2015 SOLSC 31/31: April's Siren Call

                               

Today I join my fellow bloggers in "serving up a slice" 

to the Slice of Life (SOL) community.

Thanks to Stacey, Tara, Betsy, Dana, Beth, and Anna

for hosting this meeting place each day in March

                                                    and for nurturing our writing lives. 

It's a 5th Tuesday and time to revisit my OLW, stretch.  Which is scarier, calling yourself a writer or a poet?  I'm "stretching" my poetry muscles today with a fun form.

I refer to our month of daily slicing as my own form of March Madness.  Last year I leaped into April and Poetry Month with an arun* to celebrate a month of slicing with my students. This year I close out my month of slicing by lifting some lines from Beatrice Schenk de Regniers', “Keep a Poem in Your Pocket” in an arun to answer April’s siren call.  

*arun -  fifteen-line poem in three sets of five lines. Each set of five lines follows the same syllable structure: starting with one syllable and increasing by one (1/2/3/4/5 — 3x). Explore this form with GirlGriot who introduced it to me. 

March

may be

the maddest

month of them all.

But April creeps up,

Yield!

April

is not cruel.

Rejoice! With a

poem in your pocket,

you’ll

never 

be lonely

at night in bed
as poems sing to you.

2015 SOLSC 30/31: Mouse Story Part II

                               

Today I join my fellow bloggers in "serving up a slice" 

to the Slice of Life (SOL) community.

Thanks to Stacey, Tara, Betsy, Dana, Beth, and Anna

for hosting this meeting place each day in March

                                                    and for nurturing our writing lives. 

Inspired by Catherine's found poem from the last chapter of Birchbark House, I create a found poem from the book, Cathedral Mouse by Kay Chorao.  Since the book is out of print and some of you were unable to find a copy in your libraries, this found poem summarizes this story that is beautifully told and illustrated by Chorao.  The story of how I found this book and purchased two additional copies is in Mouse Story.  For our family connection to the book, stay tuned for Mouse Story Part III.

Mouse wanted a real home.

Out of pet store

Onto snowy street

Big orange cat!

Mouse ran for his life!

Up stone steps

In a vast space

Curled near golden lights.

Hand! Danger! Ran!

Up carved screen

Heart pounding

Faces frowned at him

Scurried for safety.

Fell down organ pipe,

Tumbled into nest of mice

Out!  Not one of usssssssss!

Ran through hole in pipe

Fell, ran, leaped, landed,

Slid into cozy hollow,

Hid, heart still thumping.

Crash!

Running, running to find safe place

Top of stone pillar

Sleep tonight.

Tomorrow find home.

Awakened, next to him

Bread and cheese.

Light, jewel- bright

Ribbons of light

Beams of light

Mouse scampered and sang,

Dancing in the light.

Mop crashed down

Man shouted

Mouse ran to pillar

Be more careful!

Explore, slide, sing, and play

When safe and quiet.

Slept on pillar

Awakened, more bread and cheese.

Pillar safe

But not a real home!

Man in shadows

Mouse froze with fear!

Voice soft and slow

Man came often

Each time reached out hand

At last, touched Mouse’s head

After a long time, rides on arm,

Then, in pocket

Surprise –bread and cheese!

Man laughed

Tomorrow you keep me company

Little Cathedral Mouse.

Shed filled with blocks of stone

Curl up in cap

Watched from woolly perch

Man pounded and pounded.

End of every day

Mouse returned to pillar

Not a real home, but safe.

One day men pushing something

Heavy onto his pillar

"Now I have no place at all."

Sadly passed by his pillar.

Warm hand lifted him up

“Look what I have carved for you.”

Mouse looked.

“You have carved . . . ME!”

"And more."

Mouse crept into tunnel and

Found cozy little room.

“Now I have a real home.”

“Now you are a real Cathedral Mouse.”

And so he was.

And so he would always be,

Forever and ever. 

2015 SOLSC 29/31: Pensee Poem for Sunday

                               

Today I join my fellow bloggers in "serving up a slice" 

to the Slice of Life (SOL) community.

Thanks to Stacey, Tara, Betsy, Dana, Beth, and Anna

for hosting this meeting place each day in March

                                                    and for nurturing our writing lives. 

I love to watch the rippling effects of our posts.  I try out the pensee form explained by Michelle 

who was inspired by Windows to My Life.

