A to Z Poetry: 4 a.m. fragments

 

4 a.m. fragments

He yells, 

awakening me from sleep

I'm  fighting a war, saving the world.

He won't remember when he wakes

the glorious battle he fought in the deep.

Did the hero win?

Hubby mumbles and nudges me

waking me once again. 

The cell phone dings and we

 can't ignore the beep or blip or ring,

no matter where or when.

 Even with my glasses, too bleary eyed to read.

It's not an emergency.

It's nothing, I say, 

 just the stupid phone with a mind of its own.

Gracie nudged me in the  back 

purring like a tribble.

Images of Star Trek space battles 

coalesce and thoughts start to roam 

from here to there and everywhere. 

Who'd let the damn cat in?

 Unable to sleep, I rise to write  

and characters interject, telling me what to say.

I give in and let them guide the pen.

The story works when I get out of their way.

When all is said and done, 

tired, yet wired, 

It's time to begin my day.

A Bookish Quest

Good Morning! 

Since I seem to be more in a sipping mood lately rather than feasting on one book, I came up with a bookish quest. Find the oldest or an older book, meaning purchased more than a couple years or so ago, whether it be physical or e form and read it or at least start reading it this week. For Kindle, the oldest books in my virtual stacks are Tent Life in Siberia, a nonfiction book of essays about Siberian travel adventures and survival and David Baldacci’s The Innocent. On my nook, is K.M. Weiland’s A Man Called Outlaw. 

I already started sipping Michael Chabon’s Amazing Adventures of Cavalier and Clay last week which has been lounging on my physical shelves for quite a while.  Think I’ll look through my bookshelves and pull another oldie but goodie out as a secondary.   I checked Audible and discovered a few started but unfinished books, so going with the oldest which is James Rollin’s Devil Colony to listen to while meandering about this week.

I finished Amanda Lee's  Witchin USA in which the lead character just seemed so very young and immature and I couldn't figure out what the romantic lead saw in her but it was a fluffy, lighthearted read nonetheless.   I also finished the latest book in J.R. Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood, The Sinner.  I think I may have to read it again because the climax, the end of the war between the vampires and the lessors was very anticlimactic and maybe I missed something, but Goodreads reviews seem to agree with me.   

Besides sipping from the books above, I'm sipping from Anne Lamott's Bird by Bird which is both amusing and giving me inspiration to write. 

When she gets all angsty about writing, "I finally notice the one-inch picture frame that I put on my to remind me of short assignments.  It reminds me that all I have to do is write down as much as I can see through a one-inch picture frame....   

E.L. Doctorow once said the 'writing a novel is like driving a car at night. You can see only as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.' You don't have to see where you're going, you don't have to see your destination or everything you will pass along the way. You just have to see two or three feet ahead of you.  This is right up there with the best advice about writing, or life, I have ever heard."

Yes it does sound like good advice. I've been a bit angsty about rewriting WIP-RT so going to imagine parts in a one inch picture frame and take it scene by scene.  The universe hit me over the head the other day when I was mulling over the story and suggested I write the story in third person omniscient.  Hmm! 

Pauses for Pentecost by Trevor Hudson

I found my next read since I finished Trevor Hudson's Pauses for Lent: 40 words for 40 days.  It should have been a no brainer but it took me a while to come back round to it.  Pauses for Pentecost:50 words for 50 days.

"Pentecost is a holy day when Christians commemorate the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the early followers of Jesus Christ. Originating from a Greek word meaning "50th day," Pentecost occurred 50 days after Christ's resurrection. Before the events of Pentecost, Jesus had followers, but there was no movement that could really be called the church. Pentecost is considered the birthday of the church.

In Pauses for Pentecost, Trevor Hudson leads readers to focus on one word and scripture verse each day. He invites us to pause for just a few minutes to read the brief daily reflection and do a simple practice. The beauty of this book is its simplicity, and the thoughtful meditations guide us to a deeper understanding of the meaning of Pentecost."

The prayer at the beginning of the book really hit me:

"Lord Jesus Christ, breathe the freshness of your spirit into us that we may come alive again to the possibilities and potential of our own lives, to the uniqueness and wonder of each person around us, to the beauty and brutality of our world, and most especially the wondrous glory of God that fills our universe. May be truly become Easter people filled with your spirit!"

