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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   |
| I learned something yesterday that I have to share. Probably everyone knows it but me but anyway...here goes. Did you know that you can send a Word doc to your Kindle? I didn't. You send it as an attachment in an email to your Kindle's email address. I hadn't known my Kindle had an email address. You can find yours if your look in your Amazon account under Manage Your Devices > Kindle > Settings. Scroll down and it will be there. I've been writing my memoir (for forever it seems) and seeing it on my Kindle has sort of jump-started me to get back to it. I've been in a slump for around two months now. And by seeing it in another format, I have found several errors (typos and punctuation and grammar) that I hadn't noticed before with my many readings in Word. Plus, it's almost like reading someone else's writing. I'm so excited. I guess you can tell  .If you have your manuscript in a Word doc and have a Kindle, try it. You will be pleasantly surprised. You can compare it to how your other Kindle ebooks look, how they're set up, how much white space is best, and lots of other things. It's amazing if you've never published a book. until next time...c |
| I may have overdone it a little yesterday. We are having such beautiful weather that I decided to clean out a bed of ivy for a flower/vegetable planting area in the spring. It looks very nice and ready, but this morning I am sore, stiff and achy. And I'm on a Prednisone decreasing regimen as well. I'm hoping it will pass with movement as the day goes on. Ah, but it's so wonderful working outdoors in the yard and there's so much to do. I have been working on a memoir for over four years and I'm having such a time about where to go with it. I'm at 32,000 words and it seems like I could be almost finished but in comparison to others, it is short. Plus, I'm thinking of deleting some parts that do not move the story forward. A fellow writer is teaching a class at the community college near me (Writing a Novel: Start to Finish) which I am tempted to sign up for. Is a memoir considered a novel? Or are all novels fiction? The first class is on the 26th so I have a little time to ponder. I went to a Word Press meetup last Thursday evening because I am assisting in updating our writers' site. I learned some things and had free pizza, can't beat that. The attendees (around 30 of us) ranged from "know nothing" to "site developers" so being somewhere in the low end I didn't feel at all out of place. It's held at a center for innovation and economic development (part of that community college) and has a scheduled meeting every month. I signed up for next month, too. Grapefruit are prolifically hanging over my backyard fence. They are sour and full of seeds but they make great juice...one a day to keep the colds away. My neighbor never picks any of them. I'm thankful for the ones hanging over. until next time...c |
| Winter has come to Gainesville, Florida. Low temps have been at the freezing point or less for the last two mornings, but tomorrow we will be warming up and getting back to our normal 40s to 70s for January. Winter is depressing to me, so dreary-looking outside with all the brownish grass, except for one bright spot under two of my pines in the backyard, a brightly blooming azalea. And the birds cheer things up. I'm seeing many chickadees and tufted titmice (not sure that's the correct plural, but you get the picture  ). First thing in the morning they remind me to crack up the ice in their bird bath and give them some fresh water and food. And they peck away at the hanging suet block.Yesterday at our monthly writers' program at the library, the speaker (Belea Keeney) spoke on editing with point of view being the biggest problem in her experience. She suggested a couple books for self-editing, Fiction First Aid and Weekend Novelist, and she shared how much she charged for copy-editing. Depending upon scope, 2-5 cents per word and she suggested you ask for a 4-5 page sample of your editor's work before employing. until next time...c |
| This is the longest stretch of non-entry time I have had since beginning this blog which the little info block at the top says was October 22nd, 2010. I have no excuses other than dullness and laziness. I continue to volunteer at Dudley Farm, enjoying it except when it is cold. As I mentioned, there is no heat. Even here in Florida we have sporadic cold weather. Last Friday morning just before I left at 9:30 the "google weather in Gainesville, Florida" temperature was 34°. Very chilly for me. The little store has three windows covered only by wooden shutters which must be completely opened for light. They are on opposite sides (two and one) and allow for a brisk breeze to flow through the building, great for summer but not winter. Of course, I dress for the temp, never removing my jacket, but my fingers never seem to warm up even with light gloves. I know you all up north are laughing. My daughter and granddaughter came down (from Jax) for Christmas, which was a warm day, in the eighties. I'm used to that and love it. We had a nice dinner, exchanged gifts