Week #21 started with a bang: Monday, I went downtown to The National Mall – there were people all ages from all over the world – lots of school trips. The weather was lovely, a perfect Spring day! I specifically went to meet Juliann, F2F, who was visiting. We’ve been Zoom and FT and ALP friends for several years; this was our first Face-to-Face meetup, ever. T’was a delightful day, spent mostly at the African American Museum of Art and then a bite to eat afterwards … Visit her blog to see a photo of the two of us … Tuesday, in comparison, quiet time for me. Wednesday, I was in seventh heaven: The London Writers’ Salon sponsored a special interview/chat with Maggie O’Farrell– author of many books, her two most recent: Hamnet and Portrait of A Marriage.Along with all the others in the audience, I was captivated, hang- ing onto her every word. After the session, I promptly checked my two local library systems for her memoir : I Am, I Am, I Am. As luck would have it, both dc public and pgcmls (Prince George’s County, MD) library systems had copies available – one of which I now have in my reading stack, started Thursday night after …
Thursday, I met two friends for breakfast and a long overdue gathering. We were so busy catching up, eating, etc, we forgot to grab a picture to memorialize the event. But, that’s OK; our hearts are warmed and the memory of our gathering, indelibly impressed on our minds…
Friday, I waited all day for a service call re: my washing machine. It walks. The service tech arrived at 5:15 pm. No service performed!Suffice it to say, I was not a happy camper! Second service call scheduled for Wednesday.
Friday’s fiasco not withstanding, in the overall scheme of things, I am more happier – as Gretchen and sister, Liz share on their twice a month Saturday podcast. What’s making you more happier these days? Have a great holiday!
Cheers~
Apologies for the disatrous formatting – last three paragraphs. Word Press strikes again and frankly, I’m too irritated to bother.
Slow start to the day; grumpy: Don’t have any decent AM tea! – didn’t like the cup I brewed. My hand hurts when I write – YUK! Grey. Cloudy. 50 F – why is heat pump on? How does one type the“degree” sign? Hmm… look up… Didn’t complete “Ten.10.X” last night – will do next. Agenda created: If I do all the items on the list, I’ll be waaay ahead of the game…
ORGANIZE is a word I have in the index: Spent time last week RE-organizing and it seems that I’m now “back to the future”! What’s needed is a “restructure,” a fresh and different approach. A shakeup. Yeah! Or perhaps acceptance of what is: “I am disorganized!” [deep sigh]. Perhaps I’ll begin my blog post – t’is a Simply A Moment day…why not? …TBC!
Continuing …it’s currently 5:54 PM.
Earlier, during Writers’ Hour, at 8:43 AM, I wrote: I interrupt my daily AmaZe entry into DayONE, my digital journaling tool of choice, to begin my ONE LITTLE WORD – Happier – entry for the month of February. Heart themed of course, since this is the month of Valentine’s Day, just passed yesterday and birthday of a dear -also, passed – friend and today, the anniversary of my Dad’s passing 39 years ago and , and , and. Tho’ sadness describes these feelings, I am eternally grateful that they and many others, graced my life …
As I look out the window, the sky – cloudy and grey. Tho’ the thermometer sez it’s 50 degrees, the heat pump belies, for it busily churns away (adding to the electric bill). I think: As I pass houses on my daily walks through the neighborhood, I see more houses with solar panels on their roofs & I make a mental note to pursue that for this house. And oh yes, I cannot forget the plumbing. Does it ever end? Who indeed said home ownership was a dream. Nightmare perhaps a more accurate descriptor.
8:55 AM – Writers’ Hour is nearing the end – our hosts are reading text comments and preparing to call on two, unsuspecting – always – writers to share a bit of their writing achievements during the past “50 focused minutes.” I was once called and totally surprised. Thankfully, I indeed had the morning’s written words to consult. Somehow, re-reading my words to myself versus aloud to an audience of “writers,” is just not the same… But one survives .
