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 |  Day to day stuff....a memoir without order. |
 Imagination is described by Webster as...The act or power of forming a mental image of something not present to the senses in reality. Albert Einstein said "Logic will get you from A to B, but imagination will take you everywhere."  I never realized it until I read it somewhere but there are ways to boost one's imagination: Create a visual journal Draw whatever you see for 15 minutes a day. You don't need to be an artist. Think like an artist Cut out pictures from magazines & piece them together to create an original image. Listen to Bach Close your eyes while playing your favorite music. Or listen to the sounds of nature on a CD or in the great outdoors. Play word games Try thinking of as many words as you can that begin with MAR...or you pick. Daydream Let your mind wander, or focus on a single object & study its characteristics.     Everyone has a story....here's mine.....c   |
| Yesterday I had my six month check up at the "skin" doctor and am now sporting two more mole biopsies. Results are due by next Tuesday. Today is Jim's birthday and this afternoon I shall be at the cemetery with a fresh bouquet of flowers. He would have been seventy today, first birthday without him in fifty years. I am beginning to think the pain and longing will never ever go away, maybe not even get any lighter. The solace I find here helps to keep me going. When I got home from my appointment yesterday, my neighbor was hobbling to her mailbox so I went out to talk. She twisted her back after getting up from a stool and had just returned from the chiropractor, definitely in a lot of pain. She is so nice...she still managed to chat a while. A hurting back is so painful, and there is practically nothing that helps but time. My heart goes out to all the families in Texas who are enduring the aftermath of those deadly tornadoes this morning. It is a reminder of our stormy weather to come. Hurricane season begins here on June 1st. Well, my brain won't turn me loose from Jim today so I may as well say... until next time...c |
| My Sunday writers' meeting was nice although not as well attended as the show of hands at the prior meeting indicated. Mommy's Day understandably took precedent for many. Excerpts from the book were read by WAG members and some actual authors from as far away as Ellenville, N.Y. and Seattle, Washington. Unfortunately, submissions will not be open again until next January. All volunteers, the publishing side is having to restructure their time available to the task. Refreshments were delicious, a colorful platter of fruits and another of petit fours, just right for an afternoon meeting. Yesterday morning I received a call from my sister-in-law (on Jim's side) needing me to go get her and bring her into town (she doesn't drive) to visit her sister in the hospital. The sister lives with her and late Sunday they decided to call the ambulance for her. They think something was inside a sock (maybe a spider) and it bit, stung, whatever they do, her foot. After trying to nurse it at home for a few days, it continued to swell, foot and leg, until the call was finally made. So I spent yesterday at the hospital with Juanita and Rheda. Rheda is fine except for her foot and leg and Juanita said it looked much better after the doctor did his deed (draining and antibiotics). They did a culture to try to determine the culprit (hopefully, not a brown recluse as was mentioned). It takes 48 hours for results so Rheda could not go home yet. She is such a card...flirting with the male nurses at 85! The moral of this story...check those socks! I'm just hearing about Angelina Jolie having breast surgery as I am writing this. I never really cared for her that much before, but my opinion has now completely changed to admiration. What a decision to have to make, but hearing about her mom, I can understand. How brave she is. I always saw her as stealing Brad Pitt...how stupid is that? Labels are so unfair. I have to remember people are not just labels...makes me ashamed. until next time...c |
| I have volunteered for something else, something very interesting. It is called the Sam Proctor Oral History Program at the University of Florida. Currently, they are interviewing World War II veterans and their wives. I have volunteered for the transcription part. You may ask since it is an oral history, why is transcribing necessary? Well, the transcriptions are sent to the U F Smathers Library and the Library of Congress to be accessed by you and me and anyone else who might be interested or doing research about World War II. On the site, http://www.history.ufl.edu/oral/index.html you can actually listen to some oral histories, and you will see what I mean by interesting. This is not some old dull history class with dates and facts and figures. This is a real, live person telling what physically and mentally happened to him (or her). I am well into my first transcription and already