"A pensee poem is a poem that uses syllabic form. There's no specific meter or rhyme. 

syllabic count 2-4-7-8-6;

line 1 is the subject;

line 2 gives description;

line 3, action;

line 4, the setting;

line 5, final thought."

Savior

Light of the world

Redeems my soul, lifts me up

Yesterday, today and always

Teach me to walk in light

Image taken at the Chihuly Garden and Glass during Joan's visit in February.

2015 SOLSC 28/31 and Celebrate This Week

                               

Today I join my fellow bloggers in "serving up a slice" 

to the Slice of Life (SOL) community.

Thanks to Stacey, Tara, Betsy, Dana, Beth, and Anna

for hosting this meeting place each day in March

                                                    and for nurturing our writing lives. 

                               Join us each weekend for Celebrate this week with Ruth Ayres.  

 When we pause to celebrate, we find the joy.

  A week filled with moments to celebrate and remember!

1.  Book Club List for Upcoming Year Arrived:
Several folks asked if I was willing to share our list.  It's always an eclectic list, but half the fun of a book club is reading books one wouldn't necessarily choose.  Two titles on the list were suggested by me, The Grapes of Wrath and All the Light we Cannot See.  I'm sad that our club didn't also choose my third title, Can't We Talk about Something More Pleasant? by Roz Chast.
  
The Yiddish Policeman's Union by Michael Chabon
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
Dish:  The Inside Story on the World of Gossip by Jeanette Walls
The Zhivago Affair:  The Kremlin, the CIA and the Battle Over a Forbidden Book by Peter Finn and Petra Couvee
Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee
The Orchardist by Amanda Coplin
Moonlight on the Avenue of Faith by Gina Nahai
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
The Translator:  A Tribesman's Memoir of Darfur by Daoud Hari
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
The Other Typist by Suzanne Rindell
Unbroken:  A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption
by Laura Hillenbrandt

2.  Play Dates on Thursday and Friday:
Half the fun of being retired is being available to watch some of my young friends.  Imi and I played at the park on Thursday.
Eliza (age 4) led me in a busy afternoon of
Adventure, a Discovery Toy puzzle activity,
Soccer (she was patient with me even though I was "slow"),
Find the Hidden Soccer Ball, and 
Chase (I don't think I've actually "run" in a decade or so). 
The first part of the afternoon, she watched "Ramona and Beezus"
which gave me some commenting time.  
I'm sorry that I can't report on my time with Emma who slept from the time she was dropped off until her mommy returned almost three hours later. (My children never napped for three hours.)  She enjoyed the neighbor's, "goggie" while we snacked on cookie bars and chatted with her parents.  I haven't seen Eliza and Emma since last spring when their family moved away for one year.  Unfortunately, yesterday's visit was during the time that their parents loaded a truck from their storage unit.
We're still hopeful that they will move back after
a short 18 month commitment in another state.  

3.  A serendipitous find at the library book sale:
I worked at the Friends of the Library book sale on Wednesday and Friday.  I ended up sorting the adult fiction during my shift on Friday, but couldn't leave without spending a little time straightening the children's section.  I shouted with glee when I found The Cozy Book by Mary Ann Hoberman.   I gave this book to a friend quite a few years ago because it was perfect for their "cozy" themed Christmas,
but had been unable to find a copy for myself until yesterday.
I picked up a few other titles, but don't tell my husband
because we're decluttering  at our house!

2015 SOLSC 27/31: For Those in Pain

Today I join my fellow bloggers in "serving up a slice" 

to the Slice of Life (SOL) community.

Thanks to Stacey, Tara, Betsy, Dana, Beth, and Anna

for hosting this meeting place each day in March

and for nurturing our writing lives. 

I'm sharing a poem by Helen Frost 

that I found while sorting my paper piles.

Jone Mccullough at Check It Out is

hosting this week's poetry round-up.  

       Be sure to stop by for a taste of poetry love.

This poem may have already been shared on Poetry Friday which may be how I came to find a xeroxed copy of it.  I want to share this poem for my friend from college who is coping with the death of a young adult son, for a blogger friend who is experiencing tough love with her two sons, for the survivors of the family who lost seven of their eight children in a tragic fire,

and for anyone else whose

"...road is longer than it should be,..."  