I’m not sure when in the past 10 -12 years I started blogging on a fairly to somewhat regular basis ( minus the past two years or so). I believe 2019 was the year I actually blogged daily, 365 days. I should verify that stat.
Each day, on my list of things to accomplish: “slow stitchin” – my stitching project for 2023. Since mid January, to “prepare” for the project, I’ve read – borrowed and/or bought- at least 8 new books on the subject; written I know not how many notes, capturing inspiration and ideas; created order out of the chaos that lived in my sewing “studio,” barely used during these years of Covid and major disruptions to all our lives, most noticeably, the passing of loved ones.
Writers’ Hour has ended. It appears that the cloudy sky is eventually going to give over to some sunshine; patches of blue begin to peek through. I end the session with this note: “489 words*, thus far…tbc!
PS. And thus were the moments on the 15th day of February… It is now the morning of February 16; Writers’ Hour is underway and my goal is to hit “publish” on this post – now *645 words. This morning, as I was preparing my second cuppa tea before the session began, I saw a flock, albeit a small one of five Canadian Geese flying northwest. The first I’ve seen since the migration season began. My heart was filled…and that makes me happier.
The news this week, in addition to the Russian-Ukraine war; the continued Covid- 19 variants; and now Monkey Pod – has been overlaid with yet again a tragedy: the mass shooting of 19 elementary school aged children and two teachers in Texas!Totally innocent people going about their lives; for sure this event was not on their agenda. And of course, the law makers and so called law keepers are appropriately remorseful and angered … Sadly,in a few days, “normal” life will resume until the next time… rest assured there will be a “next time.” We must also be cognizant of the atrocities that take place daily in life…In the meantime, the Republican Senatorial response, according to the Washington Post: “our thoughts and prayers are with you.”
I sit here, at the table the spot where one can find me most mornings, looking out at the vista:
the sky’s overcast, grey;
birds and squirrels forage;
a slight breeze, barely perceptible via the slow movement of leaves on the trees;
grass needs cutting…badly;
my tea needs replenishing.I can’t cut the grass but the tea, I can replenish.
Writers’ Hour. I’m currently engaged in Writers’ Hour, 50 focused minutes of writing, a free Zoom event, offered four times a day – in the world’s different time zones. We set and share our intentions and write together, in our “little Zoom boxes” on/off the screen.I joined the 8AM EST Writers’ Hour on March 9 of this year and for the past two months since, have written in DayONE,65 consecutive days daily – a streak – and counting…Go ME!
Cybrary … a what?Recently, while driving through the University of Maryland’s campus, I sawa building with this sign… naturally, being a retired librarian – public- my curiosity was piqued. And so what does one do but a ‘google’ search…Go here: https://www.cybrary.it/about/ for the answer to my and your question.
And that’s a snippet or two of my May… Have a safe and enjoyable holiday weekend.
Spring! This day, Friday and Good Friday at that, has lived up to its name and thanks to Mother Nature’s benevolence, has been exquisite. Astronomical Spring arrived March 21, not quite a month ago. Since, Mother Nature has treated us with all the perks and joys of SPRING (including itchy eyes … not a complaint, just a statement of fact). Today has been no exception. I took the above photo of the Spring Full Pink Moon last night – not quite full…tomorrow.
I began the day as I have for nearly three decades – that fact astonishes even me – writing in various paper journals and the DayONE app on my iPad. The former I do out of habit and for the sensory experience: feeling the pen as it glides over the paper; making and forming letters in both cursive and printed fonts; inserting a doodle or punctuation symbol or even a spot of color from a drawing pencil or a bit of washi tape. The writing is as natural as breathing and the words flow, often times surprising me when a phrase or just the right word pops in my mind and appears on the page. With handwriting, I don’t have to worry about if I do this will/does that happen? I just know for I’ve had many decades of experience.
