2011: Knitting it Up

This is it..

2011-01-02T10:29:00.000-05:00

Vacation is over, back to work tomorrow, so the knitting frenzy will slow down while I go back to teaching and preparing for the trip to ID.

So this is my last dog dress. Tomorrow I will Priority mail them to Yvonne, and hopefully she will find someone, among her flock of 10 chihuahua's, who will fit into them and be able to use them. I look forward to some feedback on sizing and placement of leg holes... This ruffled dress was interesting as I had to pick up the stitches that had been previously knit, and then add stitches to make the ruffle. I thought the ruffles might be too 'heavy', but maybe not. Yvonne will have to let me know how it works on a real dog. I think this turned out cute, but the variegated yarn didn't work too well on such a small item. I had the same problem when I mad a baby hat with the same yarn.

My own design...

2011-01-01T14:53:00.000-05:00

I liked my striped hat, so I decided to try the same thing with a dog sweater... then I wasn't sure how many stripes I could fit into the length, and only went with three... then I didn't know if I should have the stripes at the top, plain at the bottom or vice versa. After I decided to put the stripes at the top, I didn't know if I should try and stripe the front piece... So, this was very much a learning experience. I don't know if I made all the right the choices, but it still came out pretty cute I think. I'll see what Yvonne says when she tries it on a real dog...

For me!

2010-12-30T15:52:00.001-05:00

When I was trying to figure out what to do next, it suddenly ocurred to me that I am heading to Idaho in 3 weeks for the lovely Stellas first birthday, and I don't own a hat! Talk about your Aha moment. So I measured my head, figured out it was only an inch bigger than the biggest size in my baby hat book, so I modified the pattern by 4 stitches and made a hat for myself.

Isn't it cute? This was a really easy hat to make, I just carried the second color up the 4 rows until I needed it again. I think this is a definite candidate for a kids hat that I could make over and over and donate somewhere like I did with the baby blankets. Definitely a 'repeater'. And think of all the cool color combos - a simple pattern in worsted weight on size 9 circular needles.

Ruffle Hat

2010-12-29T17:54:00.000-05:00

I had to try the ruffle hat. So pretty and feminine. Poor Stella, what will she do with so many hats? Maybe I need to move to grownup hats, save them up until next winter and then donate them. Hmmmm. Or maybe there's a charity like Project Linus that takes hats instead of blankets. I'll have to check into that.

The pom-pom didn't work out, so I went with a tassle. Kind of looks like a ponytail. The hat seems too 'deep'. It said 6 inches before starting the wind down... 5 would have been plenty. Live and learn. I would definitely make this hat again.

The fun continues...

2010-12-28T16:36:00.000-05:00

So, once I got started I couldn't stop. At first it was about knitting something new, but these things are so small! You can finish one in a day... and of course it opens up a whole new world of embellishment possibilities.

I'm hoping that I can learn a little bit of crochet so I can make stars and flowers and things to 'pretty up' my creations. So I got a book (I always go to a book first) called Crochet Flowers for Every Wear by Kooler Design. I bought a crochet hook and assumed I could teach myself, but my first attempt ws NOT a success. I gave up and went with a knit flower instead (which was also a brand new thing to me).

So today I made a quick trip to Walmart to pick up more crochet hooks (I decided that the hook I had was too small and that's why I was having so much trouble) and while I was there, I saw this doll with a giant head and thought she'd be a perfect hat model. (OK, I realize that is a little wierd) and then of course I had to go find something closer to the right size to model the dog clothes (getting a little wierder).

The hat above was too big around, and funny thing is, I knew it when I cast it on, but since I was just beginning I went with the pattern. Anyway, I wound up taking a couple of tucks in the the ribbed brow. Which was probably about 8 stitches worth - next time I'll adjust what I cast on. I wlso thought the yarn was a little 'stiff'. Might try it with another kind next time.

The dog sweater definitely had a problem with where the dog's leg holes went. I had to take it apart and move them.. This is an ongoing problem with this pattern method. But now that I know about it, I can make the adjustment, no problem.

Michael's Gift Card

2010-12-27T11:43:00.001-05:00

It's all Brent's fault!

My husband's brother, tired of the annual bookstore gift card, branched out and got me a Michael's gift card this year. Naturally I went right out and spent it the day after Christmas.

Having made a couple of dozen of the same exact baby blanket over the last year, I felt the need to branch out myself. So, (Yvonne) I got a book on making dog sweaters. (Stylish Knits for Dogs by Ilene Hochberg) And, (Ryanne) I got a book on baby beanies (Baby Beanies by Amanda Keeys). I also got circular needles in baby hat size and some (adorable) yarn to work with. Nothing fancy, all washable, of course. (Who in their right mind would knit for kids or dogs in non-washable yarn)? Then I went straight home and made one of each.

I have no idea whether either one will fit, since both the dog and baby are 3000 miles away! (The dog's chew toy does not make a very good model) Anyway, I had fun, am working on another hat and will send all these off for feedback. The good news is that I can already see how some of the stuff from the baby hat book can be used to snazz-up the dog sweaters! New Year fun...

Free Motion Sewing

2010-04-10T08:59:00.002-04:00

Ha! I am learning a lot of stuff! If you haven't checked out my link to Ellen Lindner, you should. I downloaded her ebook class on Color and spent some time working on it yesterday. I probably have a couple more days of work to finish it. But by watching a video of her and looking at her quilts and looking up stuff on 'art quilts' I discovered this thing called free motion sewing.

It turns out my sewing machine has a couple of other feet I've never used. A 'darning' plate and foot, and a 'walking foot'. If you use the darning foot, you can sew backwards, forwards, sideways, in circles, it's unlimited! You have to be careful not to make a mess of the back (by pulling the threads to the top before sewing. Anyway, here is my first try... you can see the possibilities. You can use fabric to make pictures... how fun!

I learned something else too... it's called 'hiding your tails'. How could I have been sewing for close to 50 years and not know about this? It's basically leaving a longer tail on a thread and then sewing the tail back into the piece instead of just clipping it off.

Last of the Cat's

2010-04-09T14:22:00.000-04:00

OK - here's the other cat bag... also reversible, but one pocket in and one out no matter which way you turn it... two projects finished. I guess I think the pocket is too big. The nice thing about this project was now I know how to make this bag in any size or shape. good learning experience, and if nothing else you can use them for groceries...save the earth!

Cat's in the Bag

2010-04-09T12:14:00.000-04:00

OK - making bags is really fun and addictive... this is a different kind of bag, made in a cat theme for a friend. This was my first try and I made a few mistakes... but who knows, one girl's mistake is another girl's 'feature', so we'll see...

This is one side of the bag, featuring contrasting snap pockets, one on each side.... OR... the bag is reversible, moving the pockets to the inside.

So, pretty fun, right? Look out friends, you are all getting bags based on your interests, whether you need them or not!

In the Bag

2010-03-25T13:33:00.000-04:00

Today I amused myself by making a spring bag. This is from a 'Lazy Girl' pattern. It was my first time trying the pattern and of course I made several mistakes, but the next one will be easy. I didn't really like the way some of the seams were visible inside the bag, so I may have to rethink the instructions a little. Still, it's very cheerful and I like the 6 pockets on the outside...

Taking Flight 4

2010-03-22T19:57:00.000-04:00

The second winged lady is done... it's much better, although not great...still don't seem to have all the right stuff - and of course there's that little problem with the fact that I can't draw!!

Also, I'm getting my own ideas, and I want to try a couple of those

now, then I'll move on to the next project in Kelly Rae Robert's book.

Taking Flight 3

2010-03-21T15:57:00.003-04:00

Well, I did as much as I can on my 2nd winged lady today... now I have to wait for the oil paint to dry. I forgot to sand the face area again before putting on the oil paint, and I still don't see how to put it on smoothly. I have to run out and get some linseed oil to clean my hands and the brush I tried to smooth it with. I tried heating it with a hair dryer because I heard it had a wax component and thought it might melt smooth. Didn't really work...

So, tomorrow, I'll be able to add the face and the hair. I need some kind of pen to write a 'message' on it. I'm not really sure what that message is, but I'm leaning toward 'try', or some kind of quote related to 'try'. Anyway, I like this one much better. The background papers were from a hymnal and an atlas. The paints are a more subtle (not primary) palette. I used my cheap acrylics, because I had a better variety of colors. I put something more interesting under the skirt - just words from Oprah magazine, but better. I also had the charcoal pencil, which smeared nicely!