thinking about my next one. They run about thirty minutes to an hour and take quite a bit of time to transcribe. There is an actual style guide for transcribing oral histories so that all are done uniformly. The one I am working on is being told by a Scottish war bride, and I feel like I am right there with her, listening. The lady who signed me up did the actual interview. And, of course, one thing leads to another, I come up with all kinds of questions and must pause to research things I do not understand or places I am unfamiliar with. What a learning experience! Who knew history could be so interesting? This Sunday, Mommy's Day (Happy Mommy's Day everyone), I have a WAG (Writers' Alliance of Gainesville) meeting that is sort of special. Winning stories and poems submitted to their literary magazine, Bacopa, will be read, the magazine will be available for members to pick up, and they are serving refreshments. Woohoo! So my weekend is all planned out, and I am happily looking forward to it. until next time....c |
| I am trying to follow my own advice and just start writing since my "idea box" is empty today. It finally stopped raining long enough for me to cut my grass, a miracle since we got over seven inches in the last few days. It is also raining graduation invitations, a granddaughter's and a niece's (actually grandniece if that is a word), ceremonies and celebration parties! Facebook is such a big help on buying presents. I look at their "likes" and have a plethora of possibilities. I have not done anything on the kayaking yet, but I have not forgotten about it...waiting on the heat and sunshine. I did find an interesting site (www.smart-start-kayaking.com) and have been prowling through it. The most important thing I have discovered so far is that, unlike my hips, wider is better  ...for going or not going into the drink. I'm definitely renting on a slow-moving river to begin with. Even getting in and out does not look easy...been practicing my deep knee bends...lol.My Phils (baseball) are doing awful so far this season.Down here I rarely get to watch any of their games on tv, but last weekend they had a triple (actually quadruple) header with the Marlins. Sunday's game was a killer loss...2-14! I couldn't sit through it all, but I am a diehard fan and always will be...go Phils! Cole Hamils did make an awesome catch in Saturday's game, but alas, they lost anyway. Call the Midwife (Sunday on PBS) was exceptionally emotional, in fact, I cried like a baby. It is set in London in the 1950's and seems very realistic to me. I wonder if there are Brits on here who watch it and what they think of it? I love it, but I think the last show of the season is on the 19th (May). Well, I guess I have rambled on enough for having nothing to say so... until next time....c |
| I love the new look here. It is making me want to get back to blogging, but I am feeling a little strange because I have not blogged for a couple of weeks...or more. I went to my memoir class last Thursday and had two strange things happen...maybe not strange, just unusual. We were all seated ready to begin when another member came in. She was pushing a walker and went behind me to sit down at the end of the table when, yikes, as she was turning to sit down, she fell flat on her back. We all jumped up in unison in shock and surprise. She lay there for a while blinking with eyes wide open just as surprised as we were. Then a couple of us grabbed her hands, and she stiffened as we pulled her right back on her feet with seemingly no ill effects at all. She said she tripped over her own feet as she was turning to sit down. She is in her eighties and short like me but weighs more, a really nice German lady. She went on to read an interesting story she had written about her bucket list (our subject for the month) and was perfectly fine. That is how the meeting is structured. We go around the room, read our stories, and have comments from other members. Now for the second strange thing. Another lady, also up there in age, read her story when her turn came around, not on a bucket list but about a skeleton in the closet, a supposed murder by a relative that was actually swept under the rug. I guess that happened a lot way back when. Anyway, everything went on as normal and the stories progressed on around the room until everyone had shared theirs. When all were finished, this particular lady whose name is Betty suddenly stood up and said she was going to have to leave right away because she had been having chest pain for several days. She had called her doctor (sometime before the meeting) and he had told her to get to the emergency room. Talk about dedication! Another member went with her out to the library desk and waited while the ambulance came, checked her out, and, yes, took her to the hospital. I would never have known anything was wrong before she said something. She read normally, looked normally (to me), and was animatedly enjoying the meeting. It amazes me how some people can hide their