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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   |
| Well. I'm not creepy anymore now that Halloween is over. I could say I'm coldless, but I don't want to tempt fate. I'm not sure why I have taken to calling myself Connieann. Connie is my nickname, short for Constance, and Ann is my middle name. I have heard people say lots of southern girls have two names, Bobbie Jean, Peggy Sue, Tammy Fay. Maybe this is my subconscious wanting to be southern, except I have combined them. Which leads me to wonder how Margaret Mitchell came up with Scarlett for her protagonist. She really did have two names, Katie Scarlett, named for her father's mother (in the book). I looked up the meaning of Scarlett and found it to be passionate and strong-willed. Well, that explains it. I worked in the yard most of today, mowing, edging and trimming, getting ready for my second mole excision on Monday. My appointment is another bright and early one, 8 A.M. At least I'll get that extra hour on Sunday when our clocks "fall back". This one is in a more sensitive area, upper chest, so I don't think I'll feel like muscling yard machines right away. I can't remember exactly how I found this, http://www.fionarobyn.com/Howtowriteyourwayhome.pdf, but it has been resonating with me since I read it. Take a peek, and maybe you will enjoy it too. till next time...c |
| I think I am finally over the cold from hell although I still have to grab a Kleenex every now and then. The Cool Kleenex have been a nose saver! I did manage to do my stint at the Friends of the Library Book Sale on Saturday, a very interesting experience. I go to the sales every time they have one but barely notice what the volunteers do. I was a caller which means I called out the prices of the customers' books (represented by different colored stickers) to the volunteer with the adding machine, the old tape kind. I had to unload their books from whatever they hauled them up to the counter in and then help them repack after they paid. Monday I was certain I was recatching my cold again after handling all those books, sneezing and congested, but today it seems to be gone  .I hope all of you who were in the path of Sandy are okay. My daughter (near Dover, De) was very worried and so was I. She stocked up on canned goods and all the other things we are told to get when a hurricane is coming, but she was lucky enough not to lose power. We texted constantly Monday and Monday night. Her kitty, Ollie, was hyper the whole time. I haven't been to Atlantic City for a long time (the Steel Pier and the Diving Horse were there the last time I was LOL). The pics on TV of the sand covering the boardwalk and the other damage to almost an institution in my mind were sad. My heart goes out to everyone in NJ and elsewhere who have suffered losses. The temps down here in Florida have dipped to the upper thirties for the past two nights, but today we are supposed to reach the low seventies again. It sorta feels nice. I've been watching the newscasters in WVA and even saw one in Beckley, where Jim was from. The snow looks beautiful on TV, but I wouldn't want to be there. It sounds like everyone is taking global warming more seriously now. I guess all these terrible storms and wildfires seem commonplace to the younger generations, but it looks like maybe Al was right all along. Hundred year storms two years in a row is strange. till next time...c |
i woke up this morning with a horrible sore throat and a few sneezes. So much for the flu shot. Shelving at the library tomorrow morning is not likely to happen  .I spent Sunday with my granddaughter She has set a date (Feb. 23rd) and last Sunday was bridesmaids' dress try-on day and wedding gown fitting day. It is so nice for a grandmom to be included in all these activities. Her bridemaids are all different sizes and heights...and tastes in clothes. Dresses were flying through the air right and left, and even after three hours of entertainment, no final decision...except for color, peacock. Unless she changes her mind  . Her gown is beautiful. It seems so unreal. I have lots of pictures but can't post them online. Too great a chance the groom might sneak a peek.Afterward, the mother of the bride treated us to a scrumptious dinner at Red Lobster, cannot get enough of those cheesy garlic rolls! I had a delightful day...and evening. The weather is wonderful, full of fall even though temps here remain close or in the eighties during the daytime and low sixties at night, perfect walking weather. That is, if I felt like walking. I'm going to eat some more saltines. It's the only thing that helps my throat... till next time...c |