and got caught up on our various escapades since our last visit. Mopsy got a microgreens salad mix growing kit. I planted it a couple days ago and it is growing nicely, now out in the sunshine from its dark sprouting closet. The photo on it shows an actual human eating the results, but I'm not that optimistic .A writer friend invited me to a new year's day gathering (I survived the holidays party). She had everything imaginable to eat, lots of things especially prepared for vegetarians which I really appreciated. Her husband is a musician so after taste-testing everything meat free, I went outside to sit around a blazing firepit and listened to him sing and play the ukelele. Heaven, figuratively and literally. His first song was John Denver's Country Roads. I had a great time sipping warm apple cider and singing along, a wonderful ending to the old year and beginning of the new. Happy New Year, everyone! until next time...c |
| Every morning one of my computer clicks is on the Rehoboth Beach Cam and usually I check the local Delaware weather. This morning I gasped when I saw the low was 44 degrees F. I keep wishing for cooler weather here in Florida but 44, uh uh...59-60 is just about right with days in the 80s. And the moon was so bright last night. For some reason I couldn't sleep...again...and I was up and out on the porch with Mopsy around 2 a.m. I could see the entire back yard almost like daylight. My calendar says "full moon" on Sunday. The only thing to disturb the serenity was the traffic noise from I-75 which seems to have gotten much louder lately somehow. I have volunteered for something else, again. About 5 miles west of me is a State Park called the Dudley Farm  . It is a working farm meaning crops are planted and farm animals are kept. The farm was gifted to the State by the last Dudley to live there, Myrtle, in the 1980s, It became a State Park in 2002.The farm dates all the way back to the mid 1800s just before the Civil War when the Dudleys moved here from the Carolinas and bought a bunch of land, at one time over a thousand acres. All the old farm buildings have been restored even down to the outhouse. Cotton, sugarcane and tobacco were the main crops at the time and evidence of this is seen in the tobacco barn and the cane grinding wheel, turned by mule power. A few Florida cattle, mules, and donkeys are kept even now and used as they were in the Dudley's time. The sugarcane crop is almost ready for cutting and thousands of visitors will show up for "cane day" in December when the mules will again turn the grinding wheel. Cane syrup is the finished product and that brings me to what I volunteered for. There is a small gift shop/store on the premises where handmade items are sold including the cane syrup. I volunteered for 3 shifts a month (4 hours each). Yesterday I was oriented and trained and will have my first solitary shift next Thursday. Most of the items are donated but some are purchased like the Dudley Farm teeshirts. All the monies go back into the running of the farm. Most visitors show up on the weekends when they usually have their special events, a children's monthly craft day, cane day, and many others so Thursday will probably be a lonesome day at the store. I will take along some knitting and of course a notebook to keep me busy. And then I am an organizer so I will be squaring up and tidying the things for sale. The gift shop itself is an old building originally a little store donated and moved to the site from the nearby town of Archer. It has a little front porch with 3 rocking chairs one of which I will be utilizing. It is a "shotgun" type structure meaning the back door and front door align allowing the most refreshing breezes to go through, important when there is no air conditioning (or heat). Three windows (no glass) with hinged shutters allow more air circulation. I first visited the farm a couple years ago for a Gainesville Fine Arts Association plein air paintout. I walked all around the grounds feeling lots of nostalgia from my early years on a farm up north, corncrib, chicken houses, a hand pump, a root cellar, a truck garden, and a smoke house, all things familiar to me. I knew why this was a great place for a paintout as I watched the many artists pick their subjects and begin their paintings. I may have written about it here...will have to look back. It is a beautiful place that takes one back in time. until next time...c |
| Our Writers' meeting today was all about NaNoWriMo. I confess I tried it last year but just got a little past signing up. Now I'm thinking about it again. Enthusiasm is catching. What turned me off last year was no genre for memoir...which is what I am writing...or trying to write. So today I asked that question and their answer was to write whatever you want to so maybe I will try it again this year. The thing is I already have around 30,000 words. I'm thinking of just continuing on but not posting that first 30,000. No one else reads the thing anyway and the point is to finish. I think I may have been looking at it all wrong last year. I have had such a terrible headache all afternoon and realized I was without my usual acetaminophen so I searched until I found some Goody's powder. It worked sort of but feels like it has just covered up the pain...still there in the back of my head. Oh, and that stuff tastes so awful...last resort. until next time...c p.s. After I saved this post, I went into NaNoWriMo, clicked "sign in" and there I was with a "welcome back" instantly. Is that a little scary? It must be my age, but I'm always surprised at things like that. I mean it's been a year and I wrote hardly nothing. |
