Memoir; Writing your Life Story: When I Write

Memoir; Writing your Life Story: When I Write: It occurred to me that there are somethings I do very consciously when I am writing, especially a critical conference paper on something I r...

Musings

I was recenlty accused of musing while I write; well, The Muses were the mothers of inspiration, so Muse away I will. They are also, I might add, part of my heritage, and I was often called Musitsa, or little Muse when I was a little girl. I noticed that Target is putting garden tools, pots, supplies, and ornaments at 50%. Also, if you have Hobby Lobby, their summer statuary and yard ornaments are going at 50% or even more discounts. Our local Disc Replay chain is featuring a double dvd for around $5.00 of the most recent films of A Little Princess coupled with The Secret Garden. Speaking of Gardens; am I the only one who misses the old format of The Secret Garden which included Marian Marsh's recipes? Locally, I am involved in many projects invovling the sustainability of water at several organizations. We are planning field trips and all sorts of exibits, including poetry and photography conests invovling several other clubs. These are good ideas to make the community aware of environmental issues without preaching, whic frankly, turns me off to no end. My cat Emma La Contessa de Gagga-Bathory is settling down, and likes to sleep with her mousie "DOLLS" on a plush pink/green baby blanket. She is feisty, and not at all the sweet tempered kitty my Opie was, or even our Daxie, a curmudgeon kitty devoted to us. Daxie looked like Mr. French, and guarded us all, but he purred if you called him Daximo the Magnificent, and he could spell shrimp, his greatest passion. Among my projects; fix my AC in the car, fix upstairs bathroom, weed garden, repair vintage dolls, draw/paint a Sphynx, get a new keyboard for this thing, work on papers/writing. Memory is another Muse; I remember a couple summers back, later than now, when my early pumpkins were ready, and I made soup from my own crop. Not alot of luck with them this year; many lean and hungry deer, and not enough rain. I will not partake in anoter local bookfair, I've decided. I left early yesterday, after being stuck in a corner against a stairwell with no escape, and with a sound system blasting poetry at my already aching head. This was a vanity feast for would-be self publsihers, of which I am not. And, I was somewhat taken advantage of by one of the organizers, who did not even give our names after we paid her for our share of the table. Never again. Happy blogging, happy gardening, happy summer!

In 6 Months, Xmas will be Over!

Just my thoughts on how quickly time passes, and though it is warm with a cool breeze today, tomorrw will be icy and snowy. Trite but true. Also trite but true, waiting in the DMV is misery, especially when they made the mistake that hauled you in. I renewed and rejoiced my license by mail, and then never got the updated version. I had to go and wait anyway. "Welcome to the DMV," said the sign, not really. The manager I spoke to turned her back on me and walked away mid sentence. I can't blame them; the atmosphere is both sterile and chaotic, nothing relieves the tedium. No art, save a large straw flower wreath on the happier end dealing with stickers, ugly chairs, ugly colors, no real place to concentrate when taking the test; in short, tired, depressing surroundings with tired, depressed employees. At least it's over. Then I can return to the daily abuse. A quote: "e wo plants a tree plants a hope" by Luc Larcom, a gifted writer who had to work in a mill. If she could do it, I can. No need to feel so much like T. S. Eliot in the bank Another quote: "One touch of nautre makes the whole world kin." William Shakespeare. These make me feel a little better, but not much.