| My older granddaughter got engaged a while back. She called yesterday, and they have set a date, February 23rd, only four months away, exciting. She will be the first of my grandchildren to marry. She and Clark have been dating forever, it seems, so it is no real surprise. The only downside is that she will be moving back to Jacksonville. He's a firefighter there, and his whole family is from there, a family of firefighters. The only good thing about Jax is its proximity to the beaches. He's a great guy...and my granddaughter...well, I can't say enough good things about her to do her justice. She's the best! I decided against going to the art festival this weekend, just too many people, especially with my bandaged shoulder. I really don't want anyone bumping me. My mole excision on Thursday went very well. Although I was sleepy for the rest of the day and it hurt a little, I was raring to go on Friday. I took a long walk in this enjoyable fall weather and got to see a fox running off into the the woods. He was very skinny, and it made me think how our developments have displaced so much wildlife. The fox is home but home is not the same. That sounds too familiar. About the only thing I can do is be informed and vote my heart. It seems so much of life is at odds with itself.... until next time...c |
| I dreamed Jim and I were floating down a river in separate boats. I was just lying in mine, going with the flow, but he was sitting up in the stern somehow steering his. The boats looked like dugout canoes. At first we were drifting down the river and somehow I knew the name of it but now I can't remember. It was quiet, we didn't speak, I could see the trees overhead, and sometimes they were so close I could touch them. Then we were going the opposite direction, upstream, back to where we came from. Every once in awhile Jim's boat would be caught in a little white water and he would come popping up past me, then it would be calm again, and he would be slightly in back of me. Sometimes I would raise up and pull a twig off a tree limb and think to myself, I've got a souvenir, and Jim would nod, but we did not speak. The river ended and now we were in an airport, but we got separated somehow. It was crowded and sometimes it looked like a museum. I couldn't find where he had gone, but in my head I could hear him talking, talking to our daughter and of all things, ordering pizza. I was stuck with this other couple and the husband for some reason needed his clothes changed and I was changing them while his wife just looked on like she didn't care. Every time I put new clothes on him, he was still in his old clothes underneath even though I knew I had taken them off. And all the time I can hear Jim talking and I am desperate to catch up with him. I am afraid he might get on that plane without me. I keep trying to get away from these two people but I can't. The crowd get worse. I can't get through. Then I woke up, or Mopsy woke me up, and I was crying like crazy. |
| My Jim was a residential builder, but because of his declining health, he hadn't built any houses since the late 90's. Whenever anybody asks me what I did, I always respond by saying I was a bookkeeper. Which I was. For about eleven years I worked for a real estate development company. They developed P.U.D's (planned unit developments), residential and commercial, built hotels, and managed several apartment complexes. I quit my job in the late nineties when Jim's health problems became worse. I don't know why I always have to respond to that question by what I did outside the home. It was only eleven years and now seems like just a snippet of my life. Jim and I were partners in business as well as life for almost 49 years. I drew all his home plans, most of them custom, had the blueprinting done, drew site plans, prepared the specs, pulled permits, and was a daily gopher for unforeseen materials and all those other little things that had a way of being forgotten. I interviewed prospective employees, contacted references, did background checks, prepared payrolls, prepared and filed all our taxes...and the list goes on and on as anybody in business knows very well. But when anyone asks me, I was a bookkeeper. I'm not exactly sure why, but suddenly all those other things seem way more important to me now... till next time...c |
| i like my Kindle, but I am afraid I have not taken the time to learn how to use it properly. The advertisements say you can pick out parts and make notes to refer back to later, but I haven't learned how to do that yet. I need to quit reading and learn some more about it, but I am a procrastinator. The reading is too enjoyable. Good news for the Gators. We beat LSU today 14-6. I watched the game on tv as I did a little tole painting on a wooden wall hanger I picked up at that church garage sale this morning...for a quarter! It's cute, looks like pine, stained maple maybe, with three pegs on a series of three joined hearts. I fancied it up some with daisies and dragonflies, and it now graces the wall near my bathroom door, perfect for hanging jammies. Today I looked up to see what was coming to the Hipp (one of our local theaters), and they are putting on Stephen King's Carrie next. Starts Wednesday. Wouldn't want to sit in the front row for that one...lol! Has anyone seen Carrie as a stage play? I may have to go for curiosity's sake. Gainesville's highly acclaimed (for real) Downtown Festival and Art Show is next weekend. I usually try to go, but sometimes I can't find a parking space. No kidding, it is wall-to-wall people. Maybe I'll get lucky this year. I certainly do not mind walking a ways. My daughter in Delaware called a little while ago and says a cold front is moving in up there. Their high tomorrow is supposed to be 59 degrees..brrrrr. I'll take just a little of that . I'm still running the a/c, high in the 80's here today. Think I'll just hang around the house tomorrow; I'm in a "crafty" mood. Must be all these art shows...till next time....c |