Taking Flight 2

2010-03-19T12:11:00.003-04:00

I finished my 'winged lady' this morning per the instructions in Kelly Rae Robert's book Taking Flight.

I like her. I especially like the gray hair... all the ladies I make will have gray hair, an homage to all us grandma's that decide to get creative a little later in life.

This was my first try with the Shiva Paintstix... I was very pleased with how easy it was to blend them with my finger, I only had three, so the face is painted on, which is different from the instructions, but I thought it came out well. I'll get black and red paintstix before the next project. It's a good thing the art store guy told me about the 'skin' on the paintstix, I don't know how long I would have tried to use them as crayons without getting any paint on the paper.

I didn't have a 'Stabilo' black pencil or a graphite pencil, so the wings are lined in black paint instead of a more charcoal like line.. The yellow body is huge! don't know what I was thinking... also, if you are going to wipe away paint to see what's underneath, you should put something interesting underneath! (duh) what was I thinking? So I improvised... Also, if you are going to wipe off paint, use thinner paint! I used really thick paint and had a heck of a time wiping it off.

I still don't really get the smeared paint background... maybe it also needs to be thinner? I don't know... I think it's ugly,. My favorite part (surprisingly) is the head. Oh well, next project...

Taking Flight

2010-03-18T16:22:00.001-04:00

I finally got up the guts to buy Kelly Rae Robert's book 'Taking Flight'. It was set to be my last art book... if it didn't get me going, I was going to give away all my art stuff (that I've never used) and quit kidding myself. I don't understand why I have this 'art' voice screaming in my head anyway, I am seriously NOT artistic...although I am creative.. I like to play..
So back to the book. I got the book and started reading it. The rule was that if there were project instructions, I had to do the project before moving on. (sigh) The first project is to make collage on hard book covers. So I ran out and got some stuff and started the project.

The first part was to make 'letters' on cloth... the instructions said 1" x 4" which is pretty small - I don't think Kelly is using a 1" wide strip in the demonstration photos... anyway, I followed the directions and here are my letters. (whoops, the t is upside down) I think they just look sloppy... there were no instructions for what to do with the back of the letters (which are plain white interfacing) so I painted them.

I know this is not going to be a great-looking project, I know I'm going to have to make a lot of ugly stuff before I figure out how to make better stuff, but making ugly stuff is not nearly as much fun as making cool stuff. It's embarassing!

So, after cutting the covers off the a hardcover book, I was instruceted to collage papers onto the covers to make a base. I also put just a little material on the covers, since I have quite a lot of fabric. Here are my 'base' covers.

The book covers were about 9" square. These are big pieces of paper, which made them hard to glue flat... I would probably use smaller pieces next time, but I was kind of looking at Kelly's project and she seemed to use at least one big piece as a background, but they get covered with paint and who knows what else anyway, so who knows what they will look like after the next step.

So, I feel like I have made progress. I've been lurking on other sites, and trying to figure out process, but have only tried a couple of 'paper paintings', nothing that actually involved painting over a collaged background. So here goes. Thanks Kelly Rae. Check out her site and see her great stuff!

Woven Hearts

2010-02-26T16:21:00.000-05:00

Although an my body was screaming for an art project, I couldn't think of anything that matched my minimal skills... then, while perusing some of my favorite sites, I got an idea. Since I don't really understand color much, why not use paper that's already 'designed'. So I pulled pages out of my current Oprah mag and made these woven hearts! One from each page (well, sometimes I used two separate pages. I have no idea what to do with them, maybe they'd make nice cards. I really just consider them color training. I'll keep them around to remind me what goes with what...

I like the script text on this one.

I like these golden colors against this blue.

I like the the silhouette bits in this one. One page is an add for crackers.

This makes me think of tomatoes. It's made of a page of Oprah cleaning out her closet and holding a pile of shoes.

Pretty with pink.

Tried something else with this one... modge-podged purple bits to make a background. The gold is a pile of Christmas presents, the purple is a dark snow scene. It works.

This was a bunch of fruit with text beneath.. I like the text mixed in...

Our House

2010-02-23T14:54:00.000-05:00

View from living room deck

living room deck

living room to kitchen to guest room from deck

living room fireplace

little kitchen

teeny bathroom

guest room / sewing room

guest / sewing / piano room

tiny laundry area

Dale working in his office

the other half of Dale's office

master bedroom

master sink area, Dale's closet, door to shower area then door to my closet

looking down into the living room from the 'hole' in the master bedroom

view from deck off master bedroom

North from/including master deck

south from / including master deck

entryway

skinny front of townhouse (with newly clean dog)

we are the middle column

long skinny garage

our new boat! (haha)

To put this in persepective, see the person at the rear of the boat. We figure it's about 120 feet long. It's docked in a canal across the street, and I discovered it while kayaking on Sunday.

Introducing...Stella James Thompson

2010-02-21T19:46:00.001-05:00

This is my beautiful granddaughter, Stella James Thompson... She was born January 27th, 2010. She weighed 8 pounds, 13 oz.... She is two or three weeks old in this picture... She is perfect.

Goal Met

2010-01-22T22:40:00.000-05:00

Last year I decided to blog for a year... goal met. Most of what I wrote was only interesting to me, however, I was fascinated to find out how much support there is in the blogosphere for creative endeavors, regardless of quality. That was really nice. And addicting.
2010 is a new year. I find the writing that fascinated me in 2009 is less interesting. What fascinates me more now is the nonconformance, simplifying my life and creative endeavors that are not done with anybody's needs in mind but mine.
Soon I will have a new grandbaby, and I will live 2800 miles away from her, to say nothing of being so far from my daughter. Something will have to happen in that area.
For now, I am still in Boise, waiting, waiting, and I miss my husband, my home, my dog....
What I write here is not interesting, but check out my links... there are really some great sites there.

TWW - Karma

2009-11-04T14:28:00.002-05:00

Karma Waits

you get what you deserve, mama warns,
karma hides under the bed, counting

to ten, to a million, waits, for tables to turn,
then delighted, jumps out, gotcha!

it will shout, deliver a finger-wagging lecture,
never, ever forget, I am always right behind you,

I see what you do, I hear what you think,
don’t cover your ears, there is no escape,

no, go away, I reply, you are not welcome,
but karma does not obey, our eyes lock,

a stare-down, within minutes I sag, guilt-
withered as always, I am first to look away

MYM November 2

2009-11-01T21:40:00.004-05:00

Mural on the side of the Human Rights Education Center building in Boise. The mural was apparently conceived and executed by a group of junior high students in 2008. It is located next to a 'garden of quotes' called the Anne Frank Human Rights Memorial. I spent a very interesting and contemplative hour there recently. It was really very nicely done. I am not sure what Boise's connection to Anne Frank is, maybe she is just a symbol for their cause.

Halloween - Boise

2009-10-31T23:27:00.000-04:00

Was invited to a party with a 'murder' theme. I went as 'the swine flu'. Here is my picture, taken by Ryanne. I got the bizarre 'suit' in the robe department at the St. Vincent's. You stick your feet out through 'cuffs' on the bottom. It was warm though, and that was my main criteria.

Amanda's house was nice and spooky.

And this is Amanda and her mom. Amanda was the host of the party, and Tracy is kindly sharing her home with me.

TWW - Nightmare

2009-10-28T09:44:00.004-04:00

Nightmare

sweet becomes sour
in the nightmare hour
thoughts incubate
fear, worry, hate
dreams twist and curl
hopes billow and whirl
much creative vanity
converts to insanity
‘til deep in the dark
a spark lights the way
a return from sleep's madness
to dawn of new day

MYM October 26th

2009-10-25T22:48:00.000-04:00

One of my favorite fall color pictures, taken when I was walking on the NW path alongside the Boise river. This part of the path is paved, and closer to downtown. It was a gorgeous day, and the air was so crisp and clear. Now it has started to get colder, and they are even predicting snow one night this week, although I'm hoping they are wrong.

Boise - Wildlife

2009-10-18T17:26:00.000-04:00

This cute little guy was playing between the path and the river... we had a stare down. I won. There are lots of squirrels here. Today the car in front of me on 13th, on the way into Hyde Park, slammed on its brakes THREE times to avoid squirrels running across the street. I slammed on my brakes three times to avoid running into the car in front of me!