A big Amen to that!

A to Z Poetry - I learned

Josephine Wall

I learned

I learned to fly 

sitting on a swing, 

pumping my legs 

until I touched the sky.

I learned to read 

books filled with 

rhyme and reason,

sitting on my daddy’s knee

I learned to sigh 

reading romantic novels 

full of tragic heroines and muscular gentlemen 

who filled their lives.

I learned to laugh 
in a house full of love, 
and dance and sing
along with the phonograph

I learned to live

as life is quite fragile

and you never know

 when it is going to end.

Year of Writing Dangerously: Something on the Page

So many takeaways from A Year of Writing Dangerously.  Something I have to remember and practice is that no matter what is going on around me, I shouldn't let it stop me from writing it all out.  Instead of internalizing, which I still have a habit of doing, get it all out on the page. Just write.

"Did you dive into the past and write the things you were told never to air in public?"

Actually I did when I was leading the Flash Nonfiction course on WVU.  I bled on the page, experiences with parents, siblings, friends, life, all out there for everyone in the class to see.  Not only was it cathartic for me, but it opened the way for the other writers in the class to release their inner editor, their inhibitions and write.  

"Did you find some humor in the chaos in your life?"  Most certainly.  Stupidly getting a sunburn the day before I donned a cookie monster outfit to entertain kids for a PBS event.  Was it worth getting sick? I guess, especially when kids took me for the real thing and parents thanked me for not bursting their innocent bubbles.  Writing about our trip to New York, homeschooling, all of it.  We'd all be lost without humor in our life. 

"Did you write during the days and months when you felt empty and you had doubts?"  This is a tricky one."  I hate writing about the same thing over and over again, reliving the past, when I should have gotten over it.  I learned I held onto grudges for a long time and didn't love as unconditionally as I thought I did.  While I discovered my foibles and mistakes and worked through them, I also found my strengths.  Although there are days I don't want to face myself on the page and dive into the internet and books until I gather the courage once again, only to discover I'm still worrying at torn fabric that is loose and either needs to be pulled apart completely or sewn back together. 

"Did you get something on the page?"  I have almost every day this year so far. Patting myself on the back.  Story writing leaves a bit to be desired but I'm persevering. 

"Because that's all we can ask for and expect everyday  - something on the page."  One of these days I'll make some progress with my current WIP.  For some reason, I've built a brick wall between myself and the characters and really, really need to just blow the damn thing apart."  And coincidentally a writing exercise from Kicking in the Wall yesterday.  I'm mulling that one over. 

"Remember that you have a story to tell that no one else on earth can tell the same way you can. Remember that your story is important; someone needs to read it. Remember what a connected community you're part of when you write. Remember that you can find the most inspiring teachers in every book you love. Remember that you can be awash in doubt and fear and still write. Remember that the way out of doubt and fear is through them, one word after another."

Amen to that, sister! 

Step by step, word by word, I'm getting something on the page.

Artful Wednesday: Farm Fresh Produce

Country Charm Coloring Book

Family life: Happenings in the Household - Bread and chatter

This week is my short week at work so I actually get to relax a bit and get some things done.  Naturally that doesn't always happen.   Our schedule has remained pretty much the same with both hubby and I alternating days at the shop.  What hasn't remained the same is I feel like I'm going to the grocery store every other day to pick up more water, more milk.  It kind of defeats the purpose of the stay at home order when stores limit certain products to one item. Our town has horrible tap water and Brita has failed me more than once. Crystal Geyser has saved me and thankfully, the grocery store I frequent weekly knows me so they don't limit how many I get each week. Buying it in the store is much cheaper than delivery. 

Unfortunately this local food store isn't at the top of the food chain and has been out of paper products for a month and eggs go pretty quickly. Sunday I went to Food Source for the first time and found what we needed along with multi packs of chicken breast, pork chops, etc.  From there I went to our favorite store to pick up water and things I couldn't find. Some folks like going from store to store to store, hunting and gathering.  Me, not so much. It's a pain and it increases your exposure. But because our shop is still open and interacting with customers daily, it really doesn't matter.  Yes, we are being fastidious and cleaning like crazy before and after, prescreening folks before they make the trip.  Some want curbside service and others just need to have some human interaction.  Anyway, I discovered Food Source has an excellent vegetable department which led to today's adventure, baking Zucchini bread.

