Sometimes, I simply write...

Because I’m a writer, I have to write.  Writing is my best form of communication, not just with others, but with me. There are times when I sit down with paper and pen or pencil, or sit down at the keyboard with no idea or plan as to what I will write. I simply write.

There is something magical about the writing of words without thought as to what I am writing. Random thoughts appear in an endless flow of words filling the once blank page. Even in abstract, they have meaning. The words might seem gibberish to someone else, but for me they bring clarity to my world. Once written and read, I might find answers to a problem I’m facing, or I might discover something that is bothering me, or I might discover a new idea or line for a story or poem.  

For me, writing is a release and a relief from the everyday worries that life can bring.

I have to write because I am a writer. And sometimes, I simply write...

Journal Entry 010314

Good Morning, Everyone, from the freezing shores of Lake Ontario.  The snowstorm hit us yesterday and dropped about 8 inches of snow here, and the wind built up some very high drifts.  The current temperature is resting at 1⁰ (F).  I am not going anywhere, so I will not shovel today.  The forecast promises temperatures to rise into the mid 30s tomorrow.  I hope to get out over the weekend to snap some photos of the neighborhood and the woods around us. For those of you who did not see them on my Facebook page, the photos below are of the lake after the the first storm of the season For those of you who did not see them:

Today I am going to continue reading the “Divergent” series by Veronica Roth.  I just started the first book and it is holding my interest.  I will also get some writing done today.  I did some writing yesterday and I feel the story is going well, but I am not sure where it will end up.  However, that is how it goes sometimes because characters have minds of their own.

I hope you are all keeping warm wherever you are in the world. 

Peace...

Deer Tales, This Week's Highlight

It was an unusual week. First, I am dog sitting, which completely changed my usual schedule. I am awake a couple of hours earlier in the morning and fall asleep earlier in the evening, but I adjusted well to this change. Massey (the dog) is a four year-old Standard Poodle (see pic below) who loves to go for walks, play ball, and keep watch over the neighborhood from the front door. I set a chair in front of the door so that she can keep watch comfortably.

The big excitement this week came on Friday. I let Massey out in the backyard first thing in the morning while I prepared her breakfast. Massey soon discovered she was not alone in the yard when a deer stood up in the tall grass. When I saw the deer, I went to the front gate, both to make sure it was closed (which it was) and to call Massey to the front yard so that she didn't have to pass the deer to come back into the house. The deer must have jumped the gate to get in the yard and I knew she was there to have her baby as she visited last year with the same intention. She must feel safe and secure there as it is completely fenced in and there is tall grass to make a nice bed. I got a couple of good pics of her early in the day...

I checked on the deer throughout the morning. She would stand for a bit, and then lay down for awhile in the tall grass. Finally, there was a fawn. I could not get close enough to get a clear picture as, of course Mama Deer was very protective. Then, about an hour after the new arrival, I went out to check and there was another fawn. Yes, twins! Again, I took a couple of pictures, but nothing too clear. 

Around 5 pm, Mama deer decided to relocate. I opened the gate earlier so that she could leave when she was ready. Before she left with her new babies, I got a couple of picks of one of the fawns...

Apparently, this deer finds my yard the best place to birth her young. Next spring I will keep the gate open for her and keep watch for her return visit. I am looking forward to seeing the little family around the neighborhood. I might even get some more pictures!

  

When Struck with a Clumsy Attack Retreat

Sometimes, I am extremely clumsy. Today was one of those days. Luckily, my clumsy attack was kept to one room of the house, the kitchen. I should have retreated after I broke the second glass, but no, I had to go on to make oatmeal raisin cookies and spilled flour on the floor. A moment later, an egg joined the flour when it slipped out of my hand. Then after dinner, (which was a gooey but very tasty casserole of ground beef, mushrooms, onions, peas, with a cream of mushroom soup gravy served over mashed potatoes) I separated four additional servings into containers for freezing. Upon opening the freezer door a canister containing brown sugar (that I apparently didn't set back far enough on top op the fridge) fell down and knocked one of the containers of gooey casserole out of my had to splash its contents all over the kitchen floor. Needless to say, my kitchen was now a disaster. I cleaned up the floor, but I decided to leave the dishes until tomorrow. I am now on the sofa and plan only to read this evening.