Pretty mallard swimming in the Boise River all by himself.

Tracy's dog Mabel, a complete sweetheart, posed nicely. All in focus but the tail. That's Mabel, happy girl, can't stop the tail.

Boise - a river runs through it

2009-10-17T23:24:00.000-04:00

This is a damn over the Boise River. There is a man, standing on the rocks and fly-fishing, to the left-center of the photo.

This flock of seagulls seemed a long way from home.

Looking west down the Boise river. I took these while walking the paths/trail system along the river. It's a really nice system. You have to give real points to Idaho for maintaining their citizens access to their riverfront. So many places let the waterfront become private property and hardly anyone can enjoy them.

Boise - Little Bits of Odd

2009-10-17T10:32:00.004-04:00

These birdhouses decorate a dead tree in a 'stone' yard on State Street. I think it is extremely cool, and it looks like the birds do too.

Well, I wasn't expecting a yard full of flamingoes, but that's what I saw in front of a nursery on State St. in Boise. The blue and orange are not doubt Bronco's fans. Apparently you can rent the flamingoes... Tracy tells me her kids had 47 of them set on her lawn for her 47th birthday! Now that's different...

This big, ugly guy was spotted outside Tracy's kitchen window at dusk. We 'misted' the web so that it would show up in the pictures. Didn't faze the spider one bit. Can't tell what kind he is, I only hope he's not poisonous to humans, and that none of his relatives live in the house!

More Boise Color

2009-10-16T23:47:00.002-04:00

It was so pretty driving around today. The reds and golds are spectacular... then you have some maroons and greens mixed in. Tomorrow I plan to drive around and take pictures all day... here's one from today.

Boise Color

2009-10-15T18:50:00.000-04:00

I learned something about Boise the other day.... it's name comes from Les Bois, which means, 'The Trees'.

Right now Boise trees are showing some amazing colors. I went for a little ride today to see what I could find... this is my favorite, from a yard off Linder and Artesian. I practically slammed on my brakes in the middle of the road when I saw these reds! This weekend is supposed to be beautiful, so I plan to do some more exploring.

Joyce Sweeney Workshop #2

2009-10-02T13:15:00.000-04:00

Monday I went to the workshop on 'voice', skill number two. Two people and I 'read'. I read chapter 2 of Lucky Tuesday after a 'literary' voice read from her short story, and a commercial voice read from his adult crime novel. It was kind of embarassing, because the chapter book genre requires shorter sentences. It sounds juvenile (which it is) compared to the other readers. I sort of wanted to yell 'these aren't the best sentences I can write', it's the genre. But it went over well anyway, so it wasn't too bad.
I got my critique back on The Ghost of Old Man Watson - it has a plot problem that is not really defined, and some stilted dialogue at the beginning. I'm not sure, I know Joyce hated th title, and may have been put off by that at the beginning, her comments were much more positive at the end... I rewrote for the small stuff, but haven't done a major rewrite - need more time and distance.
My in person critique group is finally meeting again tomorrow. I won't see them again for months and months since I'm going to ID, which is okay. I don't think they are regular enough to do me any good. The good news is we finally have an online critique group coming together and hopefully that will be more often and regular.
I'm thinking that while I'm in ID, I may take the Anastasia Suen class on non-fiction. It would be a good way to pass the time...

Sunday Again

2009-09-27T09:20:00.000-04:00

Things will change, and then change again. My daughter (only child) is pregnant in Idaho, and I sit her 2800 miles away, worried and useless. So, after some discussion, I am leaving my husband here and heading out for several months in Boise. What will I find? Will I be useful or is she self-sufficient, not needing me at all? Will I be able to adapt to the winter that I was so happy to leave behind when I moved to FL? I just know it's something I have to do.

Joyce Sweeney Workshop #1

2009-09-23T20:37:00.000-04:00

Monday I went over to fort Lauderdale to the first of a 4 session writing workshop put on by Joyce Sweeney. It is being structured as 4 things you need to get published: a good idea, good voice, a good plot and good structure. We talked about how it's important not to just have 'an' idea, it has to be a good idea. How do you know? If it's a being written as a memorial to someone, if it's been done too often, chasing a trend, TOO wierd, too quiet -pulling punches... a good idea has a good sound bite.

Joyce's theory is nobody knows that they are bad at ideas (I do) I'm still such an novice that I'm thrilled to have any idea at all.

Okay - other signs you have a bed idea - if you send your stuff out and your editor or agent says no, but requests something else by you.

The picture is one of a pair of eagles that live in our neighborhood. This morning the two of them were up in a tree that Harley and I passed by on our way home from getting Dale coffee. Dale has been sick for three days, sleeping almost all the time, but just now we think he has turned a corner. I guess we'll see in the morinng. I wonder how many days until we find out if I'm going to get sick too. We tried hard to make sure I wouldn't get it. Elbow kisses... funny memory.

Friday - rewrite

2009-09-18T18:27:00.000-04:00

Today was devoted to finalizing Old Man Watson for a workshop Monday. I also did my final draft of the Dog Biscuit rewrite based on Joyce's comments. Mary Ann had already done one draft, so my work should have been easier, but I find you can rewrite forever, and as long as it's still getting better, that's a good thing. At the end of the day I did a final read-aloud.
Reading aloud really helps me hear what other people, who aren't familiar with the story, will hear. It helps you find the rough spots. I think we have about two of those left right now, and then we'll have the story back where it was before we sent it out for review, only missing an unnecessary character, and with a whole new ending that is more 'right'. I'm pretty happy with it. I wasn't sure we'd make it through another review/rewrite... it can seem like too much work. But it was really worth it.

Letting Go

2009-09-17T16:57:00.000-04:00

So the next phase after wavering is Letting Go. So far that is easy for me. I think I perfected it when I committed to my poetry group 10 years ago. I guess I figured there was no point in writing if you were going to stand in your own way. I'm sure I'll come up with new ways to have to let go as I wander down this writing path, but so far so good.
I finished the rewrite of the ending of Old Man Watson and sent it to a friend for review (after it got my husband's blessing, that is) Hopefully she will have a chance to look at it before I take it to Joyce's class in Fort Lauderdale next Monday. I'd like to have it finished and sent out. Old Man Watson has a Halloween-ish theme as well as boy characters. I'm hoping both of those things add to it's appeal.

I looked again at World's Best Dog Walker. I still like it, it's a quick read, and it's fun. There's not really any tension though... I guess I need to figure out how to up the stakes, Shelly is supposed to be earning money for a trip, but she ... Oh! I just had an idea! I wonder if I can make it work...bye.

Seven Steps

2009-09-16T18:46:00.001-04:00

Today I read about half of a book called Seven Steps on the Writer's Path. I didn't really know what it was when I picked it up, but it turned out to be very timely for me. The book claims there are seven steps:
1. Unhappiness - what I would call dissatisfaction with your path, your life, been there, had that
2. Wanting - this would probably be my longest phase, as I think back I have been 'yearning' for a writing life since I was a child, since reading the titles off the back of Golden Books, and trying to thing what I would write for that title, through song-writing, poetry, NaNoWriMo, and now children's writing
3. Commitment - well, that happened right here, a couple of months ago
4. Wavering - and this is where I am, or where I was, stuck with three manuscripts, all with problems and wondering if I could do this after all,.... but reading it in the book was really helpful. It was comforting to know it was a common phase, that everyone questions and it's just a stage, That got me off my butt to try a rewrite on the first manuscript and think up a direction for another...
5. Letting Go -
6. Immersion -
7. Fulfillment
Haven't read about 5,6,7 yet, and probably haven't been there yet either... more later.

Save the Cat

2009-09-15T20:36:00.000-04:00

Today I read quite a bit of the 'Save the Cat' book recommended by Anastasia Suen. It was basically an analysis of the movies, and said that all movies followed 10 basic plots. Maybe so, it's hard to see, even when it's explained in detail. I know books are basically plotted the same way, but can't say I understand how to use this. Do I just come up with an idea and follow the plot steps?

or Maybe Not

2009-09-14T19:42:00.002-04:00

Today I don't feel like a writer at all. I have three books finished, in various stages of rewrite and no confidence at all that any of them can be fixed, or will ever be any good. I think maybe I'm a good writer, but not a good story teller. That probably can't be fixed.

