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~ Spring has returned. The Earth is like a child that knows poems. ~Rainer Maria Rilke
~ In the Spring, I have counted 136 different kinds of weather inside of 24 hours. ~Mark Twain
~ When Spring unlocks the flowers to paint the laughing soil. ~ Bishop Reginald Heber
~ If I had my life to live over, I would start barefoot earlier in the spring and stay that way later in the fall.~ Nadine Stair
~ Winter is on my head, but eternal spring is in my heart. ~ Victor Hugo
~ Now is the time of the illuminated woods ... when every leaf glows like a tiny lamp. ~ J. Burroughs
~ Spring - An experience in immortality. ~ Henry D. Thoreau
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Observations on a Sunny First Day of Spring
First full day of Spring and it is a sunny day with blue skies spreading over us like a lovely blanket of warm fuzzy feelings urging us outside to watch robins flutter and crocuses trumpet that, finally, spring has sprung!
The people listen and the dog walkers are out in force. Two elderly sisters walk their tiny Chihuahuas with their bright blue harnesses. A child is being taken for a run by his golden lab. A young man on his bicycle pedals by with a sedate collie, fur ruffling in the breeze, trotting along side.
Suddenly the leaves that have coated the yards on my street must be raked and almost every yard sports a male with rake in hand. Long, puffed lines of leaves bracket the street.
I can't possibly. . .oh yes! I really do smell that whisper of summer to come: Someone has unearthed their grill and the unmistakable scent of charcoal wafts through the air.
Throngs of kids, sweatshirts tied by sleeves flapping around their waists, blossom down the road on bikes of every possible color, their voices shrieks of laughter; raucous counterpoint to the bird song symphony of robins, finches and mourning doves.
The ninety-something gentleman at the foot of the road walks hand in hand with his equally senior wife of sixty some years. There is a spring in their step as they head towards the walking trail nearby. A scarlet cardinal stands out against the rapidly greening of bush and grass.
I feel the urge to wash windows and change furniture around. Opting for a fresh cup of coffee and a break from my newsletter, I head outside to enjoy the day and the fresh opportunity to see more of what today offers. And on the way, I'll bring a load of freshly washed sheets to hang on the line.
Four sheets blowing in the wind. Mismatched pillowcases flap at the ends of the line. Yup. NOW, it is Spring. Something about things drying on a line in the sun: That sunny feeling breezing through fabric. We shall sleep extra well tonight.
The willow trees down by the pond are beginning to get that faint tinge of lemon-lime-y green. The trees off on the hill will soon sport the leaves just now beginning to think about budding out. Soon that green tinge will coat the branches: that green glow before the burst of leaf.
A black squirrel, perched on the windowsill outside the computer room window, is eying the bird feeder. Why can't he do that when I'm inside and only a foot away?
Someone, the next street over, starts a lawnmower. Much pleasanter sound than a snow blower, I decide. A car arrives and grandchildren spill out in a flurry of hugs before heading for the back yard. In a flash, they swarm up into the branches of the maple tree. A broken branch drips. Taste it, it is sweet. Stopping the grands from breaking more branches, they are sidetracked by collecting the sap dripping freely from the branch in an empty coffee can. A satisfying plop-plop of sap collects several inches within an hour. Boiled on the stove, it yields just enough syrup to drizzle over silver dollar sized pancakes.
No, it isn't warm enough to run around barefoot. No, you can't play with the hose. First days of Spring mean Summer isn't too far behind. *looks at the weather forecast for the week ahead* Oh no . . . snow on Thursday. Knew it was too good to be true!
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Some excellent newbies--check these folks out!
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And a few by others who've been around a while *smile*
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LOTS of comments on my Observations from the Unemployment Line article!
Ralph  : The quotes, way to go! Smile In just a one minute you cheered me right up.
Voxxylady  : This is a beautiful newsletter, Fyn. I do so enjoy your writing.
Thank you both!
Jaye P. Marshall  : Hi, Fyn, great job on this newsletter. You have done a great job here of depicting the variety of people seeking employment right now. Their stories provide a wealth of material for tales just waiting to be spun.
I appreciate the comment!
Steve adding writing to ntbk. : I thank you for this newsletter. I read the stories you highlighted and got to see some good writing going on in the WDC. I'm reminded of an acrostic that I wrote years back when I was looking for a job and reminds me how blessed I am to be working as a cashier at Walgreen's, even when things get a little intense. Write on!
We do have some truly excellent writers here! Such a joy to discover new treasures around every link!
