Close Encounter

November 3, 2019.Reading time 4 minutes.

The year was 1964. I was six, and just barely tall enough to see out the kitchen window. I remember it was dark, so I wasn’t bothered too much with what was on the other side, until I saw the flashing lights. Mom and Grandma were stood there with me – we had dishes duty […]

Shades of Green

November 2, 2019.Reading time less than 1 minute.

All is green, come summer here, the river and its banks, and the rolling fields of corn. For Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge: Green.

Inspiration Rekindled

October 27, 2019.Reading time 1 minute.

Eight years now, I have been blogging. It has been a process of unfolding. In the beginning, I wrote for reflection, but as life changed, so did my need. I dug deeper and poetry emerged. I remember at one point telling my husband that I wished I could create my own images to pair with […]

Textures

October 26, 2019.Reading time less than 1 minute.

So many textures tempt –tree bark and tree art a fuzzy caterpillar – oh that tickles …and some things, are better admiredfrom a distance, hands off! (For Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge: textures)

Summer Stragglers

October 25, 2019.Reading time less than 1 minute.

Other blooms may fade,succumbing to Autumn’s chill –Snapdragons stand tall. (For Cee’s Flower of the Day.)

Doodle Blessings

October 24, 2019.Reading time 1 minute.

To keep learning is a blessing. This week, I signed up for a sketching workshop, with no idea what to expect. Turns out we were learning the art of meditative doodling, trademarked as Zentangle. The featured image I created in class. I thought it would be fun to do my granddaughter’s initial. This is where […]

Layered

October 23, 2019.Reading time less than 1 minute.

Above, below, in the middleso many layers to small town life The perceived but a reflectionideals mirrored in stillness some layers more transparent –a pie-lovers paradise. For Lens-Artists Weekly Photo challenge: layered.

V.J.’s Weekly Challenge #69: kindle

October 21, 2019.Reading time 1 minute.

My gears are seizing up; creativity sabotaged by self-doubts. The inner critic declares my efforts worthless. My paints sit dormant. I fear stagnation. “I need something to kindle my inspiration,” I tell my artist friend. Together we visit a local artisan’s workshop. A listing of art classes informs us of an upcoming sketching class. We […]

Never Too Old To Play

October 20, 2019.Reading time 2 minutes.

“Do you know where your wife is?” the man across from me spoke into his cell phone. I could hear my husband’s laughter from across the table. I wore a long black robe that rustled about me as I strutted through the room, fluff from my feather boa leaving a trail. A sparkling tiara perched […]

Safe Lines

October 19, 2019.Reading time less than 1 minute.

Reassured, are weby the lines that definesolid constraintsto protect, or guide Not meant to obscure,although intended to shapeI follow some lines,can appreciatively conform outside the linesis more my naturepurely intellectuallya promise I make. (For Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge: lines)

This Life A Road

This life a road –the way preparedsigns to guide me,and still, I get lost. Construction, distraction,disobedience – throw me off –tendency to choose tougher routes,broken down and been sidelined And yet, the road still beckons,invites progression, thrills.A rolling stone gathers no moss,my father liked to say, and so… I push ahead, keep motoring,trust the obstacles […]

Wings

(Written during my bedbound years with ME/CFS)

Myalgic Encephalomyelitis

May is Myalgic Encephalomyelitis awareness month. Also known as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, this disease is characterized by exhaustion after exertion. The exertion can be physical -taking a shower; emotional – worrying or obsessing; or mental- filling out forms. The best source of information about ME/cfs, as we call it, is the Bateman Horne Center. They […]