"ain't it just like a friend of mine to hit me from behind"

"yes, I'm goin' to Carolina in my mind."

Snip, snip, snip...

2009-11-07T08:38:00.000-08:00

I am working on my novel for the National Novel Writing Month competition. Competition in a sense because I'm not actually competing with anyone but myself. This year I hope to finally complete my 50,000 words by the end of November.

So the following is a passage from my novel. I've been playing around with it, tinkering. We are not supposed to nitpick at this point, but I can't help it. After I finished reading the wonderful novel, Water for Elephants the other day, I found myself looking at my own prose differently, scrutinizing each line. The copy I borrowed was the large print version, and now when I close my eyes at night, I see big words running across the canvas of my dreams. Very strange.

This passage from my novel is pretty self-explanatory.

Standing before the mirror, April checked herself out. Her hair needed brushing so she removed a brush from her purse. As she swept it through her hair, a dim memory surfaced of her mother brushing her hair when she was little. A fond memory for sure, but one of the only good ones she could recall. Most of what she could remember was just a vast amount of time spent alone since her mother often neglected her. Alone in her room, she found solace in her books and drawings. And, of course, her imaginary friends. April stopped brushing and stared at her reflection. Her mother had told her she had beautiful hair, the kind men would admire one day. Her mother had the same kind of hair and primped for hours whenever she was going out. April was too young to know where her mother went at night. She thought perhaps her mom was a waitress at some cocktail place, but didn't know for sure. All she knew was that her mother went out night after night instead of being there to help her with her homework or talk to her or spend any time with her.

I've just gone over this passage again, making a few more snips. I keep finding new things to fix.

So what's your writing method? Keep fixing as you go, or wait 'til later?

NaNoWriMo...

2009-11-05T05:44:00.000-08:00

Whenever I read that little abbreviated copy, I immediately think of Robin Williams as Mork in the old show Mork and Mindy. His trademark expression, "Nano nano" helped make him a star.

But participating writers know the above abbreviation stands for National Novel Writing Month. The goal: write a novel in a month. I've given it a shot for the past two years. The first time around, being a NaNo virgin, I didn't make the required 50,000 words by the end of November. It was much harder than I imagined. And I tried to do the unthinkable--write a good novel, one with a plot, character development, scenes that made sense, and sparkling prose. I edited as I went along, as I usually do when I'm writing. I guess that abbreviation should be more like "Nuh uh, nuh uh", as in "don't even try that." Why? Because stopping to edit and change things around takes time. In order to write 50,000 words by the end of the month a writer has to write approximately 1,666 words per day. Who has time to think, plan, and edit on a schedule like that?

So I failed at my first attempt. But I did learn some things. Sitting down to write each night requires dedication. I turned off the TV and secluded myself from my family members. No matter how much I wanted to run into the living room to find out what was so funny or what they were talking about, I didn't budge from my chair. And I found that the words flowed along, night after night, or usually did. Sometimes I got stuck. Then I got panicky. How was I supposed to complete my 1,666 words for the day if no words popped into my head? Sometimes I skipped scenes too hard to write. I'd go back to them later. Can't think of an interesting way to describe a character? I just threw in some "blah blah blahs" to fill the paragraph.

The second time around I believe I was dealing with illness and then family stuff. I still didn't complete the 50,000 words.

This time around I'm staying on track. I'll get this sucker written one way or another. It will be very hard to avoid fixing things since I was trained to do that in my job as an editor. I'll just have to shut one eye and keep typing.

The words will not be gems, but more like rocks. That's it--a bag of rocks.

So excuse me now. I've got some rocks to collect.

With a little luck...

2009-11-02T06:16:00.000-08:00

I was discussing the notion of "luck" with some friends the other day. There are those who feel the good things that happen to us are a matter of hard work, perseverance, a positive attitude, etc., and those who feel it's simply a matter of good luck. I know Oprah thinks it's the former of these two. I've heard her say so on her TV show. I know I've always been cynical about this topic.

I'd like to believe hard work, setting goals, etc. will lead to dreams coming true, but I've never experienced it myself. While Oprah can claim these things are responsible for her being who she is today, I still say that luck plays a part in it. I hold fast to the belief that many, many people work hard in life, struggling to accomplish their goals and dreams. Let's take the example of a job interview. Let's say there is a good job in a given company, perhaps a copywriter for an advertising agency. There's only one job, but 50 people respond to the ad. Obviously, the decision maker has to weed out some candidates to get to the top 3 or so. Let's say three highly qualified candidates interview for this ONE position. One person will get the job; the other 2 will not. It is my contention that the person who is hired was LUCKY. If all three are equally qualified (for purposes of this discussion), luck has to enter into it.

And some people believe that a higher power is responsible for their good fortune in life. They pray to God for help, for good luck, for better health, etc., because they believe (perhaps) that happiness, good health, and success are beyond their own control. Or at least, they believe that God can help steer them in the right direction. I have no problem with this type of belief. My point is simply that some people use prayer as a way to try to make their goals and dreams become a reality. Let's say the person who got the job in the example above had prayed to God: please let me get this job! I guess he or she would believe that God heard that prayer and granted it.

But what if all three had said the same prayer? Two would be feeling a little let down.

So what do you think? Are some people in this world just luckier than others? Are some people doomed to fail over and over again but they never really know why? Does hard work pay off eventually for everybody? Is there some master plan for all of us in life, but it just takes some of us longer than others to figure out what that is?