Midsummer

A Blessed Solstice, and Frolicksome Midsummer. I reviewed the play with my class today; it was criminal law, but we looked for crimes in the play, and looked at fairy artifacts with refreshments. It is a time to make sandwich loaf, as my mother did from the American Woman's cookbook, and to sip iced tea and coffee. We are out, with fruit bats circling overhead against the new moon, and a very cool June breeze. There are candles and porch lights surrounding us, and chimineas blaze. The phantom and black velvet petunias are triving, but we lost a basil, and the orchids are struggling. I took springs of lavender and hosta to school, with tiger lillies and made sure to water. It is hard to be sad in this weather, but I can't help it. Life is difficult, and there is not enough time to enjoy anything much. The DMV didn't send me my new license, and I have email accounts going down right and left. Life was better witout these things, and it was simpler. We would be driving across The Badlands this time of the year, and seeing the sites, only to move to the ocean and The Cliff House. I love being cold in summer. There is a tiny moth, with transparent wings, that just lit on my screen, perhaps to read? Who knows; all this talk of fairies as made me fey. We are on Pinterest; I love building the boards. They remind me of Mah Jong. They are the virtual collections I love to build, a variation on Marilyn Gelfman Karp's Mental Collections in In Flagrante Collecto. Summer calls to me to look for shells and lightning bugs, to walk on dewy grass, and feel warm sand between my toes. It reminds me of fairs, and flea markets, and picking bouquets of clover and wildflowers. My mother is in summer, with my birthday and my childhood. It's laziness makes me productive and happy. Here is a birthday poem from Miss Meuriling, written in autograph book, Never B# Never B-flat Always B-Natural To end, "If we shadows have offended, think but this, and all is mended . . "

Dr. E's Doll Museum Blog: We're Back!

Dr. E's Doll Museum Blog: We're Back!: I hardly know where to begin. I've fallen behind in my posts because I can't add new posts on my main computer. Very strange. I'm not s...

New Post; Finally!

I have been trying to post for days, and have not been able to. I had lots of great quotes, which are on my desk. Am reading a lot on gardening, including Rumer Godden's An Episode of Sparrows, and lots of critical material on Frances Hodgson Burnett, who wrote "The Secret Garden." Yesterday was my birthday, near Midsummer. I received many good wishes and small presents, eventhough I was very sick yet again wit allergy/respiratory issues. We are dying from heat, and many air conditioners have failed in the area. We continue to develop our water project, and that seems to be the one thing going right this week. I'm thrilled that I can post! More in the morning, and a happy midsummer and Blessed Solstice to all!

Worry is the thief of joy, and The nastiest of Days!

The old saying goes that which doesn't kill us makes us stronger; I say, that which doesn't kill us makes us weaker so we die hideously later. It has been the nastiest of days, already. What do you do when your 80+ year old dad insists on mowing his own lawn, then announces he is sick, and sounds terrible? [He won't admit to allergies, and sinus issues, those are for communist sissies, and he won't listen to anything YOU say because he hates your husband]; when the nastiest person at work takes a week off--again--then shows up three days before she's supposed to; when the local Walter Mitty regales everone with his latest dynamic feats, and you know he's been sitting home whining and sniffling over an old, dogeared Playboy; when you're cut off from the morning/pm commute by not only construction, but road closings, and nasty little drivers who like to cut you off, yell, turn without signals, etc, because they know the driving is difficult, and because they can, and when you know no matter how much you get paid, the bills will devour your financial whole? I don't have any answers. And the arthritis is now spreading to my right wrist, so if I do come up with any, it may be hard to type them out. My friend Angela W., a successful writer says, wait and things will happen. I think she means good things, but she doesn't specify. It is hard this close to my birthday and Midsummer to feel so spent. Birthdays used to be wonderful and magical, Mom got rainbow cake, and made favors by hand, and I had wonderful Dr. Doolittle parties, and HOlly Hobbie parties, and dinners out on Father's Day, and more cake at my grandma's later in the summer, and swimming parties, and so much. Now, what is there? So, I write., and I work on collections, and I craft and paint when I can, but that isn't often. We do work too much in this country, and life flies by, and then it's over. One tries to look for the pelicans as they fly over the river, and to wonder why they weren't there when one was growing up. We look for new varieties of flowers, and try to notice how they glow just before it rains, against the cloudy sky. We treasure our friends, even if they are acting weird, we laught at their foibles and ours. We try to go to church, even when the very young pastor who wants to be a bishop sees us as a stepping stone to his promotion, and forbids us wearing Evil Eye charms just when we most need them. Restraing, writes Conrad, restraint is what makes us human, and allows us to function and not descend into animalistic behavior. I will try, Mr. Conrad, I will try.