And so, my lesson for the day is that when first presented with a clumsy attack Stop! Retreat! Even if it means having a pizza delivered for dinner and staying on the sofa for the rest of the day or evening or both. My home will survive a day of the lazys, but may not survive a day of the clumsys.

Covered in Projects

The last couple of weeks and the next few weeks ahead are busy times for me.  Not in a whirlwind, unfocused way, rather this is an engaged, concentrated, set to work on projects both old and new kind of way. 

I continue to compile stories for the memoir that now (I am excited to report) has a working title: “Visions of My Life: My Mother’s Memory Book.” In addition, I am writing new poetry that I plan to publish as a collection.  As many of you are aware, writing, like reading can take over your life.

Speaking of reading, my Kindle is overflowing with so many books to read that at one time I would have stacked in an uneven pile on my bedside table. While I still love the feel of a book in my hand, I have to admit that my Kindle is very convenient and less messy. Like my laptop, my Kindle is a daily companion.

I am working on several projects for the coming warm weather of spring and summer.  Last year I accumulated a quite large collection of clay pots and trays that I am painting and decorating. As all of these were previously used they need a good cleaning and then have to have 2-3 coats of sealer applied before I can start with the painting.  Also, I picked up a few old wooden bird houses and feeders from garage sales last year. Some of these need minor repair, and all of them need cleaning, and sanding before I can begin to paint and decorate them. These projects cover my work counter, which is a good thing because when work is in front of me I have more incentive to get it done.

The next few weeks will find me working outside for a couple of hours each day.  The yard and the porch need a good cleaning out and I am sure the winter months added some repair work.  I will need to get help with some of this work, as my wrist will not take too much pressure since I crushed it a few years ago. I want to get an herb garden growing this year. Some of the herbs from a previous garden still come up every year, but not very many and these need some care.  I generally start plants from seed and begin them in the house.  The flats are ready to go, so I only have to wait for the final frost to come and go. Our days here are in the 40s but our nights still drop below freezing, so planting won’t begin for at least a couple of weeks.

I still have a backlog of tables and chairs to refinish and decorate along with some empty frames to fill with patterns for the ongoing Ode to the Quilt project. I have to admit that I  did not do much of this work over the past winter. In fact, I was very lax in the art department.  Winter makes me lazy.

Well, that’s about it for this post. Thanks so much for stopping by. ~Yvonne~

Marching Into Spring

It is difficult to express the extent of my happiness that the month of February is behind us for another year.  Although it is the shortest of calendar months, I always feel that it is the longest in time. For me, this squeezed in month of days feels like an entire month of Mondays.

While March still brings cold weather and snow, it also brings the first day of spring.  More than the first day of January, the twenty or twenty-first day of March gives me a feeling of a new year. Spring is a time of new beginnings. The earth awakens from its long winter’s sleep to stretch and sigh, and yes, occasionally it hits the snooze alarm. While that is sometimes frustrating, we must remember that it is only a snooze.  With spring comes the song of birds from the very tiny to the larger geese, ducks, and swans.  They build their nests in preparation for raising new families. The trees begin to dress in tiny buds along their stems, like pulling on their undergarments before they deck out to full dress.  The longer days shed sun to warm the earth and flowers pop their heads out of the rich soil to add color to the awakening world.  Snow gives way to snow and melts the ice of ponds and streams. Wind raises waves across the lake and brings winter’s deadfall that will feed the fire of summer’s bonfires along with the larger logs that will serve as new seats where we will sit watch the sailboats skim the edge of the horizon.

Yes, March brings spring with the promise of new beginnings, of new hope, and new goals. It is my time to celebrate!

Thanks for stopping by ~Yvonne~

A January Update

I have not had a chance to write much since the beginning of the year. The flu took hold of me just after the New Year and decided to settle in for a long visit. I am still a little stuffy, but feel much better than I did earlier this month.

The weather here is very unusual. We usually have a good amount of snow and cold at a steady pace starting in December that lasts throughout until the middle of March. However, the temperatures in December and during most of January never reached much below 30⁰ F with only one good snowfall. In fact, the overall temperatures were in the 40⁰’s – 50⁰’s with some high 60⁰ F days thrown in for good measure. This past weekend it was near 50⁰ F and today we are in the single digits at 8⁰ F. It is no wonder that the flu season has hit so hard.