What do you think?

The Things Left Behind...

2009-10-28T06:04:00.000-07:00

Inspired by an anecdote on another writer's blog, I got to thinking about the things we leave behind. How many of us inadvertently leave something important somewhere and either never get it back or go through hell trying to get it back?

My husband has a bad habit of forgetting his baseball caps in public places. Just recently he left one behind at the movie theater. When we got back home he asked, "Did I have my hat with me at the movie?" We both pondered that for a moment. Then he said, "Yes, I did. I think I left it on the seat." Oh well. We weren't about to drive 30 minutes back to Lincoln just to fetch a baseball cap. He has others. And now, I suppose, someone else is wearing his hat.

A number of years ago I'd visited a fast food place for lunch during my lunch break from work. Having only a half hour alloted to me, I got busy eating my food. I'd draped my new jacket over the back of the chair and never gave it another thought. It was a warm day and the jacket wasn't really needed. When I glanced at my watch and saw the time, I panicked. Got to fly back to work since some nosy person would notice if I was late. I just grabbed my handbag and took off. Eventually at some point during the day I realized I'd left my new jacket behind. I called the restaurant and spoke with someone who didn't seem too concerned; he told me the jacket would go to their lost and found area. I made numerous calls and even returned to the "crime scene." To make a long story short, the last attempt I made to get my jacket back I was told that the supervisor took the jacket home with her. I never got it back.

Last year at Christmastime I was a scatterbrain shopper who rushed from store to store, frantically trying to do everything in one day. (grocery shopping, mall shopping, drugstore, post office--you get the idea) On my final trip (grocery store), when I paid for my groceries, I whipped out my billfold, placed it next to the credit card swiper machine and pulled out some cash. After paying the clerk, I grabbed my grocery bags, tossed them in my cart and rushed off into the outside world. Later at home when I wanted to check my receipt, I opened my pocketbook. Hmm. The receipt was there, but no billfold. The billfold is sacred of course since it holds all of my cards--driver's license, credit cards, all kinds of important stuff. It would be a MAJOR inconvenience if this billfold could not be recovered! I searched all over the house until it dawned on me--I'd taken the billfold out at the grocery store and apparently had not stuck it back in my pocketbook. I'd left it at the register where ANYONE could just pick it up and take it with them. Oh shit!

But this story has a happy ending. I raced back to the store, the store manager spotted me, the wild-eyed, crazy woman searching for her billfold, and flagged me down. She knew me by sight since I practically live in her store; she'd found my billfold right after I'd left and knew I'd been at that particular register and she tucked it away safe in her office. Whew! I dodged the bullet this time around.

I've also left my keys on a city bus, my driver's license at the bank (and amazingly they did not call me to tell me I'd done that), my umbrella at a restaurant, my winter coat at the hospital, and a pair of black panties at a former boyfriend's house (don't ask).

So how about you? Have you ever left something important behind?

True Beauty

2009-10-26T05:05:00.000-07:00

Okay, my final blog post about the colors of autumn. I just need to embrace the beauty of fall before it slips away.

It's just so beautiful out there each day; sometimes I wish it would last all year long. But then again, perhaps it would get tedious seeing the same artwork painted across the landscape day after day.

I was thinking about it the other day, the beauty of nature, how each season holds its own special beauty. Spring gives birth to flowers, the beginning of the seasons. We get to see everything in bloom. Summer gives us blue skies and lots of greenery. Fall is obviously known for bright, beautiful colors. But how about winter? I thought about that one for a while. With its bare branches and loss of color, what could be beautiful about winter? And then I thought of snow. Whiteness has its own special beauty, blanketing trees, houses and landscapes.

So, let's celebrate fall while it's upon us. Here are a few more samples of the awesomeness of autumn.

The colors of fall

2009-10-24T14:59:00.000-07:00

Today was very windy, leaves swirling all about, so I thought I'd better capture a few more images on camera before the trees are bare.

I found this group of trees surrounding a nearby fishing pond; they called to me as I was driving past. I thought, "Oh, I've got to take some pics of those on my way back."

It was a bit overcast today, so the photos will reflect the lack of sunlight. Still, I couldn't resist the colors. In the next few days I'm hoping to get over to County Road where I saw some beautiful yellow leaves. Just hope they haven't all blown away!

Oh, and if you click on one of the pics, you can see the larger, clearer version.

It's time to dress for fall...

2009-10-23T11:25:00.000-07:00

As promised, I went out and snapped a few fall pictures to show the contrast of the changing seasons. Many of the trees around me are beautiful right now; it's so nice to see those blazing shades of yellow, orange and red as I'm driving about or off on a bike ride.

I know autumn won't last long, so I'll hold onto these pictures as a keepsake, returning to look at them on those cold winter days when the trees are empty and sad. There's a chill in the air today and I needed three layers to keep warm.

May the colors inspire you as you're sitting down to write today.

ETA: I'm going to update this soon. I found an area with much better foliage. Unfortunately I did not have my camera with me, so I could not capture what I saw.

Anniversary Memories

2009-10-21T07:08:00.000-07:00

Twenty-four years ago yesterday I wore a white dress, white shoes, a touch of jewelry and my best smile. A nervous smile, I might add. I remember something my mother once said about sitting across the breakfast table at her husband and thinking, "Who is this man?" Sure, I knew the man I was marrying, but did I really know him? Ah, but twenty-four years later, I know him quite well!