Partnership

2009-09-14T07:54:00.000-04:00

One of the things I'm doing is writing with a partner - like everything else, it has an upside and a down side. There's a lot of waiting for the othr person to get around to doing their part. On the other hand, the story is definitely better for being created by more than one mind! I'm not sure if I have it in me to do a story by myself.
Anyway, today was a partnership challenge. We did NOT agree on where the story needed to got. I'm fighting to remove a character and my partner fighting to keep her. It takes a really open mind to work together. You have to be willing to give up sections you've put it place, ideas you had, to at least see it another idea can work better.
In the end we worked it out, the solution was my partners idea, which puts the whole story back in play. It means we're going to have to polich and re-send to the editor - more expense, but probably worth it.

Finishing Up

2009-09-11T22:00:00.001-04:00

Today I finished a next to final rewrite of Lucky Tuesday. I sent it to two people because I think there might be something wrong with it. I don't know what it is, maybe the main character spends too much time being grumpy... anyway, hopefully I'll get a couple of opinions and be able to figure it out.

I also finished the first draft of The Ghost of Old Man Watson. It has a good ending. Hopefully I can get a really good first draft next week.

And that was all I got done. Up next is the follow up to the Lucky Dog Biscuits book. I need to plot that out next week too. And when that one's done I'm going to try non-fiction I think.. take another Anastasia Suen class...

I have job interview at Beall's Monday. I hope I get it. We really need some more money to come in. Writing may or may not ever pay off... Wish me luck.

Manuscript Feedback

2009-09-10T20:09:00.000-04:00

Well, today we got our manuscript back from Joyce Sweeney. It included handwritten notes on the hard copy, plus almost two pages of suggestions. In general, the comments were positive, and I was pretty thrilled.
Biggest problem was POV - we said things we couldn't know, like how Emma felt, when the book was supposed to be from only Abby's point of view. This is pretty hard. We were aware of POV before we sent the manuscript, but we thought we'd only left one bad piece. Wrong! there were several places that need correcting.
We also had an unneeded character and need to add some more delineation between Abby and Emma. That means strengthening, and making consistent, the examples of their strengths and weaknesses.
There needs to be a minor change at the end, and a pretty big rewrite in the beginning. After this and after my critique group, I'm seeing that the first chapter is a big weakness of mine. I'm doing to much telling of the backstory, not getting POV set early enough, etc...
So - aside from that, I worked on Lucky Tuesday today, finished a whole rewrite - changed chapter 8, where my biggest problem is trying to explain how Tuesday comes to deal with the problem of Aunt Lydia. It's better than it was, but I don't know if it will hold up in the long run - I'll take another look at it tomorrow. Then I think I'll send it to Joyce!

Bad news/Good news

2009-09-08T20:12:00.000-04:00

Well, my great idea for a biography is apparently not so great after all. The world only wants more bio's of the same famous people (George Washington, Martin Luther King, Paul Revere) as always. But I'm still going to try and work on mine, make it a picture book. If I was a teacher, I would LOVE the book I had planned. Aaaaargh. On the other hand, our manuscript is on it's way back and got fairly good reviews. I understand there are many suggestions, but that it is fixable. So that's very good. I got an email back re: an online critique group. That could help me a lot, now it will be three weeks before my face-to-face group meets again. Mary Ann and I are going to move forward on the second Abby/Emma Harris book. So things are still moving along.

Critique Group

2009-09-06T17:46:00.001-04:00

Yesterday I went to my new critique group and let them critique the first chapter of Lucky Tuesday. I got very valuable feedback - basically, if the story's about Booger increase Booger's part in chapt one (it's not, I'm not) and if the story is about chapter is about bad luck, increase the amount of bad luck Tuesday has in Chapt one (it is, I will). There was some tell/not show comments, which kind of become irrelevant if I rewrite the chapter based on luck.
Now the really exciting part - I came out of the library and got two story ideas from NPR within 5 minutes of leaving. One is non-fiction and one is fiction. Since I have never done non-fiction before, and I totally don't miss this incredible opportunity, so I am trying to find a non-fiction expert to be my writing partner. I asked Joyce and she forwarded my info to another writer she knows. I am crossing my fingers. If you want a clue about the new project, just look at the picture on todays post!

In Praise of Failing

2009-09-04T19:53:00.000-04:00

I just came from another blog, where someone had written a poetry book called 'In Praise of Falling', but I didn't read it that way, I read it as 'In Praise of Failing'. I think it makes an excellent title for a poetry book, perhaps I'll get to that someday. In any case, I used to spend most of my time trying to avoid the 'humiliation' of failing. What a waste. Finally I figured out you can't get good at anything without failing, it's not so bad, it's just normal. And so I write and write, hoping the next thing will be the good one, the great one, and knowing it's pretty much average. Still they say even a monkey could hit the right keys given enough tries. Guess I'm the monkey in this metaphor... hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo

Forgot

2009-09-04T08:12:00.000-04:00

to update yesterday. Sent the Looking for Lucky manuscript to Joyce Sweeney. We are very curious to see what comes back. Will she jus tell us to put a comma here, or take one out there? or will she say, this story has flaws here and here and you need to correct them before you send it out. Who knows - I go back and forth on the story anyway. Some days I hate it and somedays it think it's very good. I thnk you just get sick of your work.
Worked a little on my PB concept and read an Australian chapter book, which was funny because of the language... 'biscuits' = cookies, and going on holiday... there were lots more, but they escape me now. The book was called Being Bee by Catherine Bateson. It was good... one of the adults had a mental illness which I hadn't seen in a book before. I wonder if I should right about a child where the mother is depressed. Wouldn't need much research for that!! haha..
Gotta Write.
K

The Rockstar Element

2009-09-02T21:12:00.000-04:00

Today, while doing a bunch of research on how to publish, I suddenly realized that it is not going to be good enough to be good. Like the rest of the arts, musician, actress, (I don't know about art) a lot depends on who you know, luck, right place/right time. For some reason I hadn't thought of that. I just thought if I was good I would make it.
Dale says, the thing to do is get to be my best and then we'll worry about the who you know element. I guess there's nothing else I can do. So be it.
I wrote about a chapter and a half on 'Ghost'. Mary Ann and I worked on the end of 'Lucky'. I'm going to send that to Joyce instead of 'Lucky Tuesday'. I'll take 'Lucky Tuesday' to critique group. I'm trying to get hooked up with an online critique group as well, since every two weeks is not going to be enough for me... at that rate it would take 3 months just to get through one chapter book.
I started looking at PB ideas, because there is so much more out there as far as support and also publishers. I don't love PB's but, I do love to rhyme, so maybe I can make something work out with that. I also need to get back to plotting 'GUN'.
I got a book called Save the Cat today, that analyzes movie plots. It was recommended by Anastasia Suen. I keep learning...

I can't believe it's September

2009-09-01T17:10:00.001-04:00

Time flies when you're having fun, and I am. Today I read several children's books, since our internet connection was very iffy. I got a response back from Joyce Sweeney. She is willing to take a look at my chapter book manuscript. So I will send it off as soon as I decide if I'm taking it to critique group on Saturday, or if I'm taking something else.

I wrote two chapters of my next solo chapter book. It's called 'The Ghost of Old Man Watson'. I did write a brief plot for it, since 100% freewriting doesn't always work. And I think that because I had plot, I had a much harder time getting started. Maybe I shouldn't do the outline until I've gotten one or two chapters written. I can already see that it will need more rewriting than 'Lucky Tuesday'. Anyway, Old Man Watson has a boy protagonist, so we'll see how well that works. I feel more affinity with girls...

No response from Jill Corcoran, but I found out I should have written 'Query' in the subject line. That wasn't in the submission instructions, but I found it in an old blog post of hers. So, who knows where it is, did it make it to her email or get directed to Spam?
Tomorrow I'm going to the library for a new load of books, and at 5PM Mary Ann and I are going to do a (hopefully) final rewrite of the last 4 chapters of Looking for Lucky or whatever we wind up calling it... Also need to write at least 3 more chapter of Ghost.

The big No-No

2009-08-31T15:42:00.000-04:00

Today I did a very bad thing.... I submitted my latest chapter book, Lucky Tuesday to an agent - Jill Corcoran at the Herman Agency. She takes email submissions and I just love this book, even though it is very new and has only been through two revisions. I haven't even taken it to my critique group yet! I am so bad.
And still I think - 'this is the one' she will love it, she will call me immediately and want to represent me. Hope is Crazy. Whoa... that would make a good title. Gotta go write!