I am thinking about taking a photography class sometime this year, as photography is more or less one of my hobbies. I don’t know how well I will be at this, but I feel the need to explore the possibilities. Also, I am lately writing more poetry and I feel I should submit some of my work to a few poetry contests this year. Of course, this means I will have to refrain from posting all of my work to my blogs. I want to mention here that I have started posting my poetry to a new blog here: http://bookendings.wordpress.com/. I am using that blog specifically for poetry, but I will still maintain my poetry heading here as well. I am posting one or two poems per week over at http://wordpress.com as I don’t want to overwhelm new followers with 35-40 posts (or more) all at once. 

Well, that’s all I have to say for today. I hope everyone is well and keeping warm in these winter months. Until next time, Thanks for stopping by… Yvonne  

It’s a New Year…

"Go out into the world and love the people you meet. Let your presence light new light in the people you meet." ~Mother Theresa~

Happy New Year and welcome to my New Year’s Day blog post.

As I step into a new year, I feel a sense of anticipation and excitement in facing the unknown.  Years ago, I gave up on making resolutions that I never could keep mostly because life’s adventures came along to prevent me from sticking to an unlikely schedule of exercise, or writing, or even the breaking of a habit.  Instead of resolutions, I prefer to set some realistic goals, and then let life take its course. I work towards my goals and if I am able to accomplish a few its good and even if I can only accomplish one or two, then that’s okay, too. If I hit a roadblock or two, I work around either try to work around them, or I set my goal aside and focus on whatever comes along. It is true that I get frustrated sometimes, but I continue to keep my original goal in mind and steam full ahead once the roadblock is past.

Last year, was a year of roadblocks for my goals of taking a couple of classes.  My car took over my finances and so prevented me from saving the money to take a class in Grant Writing and a Photography class.  Without a car, I had to focus on other activities that kept me close to home, such as writing and creating the “Ode to the Quilt” series. My writing adventures are not near complete, but I did come up with some great ideas and I accomplished more than I thought I would. I also started writing this blog last year and find that I really enjoy it. With blogging and through social networking, I met many interesting people from all over the world and hope to meet many more in the coming year.  People keep me thinking and inspire me with their postings, comments, blog posts, and their books. I can only hope that I do the same for others.

So, as I step into this new year of the unknown, my goals are simple: move forward with what I am doing and catch hold of whatever comes my way and in the process seek to inspire and encourage others that cross my path while graciously and thankfully accepting others inspiration and encouragement in turn. In other words, brighten the world with light wherever I can.

Thanks for stopping by. ~Yvonne~

On this Christmas Eve...

On this Christmas Eve, I am thankful for all that I have: a roof over my head, enough food to keep me healthy, and most of all family and friends. I am also thankful for those friends I made through this blog and and the social networks such as Twitter and Facebook. It is a wonderful feeling to know that I can connect with all of you both here in my country and around the world.

Yet, on this Christmas Eve, my thoughts turn to those who have so much less, and struggle each day to survive in war and poverty. I am also thinking of all those who have lost loved ones this past year through senseless violence.

And so, on this Christmas Eve, I am praying for peace and that we all come together around the world to realize the value of all human life and the need for peace, and the right of every human being to live free and safe without the worry of persecution or violence. I also pray that we learn to share with one another that no one should go without their basic human needs as in food, shelter, and medicine.

On this Christmas Eve, I pray that we all realize that we are all connected no matter what our beliefs, race, nationality,gender, or orientation.

On this Christmas Eve, I pray that we set aside our materialism and focus on healing and recovering the damage we have inflicted on our planet. For without the Earth we will not survive.

On this Christmas Eve, I send blessings to all...

~Yvonne~

A Little Behind, But Moving Forward

I am a little behind in posting lately. Well, actually I am a little behind in everything. Even during this busy time of year, I am usually very organized, but this past pre-holiday week, a few things took precedence over focusing on the coming holiday.

I unexpectedly had to sink a few dollars into my car in order that it would pass inspection.  While I knew it needed work and budgeted to save the money for repairs, it cost a little more than I prepared to spend. It all worked out though.