It was a blustery fall day, the red, orange and yellow leaves swirled about, but the sun was shining and my heart held the highest hopes for a new life with my new partner on a journey I could only imagine. "For better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health"--I repeated the words and so did he. I was a bundle of nerves, my palms were dripping wet; I knew what I was saying but somehow couldn't really focus on the words. All eyes were glued to the two of us, as if we were actors on a stage; one false move, one slip and perhaps they'd be laughing at us.

Much of that part is a blur but often through the years I've thought about those words we were asked to repeat. They have such meaning, such significance, and yet for many they don't seem to mean much at all. Considering the divorce rate, how could they have meant much at all? My husband and I have been through good times and bad times ("for better or for worse"); we've never been rich, but we've been poor. I translate that one to ("for poor or for poorer"). There has definitely been some sickness, mostly mine, and thankfully my husband has seen me through it. These are things many people never think about when they're standing across from each other wearing their Sunday best, gazing into each other's eyes, hand in hand, before God and family and friends. The future is down the road, out of sight. Their focus is usually on the present, their special day of celebrating, partying, dancing, smiling and loving each moment.

Those holy vows meant something to me way back then and they mean even more to me now. I take promises very seriously. We can't know what kinds of hurdles life will throw in front of us on that road that leads to the future, but we have to be ready for them. And holding onto your partner's hand you're saying, "I can get through anything as long as you're beside me."

"For as long as you both shall live."

Descriptions, descriptions!

2009-10-15T18:43:00.000-07:00

How would you describe these flowers? Are they pink and white or are they more than that? Do they need to be more than that?

I was trying to write a 3000-word story for a contest and didn't get too far. I had a vague idea of where the story was going. I'd figured out how to incorporate three contest requirements into it. The problem? Narration. Description. How to explain what the woman is doing and why.

I don't seem to have a problem coming up with ideas. I don't flinch when it comes to writing dialogue. Piece of cake. But descriptions? Man, that's hard. I'm a writer, I'm supposed to be able to do it. Are certain writers better at descriptions than others?

There are times when I think I should stick to writing poetry. Or non-fiction. Or maybe plays.

And now back to those pretty flowers. How would you describe them? (oh, you can click on the picture to see a larger version).

A Writer and Her Workspace

2009-10-14T11:26:00.000-07:00

Originally, I had some photos of my workspace posted. But since someone thought my desk looked a little too neat, I decided to take a few pics of its messier status. Now, I tried to edit the original post and move some things around, but technology doesn't like me very much, so I wound up removing the whole ball of wax.

And now I have to use my brain to remember the lovely words I'd posted. Of course, I can't recall, so I'll just have to wing it. I believe I explained that in its neatest condition, my desk holds a dictionary, a fancy can with some pens and pencils, a laptop computer supported by a dohickey thing which elevates it so I don't burst my neck muscles, a stapler and a few Avon books (my other money-making venue).

In its messier condition, you'll see some other items such as a Kathy coffee mug, a water bottle, a magazine, a bunch of papers, yet another cup of pens and pencils, my mouse and now a brand new phone. Nearby is my printer.

And what good is a workspace without the writer working in it.

If all goes well, the photos will magically appear once I'm finished typing this. Cross your fingers I do this right.

What does your workspace look like?

Sky pictures

2009-10-11T11:33:00.000-07:00

"Rows and flows of angel hair

and ice cream castles in the air

And feather canyons everywhere,

I've looked at clouds that way."

Joni Mitchell had a nice way of describing what clouds look like. Very accurate, too, I must say. Today when I was taking my walk I decided to study some clouds and photograph them, too.

I think most of us can remember lying on the grass as a child, staring up at the clouds. We challenged one another to try to describe the shapes we saw, to find the hidden pictures. There were dragons, castles, witches, angels...or maybe nothing more than just a girl's flowing hair stretching across the sky.

I wrote a haiku about clouds once:

Clouds filter through steel

branches, unraveling threads

of sky tapestry.

What do you see in the clouds?

I need to make you laugh!

2009-10-03T15:49:00.000-07:00

So, I wanted to write some humorous greeting cards the other day, but for the life of me, I just couldn't think funny. How do you say something funny on command? I can't do it, but perhaps some people can. I'm sure Jim Carrey and Robin Williams aren't funny 24 hours a day. They must have their off moments. It's great to have a script in front of you filled with funny lines, but what if you don't? We're all humans, capable of multiple emotions, so you would think we all have times when we just don't feel funny.

So, in that case, how do you MAKE humor happen? How do you tap into that funny vein and make the silly, crazy stuff come pouring out?

One way I do it is with pictures. (Like the one I've posted above.) I need idea starters. So I googled funny baby pictures. Then I stare at a picture and wait for inspiration to strike. Possible captions for this one? How about: "Man, I'm pooped. And speaking of poop, change my damn diaper, will ya?"

Or maybe: "Sucks being me. How are YOU doing?" Then there's: "She makes me wear this goofy-looking hat! What will all the cool kids think?"

A number of years ago when I was working in editorial at Paramount Cards, I finally got a shot at writing humorous cards. We had a very small staff the whole time I was there; all three of us worked on sentimental or serious cards, no funny stuff. That was fine with me but I must admit there were times when I felt like writing some humor. It wasn't until 1996, I think, that we had a different editorial manager, and he let the three of us editors work on some humor. I remember sitting around with Michael and Regina, bouncing ideas off each other. It was great! We just cracked up laughing and I thought: What a great way to make a living! The other departments must have thought we were insane; I'm sure they could hear our bellows all the way down the hallway.