pain...I am such a baby when I hurt. Our "leader" emailed all of us later with an update from Betty. The doctor thought she may have had a heart attack, now she has high blood pressure, and was prescribed medication. She had a doctor's appointment scheduled in a couple of weeks and was trying to hang on till then. The things we do...hmmmm. So, a little excitement at my memoir meeting, and now that I think back on it, I can't believe she sat through all those stories...and we even talked about George Jones' funeral just held that morning. One lady watched the entire three hour thing on CMT and went into elaborate descriptions. I would have hopped out of there at the first twinge! Guess that is what makes the world go round..... till next time....c |
| Today is Poem in your Pocket Day, a national day to share poetry so I though you might like to read my Jim's favorite poem.... When the Frost is on the Punkin BY JAMES WHITCOMB RILEY When the frost is on the punkin and the fodder’s in the shock, And you hear the kyouck and gobble of the struttin’ turkey-cock, And the clackin’ of the guineys, and the cluckin’ of the hens, And the rooster’s hallylooyer as he tiptoes on the fence; O, it’s then’s the times a feller is a-feelin’ at his best, With the risin’ sun to greet him from a night of peaceful rest, As he leaves the house, bareheaded, and goes out to feed the stock, When the frost is on the punkin and the fodder’s in the shock. They’s something kindo’ harty-like about the atmusfere When the heat of summer’s over and the coolin’ fall is here— Of course we miss the flowers, and the blossums on the trees, And the mumble of the hummin’-birds and buzzin’ of the bees; But the air’s so appetizin’; and the landscape through the haze Of a crisp and sunny morning of the airly autumn days Is a pictur’ that no painter has the colorin’ to mock— When the frost is on the punkin and the fodder’s in the shock. The husky, rusty russel of the tossels of the corn, And the raspin’ of the tangled leaves, as golden as the morn; The stubble in the furries—kindo’ lonesome-like, but still A-preachin’ sermuns to us of the barns they growed to fill; The strawstack in the medder, and the reaper in the shed; The hosses in theyr stalls below—the clover over-head!— O, it sets my hart a-clickin’ like the tickin’ of a clock, When the frost is on the punkin and the fodder’s in the shock! Then your apples all is gethered, and the ones a feller keeps Is poured around the celler-floor in red and yeller heaps; And your cider-makin’ ’s over, and your wimmern-folks is through With their mince and apple-butter, and theyr souse and saussage, too! ... I don’t know how to tell it—but ef sich a thing could be As the Angels wantin’ boardin’, and they’d call around on me— I’d want to ’commodate ’em—all the whole-indurin’ flock— When the frost is on the punkin and the fodder’s in the shock! |
| My carpet is dried out and my computer and everything else is back in its proper place. Now maybe I can start thinking again . Mopsy is much happier also. Neither of us likes disarray. The good news is that everything got a good cleaning! My heart goes out to all those affected in Boston yesterday. I cannot understand how anyone could do such a thing. Being purposely mean is beyond my imagination. I know I do things that hurt people but never intentionally. How can they live with themselves? It just makes me sad for the human race and 'kinks up' the definition we associate with human. I am still trying to come up with a 'bucket list' to write about for my next memoir class. The one thing I have always wanted to do, yet is now probably past doing, is maneuvering a boat on the water...any kind, sail, row, kayak, whatever, but not motor. I prefer quiet. It seems my dreams are vanishing, but I have got to think of something by May. until next time....c |
| I just got back home from my writers' group meeting. It started raining while I was there so I am elated I mowed my grass yesterday. I could see all those little blades with upturned tongues drinking it up as I turned in the driveway. The meeting's speaker today talked about giving presentations. Her name is Kathy Dobronyi,and her book is in the editing stage on its last step to publication so she is certainly ahead of her game. She had lots of good tips on speaking before an audience, yoga (breathing) exercises beforehand and most importantly, be prepared. She also says toastmasters' clubs are good for practice and apparently we have three local ones...who knew? She is a drama teacher and a local storyteller so she has the experience to back her up. She was easy listening. I was going to stop at Publix, but since it is raining, that will wait until tomorrow. I did pick up a movie I had on hold at the library (since the writers' meeting is there). My daughter recommended it, Take Shelter. I won't be watching it tonight because Sunday is good television night, the only night of the week worth watching anything. Call the Midwife is on PBS at 8:00 P.M., then it is