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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   |
| My 90 year old friend's birthday was today, and she received a plethora of limericks as requested. We had a jolly time laughing over some mischievous poetry and eating coconut cake...after pigging out on lunch at a pizza joint. Another one of her friends from out of state sent her a musical video, a song written especially for Pattie, sung by the friend and set to the tune of You Are My Sunshine. What a riot! Photos were taken and pledges were made to meet next year, same time, same place! We all went home with sugar highs and had nice naps.  |
| Well, I've lost another friend. I don't know why we say lost. She died, suddenly and without any warning. Heart attack, open-heart surgery, icu....one week. The last time I saw her she had just returned from vacation and looked absolutely great, well-tanned, big smile, happy. What happened? I don't know. It just reinforces me to make every day count, take nothing and no one for granted for this time may be the last time. until next time, I hope....c |
| In a couple of weeks I will be going to a meeting with one of my writing groups to celebrate one member's ninetieth birthday. She's providing the cake and ice cream and has asked each of us to write a limerick for her as her 90th birthday present. I hope she likes mine. Pattie Macurdy A lady named Pattie Macurdy writes stories without being wordy. A mantra of truth She tells of her youth and sometimes gets down and dirty. Her hope is to publish a book With a really enticing hook. A small feat it’s not She’ll give all she’s got Without ever a backward look. Now she’s in her ninetieth year Her days have become very dear Minutes to treasure All of life’s pleasure With good friends and kin far and near. I’m happy to call her my friend So I’m writing this limerick to send Sweet birthday greetings At Monday’s meeting And godspeed that book will get penned. until next time...c |
| It's very late so this will be short. I just wasted my evening (or not) watching the first 2 episodes of series 9 of Doc Martin on Acorn. A new one will be out on Thursday at 5. I had sworn off streaming for a while but I couldn't resist the email from Acorn for a free month and a new Doc Martin series. Yes, I know they all seem very similar after you watch a few, but they still entertain me. Guess it doesn't take much. I've been reading lots of mysteries instead of streaming shows, but then I normally read a lot anyway. No actual TV for several years. My current book is a mystery, Unspeakable Mission by Judith Campbell, not a really well known author but a good writer none the less. I met her in person at an author event at a local book store several years ago. She was so personable, a Unitarian minister, I couldn't help but buy her book. As she was signing it, she ask what I did and I said I was a struggling writer. She said if there was any way she could help, please email her. I thought that was so nice and encouraging that I read her book and several more. Of course, I never emailed her, but her offer impressed me. That's all I can manage for now. Until next time...c |
| Sad news. My nephew passed away last Saturday morning. His cancer was very fast growing, rare, hard to diagnose, cholangiocarcinoma. He had absolutely no specific symptoms until the latter part of June. He was transported from the hospital to a hospice facility on the Wednesday before. He and his family resolved that chemo would not help. His passing seemed comfortable and easy according to those who were there. I visited on Thursday evening and he was still Robbie, with a smile and a kiss and a kind word. He was such a good guy, so helpful to Jim and me during Jim's illness. He dropped everything to come whenever I called. And now, through others testimony, I find he did the same with many more making him an even more special person. I hope he is in a heavenly place with a line over the side of a boat, searching for that big bass. He loved to fish. until next time...c |
| Almost two months have gone by like lightning! I ended up taking my daughter clothes shopping for her birthday, and she did finally let me buy her a few things. She hates to go clothes shopping about as much as I do. I would compare it to Chinese water torture...unfavorably. And our new treasurer is slowly getting the hang of things with members now going to her for answers to questions. Happily, she is holding her ground when there is any conflict. That takes a little practice for a newbie to be comfortable disagreeing with an "old-timer", but she is doing very well. So all is working out. One of my granddaughters graduated from NFL University (so proud of her) and is now looking for employment in the health sector. She should find something soon but she is a little picky. I guess that's a good thing since there are more jobs than applicants right now. I went to a library workshop on mushroom identification (5 Tuesdays in July), and learned a whole lot about fungi. Now I'm looking everywhere for shrooms (not the magic kind) to test my abilities. Today my neighbor's front yard across the street is filled with fairy rings (usually poisonous or at least not eatable). It has been raining here daily for at least 40 days and 40 nights so the fungus is among us! The last one I found was a ganoderma, not eatable but very pretty. They appear to be shellacked and grow on oaks usually. They are polypores (no gills) and are related to the reishi mushroom purported to have super health benefits. I think you can drink a tea made from them, but, no, not for me. And some very sad news, one of my nephews (by marriage) has been diagnosed with liver cancer. He is only 57 and about the best person you could ever hope to find. He has a large supportive family so that's a good thing. He's scheduled to start chemo on Wednesday but the outlook is not very good with surgery not an option, at least at this time. If you are a praying person, your prayers would be much appreciated. until next time... Connie |