So, that's another way to stir the funny pot--surround yourself with funny people if you can. My youngest sister is usually a great source of jokes, derived mostly from real life incidents.

The only other way I can think of is to watch funny TV shows (and there aren't many I'd consider funny) or funny movies. Sometimes a book will prove useful.

Excuse me now. I've got to go tickle my funny bone so I can tickle others.

Beauty Can Still Come Through

2009-09-28T13:15:00.000-07:00

I was looking at this picture I took recently and trying to determine what it signifies. Besides the obvious--a couple of pink flowers poking through an old fence--maybe one could go a little further and say it represents something new coming from something old, or something new and beautiful blossoming in an old and ugly world.

It's possible to find ugliness and evil in the world around us if we choose to look for it. But what a sad and miserable way to live, to always see the bad instead of looking for the good. We live in a very fast-paced society where manners have seemingly vanished; after all, if people are always in a rush to get to their destinations, there's no time for politeness-- it's just GET OUT OF MY WAY!

But maybe it doesn't have to be that way. Many of us are at fault for having to rush. If we oversleep, don't get enough sleep to begin with, or forget to set our alarm clocks, for instance, we set ourselves up for trouble. We end up behind schedule, rush out the door, hop into the car, back down the driveway and zoom down the street. Heaven help anyone in our path!

Life seems a little bit broken and I think we're going to have to fix it a little at a time. If each one of us tries a little harder to get organized, calm down, and rid our schedules of the excess stresses that make it so hard for us to be patient and polite, well maybe that would help a lot.

We can be those beautiful flowers trying to poke through the old fence, saying, "I'm ready for a fresh start."

Mysteries

2009-09-24T08:22:00.000-07:00

There are mysteries out there. Some are big ones, some are small. My fascination with houses extends beyond the houses themselves; I also wonder about the people who dwell within them.

And then there are the things you see outside. For instance, a bunch of shoes hanging on a telephone line. How did they get there? Who tossed them up there? Why are they up there?

I do not have the answers to these questions. But that doesn't stop me from being curious. Yes, it's a small thing to ponder, considering the bigger mysteries in life. But I'm just a small fry in a big vat of bigger fries, so I'll focus on the little mysteries for now.

Here is a possibility: Some kids swiped the shoes belonging to Tommy, Billy and Charlie and tossed them up there so said kids would have to walk home shoeless. Arriving home each mom says, "What happened to your shoes?" Tommy, Billy and Charlie have got some explaining to do.

Here's another explanation: Tommy, Billy and Charlie decide it would be a neat idea to toss their own shoes up on the telephone wire. Tommy says, "Hey, I bet I can make my shoes land on top of that wire and you can't!" The others join in since they can't back down from a challenge.

And there's always the possibility of aliens. Late at night, when a nice quiet neighborhood is fast asleep, three aliens emerge from their spaceship and step out onto the playground. They gaze up at the telephone wire and decide to leave a message behind for their Earth neighbors. Each alien tosses a pair of recently acquired shoes up on the wire. What does it mean? Well, we can only guess. Perhaps it means: We would like to know what it's like to walk in your shoes for a day. Or maybe: You people have strange taste in footwear. Or: This is a warning, Earthlings! First your shoes, next your clothes, then your lives! Fear us!

As I said, I'm curious about the things I see every day. How about you? What makes you curious?

And the seasons go 'round and 'round...

2009-09-22T09:50:00.000-07:00

I'm fortunate to have some beautiful country landscapes very close to where I live. The other day I decided to snap some pictures of late summer/early fall which will begin this new experiment I'm planning.

I will try to faithfully follow up with pictures of this same lake and countryside when the leaves turn to red and gold, then later when the trees are bare, and finally when spring returns with budding flowers and leaves.

This cycle of the seasons has always fascinated me. Spring seems to signify the beginning; for humans it's the equivalent of infancy and childhood. Then Summer cartwheels in as an adolescent, Fall carves out its own colors and personality as an adult, and eventually Winter ends the cycle as a senior citizen.

As Joni Mitchell wrote in her classic song, The Circle Game, "And the seasons they go 'round and 'round and the painted ponies go up and down...We can't return we can only look behind from where we came, and go 'round and 'round and 'round in the circle game."

Have You Seen My Smile?

2009-09-16T14:10:00.000-07:00

A while back my husband said something to me I've never forgotten. He didn't say it to be insulting; it was simply an observation. He said, "You don't seem to smile as much as you used to."

Really?

At the time I brushed it off, didn't think too much about it. But lately I've been pondering his observation. Is it true? I don't smile as much as I used to? If not, why not?

I've never forgotten a certain line from the Billy Crystal film, City Slickers, when the wife says to her unhappy husband, "Go and find your smile." It's a wonderful line. It really is. Crystal's character was unhappy with his job and his life in general, as I recall. Going off on vacation with his buddies opened the door to adventure and new experiences and in the end he did indeed find his smile.

But for those of us living in the real world, perhaps it's not so easy. Children always seem to find a reason to smile; they're often pleased by very simple things. Teenagers have a harder time of it since they're often dealing with peer pressure, conflicts with parents and good old-fashioned acne. Still, if life blesses them with a good family and good skin, there should be a fair amount of smiles. But grown-ups? That's where things get tricky.