The day following the car repair, I awoke to the news of the terrible mass murder that occurred at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. This horrible incident stopped me up short causing me to spend much time in prayer, meditation, and deep thought for much of the past week. The entire 2^nd Amendment issue has placed me in conflict between my logic and my belief system. However, I do not feel up to discussing it in this blog. It will have to wait for a later blog.  Anyway, that’s enough said for now.

My mom was very ill with a stomach virus this past week and still is not 100%. I spent the beginning of the week at her apartment helping her out as much as I could. By Friday, I didn’t feel so good either and I am staying close to home hoping I will feel well by Christmas day. As I make most of my gifts, I don’t have to worry about last minute shopping, but I still have to add some finishing touches to the gifts I am making.  I will take some pictures of these gifts to post here once I give them away. As a side note: I have to start taking ‘before’ and ‘after’ pictures of the items I refurbish from old into new instead of posting the finished creation. It will give you a better idea of what I do.

Another major distraction this week came in the form of a gift from a very good friend who I haven’t seen in a couple of years although we talk on the phone often.  I knew he was sending me something.  He told me it was not a Christmas present, but a thank you present for helping him out.  I was a little taken back when he told me this, as I didn’t expect anything.  Anyway, the package came on Thursday and I opened it to find a Kindle Fire! I am still in shock and thrilled to death! He could not have sent me anything better. I am used to buying things I need rather than the things I want and more than anything else, I have wanted a Kindle Fire since they first came out.  I cannot say “Thank you!” enough!

Today and tomorrow, I plan on wrapping presents and baking while I listen to Christmas music. I am spending Christmas day at my brother and sister-in-law’s house with my mom and my niece and nephews. Then in the evening, I will relax with a movie, probably Terry Pratchett’s “Hogfather.”

I wish you all a wonderful and peaceful holiday and many blessing for the coming year. Thanks so much for stopping by… ~Yvonne~

  

Creating for Christmas

If you are a regular reader of my blog, you will know that I am a big believer of recycling the old to make the new.  This is true of gifts for others as well.  I rarely, if ever run around town buying this or that gift or struggle within the madness of crowds and traffic to buy into the media’s materialistic version of the spirit of giving.  If I do buy new, it is something unique from a local artisan.

Friends and family can usually expect a recycled book or two as a gift from me, no matter what the gift-giving occasion. The books are always used editions that I find at local used bookstores or library book sales. 

However for the most part, my gifts are hand-made or home-baked.  Hand-made gifts usually come in the form of recycled and refurbished items from second-hand stores or garage sales that I purchased earlier in the year. For instance, this year I am refurbishing and decorating the wood frame of a mirror, a wood jewelry box and a wood tray. I also have plans for a couple of quilted wall hangings made from scrap fabrics from used clothing that are far beyond repair.

Over the next few weeks, my house will look like a disaster area with paint and bits of string, fabric, beads, and paper scattered everywhere.  During the last week leading up to the big day, the kitchen will have the addition of a light covering of flour, and powdered sugar to look like there was a light snowfall. The fragrant smell of sweet goodies will permeate the house as I bake and package the cookies and small breads for gifts.

Well, I am off to paint, sew, cut, and paste. Hope you all have a great week!

Thanks for stopping by… ~Yvonne~

Well, it’s Tuesday...

Well, it’s Tuesday.  Two days until Thanksgiving and then Christmas is just around the corner. 

Why is it that when you really have to do something you would much rather do something else? I have loads to do for the coming holidays and absolutely no ambition to get started.  I don’t have much to buy as far as gifts because I usually make gifts, and this year, I have plenty of gifts to make.  I think that once I decorate I will get into the holiday spirit.

For the past week or so, I have accomplished quite a lot, mostly reading and writing.  If you are a regular reader of my blog, you will know that I was on a Stephen King kick there for a couple of weeks. Of course, this man does not write short novels so reading took up much of my time.  I read The Stand, a book that I read previously; and I read 11/22/63. I wrote blogs about each of them. You can find the blogs under the list titled My Reviews.  I read The Help by Susanne Stockette in print format a month or so ago and I saw the movie sometime within the last two weeks. Then last week I found the book in audio format at the library and I consumed that over the last weekend.  I found that the audio version was the best of the three.  Also, I like audio because I can get other things done while consuming a book.  Currently, I am reading The Magicians by Lev Grossman and I am enjoying it immensely. It reminds me of Harry Potter but on an adult scale.  The language (I refer here to cursing) is adult and the interaction of the characters is more adult as well.  So far the story is not as adventurous as HP but it is interesting and at times it is otherworldly scary. I really can’t judge overall as I am just getting started. 

