Oh, For The Want of One Idea!

Simply a germ of an idea. That is sometimes all there is to begin writing on any given day. Today the thoughts that crowd my mind seem to overwhelm it...you know, like the did I get all the information down for the notes for this meeting; for gosh sakes who do I need to send the notes too!; did I get that sweater washed; or even the simple what do I make for dinner tonight??

Sometimes these questions come individually and can be simply dealt with, or many times they just seem to gang up on the day and make everything a bit too much. On those days the chance of a small idea to write about can be a daunting task rather than a simple idea that almost creates itself in the words of an essay or article.

Tonight, has been filled with church meetings and has been preceded by an excruciatingly busy week and ideas are hard to come by. So what do I write about? The craving that I have for just a simple idea!!!

Oh, For Those Moments of Peace!

It's a quiet night after a very busy day. The day was packed with friends, a sick grandson who wanted to snuggle, and quite a bit more. To say that I'm exhausted and ready for bed is an understatement but my mind is racing toward what needs to be done yet tonight, and what must be started or finished tomorrow.

I am hoping for a mind quiet weekend but with a Deanery meeting and grandchildren visiting I think I will be lucky for a few quiet moments to just touch a bit of peace.

Ah, well - we can't always get what we want!

Change Is Here To Stay

This day is quickly fading into the next as midnight eases its way across the dark of evening. I've made some major decisions for our home and cut some costs today. The changes will take us from the antenna age into the fiber optic one for our television as well as upgrade our infamous dial-up connection as well. We'll also be going from a huge phone company to that very same fiber optic company - a package and one bill instead of two different companies and two bills.

This is a new era and the idea of fiber optic connections are exciting ones for me. This world is now a view that broadens as I grow older into a new time. When I began high school there were electric typewriters and the computers were huge monolithic things that filled rooms. Today I sit at one that is truly a personal computer because I write, journal and create diaries of who I am and what I believe in on this rather silent keyboard.

I remember my grandmother saying that the idea of a calculator that could do the math problems of an adding machine and could be held in the hands was a wonder. She could remember the first Fords and even the horse and buggy as the only modes of transportation. So from her time to mine there have been huge strides where technology has now begun to walk lock step with our fast moving times. This is a really interesting time to be alive!

A Lover of Words

Do you like poetry??? I'm one who loves the way a poem of any kind feels in my mind. I love actually saying it out loud! There is actually this feeling in my mouth and mind! Yup, I can actually taste poems and that sends ideas and feelings all over! A great example is Galway Kinnell's Blackberry Eating, but to taste a poem is not necessarily tasting a poem simply about food. Sometimes to eat a good poem is to devour its ideas and meaning.

The English teacher in me tingles when I hear or enjoy personal poetry. Like a mountain that pierces the clouds to taste the rains, I push and prod the words to feel that meaning rain down the flavors that end up rolling around in my mind and mouth.

I began my love when I was little with simple and wonderfully done poems and graduated to my first favorite poet, Emily Dickinson. I went on to many more, and then when my kids began in elementary school to explore poems and poets I discovered Shel Silverstein a totally crazy and wild poet who has excited kids and adults alike for years. I have to say that there probably isn't a poet or poem I don't enjoy!

For me the idea of simple words excites and makes me thoughtful. I think I'll go taste some right now!!!

The Lonely and Sometimes Frustrating Life of a Writer

Today was simply a grouchy day for me. No excuses, and no explanations could excuse the way I acted and it certainly didn't help in getting to the root of why I have been so Oscary today. It's funny, because I can laugh at the funny character on my kids favorite PBS show, but when I get those kind of days it can be no laughing matter for me or those that who have to deal with my anger and frustration.

I hate these Oscary days since I really feel I have no control over how I react to anything. Part of it comes from when I feel I've created a great poem or piece of prose and get absolutely no response. It can be frustrating as a writer to struggle through a piece of writing and find that no one will give it a second look, and sometime not even a first look.

So I'm going to let the whole writing thing go for a few days. I need a days rest and my fingers sure need the time off too!

Spring - I Mean Summer!

It's still cold, but the warmer weather is on its way! They are talking temps in the mid-30s and 40s for the wee ahead. Will we stay here? Who knows, but it sure sounds like a heat wave to me and I'm so ready for a weather change!

Discussing weather has brought my friends and I to an understanding - we all love spring and the wonderful 70 to 75 degree weather. With the spring green coming alive all around us it is hard not to like those days of spring time! But as the weather gets hotter it becomes more miserable for many of us. Now, granted there are those who like the oppressive heat and humidity but many of us do not find it to be a fun time of year.

So I'm longing for those spring days and hoping that they last more than a a few minutes, I mean weeks this year!!!

The DTV Mess!

I hate digital TV.

I know we're not really there yet, but with that magic box to make it happen for those of us with antennas I have lost one, no actually two LOCAL stations. One of the Stations was a station that I never had any problems getting since we moved here over 30 years ago! Even after we got the box the summer reception was great, but now and since the winter began I've had no station 85% of the time. (Or simply little boxes all over the screen when I get the station!) CBS is something I use to enjoy - but I haven't seen it for a very long time.

What makes digital better??!!! It has cost me a big part of what I use to enjoy on television! Why did we have to do this thing???