We just have so darn many responsibilities, don't we? I remember a time when I didn't. I smiled more when life was more carefree. And I smiled when I had a job I liked, money coming in, or when I was just plain having fun. Somewhere along the way I think I've stopped having fun.

So therefore I am making it my goal to pump more fun into my life. I'm not really sure how. But I am determined to find my smile.

Now which way did it go?

Houses Have Personalities

2009-09-08T08:17:00.000-07:00

I like to look at houses from the street. I find them fascinating. When I'm out taking my walks I check out homes--the colors, windows, fences, yards, flowers--everything that makes each home unique. I try to imagine who lives within the walls; is it a couple? Old or young? A family? Little kids or older ones? A single person? There are some indications if one tries to find them.

For instance, a little tricycle adorning the front lawn. Or perhaps parked in the middle of the driveway. A skateboard tossed aside, a small pool, a trampoline in the back yard. All of these things would suggest children live here.

And then there are the houses and yards not so obvious. Who lives here? That's a little game I like to play. Just out of my own innocent curiosity, mind you. I'm a writer; I'm curious. It's not really any of my business, but it interests me. There are some people who are quite talented at decorating their houses and property, making them attractive to the eye. Others put less effort into it for various reasons. Perhaps they can't afford to repaint or fix up their houses and yards. Or perhaps they don't care. Simplicity is also a possibility. For some home owners it's what's on the inside that counts.

Houses have personalities. I've posted a few houses for you to examine. Maybe you can guess who lives inside them.

Change is in the air

2009-09-03T13:41:00.000-07:00

I feel it in the air. Change is coming. As I'm riding along with the breeze blowing back my hair I feel Fall touching my skin and whispering in my ear, "I'm coming. Get ready for me."

This is the time of year, end of summer, almost fall, when sadness creeps in and threatens to throw me off balance. I want to cling to summer, make it stay for just a little longer. I look up at the clear blue sky, the gently swaying, beautiful green leaves on every tree and try to memorize each detail. I know it won't be long before this color turns to multi-colors--shades of orange, yellow and red. I won't mind autumn's varied palette, but after that, they'll all die off, crinkle away and curl up stiff and broken on the ground. The trees will be as bare as I once described them in a poem: "the trees shed their leaves like skin and leave behind a ghostly grin."

I'm not ready to face the nakedness of winter. And so I cling to the lovely and varied costumes of summer and fall.

I will try my best to appreciate each fading summer day before it slips away. I will photograph the treasures of nature with my eyes.

I feel it in the air. Change is coming.

Just how socially network social are you?

2009-08-28T11:44:00.000-07:00

Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, MyTwitFace, MyBookSpace.....

Ahhhhhh! What is the world coming to?

Yes, I'm guilty of joining two of the major social networking sites. Why? I don't know. Just because. Keeping up with technology and the Joneses or something like that.

I remember a time when people looked each other in the eye when they talked. And I remember a time when people sat down in a chair and dialed that thing called a telephone to speak with friends and family members. (Texting? What the heck is that?) Why, I even remember a time when people sat down at a desk and whipped out something called stationery (along with a pen) and, GASP!, wrote a letter to friends who lived far away.

But, alas, that was back in the caveman days.

I was one of those cavewomen who stubbornly clung to her customs and cultural routines for quite a while. The computer age? The digital age? Oh no, not that! It's a lot safer hiding in a cave. Just give me the basic, rudimentary sticks and I'll scratch out a message in the dirt. As long as the message didn't have to be too long, I probably wouldn't run out of dirt.

Does anyone here remember typewriters? Those noisy, clippety machines that typed out letters and other correspondence? Why, I bet one of those dinosaurs would be worth a bundle at an auction these days. A real antique! No real use for one, but you could put in on display for future generations.

And what will the future bring? When Kathy is in her eighties, what will all the young whippersnappers be doing with their time? Just how will they be communicating? Let's try to imagine the possibilities, shall we?

What might be coming down the road? Our current cell phones DO just about everything. (What is that commercial that goes: "There's an ap for that." ??) Applications, music, photography, texting... What else might a phone be programed to do?

The future classroom might feature each student sitting at his or her desk texting on a cell phone to the person at the next desk. Oral communication will cease to exist! No human teacher will be required because a computer will beep out the lessons the students will listen to on their earphones.

Husbands and wives will no longer speak to each other. The wife, for example, will stand in the kitchen preparing dinner, and if she needs to ask her husband a question, she'll simply use her nearby wall computer and type in her question. This will be relayed to her husband who's seated on the couch in the living room. Something will beep or lights will flash and he'll see the question on his wall screen and type in his answer.

Ah. It's all so simple.

At the kitchen table, on those rare occasions when all family members are present, each one will text messages back and forth while enjoying their tasty meal.

And what kind of wonderful high-tech social networking site will exist thirty years down the road? Hmm. One can only speculate. Probably each home will have a huge wall devoted to just that. Rather than Facebook's virtual wall, this will be a REAL wall. People will push a button or flick a light switch when they return home from work and one entire wall will light up with messages and pictures along with videos and music.

Or why stop at that? Maybe EVERY wall will have all of this stuff flashing and beckoning.

That's okay. The young people can have it. I'll be in my eighties rocking in my rocking chair, senile and oblivious to all of it. Maybe I'll have saved my trusty iPod and be tapping out the beat to some oldie but goodie.

Or there's always the chance that life will do a complete turnaround and we humans will go back to the days of talking face to face, writing letters, and only using the telephone once in a while when it's really needed.