You can find the poem in the What's New Section on Helen Frost's blog.  

Scroll down to December 20, 2010,

where you'll find Helen's poem "Where Grass is Pressed," and these comforting words:  

"Close your eyes, and nestle into sleep, into love."  

2015 SOLSC 26/31: Exercise

Today I join my fellow bloggers in "serving up a slice" 

to the Slice of Life (SOL) community.

Thanks to Stacey, Tara, Betsy, Dana, Beth, and Anna

for hosting this meeting place each day in March

                                                   and for nurturing our writing lives.

The bloggers at Spiritual Journey Thursday are            

writing about the spiritual focus of our community's   

One Little Words.  This week, we are writing about 

Mary Hill's OLW, EXERCISE.  Thanks to Holly Mueller
for hosting this group each Thursday.  

Writing this post is my own little exercise this morning.  I spend far more time writing my posts this year than in previous years.  Maybe it's because I'm retired, maybe it's because I don't want to do the other things on my "to do" list, maybe it's because I revel in having a bit more expendable time.  

But today is a busy day, and I know I'll feel better if I exercise my writing muscles and write quickly before the commitments of the day fill my agenda and life.

I know that when I exercise my spiritual muscles through prayer, scripture study, and reflection, that these moments will enrich the rest of my day.

I know that when I exercise my body, I feel good.  I can check that little item off the list, but even more it clears my head and affects my mood in positive ways.  

So if I know that exercising my writing muscles, my spiritual muscles, and my physical muscles is so good for me, why do I find it so hard to follow through and do? And why if I'm doing better at one of them (writing every day this month), do the other exercises tend to slacken?  I remind myself that in any exercise regimen, it's important to stretch.  So I'm cutting short today's post so that I can stretch my spiritual muscles before the demands of the day cut into my precious prayer and reflection time.  

I'll close with a quote that I kept posted in my classroom and that now graces my bulletin board:  

"Be not afraid of growing slowly, be afraid only of standing still."
-Chinese proverb

with my adaptation for Mary's OLW, exercise:
"Be not afraid of exercising slowly, be afraid only of not exercising at all."  
-Ramona

2015 SOLSC 25/31: I Knew It Would Turn Up Eventually!

• 
  Today I join my fellow bloggers in "serving up a slice" 

  to the Slice of Life (SOL) community.

  Thanks to Stacey, Tara, Betsy, Dana, Beth, and Anna

  for hosting this meeting place each day in March
                                              and for nurturing our writing lives. 

My good friend Colleen asks, "Have you finished the book?"  I'm taking her to the park and ride so she can catch the bus downtown and then the train to the airport.  I love to visit each time she's in town, but our visit on the way to the park and ride had to suffice for this quick stop on her way from Canada to Los Angeles.  

"No, I haven't finished it."  Both Coleen and Renae, the other two members of our online book club, finished Code Name Verity some time ago.  In fact, Renae finished it so long ago that she's not sure she can remember it.  

Colleen says, "That's it.  We're having our google chat next Thursday.  You better get busy."

I didn't tell Coleen, but I can't find the book.  Like so many things in my life, it seems to have gone walkabout.  I remember taking it to the book club retreat.  Did I really think I would have time to read?  I shared the title with Jennifer.  Maybe I didn't empty one of my recyclable bags all the way before putting it back in the car.  I head to the car, "Nope, not there."  

Maybe it's in my school bag from Thursday's book club, but I can't find my school bag either.  (Can you tell that losing things is a chronic condition with me?)  After texting Patty to ask her to look around for my bag at school and checking the car one more time,  I return from the garage and spy the bag on the floor by my chair.  I'm trying to train myself to drop my bags in this spot, but I had forgotten to look there.  I quickly look in the bag, "No book there either, just folders and ballots from our March Book Madness."  I call Patty back to call off her search at school for my bag.    

I drop by the public library to see if they have a copy on the shelf - no luck!

I e-mail Jennifer.  We shared a room at the book club retreat.  Maybe it accidentally ended up in one of her bags - no luck there either!  

On Saturday, I check Amazon to see how much it costs to download it on my Kindle, less than $7.  I know that as soon as I purchase it, the book will turn up.  But before I purchase the book, I have to find my Kindle since I only use it when I'm traveling.  Luckily, I find my Kindle, buy the book, and get started reading.  