Speaking of Harry Potter, I placed a hold on the audio version of J. K. Rowling’s newest release A Casual Vacancy.  I am #23 on the list so might take a few weeks before my number comes up.  The Harry Potter  series is so imaginative; I am interested to see what and how Rowling writes outside of the HP universe. I will certainly let you know.

As I mentioned earlier, writing takes much of my time lately, too.  I wrote several scenes, though as yet, I am not sure of their placement in my story. It will come to me though.  I just hope I don’t have to edit too much out to get them all in.  Ah well, the completion is a long way off and I will worry about the editing when the time comes. Poetry isn’t coming to me so easily lately. I think I have to get involved with a class or workshop to start the creative juices flowing again. That is one more add for my to-do list.

Twitter notifications now pack my email inbox to the brim.  This occurred over the past couple of days.  I usually try to respond to each new follower, mention, and RT-er individually and on a daily basis, but I let it slide for a couple of days and now my inbox is up to close to 100 and the prospect of acknowledging each one is daunting. I can see this project taking up an entire day. 

Well, I think I have told you all I can for now.  I am spending Thanksgiving at Mom’s place.  They put on a nice buffet for the residents and I enjoy the people.  It is usually an early day, so I have time to visit elsewhere later.  I probably will not blog again until the weekend.

 I wish you all a wonderful and safe holiday.

Thanks for stopping by… ~Yvonne~

Finally Back in the Groove…

Even though it’s Monday I finally feel like I am back in the groove.  The past two weeks had me spinning and I could not seem to focus on anything long enough to its completion, except reading. 

It started with Hurricane Sandy.  I was thoroughly prepared to evacuate if it came to that, and prepared items such as candles, lanterns, batteries, and extra blankets in case I lost power.  I also pulled the air conditioner out of my bedroom window, which was a feat I never should have attempted on my own.  I got it out though, but my wrist ached for a few days afterward and caused my sciatica to kick in for about a week as well.  Needless to say, I was not a happy camper for a week or so and within that time I must have consumed about 20 aspirin.  Anyway, Sandy roared in with a cacophony that sounded like a freight train was speeding up the road and winds that rattled the windows and shook the house.  However, my power stayed steady and other than laying down a carpet of leaves and small branches, there was no real damage.  A few of my neighbors down the road who live closer to the lake’s shore and don’t have the advantage of cliff between their homes and the lake had to evacuate to shelters.  A few lost power, and had to contend with a couple of fallen trees, but nothing near the catastrophe of NYC and New Jersey.  Considering the damage to these areas and others, I feel the Creator watched over us throughout the storm!

The time change was the next event that through me off the rails.  It doesn't matter whether we are springing forward of falling back, the time change always messes with my head even though it is for just an hour either way.  I wish they would do away with this foolishness and keep it one way or the other, although I would prefer the spring forward time that gives us more daylight and longer days.

I have to have my car inspected this month, so last Monday I took it to the neighborhood to have it checked out for needed repairs.  The horn doesn't work, which I would never know because I never use it, and the back windshield wiper needs replacing (another item I never use).  The big expense is tires of which I need all four replaced.  I could get by with replacing the two front tires, but better safe than sorry.  Also, I figure if I don’t replace all four now I will end up replacing the other two next year, so it’s better to get them all done now when I have some extra money to get it done.  I live on a very modest budget as it is, but you never know what another year will bring or take away.

Tuesday brought the elections.  I am not one to discuss politics with anyone except for a few close friends.  Nor do I openly state my opinions in any public forum.  Other’s opinions do not influence me within my decision process, but I do spend quite a bit of time before the elections contemplating my vote.  In the end, I vote my conscience and hope and pray for the best.  All I will say here is that I am satisfied with the outcome.