either Mr. Selfridge (same station), or The Good Wife and The Mentalist on CBS, all new episodes tonight. I have been drawing some portraits from old photograph albums that were in my Uncle Johnny's trunk. I'm not sure I mentioned it before but I inherited it along with Grandmom's sewing machine. All the photos are black and white, some sepia colored, and of course may of them are relatives of mine. It is funny how you can see someone in person, even though many of them were long ago, and not realize you look a little like them until you really start concentrating on their features...just another way of learning who you are, I guess. There are lots of interesting things in that trunk, but I will save that for another time. Hunger pangs are calling me to the kitchen.... until next time....c |
| Well, I've been wishing for something interesting to happen to keep my life from being so dull, but not exactly the something that did happen. My bird watching window next to my computer has a birdbath below, cleaned and filled almost daily from a close-by outside faucet. A couple of days ago I noticed the faucet was leaking. No matter how hard I turned, I could not shut it off. Each day it got a little worse until instead of a drip, it was a stream of water. I called my nephew (a plumber), and he came over yesterday afternoon and in about fifteen minutes installed a brand new faucet. Perfect. Not quite. Last evening about 8:30 I started to sit down at the computer and heard squishing under my feet. Uh oh. Yep, a water leak inside the wall. We built our home in 1982 and of course it has copper plumbing. Apparently, the pressure to remove the old faucet, popped a seam or joint or whatever you call it in the tubing. My emergency mode has degraded without recent practice. I dropped the phone in my haste to call Robbie. The battery popped out and I thought I had broken it. My flashlight wouldn't work, and when I went outside to turn off the water at the meter, of course I could not see in the dark. While I waited for Robbie, I was able to lift the computer tower up on a stool out of harm's way. He arrived in record time, cut a hole in the sheetrock, cut off the tubing and capped the dirty varmint. Maybe I should mention for you Northerners, basements are few and far between here in Florida. My house sits on a concrete pad with the plumbing running down underneath it. Seems dangerous for leaks, huh? I never really thought about it before, but now it has priority on my worry list. Anyway, most of last night and today I have been sucking up water with the shop vac and running fans. Mopsy is in her scaredy cat mode. She hates the noise from the vacuum and the fans and has been perched on top of the china cabinet for most of the day only coming down to eat and potty. My serene computer area looks like a junk pile with everything in the room pushed to the inside wall. At least I am able to use the computer and am very thankful for that. In a day or two I should be dried out and back to normal, I hope. Please, give me "dull" back. until next time....c |
| I go to bed with the lyrics to "My Guy" and wake to "I Heard It Through the Grapevine"...only in my head The tv is bombarding me with ads for the new broadway play, "Motown". Yep, I am a walking, talking Motown song memory. I reached that age (18) in 1962, probably the peak of Motown mania. There is not one Motown tune I could not sing along with and I suspect there are a bunch of others just like me. Move over Beatles...Motown is back. The play opens next Saturday, April 13th, in the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre.which just happens to be the same theatre where I saw "Sound of Music" on my senior trip to New York in 1962. Mary Martin was Maria...god I'm old! I predict Motown to be a huge success. If I had the chance to go to see it, you'd have to tie me in my seat! On another note (no pun intended) I did go to the Arts Festival here yesterday (and today). It gets bigger every year. I only had to walk five blocks from where I parked but it was a beautiful day and the scenery in that part of town is gorgeous...the Duckpond area, it's called, huge old houses with unbelievable architecture. I did not see anything I wanted to buy, but I did see some lovely watercolors by an artist from West Virginia...almost bought a small one. It was shoulder-to-shoulder walking around the booths, unbelievably crowded but politeness prevailed. I had a wonderful afternoon. I stopped by a local market on the way home and got some yummy red globe grapes, a tomato with some real dirt on it, and a thyme plant that got me with its smell. I've been using a lot of thyme on my stir-fry veggies. Now I have the real stuff and don't have to "moon" over my lost seeds. I think they all are lost to the last cold snap and heavy rain storm. Sorry, I can't help myself  ...I'll leave you with this...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_y6nFjoVp4until next time....c |
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