Caledonia Lass : My first newsletter from this section. Hard times touch everyone and your newsletter made it hit home all the harder. It gives people a perspective that is usually not seen and for that, I thank you. I look forward to these newsletters, now, more than the others I am receiving. :)
Thank you! Your comment made my day!
jmpd3k: "Observations From The Employment Line" was beautifully written (as well as provided ideas for characterization). I look forward to your articles and observations but did we really need ANOTHER reminder of how bad the economy is? I thought this was a writing newsletter for authors? And isn't writing supposed to take us away from reality, if just for a few minutes? Yes, your article did suggest a silver lining exists and all that but... Bad economic news is everywhere and I personally didn't like being reminded of it in my precious few minutes of 'writer' time before it was 'scour the employment ads' time. I realize the unemployment and economic status is weighing heavily on your mind (and rightly so) but since this is a writer's newsletter, maybe articles like this should be posted as a wdc opinion piece instead of the Author's Newsletter. No hard feelings I hope, just a suggestion. Thanks.
Ah and it is for authors. I like to think that, as authors, we can look for and find inspiration in a variety of places. There should be no place that we cannot look to find interesting tidbits that may morph into a character's persona. Also, as authors and writers, I think that in order to become and grow as such, we should be observant regardless of where we are for humanity is to be found everywhere, in any and all situations.
DRSmith : Well, lookie here;. . . found another classic. If only aspiring writers would read within, less so over your lines, they'd gain a ton of demonstrative technique; IE: show-not-tell, composition, riveting reads, infuse strength, imagery, and emotion, how to extract big power from little words, etc. Love these tid bits..but i've said that couple dozen times already, haven't I?
BINGO! and um. . .yes, you have. But i still love reading it!
columbusadams: One of the more thoughtful newsletters I have read.
*grin*
fleckgirl: Fyn-Your observations from the Unemployment line truly moved me as the honesty of the hopelessness, yet undying hope can survive at the same time seems so contradictory, yet, it has to in order to get through something like this. Very well written piece & I think that many of us can unfortunately relate, but like you said, we're all here in this together & somehow, we'll get through this.
Thanks so much for sharing your observations with us. I think that there is most certainly a plethora of stories to be told, heard & written from the unemployment line... almost a Journal of the 21st Century's Depression; Told through the eyes of its victims.... Thoughts & prayers to all of us - we're gonna need all the help we can get to recover... But WE WILL!
Thanking you for your comments! My daughter once remarked that she thinks I view everyone I meet as a potential story. If not a story, then a character or at least, characteristics will eventually surface within something I write. For me, personally, writing of that (over all) rather depressing experience helped put it into perspective...and that is something that I as a writer find invigorating and sustaining.
spazmom : interesting thoughts on the unemployment issues. My brother-in-law got laid off just before the recent crisis and is in his 60's. He hasn't been able to find anything since. School districts are trying to get teachers who are thinking about retiring soon to do so now ...sad times. Good job.
Thank you. They are but as I've often said..we will all hang in there and do our best to get through all this one way or another.
Michelle Broughton offers some ideas...: I have a job which I hate and am happily leaving for one which I have made for myself, doing something I vastly enjoy. Already I have orders for my products because I have begun two distinctly different ventures and both look promising. We can either cast our eyes down and pray the government will own us 100 precent or we can get off our backsides and make this economy work for us. You lost your job, then make one. What's your favorite pie recipe? Sell it on the Internet. What's your best quality - patience? Then babysit at lower rates and bring in a bit of dough. How about starting a bartering system? You clean house and do it well, but yours needs painting. How about swapping 6 housecleanings (at $50 or $60 per) for one or two rooms being painted? Let's stop looking at our toenails and check out the sky. Take can't, won't, don't and didn't out of your vocabulary. Smile like you got something. Maybe you will. Got anything to barter?
great ideas!
alfred booth, wanbli ska : Your Letter from the Editor is superbly written and observed. I am sorry to learn that you are hit where it hurts the most, along with millions of unemployed and quickly unemployable people around the world.
sad to say a great many are scrounging about.
Shannon  : Fyn, this was an exceptional NL. The recession has impacted me, too. I've been a registered nurse for 8 years. For the last 3 years I have worked for a medical staffing agency, so my experience is extensive, yet I can't get a job because they can hire someone fresh out of school for $20/hour. I have a family and a home here in Boise, Idaho, and I am looking at having to take a 13-week travel contract back east just to make ends meet. I am an optimist, but I have to admit that even I am getting a little nervous.
Yup...me too...but I have faith we'll all muddle through. . .somehow. We will.
and finally
bobneH .. aka.. just bob : Ah... and a big 'thank you' to our beloved EPA, for sending all those jobs overseas.(where under paid workers can pollute their own air without the scrubbers our Gov. demanded)
just bob ( a message written in the dust atop a multi-million $$ air scrubber that is no longer in use)
a sense of humor always helps!
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For Authors: March 25, 2009 Issue [#2964]
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