Sure enough on Sunday, I swing around in my chair after writing a slice and spy my missing copy of Code Name Verity under the nightstand.  I rarely stow books under the nightstand, especially books that I'm currently reading.  But I guess I was distracted when I unpacked.

I move back into my paper version of the book and continue reading.  I've been reading a bit, but the lure of slicing and commenting is stronger.  I'm not finished, and Thursday looms ever closer with many commitments this week.

Last night, I received this text from Colleen, "I forgot to get hold of Renae.  Have you finished the book?"

I reply, "Not yet.  Making progress.  Let me know if she's available.  And I'll pick up the pace."  

Colleen's texts me back, "It works better for me next week.  How about Tuesday or Wednesday?"

"Perfect!" is my delighted response back.  

Whew!  So please forgive me if I don't comment quite as much the next few days.  I have a book that I really must finish.  

2015 SOLSC 24/31: Panic Mode!

Today I join my fellow bloggers in "serving up a slice" 

to the Slice of Life (SOL) community.

Thanks to Stacey, Tara, Betsy, Dana, Beth, and Anna

for hosting this meeting place each day in March

and for nurturing our writing lives.

It happens every year.  We get down to single digit days remaining,

and I reach double digits with posts I still want to write.

I would never have believed it before my first year.  

Thank goodness for Tuesday Slice of Life... Every. Single. Week.

My Frenzied After Midnight Jottings 

Why Am I Scribbling on Post-It Notes?...Where is My Writer's Notebook?

To Write by Hand or on the Computer?  That Is the Question!

Learning from Blake and Sara - Time to Join their Bullet Journaling Life

Coleen's Advice:  Log the Hours you Spend Blogging and Commenting

Welcome Wagon Bloggers - Come Back!

Using Catherine's Poetry Post to Inspire Mouse Story Part II

Blogging Feeds my Distractibility Gene

Murphy's Law and Lost Items

An Apology Poem, Inspired by Elsie(?) to Patty and Jennifer (lost items)

Why I Failed the 60 Comment Challenge

The Rescued Starfish Story (Applied to Blogging Comments)

Mouse Story Part III - Our Family Connection

Scroll on By - So Many Blogger Friends, So Little Time

Time to Catch Up on Aileen's Posts

Really?  Only One Business Trip in March?

My Covert Blogging Activities

Finding Stacie's Excel Spread Sheet the Day After the 60 Commenting Challenge

Real Life Friends Worry About Me (Blogger Friends Pop Up in my Conversations)

March SOLSC Screws Up my Sleep Cycle...Every. Single. Year.

2015 SOLSC 23/31: A Perfect Sunday

• 
  Today I join my fellow bloggers in "serving up a slice" 

  to the Slice of Life (SOL) community.

  Thanks to Stacey, Tara, Betsy, Dana, Beth, and Anna

  for hosting this meeting place each day in March
                                              and for nurturing our writing lives. 

• 5 a.m Wake up, finish post for today and start commenting for the weekend challenge

• 7 a.m. Take husband to catch bus so he can connect with train downtown to airport  (Sometimes I take him to the airport, but today was the half marathon in our community, and it might be tough to get back on the island in time for choir practice at 8:30.)

• 8:30 Choir Practice

• 9-12 Church

• 12-1 Stay after church to work on monthly report (and visit)

• 1-2 Lunch, talk to Sara, comment on a few more blogs

• 2 Naptime (woke up sometime after 4, but enjoyed stretching and lazing about a bit longer)

• 4:30 Call Lance, Comment on blog posts - I tend to get distracted and read more than one day's post when I encounter a blogger new to me, or someone I feel that I've neglected this month, or someone whose blog intrigues me...

• 6:30 Supper, watch PBS, read skim Thursday through Saturday newspapers, call Velma and Tom, call Kay, sort catalogs

• 8:30 More reading and commenting (Realize that I won't reach the magical #60, but I enjoy every post I read.)  I'm still trying to follow Linda's advice:  Read fast and write fast . . . but I'm more of a linger with the language and saunter with the story kind of gal.

• 11:00 Check email, look at the catalogs I need to put away, notice the book I need to finish for book club with Renae and Colleen this week, start post for Monday

• 11:47 Finish post for Monday - Hurray!