Writing on my iPad is a different ball game. For starters, as I’ve shared before, I don’t do QWERTY (type) tho’ I must admit the more I use the keyboard, the more I am doing QWERTY …but ne’er enough for it to become my method of choice. I either use DayONE or the Word Press app for the inherent ability to save, move paragraphs around, add photos, take a word count, assign categories, play with fonts and insert links, etc. For example, at this point in this post, I’d typed 350+ words and 1515 characters, give or take, twice. Why twice one might wonder? Simply because for some reason, Word Press on my iPad isn’t saving! Wonderful! So, I moved to my Mac and retyped the 350+ words and more than 1500 characters… and remember, I don’t do QWERTY….
So, the sun is setting on what has been a day filled with many gorgeous Spring moments.
I leave you with this photo of #blueskyblooms taken on my morning walk. Enjoy and have a beautiful weekend.
My entry for the 20th day of LOAD – Layout A Day – May 2020 Challenge. Last December, I gifted myself some luscious pearlescent water colours; I finally got around to taking them for a test spin today! In person, they’re more pearlescent and I think using smoother cardstock paper will make a difference. It’s all fun…and to be continued.
I am still reading Before We Were Yours and started the above – it’s non-fiction – Monday… Miter blocks are movin’ right along – two to go and this block will also be done. If I play my cards right, I may even finish the lap robe by the end of #the100dayproject. Time will tell…
I awoke this morning to the sight of a magnificent sunrise, a gentle pink glow in the sky, on rooftops…and quickly gathered my iPhone and donned my robe so that I could step out on the deck and snap a photo or two, bask in the gentle glow. Mornings, mine, are always off to a slow, gentle start, regardless of “when “ I must leave the house …I sip my tea, read, write, sometimes draw/sketch, remember, plan, contemplate, let the morning/day unfold gently…
On this day, next week, we will be in the throes of setting up the quilt show – the doors will open at 10 am, promptly on Thursday…to a crowd of quilters rushing into buy our castoffs: tools; fabrics; patterns; novelty items; etc...”one quilter’s trash another quilter’s treasure…” Three of my four quilts are ready; I finish stitching the binding on the fourth, today!
I have any number of books – new/old; audio/print – in various stages; I’m rather drifting in/out of them. In my ongoingdostadning efforts, I ran across these three titles and decided I might revisit them over the next few days.
The weather forecastfor today: sunshine and lovely temps. I plan/hope to take a walk to the Franciscan Monasteryearly afternoon to view the grounds. I’ve not been at all this season. Who cares about spring allergies?
Thinking: Our taste of Spring was just that. Today, it’s cold and windy and cloudy. The only thing missing: snowflakes. Niece Chris is enjoying beach weather in Mexico… lucky her. It’s nearly noon and I’m still in my jammies…may as well stay for Journal Club, just an hour away! Where has the time gone?
Grateful: Yesterday, our girl Dolly celebrated her 33rd birthday! I recall so clearly the first time we met: She, her mom and grandmother (my sister and niece) came to spend Christmas with us. What a “dolly” she was (and still is). It has been more fun watching her grow over these years and she is the best mom ever to those two little boys, Chris and Elias. Happy Birthday Dolly! Here’s to many, many more! Cheers~
Inspired: I have had the app DayOne Journal on my Apple devices: Mac; iPad and iPhone for several years – tho’ I’ve not used since September 2018. This morning I decided to give it another look-see and was amazed at the new + improved capabilities: voice activation; writing with the Apple pen or your finger on the iOS devices; synchronization across all three platforms; entry via the Apple Watch; and one can even have a book printed (for a cost, of course). There is also an Android version. I’m excited and especially intrigued because I think I have just found the best tool for writing my story, one that enables me to use all the methods I employ in both the analog and digital worlds to capture thoughts, events, feelings, pictures, etc…
(Image taken Oct 2016; cat still perches on the window sill – to be seen!)