Jacket Blurb and Synopsis

2009-08-29T17:16:00.000-04:00

Thinking ahead about submiting, I looked at the requirements for submitting to Chronicle books, publisher of Ivy & Bean. They request the usual query letter, synopsis and first three chapters. I've never written a synopsis before, but I took a stab at it. One paragraph for each of the nine chapters. I will take the synopsis to the critique group next Saturday and see if it's 'right'. Also wrote the 'elevator pitch', a very short summary that can be pitched in a few seconds if I find myself in the presence of anyone who cares... People says it's hard to do and it is. I spent a couple of hours writing 93 words, and I think it's twice as long as it's supposed to be. My book only has 7,000 words. How do people do it when their book is 100,000 words?

Day Three

2009-08-28T17:55:00.000-04:00

Today I finished the first draft of the chapter book I started three days ago. The name of the book is 'Lucky Tuesday'. It's about a young girl named Tuesday who has some bad luck on the first day of school. When her Aunt Lydia brings her a lucky stone, her life turns around, until the stone gets lost. Tuesday works to try and regain her luck. When she finds that Aunt Lydia and her lucky stone may not be quite what she thought they were... well, I hope that someday you can find out what happens when you see Lucky Tuesday on the bookshelves of your local bookstore!

Meanwhile, it is time to put a few days between myself and this story. Then I'll take it to my critique group next Saturday... and then, on to the next one. Write, write, write.

Day 2 of Writerizing

2009-08-27T19:41:00.000-04:00

Today I put a piece of blue tape up on the wall in my 'office'. It is my 'situation normal' emotional line for my main character. Then I put up sticky notes for each scene, above or below each other showing the emotional roller coaster my MC (main character) was on. Where it was not up and down enough, I added scenes to add interest. This worked great for me!
Then I sat down and wrote 5 first draft chapters of my new and best so far chapter book. Tomorrow I will finish the first draft. Next week - rewrite!

Plot and Structure

2009-08-26T19:32:00.003-04:00

How did I spend my first day as a writer? studying the first 100 pages of the Plot and Structure book, trying to understand the LOCK concept - Lead, Objective, Confrontation, and Knockout...
Working my way through a Suite101.com class on Writing for Children, Reading 3 chapter books and analyzing them against various plot systems, working my own idea through various systems...
The most valuable idea I came across was in the Suite 101 class and had to do with plotting the MC (main characters) emotional state against that characters norm and seeing if the plot took her up and down in a manner that moved toward a good rise/fall of action and a knockout ending. I discovered that my 'new' idea, the one I haven't actually written on yet, did not rise and fall as I would have liked, so I get to move my scenes around or add/delete based on that before I write. Hmmm, that's probably a good idea!

I Am A Writer

2009-08-26T07:13:00.005-04:00

"Today I resolve to take writing seriously, to keep going and never stop, to learn everything I can and make my living as a writer."

Thisis almost word-for-word from a book called Plot and Structure by James Scott Bell. I have been playing on the edges of writing for years and now my life demands that I jump in completely and either starve or swim.

My upcoming grandbaby, and the fact that my daughter is likely to remain settled far away in Boise, will require me to travel so much that I won't be able to hold down an office job.

I have now written enough to see that I can do it. I have some sort of residual 'gift' for it, no doubt from all the reading I've done over the years. Now what I need is craft.

So, I give myself two years. Two years of sponging off my husband (or less, God willing) and taking my writing seriously. To write and practice everyday. To work with my fantastic new critique group. To attend as many seminars and workshops as I can, and in the end to have my new, flexibly located career.

It starts now.

MYM - Mellow Yellow Monday

2009-08-15T18:07:00.003-04:00

This is a picture of Dale watching the dolphins play at our trip to Seaworld recently - I love yellow and blue - my living room walls are yellow and my furniture is blue... hmmmm, maybe I need to put out a picrue of my own living room one of these days.

TWW - glamour, accentuate, pitch

2009-08-05T20:49:00.004-04:00

Hollywood

here’s the pitch

act one
small town
glamour girl
in the big city

act two
dreams bloom
then die
a tease of love
unrequited
bubble of hope
evaporated

act three
accentuate
her decline
suicidal ending
zoom in
on dead eyes

roll credits

Mellow Yellow Monday Aug. 3rd

2009-08-02T21:11:00.003-04:00

Here is my picture for today... my father took it in the summer of 1959 (?) That's me in the purple tutu, and my once adorable little brother Mark (even then his legs were unnaturally white). We lived in Monona, Wisconsin, which is a suburb of Madison. My father loved to take slides and would put on family slide shows, complete with popcorn. Love that yellow baby pool. Not sure it was really meant for two!

Creatively Speaking & Anastasia Suen

2009-08-01T15:15:00.003-04:00

So what happened to all the poetry and art projects you used to see here?

Unfortunately, the lady who was prompting the art projects disappeared, so Inch x Inch bit the dust. However, not before prompting me to get going on my writing projects...

My friend Mary Ann and I are working madly on a couple of chapter books for young readers based on the idea of 'gutsy girls'.

We have invented Emma and Abby Harris. Abby is in a wheelchair due to a bike accident a couple of years ago, however, it doesn't slow her down much. Abby is still the braver of the two. Abby is interested in cooking, and Emma would rather live on peanut butter sandwiches. Emma loves drama and plans on being a famous actress.

Mary Ann and I are refining our writing skills by taking an online class given by
Anastasia Suen. So far so good... wish us luck!

Kids Against Hunger

2009-08-01T15:06:00.004-04:00

This morning I went to a Kids Against Hunger event and packaged meals with a bunch of teenagers from the New Apostolic Church. It was a last minute thing, and I didn't know what to expect, but it was fun. A team effort. Everybody has a job, either opening the bag, pouring in vegetables, vitamins, beans, soy or rice, then weighing and sealing the bag. In two hours some 150 or so people packaged more than 50,000 meals. The meals supposedly contain 6 servings (probably anywhere but America, where we seem to have completely lost track of the size of a serving) and the cost of the ingredients of the bag is about 14 cents. I know that two local curches picked up 3000 bags each while we were still there. Many others were going to the Harry Chapin Food Bank and some go overseas if needed for disaster relief programs.

Anyway, it was a much better use of two hours than I originally had planned. If you go, take a donation. I didn't realize they expected that, but if you have a little cash, it's certainly a good cause.

One Fish, Two Fish

2009-07-27T18:48:00.005-04:00

For Mellow Yellow Monday, I offer this fish picture that I took at Seaworld on Saturday. Seaworld was my Valentine's present, which we finally were able to get around to this weekend. I also went to Aquatica, which I totally loved. I told Dale that my perfect vacation in Orlando would be going to a different water park every day. I'm pretty sure he hopes that I'm never in charge of our whole vacation!

Ziplining in Idaho

2009-07-27T18:25:00.006-04:00

So, during my Idaho vacation I went ziplining outside of Horshoe Bend. Of course, this was purely research for the current book Mary Ann and I were writing (Zip!) for the 3rd-4th grade market - but it was still pretty fun. These guys were our 'guides'. I think their names were Mike and Kip. 100% safety conscious, fun guys.

There were two kinds of ziplining. One was from tower-in-a-tree to tower-in-a-tree. these runs were short and for me, not that much fun. But at the end, there were the long-distance pole-to-pole runs. This run (Wild Turkey?) was 1700 yards long. The landing area is a brown patch in the middle of the photo. You can barely see it.

Here I am in front of 'Double Trouble' where two zipliners could go at once. I understand that depending on weather you go up to 45 miles per hour. It was a lot of fun, but needed a chair lift so you could go back and do it again and again. 4 short tree runs and 2 long rides wasn't all that much for $75, at least not for me. You can spend all day at Disney for less....

Summer in Idaho

2009-07-19T21:12:00.002-04:00

Just got back from a visit to my daughter in Boise, Idaho. Mostly hot days and cool nights, perfect walking weather. There were flowers everywhere - northerners going crazy with color during there short growing season. It was a great trip!

TWW - kneel, transparent, gloom

2009-07-08T09:46:00.003-04:00

You know the drill - make a poem using the 3 words from the Three Word Wednesday prompt... transparent was hard for me to fit in...