I have a wonderful recipe I found on Allrecipes.com several years ago,  Mom's Zucchini bread posted by v. monte.

Oh my goodness, delicious!  Definitely not for those on a keto diet. *grin*

So, Governor Newson isn't lifting the stay at order anytime soon. We've applied for the Paycheck protection program loan and have no idea when the money will come through. My banker said we're building the airplane while flying it.  Scary, indeed.  At least we are still working and have income coming in, although we are done about fifty percent.  We are taking advantage of the slower times to finish reorganizing the shop upstairs and get our ebay division set up.  After the business move, we were so busy, we didn't have time to deal with all the store stock or get hubby's office set up. So there is a silver lining in every cloud.  We will survive.

Happy Easter!

Freedom In The Cross

by 

Olivia Lakis

Published: April 2017

There's something that occurred

on that evening at Calvary

that created such a lavish stir

in all of history.

Upon that old rugged cross

our Savior bared it all

and offered himself a sacrifice

to overspread humanity's fall.

The sacred blood that was spilled

wiped clean the sinner's slate.

Christ paid the price for everyone

and carried our weight.

A willing heart endured the pain,

and purpose paved His way.

He opened the eyes of every man

To whom He came to save.

Though the tragedy of that day

will be mourned by those around,

our joy is found three days later

when He arose from the very ground.

And through that selfless act of love,

we were given new life in Him,

set loose from our bondages

to experience true freedom within.

A to Z Poetry: 3 a.m. fragments

3 a.m. fragments

No idea what woke me up,
I try to fall back asleep.

Images coalesce and scrape and scurry 

across the backdrop of my mind.

Are blades of grass like grains of sand with 

a story in every one?
A memory of childhood playing eye spy,
fascinated by insects on the lawn. 

A ladybug clings to the green before winging away. 

A bug you can't quite identify,

stalks an ant through the jungle of grass.
Innocent hours while away the day.
A far sadder thought knocks open another door.
You took copious notes, two hours on the phone,
as she reported another argument gone awry.
Just when you thought she was out, she's not.
The pastor thinks he can heal him, her, them.
He promises again to change if she'll stay.
He promises again they'll work it out..someday.
Each day is different with he said, she said.
The restraining order so painstakingly
filled out as you listened to her cry; he lies, she tries.
Remnants of their tattered tales, confetti on the floor.
Did she ever make it out the door?
I have no idea why I chose that quest,
and wonder if I'd helped the rest.
Hail Mary, full of grace...
Perhaps a different space,
maybe it's time to read.
Drifting now, eyes half mast
Melvin meows to be put out.
I stumble to the door.
Sigh...
The fan hums,
the heater pops and warms,
and hubby snores on.

Colorful Octopus

A to Z Poetry: Bell

Bell

He sat in silence, 

waiting for the bell.

A single ring, a tone. 

An alert to him know

if he could move or go.

Let him know he could

get on with his life.

All he had to do?

Pick up the phone and listen.

No words or questions,

grunts or groans.

Wait for a simple yes or no

which would change 

the rest of his life.

Little did he know, 

the line had been cut.

An experiment to see 

what he would do and be.

The one on the other side

didn't care one little bit.

A dangerous tease just because

he believed that 

which he didn't know.

He could have 

picked up the phone, or

walked out the door.

Yet he sat and waited. 

Useless, no initiative.

Let himself be held hostage

to those who didn't care.

The one walked away,

into the day, the week, the year,

without a thought, 

without looking back.

Nor did the one wonder 

how long he sat waiting

for the bell.

Artful Wednesday: Colorful thing

A to Z Poetry - Convictions

Thinking - David Restivo 

Convictions

Why would you choose

to go along like a sheep?

Instead of a wolf

and take an independent leap.

They said, you must.

But was it just,

As you look back at reality.

Who is the judge,

who gave you the nudge

to live conditionally?