| Thanks for the kind messages and well wishes. It's 8:00 o'clock (a.m.) and gently raining with a brisk breeze from the northeast. I live 80 miles west of the Atlantic Ocean. Matthew is currently off Cape Canaveral still heading northwest, 115-120 highest winds. I read there are 200,000 without power in Florida. I'm thankful this storm is happening here during daylight hours. Last night after texting and talking to my daughter near Jax, and yes, I'm coming and no, I'm staying, she decided to stay there. I'm so worried...the storm surge is the biggest worry. I just texted her and it is about the same there as here right now. Out of 6 families in her apartment building 3 have stayed so at least she will have company. until next time...c |
| I'm sitting here waiting for Matthew. I'm all prepared and the only thing I'm worried about are my pines trees...as in crashing down on me. I desperately tried to get my daughter who lives near Atlantic Beach (Jacksonville) to come here but she thinks we will have winds almost as bad. She works for an insurance company so I tend to believe her but I'd feel much better if she came here...and her kitty (Oliver), who hates the carrier...don't they all? I'm sure the beaches will have more flooding. According to our last Alachua County advisory (where I live), winds up to 39 mph beginning around 8 a.m. Friday morning and lasting 23 hours, 80% chance of 58 mph winds around 5 p.m Friday and lasting 6 hours. I realize that doesn't sound too bad considering the actual strength of a Cat 4 hurricane as Matthew is right now. Hopefully, he will stay offshore as far as they are predicting and not circle around and come back for another try at us. The southeast coast beaches will be the hardest hit, the worst since Andrew. I remember him well. until next time...c |
| As late as 6 this morning the projected path of Matthew continues to "hug" the east coast of Florida. It is getting late in the season for hurricanes but our hot weather is so inviting, reaching almost 90 everyday. It looks like we will get whatever we will get on Friday and Saturday. My daughter and 2 grandchildren live near the beach in Jacksonville which will get a lot more than I will here in Gainesville. Not looking forward to next weekend. Our writers' booth at the art festival last weekend was a huge success. I met some of our members unknown to me before except for a name on a list and of course I had to buy a book...or 2. After my Saturday stint in the booth, I went with a friend for ice cream nearby, a place called Delites, and it was so welcome after the heat of the day. Then we went to a panel discussion at the Matheson House on Medicine in Gainesville and Midwives. That was enlightening. The panel consisted of 5 midwives (or former midwives). Their trials and tribulations (ongoing) in an unwelcoming environment was a credit to their characters. The gist of it...which we all know...pharmaceutical companies rule the world. I've been on a Call The Midwife binge on Netflix and watched the last one last night. The thalidomide catastrophe was on my mind during the panel discussion as it had been the topic in recent episodes. What was really heart-rending was how pregnant poor and black women were treated in the past right here where I live. And I learned about the "granny" midwives, black women who had so much heart when others did not. until next time...c |
| I had a wonderful day at the Harn Museum with my book club buddies. Our docent was so good she brought history to life. I feel like I knew Frida Kahlo personally! I cannot imagine though the awful pain she must have felt from her accident. Someone remarked that it may have contributed to her artistry. If that's what it takes, give me my old mundane life. After the Frida tour, two friends and I had lunch at the Camellia Cafe downstairs and it was excellent too, veggie wraps, crab bisque, and pear walnut salads. Then shopping back upstairs at the gift shop where I found the perfect birthday present for my granddaughter, a beautiful journal and a student watercolor set, something she would never buy for herself. Tomorrow I'm working for a couple hours at our writers' booth at a local art festival, really looking forward to that and of course traipsing around the festival looking at all the beautiful art, and there will be live music at a center stage all day. Then a friend is meeting me and we are going for ice cream. The weather is getting so nice and pleasant to be outside but I'm keeping my eye on Matthew. It looks now like we may be spared but I'm not sure about the east coast, especially the Carolinas, hoping the hurricane moves through quickly and easterly into the far Atlantic. until next time...c |
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