Move

don’t kneel in the shadow
praying for sunshine

where there is darkness
there must also be light

gloom begets gloom,
get up, choose a direction,

any road will take you
somewhere else

don’t kneel at the window
peering through,

the way is transparent,
just move

Blue Ribbons

2009-07-03T08:01:00.005-04:00

My friend Yvonne (the one with the 10 chihuahuas) has another unusual habit, she enters things in the county fairs around her area. During her last visit we came up with the idea of dressing several of her dogs in 'Harley' outfits so they could masquerade as a 'biker gang' (barker gang?) for a Halloween costume contest she enters. Well, Yvonne took the costumes and entered them in the Marin County fair and tada! they won a blue ribbon!

She also enter my 'alchemy' poem and it won a blue ribbon too! This was a Three Word Wednesday prompt - this is a fun prompt to try if you like to play with words. I have quite a collection of these fair ribbons now, and I'm planning to use them in a 'craft' soon.

Duck Walk

2009-07-02T17:34:00.005-04:00

Today we were supposed to write in the style of another poet. I'm not very familiar with the style of other poets, but Billy Collins is my favorite poet. If you would like to hear him read one of his poems (and be blown away) try this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56Iq3PbSWZY Meanwhile, here is my poem of the day. Enjoy....

Duck Walk

as we strolled before sunrise,
chattering in three-quarter time,
a Mallard couple waltzed across our path,

we stood, silenced by our desire
to avoid trespassing on their moment,
when, behind us, the rising sun

cast it’s light over us, like some
enormous flashlight wielded
by God’s security guard, creating

cold shadows over the dancing ducks,
and the one I took for mister, lost
his footing, stumbled into miss.

Did you see the look he threw me
before he ran across the grass
to plop into the pond, leaving

his date suddenly alone,
of course she squawked about it,
but she followed his lead, taking

her time, tail-feathers flouncing
in her best “I’m not afraid of you” walk,
wading gently into the water,

paddling away from him, and he,
forced to follow instead of lead,
dipped his beak beneath the water

tipping ass-end-up, a fowl gesture
we soon forgot in the yellow wash
of dawn’s early light

inch by inch - Bloom

2009-06-30T06:53:00.004-04:00

This is my entry for bloom - it was an accident - I took the picture below at the Naples Zoo on Saturday and was playing with it when I got (almost) this when I kaleidoscoped it. It looked like a whole circle of flowers! I just had to make a couple of prints and put them together to make a full circle - a mandala? Added stems and letters, voila!

Original image...

'What if ... "

2009-06-29T07:30:00.008-04:00

Today's prompt was to write a 'What if...' poem, repeating the 'what if ' line as you begin each new thought...

Hatching

what if this is not my real life

what if I am an embryo inside
a shell, consuming yolk and albumen,
growing eyes, ears, feathers,

what if I never realized it is my job
to break the shell,

what if the wall has gotten so thick
I can’t get out,

what if I find a tiny crack I can use
to shatter the shell and escape

what if I let myself out into the world
only to find I can’t fly

what if I open my wings
and discover I can

Shadow Shot Sunday

2009-06-28T07:36:00.010-04:00

I would never have heard of Shadow Shot Sunday except that I've been watching Julie King post her photos for a while now. Then one day last week I looked up at the ceiling and saw something I'd never noticed before - a really cool shadow! so here it is. Enjoy, Kristy

PS: while exploring the Hey, Harriet site (apparently the inventor of Shadow Shot Sunday) - I found a link to the coolest, most bizarre shadow art ever - you won't believe it - take a minute to look here.

Naples Zoo

2009-06-27T14:12:00.006-04:00

Well, in all the time we've lived here, we've never been to the Naples Zoo. Since Dale can't golf this weekend, and we wanted to take some pictures with the new camera, we decided today was the day. Dale said his expectations were zero, so he wasn't disappointed. I was kind of disappointed, it's no fun to go to the zoo and not see the animals - some were behind so much fence you could't get a picture. It was hot and many were sleeping - so it was kind of expensive for what you got.. ($20 each). But...

I did catch these two guys in a very friendly, grooming moment - can't you just here the red one saying "a little more to the left, lower, lower!! Ah, that feels good!"

And then there were the twins... this was just before the wind changed, blowing the mister-water onto the bird on the right, who moved left until it was shoving the left bird practically off the perch... this resulted in a bird fight. They were still going at it when we walked on.

Harley

2009-06-26T21:13:00.003-04:00

This is my baby-boy, Harley, he's a Sheltie. He loves to play frisbee. Every night at the same time he let's us know it is time to go out, and the longing in his eyes is more convincing than any words could be. I hate to let him down!
Then later at night (now) he brings a variety of toys over for a game of tug. He's really smart about his toys. If you tell him to get the monkey, he'll bring you the monkey, not the dolphin.
He likes fruit and carrots. If you have an apple, grapes, even raspberries, he wants you to share. It's pretty funny to watch him eat a grape. It's round and slippery and doesn't feel right, but he's got experience and knows it will be good on the inside, so he plays with it and finally bites.

Read Write Poem - #81

2009-06-26T08:10:00.004-04:00

A photo prompt from Read, Write, Poem.

XX by nwolc

Thoughts on Sanford et al

he huddles in the wide-empty space, beneath
the broken tines of his shredded bumbershoot,

miniscule among the green sea grasses,
bewildered by his sudden, startling reduction

just yesterday he cartwheeled over the crowd,
tap-danced on a high-wire, a moral misstep,

now he sits, subtracted from the spectacle
of his adulation, converted from idol to ass

Inch by Inch - Courage

2009-06-22T21:47:00.008-04:00

We had company this weekend and I couldn't get to any supplies (not that that would help too much) so I made these 'Gutsy Girls' as my artwork for inch x inch this week. I started with the idea of synonyms (I'm more of a word person than artist) and first I just made a collage of the words, which didn't thrill me since I did a random collage of shoes last week. But as I was putting the collage away to dry, I suddenly thougth of making the words into something like a 'paper doll'. I think they're kind of cute!

The words, from the top down are spirit, pluck, strength, tenacity, valor, courage, guts, dauntless, audacity, fortitude. My husband had a problem with 'pluck', it's a little old fashioned - kind of a 'Laura Ingalls Wilder/Little House on the Prairie' word - but it definitely means courage.

Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgement that something else is more important than fear. ~Ambrose Redmoon

Read Write Poem - Secrets from Mom

2009-06-21T13:24:00.002-04:00

Little Secrets

My mother made my father’s lunches
in advance, five white-bread sandwiches
minimally filled with butter, meat, cheese
wrapped in wax paper, corners taped

Each week she baked a fresh batch
of refrigerator cookies, thick butter batter
tinged with vanilla, rolled into a log and sliced,
packed in pairs then frozen

Each morning my father pulled a brown
paper bag from the drawer, snapped it open
filled it with one frozen sandwich, one
apple and one icy pack of cookies

Two cookies a day, ten cookies a week,
yet by week’s end, two dozen cookies
had vanished, it wasn’t me, I swore,
I didn’t even like those boring cookies,

Give me chocolate chip any day, my mother
the master of the chocolate chip cookie
made with semi-sweet chips, brown sugar,
and a cup of lard, now that was a cookie

It wasn’t my brother, he didn’t even like
those boring cookies, they were frozen!
and if he wanted a snack he made himself
(another) peanut butter sandwich

Each week we exchanged suspicious
looks, accusing, but never sure, until
much, much later, when dad was gone
and mother soon to be, guilty, all three

of pilfering packs of frozen cookies,
risking our eye teeth and canines to break
off chunks, then letting the dough warm
in our mouths, chewy and satisfying

Boating with Mom

2009-06-21T08:54:00.002-04:00

Dale's Mom has been visiting her three son's in Florida and it was finally our turn to have her this weekend. Of course we took her out on the boat and had a really good day. The water was smooth (although not as smooth as Easter) but it was a really nice ride... In case you can't tell by the picture - she had a good time!

Butterfly

2009-06-18T18:03:00.003-04:00

I am not at all clear about why my blog seems to be so 'buggy' lately... I am not a bug person, but who could resist this beautiful (large) butterfly. I saw it at Six Mile Cypress Slough on the same day I saw the giant grasshopper. This is called an 'Eastern Tiger Swallowtail'. I believe this is a female because of the blue...