Excuse me now. I have to go check my email, read some blogs, see what's happening on AW, Facebook, Myspace, Yahoo........................

Fifteen Films in Fifteen!

2009-08-25T09:07:00.000-07:00

Inspired by another blogger, I am going to try his experiment of posting 15 of my favorite movies in 15 minutes. Don't know if I'll have time to say why they're my favorites, but I'll try. Here goes:

1. The Silence of the Lambs: Just excellent in so many ways--the acting, the script, the direction, the characters.

2. While You Were Sleeping: My favorite romantic comedy. I love the budding relationship between Lucy and Jack. They squabble, they laugh, they fall on the ice together. Here is a couple which actually gets to know each other before they sleep together. Actually, the audience never does see them sleep together. But it is obvious they are good together.

3. Rocky: I'm not normally interested in sports or boxing, but there is also a love story in this film. Adrien is so interesting to me because she's shy and not your usual perfect beauty. I love the relationship between Adrien and Rocky. I also love the idea of an underdog trying to win.

4. Jaws: I've always loved this movie. It scared the crap out of me when I first saw it in the theater. I could see it a hundred times and still be scared.

5. Fried Green Tomatoes: Wonderful characters in this film, people you can really care about.

6. Tombstone: A great western with great acting. And I'm a big Kurt Russell fan, too.

7. Forrest Gump: Charming, funny, interesting, and touching.

8. Alien: I love the first of this trilogy. Or are there 4? Very scary.

9. Gladiator: When this movie first came out, I did not think I would like it. Was I wrong? Wonderful acting, scenery, and battle scenes.

10. Meatballs: Yes, it's kinda goofy, I suppose but I love the idea of a young boy trying to fit in. A counselor takes him under his wing and helps him find some confidence.

11. The Karate Kid: I love the underdog working hard and winning. And a great relationship between teacher and student.

12. Pretty Woman: Funny and touching. No, I don't think it's very realistic. But a fantasy type of story, so I can live with that.

13. One flew over the cuckoo's nest: Very well done and thought-provoking.

14. The Sixth Sense: Love this film. I did not guess what was coming at the end.

15. The Green Mile: Good acting, thought-provoking film.

Okay time is up! Now I'll go back and explain my reasons.

Oh those lazy, hazy days of summer!

2009-08-22T09:32:00.000-07:00

Ah, it's August. Such a sticky, sweltering, suffocating summertime month. Here you see some beach goers soaking up the sun. Some people here think the beach is THE place to be when it's hot and muggy. Sure, if you don't mind all that beach traffic as you're on your way to your destination, made worse if you don't happen to have air conditioning in your vehicle. And then there's the problem of all those bodies splayed out on every inch of sand from here to eternity.

No, that's okay, I'll pass. Give me a nice, cold, air-conditioned room! Ah yes! Give me a nice, lengthy book to prop up in front of me as my legs are stretched out in front of me, feet resting on a little stool, my back pressed against a comfortable chair, and I'm happy as a clam. (While others are out in the hot sun digging for clams.)

Sure, I live in the Ocean State. That's what we're famous for. The ocean, tall ships, beaches, quahogs, seafood--all that stuff. And all of that stuff is great. But I find hot, sticky weather very uncomfortable. It's hard to breathe, hard to think, hard to concentrate. I want to be able to write something coherent and read passages from an intriguing novel just once, instead of over and over again.

So, speaking of summertime reading, I'll tell you what I'm reading. First I read Kim Richardson's autobiographical book, The Unbreakable Child. Also read a fellow writer's unpublished novella tentatively titled Reaper Tales. Now I'm reading My Quirks and My Compass by H. Charles Dilmore. After that, I'm planning to read Summer Sisters by Judy Blume. If there's any summer left by then it's on to Goodnight Nobody by Jennifer Weiner.

So how about you? What books are on your beach blanket reading list? Or, if you're hiding from the sun, your living room coffee table?

Picture this!

2009-08-19T09:11:00.000-07:00

blurry I don't know what
floral collection
boats on the bay
flowers and flag
sunflowers are us

I took a walk the other day with my trusty digital camera accompanying me. The mission was to seek out lovely, interesting, or unusual images to photograph. My own yard is devoid of flowers at this time. It's just the timing; end of August seems to be end of summer/almost fall, so my yard is at that in-between time. Our flowers seem to spring up in early spring, then disappear after a few weeks, not to be seen again until next year.

So my only option was to search for flowers in other people's yards. I've posted them here with little captions so you can see what I found. I particularly like the one called "blurry I don't know what" because I truly don't know what it is. But that's the fun of it. See if you can figure out what's in that picture. It's good for the imagination!

Note: If you click on a picture, it should show you the larger version.

Is it better to look good or to feel good?

2009-08-12T19:23:00.000-07:00

A certain topic on the writer's site I frequent got me thinking. It dealt with the aging process and how people feel about milestone birthdays: turning 30, 40, 50, etc. Also, the question of whether it's better to "look good" or to "feel good." Or does one guarantee the other?

Let's suppose a person takes good care of herself. She eats healthy foods, gets plenty of exercise, enough sleep, watches her weight, protects her skin from the sun, etc. Let's say she does all of these things but has a job she hates or no job at all. Let's say she looks good, too. Do all of these things she's got going for her matter if she's basically not happy or fulfilled?