You've never been one

to obey the rules.

You bend, you lean,

you turn around

to find that which is

out of bounds

and make it fit

to suit yourself.

Why would you go along?

It had never been asked,

when you were tasked

to take a stand, 

to be strong.

Why would you go along

rather than sing

an independent song?

Homeschool Advice during Covid: Great Kid Books

One of the best resources we ever discovered was through Five in a Row created by Jane and Steve Lambert, utilizing  outstanding children's books. There are different guides for different ages and each volume has a choice of approximately 16 books. You pick a book from the guide and read it everyday for a week. The guide is simple to use and everything is laid out for you. They provide step-by-step instructions for teaching social studies, language, art, math, and science.  Some weeks we choose to simply read the book and talk about it. Other weeks we dove into the lessons and activities. 

Many of these books came out in the early 30's, 40's, 50's so you may have read some of them when you were little.  Most of the books are available through Libraries on Overdrive, online stores in physical form as well as ebook and audiobook.  I prefered buying the books. We have a tendency to read the books over and over and over again. 

We had fun “rowing” a different book each week and learning new things. One week we rowed “Snowflake Bentley.”  Have you ever heard of him? I hadn’t. He is actually a real person by the name of Willie Bentley. He studied snow flakes. Yep, that is right. Snow Flakes. He spent his life studying and photographing them. In 1931 at the age of 66 he had a book published called "Snow Crystals" that shows over 2400 images of snow crystals. He died of pneumonia the same year after walking through 6 miles of snow during a blizzard, trying to capture and photograph more snow crystals. 

We baked an apple pie from the recipe listed in the back of How to Make an Apple Pie and see the world. Turned out delicious!  We learned how to write Haiku's from Grass Sandals. Big fan favorites in our household were Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel and Katy and the Big Snow.  We read them over and over again. 

My son and I had many delightful afternoons reading and many of these books are still on our bookshelves today.  Check out the book list from Well Read Kid for ages 4 to 8 as well as Goodread's Listopia of five in a row book selections and you'll see what I mean.  

Happy Reading! 

A to Z Poetry: Haiku - Kitten Cuddles

Kitten Cuddles

Dawn, soon eyes open

Warm pink skies, kitten cuddles

bed too warm to leave

Homeschool Advice for covid: What is your learning style!

Hello, ladies and gents.  We are in an unprecedented time in which many, many parents are being asked to homeschool their kids for a while.  We started homeschooling our son in kindergarten and although we didn't plan on it, continued all the way through until he graduated from high school.  I won't say it was easy, but you really get to know your child, his learning abilities, his interests, and yes, the things he hates.  I decided to share a bit from our years of homeschooling in hopes it will help you, if even a tiny bit.  This is a repost from 2007.  

What is your Learning Style? 

The ladies and gentlemen (yes, there are stay at home dads) from the Well Trained Mind forums are a font of information. Some had been home schooling their children for a couple years to eighteen years. Yes, some people do home school their kids from kindergarten to High School. They guided me to so many different books to read about learning styles and everything else imaginable.

One of the first things I thought about was James learning style? Did I know my learning style? Once again with God as our guide and leading us down this home school path, I read Dreamers, Discoverers and Dynamo’s by Lucy Palidino.

According to Psychologist Lucy Jo Palladino:

“20 percent of children have what she calls the Edison trait: dazzling intelligence, an active imagination, a free-spirited approach to life, and the ability to drive everyone around them crazy. She named the trait after Thomas Edison, who flunked out of school despite his obvious brilliance. Edison-trait children think divergently, while school is geared to children who think convergently (one idea at a time).”

“He was a boy who learned only by doing. At age six, he had to see how fire worked and accidentally burned his father's barn to the ground. The next fall he began school, where he alternated between letting his mind travel to distant places and keeping his body in perpetual motion in his seat. Because he was distracted and restless, he did not last long in a formal classroom. His teacher called him "addled." Eventually, his mother had to home-school him. As an adult he would recall: "My father thought I was stupid and I almost decided I must be a dunce."

Who was this boy? Thomas Edison!