TWW - wicked, arresting, rhythmic

2009-06-17T17:07:00.005-04:00

Grandma, Unexpected

rhythmically rocking,
baby in arms,
enthralled
by curled fingers,
jelly bean toes,

arrestingly beautiful,
I imagine seeing
your mother
in you,
family nose,
puffy lips,

blue eyes,
who will you be,
old soul
or new,
will we

sing together,
walk to school,
bake cookies,
eat too much
candy, stay up

late while
mom and dad
go out,
I write this
to you

from far away,
before
you have ears
to hear me say
you are coming

to a good life,
to good people,
lucky baby,
nothing wicked
waits

Lubber (and a fighter)

2009-06-16T19:12:00.005-04:00

So I took the new camera to Six Mile Cypress Slough to see what it could do. I met this critter there - I have to say I was pretty scared to hold the camera up to him. He was about 3 inches long, a baby I guess,but I thought the picture turned out great.

When I got home I looked him up, and below is what I found out... YUCK!

"Florida has some pretty spectacular insects. You have to go looking for most of them, but it’s hard to miss the eastern Lubber grasshopper.

This giant, slow moving grasshopper’s bright orange, yellow and red colors are a warning that it contains toxins and will make any potential predator sick. If for any reason, you fail to heed the color warning and pick it up, the grasshopper makes a loud hissing noise and secretes an irritating foul-smelling foamy spray.

These 4-inch grasshoppers are too large and toxic for most natural predators, so they don’t need to move fast. Lubbers cannot fly far, and travel in short clumsy hops, or walk and crawl slowly through the vegetation. They feed on broadleaf plants and can become a nuisance when swarms invade residential areas and feast on garden plants. Lubbers seem to be unaffected by most insecticides, and according to experts at the University of Florida, if they become a garden pest, the best way to get rid of them is to stamp on them, or ‘hand pick’ them and drown them in a bucket of soapy water. "

so he gets a poem of his own...

Stomp

beware
orange and yellow
giant hopper

hiss, spray
foul and foamy
toxic Lubber

lumbers
clumsy over
broadleaf buffet

bully
insect too big
to eat

immune
to our human
poison

but not
to our human
boots

inch by inch - traveling/journey

2009-06-15T18:52:00.005-04:00

This week was traveling/ journey and for a long time I wanted to do a bike, but then I decided on feet/shoes/walk which is how I prefer to go if I can... so here is my 3 x 3 masterpiece of the week (cutting out all the tiny shoes was tedious)... and by the way, we did get a new camera, tada! so no more excuses - any 'blurry' is all me!

Bucket List

2009-06-13T21:34:00.003-04:00

Some things on my bucket list (in no particular order)
1. go parasailing
2. see the aurora borealis
3. swim with a dolphin (DONE)
4. publish a novel
5. live on the water (DONE)
6. go whitewater rafting (DONE)
7. go up in a hot air balloon
8. go kayaking in the fjords of Norway
9. hold my grandchild
10. Make a hole in one (DONE)
11. See a broadway show
12. Go up in the Empire State Building (DONE)
13. Go up in the Statue of Liberty
14. Do a mini-triathlon (DONE)
15. Do a half-marathon (DONE)
16. Learn to juggle
17. Volunteer in a foreign country for a month
18. attend a Spanish immersion program in Mexico until I can speak the language
19. Cruise to Alaska (DONE)
20. Go to Disney World (DONE)
21. Visit London (DONE)
22. Visit Paris
23. See the Grand Canyon (DONE)
24. Go to Hawaii (DONE)
25. Be in a band (DONE)

Looking at the list (and this is just a starter list) I'm surprised at how much I've already done. About half, a little more, which makes sense when you figure I'm a little more than half-way to 100! I think I'll work on this some more. It's good to see what you've already done, instead of only thinking of what you haven't.

TTW restless dangerous keepsake

2009-06-10T17:07:00.003-04:00

Puppet

we all have
secrets
tucked away

treasure boxes
full of remainders
and reminders

shiny keepsake
illusions of our
own histories

dangerously
tempting us
to look back,

pulling on strings
of restlessness
in our hearts,

remember,
remember,
don’t dance,

close the lid

Breakthrough Moment

2009-06-09T19:25:00.005-04:00

Today I finished an art project that I almost really like! This is a first! I got some new 'mulberry' paper, which I'd never seen before and it is very cool to work with, then the bird was made from a Thanksgiving card I got from my daughter, see how the eye is a little bird? I thought that was neat. The hand didn't turn out that well, too many layers, too dimensional, but I learned...

The very best thing about this little art project was that it was inspired by my own latest poem! Another first - how nice is it to be able to inspire yourself?! That never happened before and it definitely feels like turning some kind of 'creative' corner... anyway, I had lot's of fun with all of this...

the problem

with happiness
is that happiness floats
like soap bubbles, so fragile
you don’t dare grab, or grasp, only
put out a finger and hope happiness
chooses to perch there

once blessed
don’t move, don’t
try to wrap yourself around it,
you mustn’t cling, or clasp, only
open yourself, let it rise into you
like the sun

Inch by Inch

2009-06-09T07:13:00.002-04:00

I made a little picture for 'Change' but it was horrible, and then I couldn't get my camera to take a proper picture of it, so I was going to skip it altogether, but this morning, this creature, who measured almost exactly 3 x 3, was resting on my screen, and if he isn't art, I don't know what is, so I am submitting this photo, and maybe it doesn't quite fit the rules, but maybe you will find him inspiring. I do. (PS: I like the way you can see my sweet dog Harley through the screen on the right!)

The good news is, between all the writing and artistic playing I've been doing I have actually done most of an art project that I like, no love! which is amazing, so I can't wait to finish it and post it here along with the little poem I wrote that inspired it.

Great Boat Day

2009-06-07T14:21:00.005-04:00

This is where I want to go on vacation! There are half-a-dozen of these little 'stilt fish houses' out in the water west of Bokeelia and just south of Useppa - Dale tried to get in close so I could get pictures, but it was really shallow. Only one appeared to be occupied. I've tried to see (in the last hour) if I could find out any information about renting them, but I so far, no luck.

Went out on the boat today, it was a little rough at times, at other perfect - we had lunch at the restaurant on Cabbage Key where the wall is thick with dollar bills (unfortunately my photo is blurry - think it's about time for a new camera)

Gifted

2009-06-04T15:45:00.003-04:00

Which I am not, and I think that I am not supposed to care, but I do care, and this is a source of unhappiness in my life. Why do I care? Why do I feel like I have to do something that 'matters'. This is why I have Sue's little poem up in the right corner of my blog - I'm aiming for that... pleasure in the process and not the result...

Knocking on Hidden Doors

Gourmet cooks can swallow a spoonful
of sauce, then spout the list of ingredients.
Talented musicians listen to a piece once,
then play it back note-for-note.

Acclaimed poets are able to read an offering
for the first time and see how much better
it would have been, if only you had not failed
to put a comma in the third stanza.

Practiced painters absorb the view
from the top of Mt. Shasta, across a series
of varied blue-green hills, and are able to blend
the unique color required to paint each one.

I, on the other hand, can run a microwave,
play chopsticks , read a poem, and paint
by number. If I have a gift, it remains safely
hidden, biding it’s time, as my time runs out.

TWW - hostile, folly, ordinary

2009-06-03T15:56:00.000-04:00

A little truth

hard to pick a specific folly
from a life so long and twisted

what seemed like an ordinary road
a straight shot from birth to death

met hostile forces early and often
learned to jump, turn, retreat,

as we all do, why do parents pretend
it’s easy, hovering over the young

building a false sense of promise,
you can do anything you dream of

when perhaps a little more character
building would serve them better

a little honesty, here’s how to recover
when it all goes wrong, and it will

Dresses for Paws for Healing

2009-06-02T18:50:00.003-04:00

You probably know that my friend Yvonne is crazy-involved with Chihuahua rescue. The humane society calls HER to help them with problem dogs... She now finds herself on the board of Paws for Healing and in support of that, I've volunteered to supply some dog dresses to the organization that they can sell to raise funds... I did a first set of five or six, and some of the little ones sold quickly, so today I sent off these three that I whipped up in the last couple of days out of my scrap pile. Didn't have to buy a thing... It's not much, but those Sarah Mclaughlin commercials about the animals that have to be euthanized is more than I can take, so, ever little bit....