Now let's counter that with a person who eats anything and everything, barely exercises at all, gets either too much or not enough sleep, is overweight, doesn't even own any sunscreen, and doesn't put much effort into keeping up her appearance. But this person has an interesting/fulfilling job or career, so she's happy, she "feels good."

Is it possible to have it all? Is it necessary to have it all?

I once read an article about Halle Berry, a beautiful actress. In it I was shocked to learn that years ago she attempted suicide. I simply could not fathom why a beautiful and talented woman would want to end her life. And even though the cause of her depression was a failed relationship, it still made no sense to me. She's Halle Berry, I kept thinking. She could have any man she wants. Why would she not have enough self-confidence and self-worth to rise above her troubles and keep going?

But this is the mistake many people make--we judge others by what we see. We see the exterior and have no idea what's going on inside the person. If someone doesn't have as much beauty, confidence and worthiness on the inside as what people are seeing on the outside, this does not make for a very happy person. I made the mistake of assuming that a beautiful woman could not possibly have serious problems in her life and would be lacking in self-esteem. Not true at all.

So it would seem that spending one's life doing something interesting, meaningful, fulfilling, fun, joyful is really the key to being a happy person. We can't count on our looks to fend off bad things happening in our lives; they'll happen anyway.

Inner peace brings about true happiness.

Out for the count

2009-08-07T14:09:00.000-07:00

I had to have a medical test this week, for which I had to be sedated. They probably gave me the same stuff associated with Michael Jackson. I think it's called Diprivan.

At any rate, it's such a strange thing indeed to go under anesthesia, being at the mercy of others, unaware of what is being done to you, how long it's taking, or what people are saying. And what I might be saying, I should add. That was a particular fear I had going in. I'd heard that people under anesthesia often talk in their sleep. Can you imagine how embarrassing this could be?

"It's too friggin' cold in here!"

"Watch what you're doing with that instrument!"

"You better not be looking at my bum!"

I must admit I cannot remember much about my recent outpatient testing. But I have this vague memory of being wheeled back into the recovery room and in it I see myself being combative, fighting off nurses/attendants who are either taking tubes out of me or disconnecting things from me, etc. I have no idea what really happened; it's all just a blur.

I sure hope I didn't say anything weird or insulting. It really bothers me that I can't remember what happened. They say it's better that way, but I'm not so sure.

I hope not, but it's possible that some unfortunate medical staffer might be sporting a black eye right now.

A Funny Little Story

2009-08-06T07:25:00.000-07:00

I wrote this little humorous story as an entry to a contest. At the last minute I changed my mind and entered a different story. So I thought I'd post it here for (hopefully) a few laughs.

They Made a Flying Monkey Out of Me

Greetings! My name is Monty. Yeah yeah, I know, Monty who?, you're thinking. My name doesn't ring any bells, I'm sure. You've probably watched The Wizard of Oz a million times and the name Monty doesn't mean anything to you. I get it. But I've decided it's my turn to tell the story you don't know, all the little things that went on in that witch's castle nobody has told you. But man, I lived it! Do you have any idea what it's like to be a flying monkey? Even the term gives people chills. Hey, I know. We were the bad guys, hated by little kids and grownups alike. Too bad you people don't know what it was like. That's where I come in. Sit back and I'll tell you The Wizard of Oz from my perspective.

Okay, first of all that Wicked Witch of the West treated us like crap. Some people would have considered us cute little monkey pets, but not her! Oh no, we were just her little servants, her little fetch it guys. "Fetch my broomstick! Fetch my pointed hat! Fetch my nose hair clippers!" And the stuff she fed us? Mushy brown bananas, cat food, and pretty much any crappy leftovers rotting around the castle.

So, as I said, I'd like to tell you the story of Dorothy, Toto, and the rest of her gang the way it really went down. Please don't believe everything you've ever read about that Dorothy. Sweet and innocent little Kansas girl, my ass! She was a tramp. The minute we brought her back to the castle (as commanded) she started flirting with all the guards! Fake crying about getting back to her precious Aunty Em, boo hoo, yeah, I don't believe a word of it. I know what she was really whispering in their ears. Ya know, the witch really locked the chick up in a room by herself because she couldn't keep her slutty little hands to herself.

And then those three friends of hers showed up--the Scarecrow, Tin Man and Cowardly Lion. Those guys were the ones the other monkeys and I roughed up in the haunted forest. Now that was a blast. Imagine us monkeys beating up a lion! King of the Jungle. Yeah, what a wuss. He went down so easy I'm embarrassed to tell you. Why that little mutt Toto put up more of a fight than the lion. Growling and biting. Man, he grabbed onto my leg and wouldn't let go. But that Tin Man? We sure kicked his can. And of course the big bag of straw was no challenge at all. We just ripped him apart, scattered him here and there and then flew off with Dorothy and her doggy.

Now our boss, the Wicked Bitch herself, said there'd be a reward for bringing back the tramp and her little mutt. Yeah sure! Some reward we got. A kick in the rump and all the rotten bananas we could eat. But I digress. I was telling you about the three gang members showing up to rescue Dottie. I heard them whispering to each other in one of the hallways. They were arguing over which one was going to play hide the banana with Dorothy. The Tin Man warned the Scarecrow if he tried to make out with Dorothy that'd be the last straw. The scarecrow told the Tin Man that Dorothy wouldn't want a heavy metal, hard-nosed dude like him. And the two of them told the Lion little Dorothy wouldn't want to be seen in the company of a big fat coward like him. So while they were arguing, I scampered off to tell my boss, her Wickedness, that the enemy had penetrated the castle walls. I figured that would earn me bonus points. Instead, what did she do? Gave my tail a yank and screamed at me for breaking ranks! Bitch! Ya try to do someone a favor.