The book asks these questions:

"If your child is a Dreamer
1. Does he get absorbed or intensely involved in his own ideas much of the time?
2. Is he prone to saying things out of the blue?
3. Does he procrastinate to an extreme?
4. Are his interests and activities eclectic?
5. Does he start at least three projects for every one he finishes?

If your child is a Discoverer
1. Is he easily attracted to sights and sounds around him?
2. Is it vital for him to express his opinion?
3. Does he crave novelty, power, and excitement?
4. Is he always ready to speak, especially if you're talking?
5. When he wants his own way - which is almost always - is he relentless?

Or, if your child is a Dynamo
1. Does he get aggressive or intensely emotional about his own ideas much of the time?
2. Is some part of his body always in motion?
3. Are chances to run and climb as vital as the air he breathes?
4. Does he have boundless energy, enough for about three children his age?
5. Do you find yourself wondering if he lacks common sense?"

Remind you of anyone you know? Hubby and James have a combination of all three.


“It is a natural human tendency to assume that all minds work the same way. We tacitly agree that all minds should naturally be able to follow through on one idea at a time, from beginning to end, with attention to detail. We call convergent thinking the norm and we presume it's what comes naturally if a brain is "normal." Divergent thinkers are viewed as having "attentional problems."

”We label convergent thinking as right and divergent thinking as wrong. We base the methods we use to train our children on this premise. We expect children to focus in a linear fashion for as long as we say they should. This is true at home and at school. And at school, as class sizes get larger and children get more diverse, a teacher's tolerance for a student's divergent thinking necessarily diminishes. The same curriculum gets taught to all students in the same way and at the same pace.”

”The brains of Edison-trait children are misunderstood, not inferior. As students they are attentionally disadvantaged because we punish, and fail to appreciate, their unique creative slant. They get blamed for not completing desk work in the allotted time. They are scolded for not staying in their seats until recess. They are forced to work at an unsuitable tempo, and then get graded down for poor handwriting, and errors in grammar, spelling, and math facts. These outcomes are inevitable artifacts of a mismatched approach.”

”We teach to their weaknesses, not to their strengths. We insist that they see things our way, but we won't see things theirs. These children are stunningly divergent. They are on a quest for discovery, exploration, and stimulation. Surely we can be flexible and accommodate their style. They can and will develop convergent skins, but only if their desire to learn is protected and kindled with success.”

Excerpted from Dreamers, Discoverers and Dynamos by Lucy Jo Palladino


James is a divergent thinker. So, homeschooling allows us the flexibility to cater to James learning style. We have discovered that I am a divergent thinker and hubby is a convergent thinker.


Then someone told me about Upside Down Brilliance: The Visual Spatial Learner by Dr. Linda Silverman. Amazing, awesome book because I discovered something about myself, I am a visual spatial learner.

“Do you know things without being able to explain how or why?”
“Do you solve problems in unusual ways? “
“Do you think in pictures rather than in words?”

“Dr. Linda Silverman coined the term “visual-spatial learner” in 1981 to describe the unique gifts of people who think in images. They get the big picture because they see the world through artists’ eyes. 

They remember what they see, but forget what they hear. They’re disorganized, can’t spell and have no sense of time, but they have an infectious sense of humor, wild imaginations and can lose themselves completely in the joy of the moment. Visual-spatial brilliance created the computer and the Internet, the vivid displays at the Olympics, and the International Space Station.”

Oh My Gosh! Doesn’t everyone think in pictures? I have always thought in pictures and didn’t realize that it was different. No wonder I was bored by literature that was poorly written. While reading I literally see and get into the story. No wonder I had been so darned bored by classroom lectures.

When ever hubby would go into a long explanation of a new electronic gadget, I would catch about half of it, then my mind would wonder off because I couldn’t picture what he was talking about. Now, when he describes a gadget, I have him draw a picture of it and I see what he is talking about.

James is like me in so many ways and is also a visual spatial learner. So these books were real eye openers. I discovered something new about myself and was actual able to make changes in my life to improve it. Life is so full of discovery and changes and no matter how old you get, you need to be open to it. Father and I dove in Home schooling without knowing how much it would change our lives. All I can say is hang on for the ride, because it is amazing what you learn and discover about yourself along the way.