Cold poem for a hot day

2009-06-01T19:07:00.006-04:00

Ice Princess

crunchy footsteps on ice-glazed snow
numbness crawls up from the tips of her toes
long underwear bunches, creeps up beneath down
heat trapped in layers, escapes at the crown

Worst Artist Ever 3x3

2009-06-01T16:33:00.004-04:00

Here is my piece for 'Rain' 3x3. I have to say that I believe I am pretty much the worst artist ever. I know you have to start somewhere, but when you're FIVE, not 55. I don't guess my paper mosaic squares, umbrella and lace rain drops with sewn drip paths will win any kudoos, (oh let's not forget the stamping...) but it was a few minutes of fun anyway, and isnt' that the point?

Ryanne and 'Santa Claus'

2009-05-28T19:53:00.003-04:00

OK - maybe not Santa Claus - It's just Ryanne and her Uncle Mark, my brother, whom she has not seen for almost twenty years. When we were in Madison, we drove out to Mount Horeb to have breakfast with him. He's a professor at UW- Platteville. I don't actually know what he teaches... Geo-something...

Ryanne and Mark's 'friend' Tomodachi. She is bi-lingual in English and Japanese. Mark sounds pretty good speaking Japanese - I guess he's had a number of Japanese students.

TWW-dreary, timid, embrace

2009-05-27T16:56:00.006-04:00

alchemy

a timid hug
will not suffice

embrace
the dreary day

squeeze
dark clouds ‘til

a lemon drop
pops out,

or better yet,
a golden coin,

spend it wisely

Home

2009-05-26T19:14:00.003-04:00

This weekend Ryanne and I went to Madison, WI to participate in the Madison Marathon. She did the half and I did the quarter - essentially a 10k -

I was raised in Monona, a suburb completely surrounded by Madison, so it was a chance to see the first house I lived in. This is it! It is on Kristy Circle - seeing as my name is Kristy, I like that. I talked to the owner for awhile. I was really surprised that it only had a one car garage - I didn't remember that. The new owner is planning to add on on that side to expand the garage. I thought the place looked pretty good for a 50+ year old place. I loved the huge oak trees. The whole area was full of these gorgeous, gian oaks.

efficient, treacherous, optimize - TWW

2009-05-20T19:11:00.000-04:00

Marital Ascent

it’s a treacherous climb,
warm up, stretch, flexibility
is more important than strength

preview your route, have a plan,
maintain balance, optimize resources,
find spots to rest

choose your holds carefully, but
don’t hang on too tight or you’ll
soon tire, move efficiently

follow the rules, learn from others,
save your strength, take good care
of your equipment

trust your partner, push yourself
but learn to fall safely, most important,
don’t let go

This is my Grandfather

2009-05-19T21:48:00.002-04:00

Pretty cute isn't he? I can see my cousin John in him. That is

a LOT of hair he's got going on... This picture would have been taken about 1910? He came over from Norway through Ellis Island. Shouldn't he be blonde? Homesteaded in North Dakota - not successfully though he worked at it, the extreme weather did not cooperate. He brought my grandmother over from Norway after he'd been here five years and after he'd built 'a little house'.

I always thought I'd go to Norway. I came close when I was seventeen, but everything changed when my dad got laid off. I'll bet there are some kids now whose dreams are on hold too.

TWW - nervous, bicker, trajectory

2009-05-14T07:30:00.000-04:00

Gravitational Pull

Nervous flicker of eyes,
we wobble off course

unwilling to bicker,
backs turn, take opposite

trajectories, where
will we go? round

and round to collide
exactly here again, or

do we finally have
enough fuel to escape

this orbit

Magnificent Moth!

2009-05-10T18:49:00.003-04:00

This unusual critter was hanging on the screen outside our front patio this morning... apparently he is some kind of 'vine moth' and is a member of the sphinx moth family. He had a really fuzzy head. His wing span was about 3 inches... he was scary, yet mesmerizing. If he had moved while I was taking his picture I probably would have freaked out. He was gone when we got back from boating.

Frost/Nixon

2009-05-08T22:16:00.004-04:00

Tonight we got around to watching Frost Nixon - I wonder if younger people 'get' this movie. Nixon resigned the 37th presidency in 1974 when I was 20 years old. Being familiar with the 'real' Frost and Nixon was a distraction up until the
last interview - when Frank Langella finally convinced
me he was Nixon and I was barely breathing as I watched
that part, which is kind of silly since I already knew what
he was going to say.

Still - when I was 20 it was about the war. Now it's about
character, about deeper issues, desires, personal failure...
I don't know - not that I felt much sympathy for him, except
at the very, very end, when he envied Frost his ease with people.
That I totally understood.

Incredible Edibles

2009-05-08T19:53:00.004-04:00

This incredible edible is my mother's day present from my incredible daughter Ryanne (only 14 more days until we see each other in Wisconsin!)

In case you've never had one of these (and I hadn't) CHOCOLATE COVERED APPLES ARE DELICIOUS!!!

I haven't had any of the rest yet, but you can be certain that it won't last the weekend!

Thank you Ry,

Mom

Write about place - Totally Optional Prompts

2009-05-06T20:45:00.002-04:00

Water Baby

Two thousand miles of asphalt,
corn fields, mountains, and desert

Three nights of rolling off at random
exits to find a twenty dollar bed

Four days of fast food, Ritz crackers,
Diet cokes and rest stops

From the center of the country to the west,
drawn by surfer music, and the promise

of never-ending sunshine and water views,
my Vega crawls up the hill on Artesia,

to the top, where my breath becomes trapped
in my chest as I see it for the first time,

the Pacific ocean, beaches stretching left
and right, I coast down the hill to pastel beach

bungalows, the strand, bikini’d roller-bladers,
kicking off shoes, I drag my toes through sugar

sand, never take my eyes off the water,
wade right in

Cryptic, Flash, Malign for Three Word Wednesday

2009-05-06T13:33:00.003-04:00

Watch your back

Cryptic words malign us all,
from mother-in-law to cat,
together we serve as targets
for frequent flashes of temper,
it gets old

Happy Birthday to Keith!!

2009-05-04T21:17:00.005-04:00

Last Thursday was Keith's (Dale's older brother) 61st birthday... He

and Gidget came down and we went to brunch at the clubhouse,

then took a fun boat ride down the intercoastal behind Estero island

(Fort Myers Beach) - Then we had a cake and I have to say Keith

managed to blow out all those candles BEFORE the smoke alarm

had time to go out, so that was great! Anyway, Happy Birthday Keith

- we had a fun day.

Fort Myers Beach Blues Festival

2009-05-02T20:12:00.012-04:00

Who is this girl? Me (I know, hard to believe) and up until a couple of weeks ago, all I can remember about it is that it was taken at my friend Wendy's house in Sonoma County by her boyfriend at the time. I think it was about 1979.

Who is this? This is Wendy!! Wendy DeWitt! I saw an ad for the Fort Myers Beach Blues Festival and one of the featured performers was Wendy DeWitt - when I saw the picture and name it clicked. Wendy, my 'old' Wendy was Wendy DeWitt - I remember her hauling her Hammond organ to every gig.. those were the days. She still lives in the San Fran area and if you get a chance to see her your should - they call her the 'Queen of Boogie Woogie', and she definitely is... she does great Blues and Ragtime.. I really enjoyed her set - we only got to speak for a few minutes, but she reminded me that her old boyfriends name was Francis! so that's who took the picture! They were married for 17 years, but are now divorced.

You can see and hear her here...http://www.myspace.com/wendydewitt

I was very surprised that Wendy remembered me - (sorry I look so terrible, but we were out on the boat all morning and I basically was a sweaty mess, but didn't have time to clean up or I would have missed her set... Had fun - was very glad to run into her again and hope to get a chance to really catch up next time..

Never

2009-04-29T20:33:00.002-04:00

Today's prompt was to write something about 'never' - as I'm getting older, I'm running smack dab into 'never' pretty often now... never retire comes to mind, although I can barely stand to think about that... here goes...

Facing Never

Never came again today, took
three of my best dreams right
off the shelf where

I was keeping them until I had
the time, money, and energy,
to use them

the older I get, the more often
he comes, I think I’ll take my
last few dreams

and hide them in my sock
drawer with my secret stash
of chocolate

Three Word Wednesday

2009-04-29T07:52:00.002-04:00

This site gives you 3 words you have to make a poem from... today's were 'quarrel', 'service', and 'opportunity' - service was the tough one, turns out to be a wierd word to use if you don't start with it...

Dissolution

pivotal quarrel
prolonged silence
overtures ignored
trial separation
legal service sought
opportunity lost