• 12:00 Head to bed

2015 SOLSC 22/31: How To Be Perfect

Today I join my fellow bloggers in "serving up a slice" 

to the Slice of Life (SOL) community.

Thanks to Stacey, Tara, Betsy, Dana, Beth, and Anna

for hosting this meeting place each day in March

and for nurturing our writing lives. 

I'm following Elsie's lead from her post, Title Fun,

and jumping in this morning with book spine poetry.

I have an assortment of motivational books I keep on my desk,

I added a few library titles, and this is the result:

HOW TO BE PERFECT

let's all be brave.

THIS YEAR I WILL . . .

LIGHTEN UP!

It's Hard to Make a Difference When You Can't Find Your Keys

The Procrastinator's Handbook

THINspired

Starting Monday

simple days

Everyday Sacred

DISCLAIMER #1:  Book spine poetry can be addicting.  And you'll really mess up your bookshelves.  I know, I did it last year.  That's why I limited myself to books already on my desk

and current books checked out from the library.

(Okay, I did sneak the title book from my nightstand.)

DISCLAIMER #2:  Creating a poem from book spines is not necessarily a quick post.

There are many ways to arrange the words from ten books,

and I think I tried and took photos of each possibility.

DISCLAIMER #3:  All punctuation marks and capital letters are those of the original author and not the creator of this poem.  It's very difficult for me to type those titles with no caps, but I did it.  

  

DISCLAIMER #4:  The title, How To Be Perfect, is not a motivational book.  

It's a book of poetry by Ron Padgett.  

I highly recommend the title poem which occupies nine pages in the book

and is more fun and much faster to read than any of the other books.  

2015 SOLSC 21/31 and Celebrate This Week!

                                    Today I join my fellow bloggers in "serving up a slice" 

to the Slice of Life (SOL) community.

Thanks to Stacey, Tara, Betsy, Dana, Beth, and Anna

for hosting this meeting place each day in March

                                                      and for nurturing our writing lives.

                               Join us each weekend for Celebrate this week with Ruth Ayres.  

 When we pause to celebrate, we find the joy.

  A week filled with moments to celebrate and remember!

1.  Words!

There are certain words that I'll forever associate with certain friends:

Pause - Tara

Sweet - Elsie (aka LeAnn)

Shine - Ruth

I've joined friends at Spiritual Journey Thursday to blog about the spiritual focus of our One Little Words for 2015.  I'm surprised how often the word we are writing about pops up during the week we write.  I discovered this title on display at the library after Thursday's post on "brave." How serendipitous is that!

2.  Two boxes left!

I'm almost finished moving everything back into the kitchen, but I promised myself no pics of the the new kitchen until I finish.  I'm trying to declutter as I go, thus my slow progress.  The two remaining small boxes are filled with stuff/junk that requires a certain perky time of day and attitude for me to tackle.

3.  April is around the corner with two reasons to celebrate!

 1. Poetry Month!  I celebrate poetry all year, but I'm always excited for April to arrive.  A small envelope arrived this week - my free poster for National Poetry Month.  I love the poem "Eating Poetry" by Mark Strand, and I love Roz Chast.
 Double pleasure!

2.  Daughter Sara's visit!  She's coming to look for a place to live
(they arrive in June), to interview for some jobs,
and of course, to visit her mom and dad!

4.  The mess on the bed!

I like to write in my daughter's yellow bedroom.  Yesterday I turned around in the chair after finishing Friday's slice and saw:  a blue jacket, a blue sweater, a cordless phone, a stack of books and magazines I moved off the desk to work on a slice, an envelope of notes from NCTE (used for writing Friday's slice), my scriptures, a newspaper bag, unread newspapers from Wednesday, Becoming His (my current spiritual read), clean jeans needing to be hung up, an Ensign magazine, a Simple Living magazine, the Island Books Top 40 List of Bestsellers for 2014 (which I forgot to take to the retreat), a UW bookstore bag (a definite keeper, they are so sturdy), and a basket of clean clothes waiting to be folded.  I should be ashamed, but instead I'm celebrating these pieces of my life!  I grabbed my notebook to list the stuff and then cleaned off the bed,

except for one live object:

5.  My writing buddy, Hadley!

You may recognize her, she made the cover of Bonnie's video.  
She'll be 18 next  month. She knows that sometimes I write on the bed,
and she snuggles with me while I write.