By last Thursday, all the stress of the past two weeks brought a visitation from a massive migraine headache.  I thought that it was gone Friday morning, but it came back with a vengeance by the afternoon.  I was at Mom’s when it arrived, but I managed to accomplish all the tasks and errands she needed me to complete. We also had some time to attend a gathering in the main dining room where we had coffee served with pumpkin cake and ice cream (definitely a sugar overload for all partaking).  During this outing, I had a chance to listen to the elder’s conversations as they talked about their current and past experiences, which is something I always find interesting.

Friday evening I had one more ‘to do’ left on my list.  I received a notice for jury duty several weeks earlier and my instructions were to call after 5:30 for further instructions concerning the task.  Luckily, the recording told me that I did not have to do anything except call back for further instructions the following Tuesday.  Of course, with caring for Mom, I will not be able to accommodate the request, but it is still something that weighs heavy on my mind until its closure.

This past weekend was a time to unwind.  I kept busy with designing a new pattern for my “Ode to the Quilt” series and I wrote a poem for Veteran’s Day that I posted yesterday on this blog.  I caught up on the television series that I follow which includes “The Vampire Diaries,” “Supernatural,” and “Grey’s Anatomy.”  I also watched “The King’s Speech” not for the first time.  Other than that, I continued reading “11/22/63” by Stephen King.  It was a very relaxing weekend.

This brings me back to Monday where I feel that a weight has lifted from my shoulders.  I am excited with the prospects of writing and creating over the coming weeks.  My friends and family are sure to receive handmade gifts and an abundance of baked goods as Christmas presents from me this year.  

 Now with all that said, I am off to get started on the many tasks ahead…

Thanks for stopping by… ~Yvonne~

Waiting for the Storm

Well, Hurricane Sandy is predicted to hit my neck of the woods within the next few hours.  Currently, the sky is a dark grey, and the wind is light causing the leaves to gently dance in the light breeze.  The birds are quiet, I haven’t heard as much as a peep this morning, and the squirrels are not out playing their jungle gum antics through the trees.  All of nature seems quiet waiting for the impending storm. 

I am preparing as well.  My hurricane lamps are full of oil and I have washed their shining glass chimneys.  I have filled some large pitchers with water and set them in the refrigerator.  Extra canned goods and prepared foods stock my cupboard shelves.  I have charcoal for the grill in case I have to cook outside; though I don’t foresee this happening I also checked the flashlights and the radio for batteries.  I located my first aid kit and took inventory of its contents so that I know what I have in case of any first aid emergency that might occur.  I pulled the quilts out of the cedar chest. I have extra just in case my neighbors find they are in need anything.  During the threat of storms such as these, I often wish I had a fireplace or a wood stove, or even a generator.  I have heaters, but I use them with much caution.

I may not need these things, however I feel better when I prepare.  After the ice storm in 1991, I was without electricity for 14 days.  I found that I wrote more with a pen and paper than usual during those two weeks and drew a lot more, too.  Excessive creativity is the advantage of not having electronics to entertain.  It was like an extended in-house camping adventure. 

It’s funny (not ha-ha funny, but peculiar) how easily one can get used to doing without.  Once you have to make due with less, you begin to realize how much you really have.

 

Thanks for stopping by. ~Yvonne~

Monday 10/22/12: A Random Journal Entry

I should explain that I am a night person, and I say this in all seriousness.  I write best at night particularly between the hours of 10 pm and 2 am, so I generally don’t fall to sleep before 3 am. 

I woke to a group of sparrows having an early morning community meeting outside my window on top of the air conditioner.  It seems there was some disagreement as they were putting up a loud ruckus and knocking one another off their perch with high pitch chatter and much flutter of feathered wings.  Along with this, my neighbor across the road is having a house built where his old house stood.  Over the past week I finally grew accustom to the noise, and I could sleep through the sound of pounding and sawing, and trucks backing down the road.  However, this morning all the various power tools reached a new level of cacophony as for some reason they were all in use at the same time.  Needless to say, I did not get my usual 6 hours of sleep, more like 4-1/2.  I feel I could use a nap; however, that would throw my time clock way off course, as I won’t fall asleep until 5 or 6 o’clock tomorrow morning.  Miss Kitty is sleeping beside me as I write this and I must admit that I am a bit jealous. 