There are many books out there that will help you determine not only your learning style, but your child as well which will help you figure out how best to teach them. 

Good luck and stay safe.

A to Z Poetry - Paper and Pen

"I write on paper with a dipped pen and ink and type on a manual typewriter in order to have three dimensional activities with my hands- but again and again, I discover how far words are capable of going, both in the world and on the page. " ~ Susan Minot.

Paper and Pen

dipped in ink.

Words.

Rambling and disjointed,

pointed,

purposeful.

Images

formed,

a tale told and retold.

Torn apart;

blended,

thoughts and plans

ebb 

like the tide.

New

elements of life

abandoned,

found.

Circular,

Ideas flow.

Lessons to learn,

Time to think.

Paper and pen

dipped in ink.

2020 First quarter writing Wrap Up

Hey! Tomorrow is the first of April  which means it's a new quarter and time to revisit the goals I set for myself for Quarter one.  I persevered in writing almost every single day, some of which I posted. I pretty much failed with my current WIP-RT.  I did print it out and put it in a notebook, but other than that no progress.  Lent arrived and I concentrated on free writing.  

I'm still reading "A Year of Writing Dangerously: 365 Days of Inspiration and Encouragement by Barbara Abercrombie. I've been forging ahead, reading a few entries at a time, quotes and conversations inspiring me or full of synchronicity.  Such as

"It's the imagination that gives us poetry...You have to follow where the poem leads. And it will surprise you.  It will say things you didn't expect to say. And you look at the poem and you realize; that is truly what I felt. That is truly what I saw." ~ Philip Levine. 

I don't consider myself a poet and there are very few poets I read unless doing research for the next 52 Books sunday post.  However, I'm writing more and more poetry along with snippets of conversations with myself and characters and the universe, a few story scenes. Whatever comes to mind.  I'm  tempted to commit to A to Z poetry and post a poem every day for the month of April.    I'm also tempted to do the A to Z writing challenge.  However, I know I wouldn't be able to keep up with it. I'm unofficially setting a goal to continue writing every day during the month of April as I have been for the first quarter, diligently for Lent and after Easter as well. And if I happen to come up with enough poems to post everyday, that will be just groovy. I'm not going to force it though and we'll see what happens. 

I filled my first quarter goals with my eyes are bigger than my stomach syndrome and planned way too much.   I gave up on Crafting the Personal Essay and Dinty Moore's Flash Fiction as neither inspired me.  Both were books I'd used before and for some reason, once I'm done with a book, I don't like to go back.  I have several writing books on my shelves, including Barbara Abercrombie's Kicking in the Wall as well as Anne Bernay's What If, which  I have yet to utilize so I'll be drawing on them for a variety of reasons which includes helping me finish revising WIP-RT. 

I have a tendency to quit writing when I'm stressed and I'm trying hard not to let the stress of the day stop me.   

I'm following the KISS method this time!

~Cheers~

Artful Wednesday: Steampunk Koala

A to Z Poetry: Nature's Washing Machine

Nature’s Washing Machine 

If you could stop the world

for a moment, a day, or a lifetime, 

would you’d sit on the shore
and contemplate the view, the moment,
the past, or the present?

A word or sentence or phrase comes to mind,

speaks to you, leads you, 

raises a question, demands an answer,

literally and figuratively.  

You sit down on the beach

and count the grains of sand. 

Impossible… maybe.  

Fragments shift across your palm,

hot and parched, some moist and cold. 

It flows through your fingers,
grains adhere to the lines and 
wrinkles of your palm.

between your fingers, under your fingernails, 

Sparkling, shiny bits of dust. 

All shapes and sizes: rough or smooth,

large or small, hard or soft.  

Just like your thoughts.  

Hard edges, soft moments.  

You can hold on or brush them away.

Countless grains, 

Particles of life.  

Is it possible to catch the thoughts 

of the person who sat here before you,

when they ran their hands scooped up the sand 

and let it drift through their fingers?   

So many grains of sand, 

so many thoughts left behind.  

Where do they all go?
You reflect and imagine   

they tumble out to sea in a wash of waves.

Cleansed and returned, 
with the flow of the tides,

full of peace, full of quiet power.