| The library shift went well. I'm still shelving music cds and children's dvds and tapes. It's a never ending process as things are always being returned. I did not realize I would like working in the children's section so much. They are so cute, begging for more books and movies. Isn't that wonderful We are so lucky to have nice free public libraries. Also , my supervisor asked if I would be interested in working at the Friends of the Library Book Sale later this month. I have already signed up for a couple of three-hour shifts. I'm sure it will feel strange being on the "other side" after going to so many sales in the past. Strange but good. I had a lengthy chat with my new neighbor this afternoon. She has two labs, a younger yellow one and an older and very hefty chocolate one. I initiated the encounter when I was busy in the garage and heard someone say, "Come on, Moose." I looked over to see Jenna and her chocolate lab getting ready to go to the local dog park so I had to tell her how I had written a story about a dog named Moose. Anyway, we had a nice chat. She is a single professional lady, as advertised by my previous neighbor from whom she is renting. She sells yard ornaments online, flying birds of Florida, sandhill cranes, egrets, blue heron, storks, to name a few. They are very artsy. She moved here from Jax, and we plan to go together to a local eatery soon. She's younger than me, but maybe I won't bore her too much. She was very interesting and friendly. At our Woolgatherer's Meeting last Thursday night someone mentioned Jane of Lantern Hill. It stuck in my brain for some reason so tonight I looked it up and found out why...L.M. Montgomery. Here's a free copy, http://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks02/0200881h.html I read half of it just before I posted this. I think I am just a youngster at heart. That's okay.... until next time....c |
| I did as promised and went to the knitting group today at two. The only problem was I was the only one who showed up. Guess I should have called the instructor earlier. Oh well, it's too hot to knit anyway. I'll be sure to call next week before I go. It is amazing how little it takes to put me in the dumps. The morning did not start off all that good anyway. At 8:30 sharp my skin doc's nurse called to remind me of my mole excision appointment next Thursday. Come fifteen minutes early she says. Ye Gods, eight o'clock in the A.M. Argh! I didn't really need a reminder. Subliminally, my brain is already ratcheting out tic toc messages.to let me know I have less than 155 hours left till e-day. I am such a wimp. Nothing else happening here except it's still raining. I am due at the library again tomorrow morning at 9:30 for a couple of hours. Looking forward to that .till next time....c |
| Well...I may be overdoing the library a bit. I went again this morning (only for two hours), and when I got home, I thought I needed a little nap. I woke up at three o'clock...jeez! I think it is just the stress of something new. I will get used to it...going back Friday morning. There are miles of books to shelve. I am a list person so it's a good fit. Everyone is friendly, but, of course, they have their own lives to return to...not really made a friend yet. Tomorrow at two there is a knitting group meeting which I plan to attend, not just knitting but any project you might be working on. I promised one of my granddaughters a macrame bracelet a while back so I think I will take the supplies for that since they only take around an hour to complete. I am knitting a shawl (for a couple of years now) and may take that next time. Hope it's a friendly group. My son decided to go to North Dakota several years ago after his girlfriend passed away. I became the caretaker of her vinyl record collection, around two hundred albums. With time on my hands, I have researched vinyl a bit on the web and find they are pretty much everywhere and almost worthless. And can you imagine how much two hundred albums weigh? I have them in what they used to call plastic milk crates, purchased from Walmart. Anyway, for something to do, I have been cataloging them the way it said to on some site I found. What I shall do with them when I am finished, I am not exactly sure of yet. At least Eric will know what is in there. It is raining here, again, and putting a big crimp into my walking routine. I have a Tai Chi dvd so that will have to suffice for awhile. I like to be out in the fresh air for my exercise though. I grabbed The King's Speech (dvd) as I was leaving the library yesterday and enjoyed watching it last night. It made me think about Queen Elizabeth I living to 101...wow. The movie seemed very true to history I remember...and of course, Colin Firth is not bad either... .till next time....c |
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