Like most Mondays, my productivity level is low.  I did accomplish a small amount of writing, but I kept on flitting from one project to another, so I set it aside.  Maybe this evening I will have better concentration.  Also, I sorted through my email inbox.  This took some time as I haven’t checked it in a couple of days and the count was well over the usual 50 mark.  It was more like 250.  I deleted the junk mail and responded to quite a few others that needed attention.  The others left are notifications of new blog entries written by fellow bloggers that I follow, so I think that the rest of the afternoon I will spend reading these. 

Later, I am going to watch the most recent episodes of “The Walking Dead” and “Grey’s Anatomy.”   These are two series that I anticipate watching on Monday evenings.   The first season of “Once Upon a Time” is now available as streaming on Netflix and I am really enjoying this series, too, but if I am to get any real, solid writing done, I won’t turn that on today.

Well, I guess it’s time to sign off for now.  Fare thee well until next time.  ~Yvonne~

Resetting My Internal Clock

So far, this week is a strange week for me. My internal clock is way off kilter. Mondays are usually a dead day for me, but this past Monday turned out as very productive. I spent most of the day outside cleaning off the back porch and getting summer outdoor gear into the shed. I also cleaned out all the flower pots which was a big job as I have so many of them. I am hoping to paint and decorate some more clay pots over the winter months. I took a count and I have twenty-three that I can turn into decorative pots.  The rest, another seventeen, are plastic.

I also washed up all of the downstairs windows and checked the seals on the storm windows. They are in great shape, so no problems there. I still haven't removed the air conditioner, but I think I will need help with that as it would be just my luck to drop it out the window, or worse, injure my bum wrist. I was warned by two doctors that even with my wrist brace I should not lift too much weight. They both said no more than ten pounds with both hands, but I know that at times I exceed that limit.

Tuesday ended  up more like a usual Monday. I really didn't accomplish anything at all. My allergies were treating me very badly, which isn't surprising as the city where I live is rated 14 out of 20 as the worst cities for allergies in the country. I don't like to take allergy meds as they either make me sleepy or just plain lazy, but I took them yesterday and ended up watching videos all day. I guess that is not a bad thing, really. We all need to have those days occasionally.

I haven't done much writing lately. I am in a bit of a slump, but I have some ideas wandering around in my head, so when the slump subsides I know I will have plenty to write. It is not uncommon for the change of seasons to stop me in my tracks for a week or two. My sleeping patterns are off a bit, too. I am not sleepy until around 3 or 3:30 in the morning, yet I wake up between 8 and 8:30 wide awake and rested. It's kind of like my internal clock is preforming a reset, but I will be so very happy when all gets back to normal.

Thanks for stopping by... ~Yvonne~

Autumn Gathering

It's Friday, and I am looking forward to the weekend! Not that I plan on doing anything special, but on weekends the days are less regimented.

The weather is still fairly warm here and I haven't taken the air conditioner out yet, even though I haven't turned it on in about six weeks. I will get that done soon as I am sure the cold weather will visit us in a surprise burst of cold air. Also, I have to change my closet over from summery cool clothes to the heavier warm clothes of winter. This task usually takes an entire afternoon to complete, and I always end up with a bag of clothes to give away that I didn't wear at all over the last season.

I collected a few leaves and twigs this past week to use in some art projects that I will probably give away as Holiday presents. The leaves are not in full color as yet, but when they are, I plan on a gathering day woodland walk. I want to get some photographs of the landscape as well. 

There are still some flowers in bloom bloom in front of the house - mostly Black-eyed Susans, but there are a couple of Roses, too. I want to get out there and do a pre-winter weeding. I never tried to dry pressed flowers as I do leaves, but I think I am going to experiment with some of the flowers I have left. My heavy books are put to more use than just reading around this time of year. Sometimes I forget which books I used to press leaves and find them unexpectedly between the pages of some heavy reference book. That's always a welcome surprise.

Well, I am going to go and get started on the day ahead. Thanks for stopping by, and I wish you all a wonderful weekend. ~Yvonne~

Busy Few Days Ahead

Well, it looks like this is the most writing I will do today.  I did nothing but read all day, and I knew from the moment I opened “The Help”  by Kathryn Sockett that I would not put it down.  The only time I became distracted was when Miss Kitty showed up with my tube of Chap Stick, tossing it around as if it were the best cat toy ever made. There is nothing like having a comical cat as a housemate! Anyway, I am almost half way through the book.  If you haven’t read it, I highly recommend that you do.