| I just had my nightly snack, a smoothie of 1/3 cup yogurt, 1 cup strawberries, and a splash of almond milk, so good. Strawberries are relatively cheap right now, at least as cheap as they're getting. Blue berries didn't seem to last long this year...or get cheap. Love them too. I'm having a hard time getting away from the business of treasurer of my writing group even though a new treasurer has been elected and taken over. Board members continue to email me for information after I continually tell them I have turned over all the financial records to the new person. They think because what they want is historical, I should have it...which some of it I do have on my hard drive...but the point is I'm not the treasurer anymore. And I have given all that information to the new one. What to do? I need to go shopping for a birthday present for my daughter...her birthday is July 1st...and I have not the slightest idea what to get her. When I ask, she says she doesn't want anything, she has everything she wants, not a help at all. She will be 54, divorced, living alone in an apartment with her cat and she's an insurance agent. Any ideas? |
| I enjoyed a nice get-together with some writing friends yesterday. Lunch included some delicious hummus with rosemary focaccia bread. I hardly ever eat bread so it was a real treat. Afterwards, at one of the friend's home, each of us read some of our writing. One guest, a gentleman of 80-something, had recently published a book about the suicide of his brother some 60 years ago, something he had kept inside himself for so long. He said the book was "releasing" and recommended writing about traumatic events especially events of which you might hold some guilt. I've read that before but never truly believed it. I wonder.... Anyway, I downloaded the Kindle version, Beyond Suicide: Conversations With My Brother  and started reading it last night. It's very difficult for me to write about certain things and I figure this must have been difficult for him to write about. Maybe it will give me some guidance... perhaps.All the readings were interesting, everyone was friendly, and I'm thinking I will do it again next month. |
| Not much doing today. Pulled some weeds in my little garden area and tried to prop up my huge basil plant that was beaten down by all the rain. I don't think it will hold, too big with woody stems but it smells so good still. Mums continue to bloom and have changed color from a rusty red to bright yellow. They have now bloomed steadily since November, never had that happen before. I have a couple writing critique group meetings next week, Monday and Wednesday. Monday has a "lunch before" at a local pizza place, and then on to a member's home for the writing part. I must do some writing for it, must put my seat in the seat and do it. Once I get started, I'm okay. It's the getting started part that's the clinker. I made pasta with veggies for supper, so simple and so good. My secret ingredient is a few big splashes of balsamic vinaigrette when the veggies are almost done, then when that has cooked down, add some pasta water to scrape up the goodies from the bottom of the pan and make it a little saucy. Spoon the cooked pasta on top and turn off the heat. So good with veggies of your choice. I used a Japanese mix, diced onion, halved grape tomatoes, garlic, and some chopped up romaine on top, cooked just until it wilted. |
| Picking blueberries with Aunt Fanny was an adventure I never wanted to miss. Toward the end of May or the first of June I could expect to get a phone call letting me know local blueberries at a certain farm were ripe and abundant, and would I want to be picked up around 8 tomorrow morning? Absolutely! Aunt Fanny usually had a couple of other ladies with her but she always kept the front passenger seat reserved for me. Containers were stowed in her car trunk as well as ropes or belts to loop through the handles of the farm’s supplied buckets and then tied or buckled around our waists, leaving our hands free for picking. Once we arrived at our destination the owner directed us to the next in line picking spot, always in the hot sun and getting hotter by the minute. Fanny was a fast picker, outpacing me two to one, but I didn’t pay much attention, just enjoying the company and munching a few berries as I picked, making sure they were good and sweet, which they always were. Like the others I started picking at chest level, but if I didn’t want to be admonished, I eventually had to bend and reach for the berries, picking the bush clean of ripe berries before advancing on to the next bush up the row. Sometimes the bushes might be next to a pine forest and depending on the sun, some shade might come my way, but this was unusual, and within a short period of time, I and the others were hot and sweaty. We dare not take a break because the sun was advancing in the sky, and soon, remaining in the field would be unbearable. At some point, upon agreement, we’d have to be satisfied with what we had picked, grab up our filled buckets, and return to weigh and pay. I never picked blueberries with a group that Aunt Fanny was not part of. After she passed away, I always bought bags of berries already picked. Of course, they had been cooled and I never got that warm juicy flavor of the ones fresh from the bush. Not picking with others was just a sentimental thing. Aunt Fanny was a good friend and had a special place in my heart. I always think of her when the blueberries are ripe. |
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