So, to make a long story short, after my fabulous, but unappreciated tip, the green-faced guards (who seriously needed facials and about a year's supply of acne scrub) surrounded the enemies on all sides. Our wicked leader came forth and greeted (read that threatened) the intruders. Now, here I want to tell you what really happened. Yeah, yeah, I know you'll say I'm making this up. I assure you, I am not. Just as the Scarecrow's arm was burning due to that wicked witch, I spotted a bucket of water up on a shelf. I have magnificent vision if I do say so myself. So I jumped up into the air, grabbed that bucket and tossed it in the direction of the Scarecrow's burning arm. But folks, putting out that fire was really just gravy. Ya see, I was really aiming for my boss, The Wicked Witch. How I wanted her to die! Years of cruelty and injustice will make a monkey turn wicked, will make him do anything. And it worked! That water splashed all over her body and she melted into nothing but the crappy black outfit she never changed out of for all the years I'd known her.

So, there you have it, that's what really happened. I, Monty the Monkey, am the true hero of The Wizard of Oz. Don't believe any other version 'cause I'm telling you what really went down. After the melting of our evil leader, my fellow flying monkeys and the ugly green guards bowed down to me. They said, "All hail, Monty. The Wicked Witch is dead!"

And now that I was no longer forced to hunt down and destroy the witch's enemies, I showed the world the compassion that lived in me by sparing Dorothy and her gang members. Handing the girl the witch's broomstick, I told her to go taking a flying you know what back to Kansas. She and her buddies scampered out of there like a bunch of scared and twitchy little squirrels.

As for me, I was crowned Monty, the Magnificent, King of the Castle. No one would ever again make a flying monkey out of me!

Then and Now...My Kids in Pictures

2009-08-03T11:46:00.000-07:00

I used to take a lot of photographs of my kids when they were little. Believe me, I did. My kids were always such fascinating subjects, in my estimation, that almost anything they did was picture-worthy. Unlike my husband, I felt tub pictures were off-limits. No naked kiddos. My father snapped the occasional naked baby on a bearskin rug photo when I was growing up, but not I.

However, I did take pictures of the kids eating their meals (and wearing a shirt full or face full of applesauce, beets, prunes, etc.), playing in a playpen, smiling back at me in their cribs, toddling around in the snow, and all dressed up for special occasions like Easter and Christmas.

I'm so glad I grabbed the camera each time to document all these milestones and once in a lifetime moments. I've always said if my house was on fire and I could only grab one thing to take with me (besides people) it would be my big box of photographs. I can buy just about anything to replace that which is lost, but not pictures.

So recently, realizing there was a lack of images of my grown-up children, I gathered them together in the back yard and snapped a bunch of pictures. I must say this was some huge feat for rarely are the three of them at home at the same time these days.

And I got a little misty-eyed thinking of that. My kids have grown up so fast and I have been forgetting to document these changes as if somehow they will stay just the way they are, as if it doesn't matter now that they're no longer running round with pigtails or droopy diapers. Maybe I've been afraid to show these changes because that would force me to reckon with the changes in me.

Life is a scrapbook of memories, and photographs are the proof of time moving forward. We can't stop time. As Joni Mitchell said, "We can't return we can only look behind from where we came."

The Windmill of My Mind

2009-07-31T10:44:00.000-07:00

I snapped this picture of a windmill one day while driving around Newport. I've always found windmills interesting and kind of poetic.

Evidently, others do too. Alan and Marilyn Bergman wrote the lyrics to Windmills of Your Mind. Some of those lyrics are: "Like a circle in a spiral, like a wheel within a wheel, never ending or beginning, on an ever-spinning reel, as the images unwind like the circles that you find in the windmills of your mind."

I think writing is a lot like that. Sometimes I feel like I'm going 'round and 'round, never really getting anywhere. Writers need to see change and feel a sense of accomplishment and growth. Like those characters in our stories, if there is no growth along the way, our writing will suffer.

I need to stop being a windmill and be more like a rocket. I want to blast off into the solar system and get somewhere as fast as possible.

But as most of us know, the writing life just isn't like that.

The wheels are turning slowly.

The Secret Room

2009-07-26T13:45:00.000-07:00

A bare room. Starting over. What is the essence of a room without color, carpeting, curtains, and the furniture and possessions that make it personal, make it come alive to the person who dwells within it?

It's like the artist's blank canvas, staring back at her beckoning and begging to come alive. Which colors will she select? Which strokes of her brush are the right ones? Which tones will convey the right blend of warmth, creativity and coziness?

Our lives are similar to this empty room, blank canvas. Sometimes we think the "furniture" can't be rearranged, can't be moved, or we're afraid to lift up a "carpet", fearing what lies beneath.

I used to have this recurring dream where I was back in my former apartment, living on the third floor which contained four rooms. Only in this dream, I'm walking through the apartment and I discover a fifth room! A new room, a different room, a room I've never seen before. I get all excited when I find it, wondering how it came to be and why I'd never known it was there. So what does it mean?

I think the dream is about possibilities. There is something there waiting to be discovered in our lives, but it's invisible until we're ready to see it. It's like a secret room, waiting to be furnished in whatever style or fashion we choose.

I know there are some things I still want to do. It's time to take my paint brush and get busy painting!