I probably won’t get too much, if any, writing done tomorrow either.  My mom is coming over for a visit.  We plan on lunch and then shopping.  I am hoping she will have at least one tape of stories for me to transcribe.  If not, I will get her to tell me some so that I will have information to fill in some blank spots.  Not that I don’t have enough to work on already, but I would like to get as much information down as I can.  Mom is getting a little more forgetful lately, and it is a bit of a worry.  After all, she is eighty-five years old, and really, no matter what the age, one never knows…

I do have a couple of poems I am working on and I hope to finish at least one of these this weekend.  I also have a couple of ideas for blogs in “Writing on Writing” and I want to start a new heading (though I am not sure of a heading title yet) that will include a peek into my geek-y side.

 Saturday will no doubt find me reading again.  I will probably finish the book before the weekend is through.  Sunday we are celebrating my brother’s birthday with a family dinner.  So, needless to say, the next few days are looking quite busy.  However, this is good once in awhile as it gives me a chance to live outside my crowded head.  Haha!

I hope you all have wonderful weekends! Thanks for stopping by. ~Yvonne~

Buried in Books

I visited the library this afternoon, in fact, I just got home about ten minutes ago. I picked up the hardbound edition of "The Help" by Kathryn Sockett. I have already read half of the first chapter and I can tell that it is going to be difficult to put down. I, also, picked up  "A Discovery of Witches" by Deborah E. Harkness in unabridged audio format. I saw this book listed some time ago, and wrote it down on a piece of paper to add to my 'need to read' list. Of course, I misplaced the piece of paper and forgot all about the book until I saw it on the shelf today. I am excited to start reading this book, too, and will begin this evening before I go to sleep. I will, no doubt, listen to the first CD and then start a second and fall asleep while it is playing. I do that quite a bit - fall asleep to the sound of someone speaking the words of a story. My favorites to sleep to include any of the "Harry Potter" series. Along with these two new books, I am currently reading  "The Poet's Companion: A Guide to the Pleasures of Writing Poetry" by Kim Addonizio and Dorianne Laux. I have read this book before and I am reading a chapter a day. I find that books of this sort both instructional and inspirational, yet not quite the same as reading a textbook.

 I haven't read three books at a time since I was in college, but I find that I am excited by the notion. When I was young, in grade school and high school, I consumed books in this manner. At that time, of course, I had more time to read. Books were, and are still  to some degree, my companions and teachers. I believe that I learned more from books than I learned from formal any schooling. In reference to this thought, I often remember my grandfather who had to leave his formal education behind at the age of thirteen, yet continued to read everything he could get his hands on. He later became an elected district judge and was a pillar of his community. It boggles my mind to to think how far he (or I for that matter) would have gone if he had access to the Internet. All I can say is "Wow."

Well, I think I am done with this little ramble for the day. Keep reading, keep writing, keep in tune with your Creative Spirit whatever it may be...

Thanks for reading. ~Yvonne~

Not One of My Typical Mondays

I have so much energy today and have accomplished so many chores that I cannot believe that it’s Monday!  Maybe it has something to do with the cooler temperatures today and over the past few days, I don’t know why I am having this untypical Monday, but I am taking full advantage of it. 

Oddly, I am not in the mood to write.  Instead, my thoughts are turning toward art projects.  I am excited for the leaves to turn to their warm autumn colors so that I may collect them to use on canvas.  I only created one canvas last year, (pictured below), and I gave it away as a Christmas present.  It came out great, much better than I thought it would, and now I have dozens of ideas flooding my imagination.  Given that, I have no doubt that the writing bug will bite sometime this week, or maybe it will nip at me before this day is through.  I need to take a step back once in awhile to let the writing simmer on the back burner and I think that it is good to do so.

 

 

"Autumn Falls" - Mixed media: dried leaves, twigs, paper on acrylyc/colored pencil base - 16" x 20".

 

Anyway, getting back to this weird Monday… if I keep up with the pace with which I started out today, I should finish all those tasks that would normally take up my creative time each day.  It is very unusual, to have so much accomplished on a Monday, but I like it; and hope that there are more Mondays like this in the future.

 

Thanks for stopping by. ~Yvonne~