Fun: From time to time, I’ve shared photos and a story or so about Smoke, the neighborhood feral cat. S/he’s been around easily 11 years. Norman feeds and I’m sure others in the neighborhood do also. I know a neighbor, now deceased, did and also had the cat neutered/spayed. This morning, Norman interrupted whatever’s he was doing on the computer to feed her … and she’d disappeared. He was, to say the least, ticked off, especially when I called to his attention “there s/he is!”as she sauntered back onto the deck. I wish you could’ve heard the words. T’was too funny! But all’s well: the cat’s been fed and Norman’s back at his computer! (I think the cat is female).
Spring! Seems as tho’ it took forever in coming … and now it’s here! (Even if officially it doesn’t arrive until 5:58 pm EST.) The past few days on my walks, buoyed by warmer Spring-like temperatures, I’ve witnessed buds on the trees and even the Tulip tree at the end of the block is blossoming. Yesterday, I saw my first hint of forsythia, finally. Tonight I hope the clouds won’t obscure my chance to see the last full Supermoon of 2019.
Over the weekend, on my walks, I started and finished, Dani Shapiro’s Inheritance (the audio version). What would you do, think; how would you feel if you found out, via a DNA test, that your father was not your biological father? That you were conceived via a sperm donor program? And that when you do learn these facts, you can’t ask your parents because both are deceased? This is Dani’s story. Gripping! Provocative!
Dani, an accomplished writer and memoirist and writing instructor, narrates the audio version – which makes her story even more poignant. I encourage you to listen and/or read …and visit her website, after you’ve started the book. Doing so will make her story even more dynamic…
I suspect – actually I know – that listening to Inheritance reignited my idea:
write/tell my story – tho’ nowhere near as dramatic as Dani’s;
however/whatever form that takes.
So, Monday afternoon, I went to B&N for more books on, you guessed, writing. For months I’ve been promising myself to read Stephen King’s On Writing…always on any list. Quiet as it’s kept, I’ve not read one of his books – not a genre I read. Be that as it may, On Writing is always on anyone’s list, so now, it’s in my personal library.
Switching gears, the days til the quilt show – May 3-5 – continue to countdown and I’ve finished – or nearly – 3 of the 4 quilts for the exhibit. Next up: the binding on the big quilt and a few other odds/ends…Lovin’ that I’m on schedule if not ahead!
And so, it’s time for me to get a move on with the day. Joinin’ Kat and friends here.
My intention this day included döstädning my office area – this photo of my desk shows why; you think? Then, I planned to write about my 2019 Word … suffice it to say that time took its own speed and before I knew it, I was fresh out of day and energy. Oh well, I sighed, hopefully tomorrow…
Wed 9 Jan – 7: 31 am :
I wrote: “Plowed through the upstairs y’day, creating more areas of stuff to move out…guess it’s called progress. Never wrote a bloomin’ word on the blog – writers (ahem) need to show up everyday at the same time! So again, when ? I stopped to look up/out the window and realized sunrise wason! Morning was all aglow! Gotta leave home, 11-ish – sky is cloudless, a pink, purple blue. Sunlight twinkles on the apartment windows. Serene; lovely; peaceful …
I had a noon dental appointment, I ran a few errands and stopped at Panera on my way home to get my “free bagel.” I get one everyday this month – so far, I’ve only claimed two… Home, I had lunch & dinner: soup, salad and the bagel. I returned to my craft room for another round of döstädning . About 6 pm, I laid down to rest – next thing I knew, t’was 10 pm; no sense in getting up, I thought and slept the night away. Guess I was tired..
Thurs 10 Jan – 6:30 am
Bright eyed, bushy tailed and wide awake, ready to enjoy MSQT. Windy today – all day! A good day to resume döstädning…I made a list of too many things to accomplish on this day. Top item: Blog! As I was thinking about today’s post, I zeroed in on catching up and using today and the past two day’s as content! Brilliant I thought! And then I checked my messages and found this great picture of the little boys
They’re having a great time! And when Chris is home, he’s seldom without Mickey in one hand and playing with Elias!
Now, back to the agenda item at hand: döstädning. Joining Carole and others for this week’s 3 on Thursday!
Morning Glory Studio 