Cat
Soft, languid lump purrs
in my lap. So worth all of
the vet expenses.
Category Archives: Uncategorized
NaPoWriMo Day 1
My poetry skills are in terrible need of sharpening, but what better way to work on them than participating in NaPoWriMo? My hope is that they improve as the month progresses.
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today
sunlit grass, bird song
squabbles, runny noses
a new day begins
Pause a Moment
Maybe the subject line should be “Paws a Moment.” Either way, I was rushing through yet another crazy day, when I spotted Stormy and Wiley, now year-old sibs I worked to catch and rescued last spring, taking an afternoon snooze together in my reading chair. I decided that I needed to stop my frantic pace and just appreciate them.
Quote Unquote
I am reading Karen Armstrong’s Twelve Steps to a Compassionate Life and found this wonderful quote by Albert Einstein:
“To know that what is impenetrable to us really exists, manifesting itself to us as the highest wisdom and the most radiant beauty, which our dull faculties can comprehend only in their most primitive forms — this knowledge, this feeling is at the center of all true religiousness. In this sense, and in this sense only, I belong to the ranks of the devoutly religious men.”
Today’s Creative Moment
RIP Sunny
This past Thursday, we faced the death of our very much beloved, 35+-year-old horse, Sunny. He defined what it means to be a noble creature, whether he was standing his nightly guard outside his goat friends’ stall, allowing my sons to safely learn horsemanship, or moving his body gently to not hurt us when we tried to help him up over his last few days.
Sunny, you will be greatly missed.
Sunny, in one of his favorite spots: in front of his food bowl.
Interview with Sonnet L’Abbe on Reviewing
I’m quite late in posting about this interview. It was originally published on Maisonneuve‘s blog on October 26, 2010. Nevertheless, Sonnet L’Abbé does an excellent job of defining the purpose and the qualities of a good book review.
As someone who currently spends a significant amount of my writing life crafting reviews, L’Abbé ‘s words provide an excellent standard by which to measure my work.
Poets & Writers’ The Time is Now newsletter
I have have been hunting about for poetry prompts to keep me writing without the expense of a workshop. Today, a friend pointed me to the Poets & Writers’ The Time is Now newsletter. Apparently, the magazine issues a weekly email with a poetry prompt. (They do the same for fiction, as well.)
What a great idea! And just in time!
Great Post
A friend brought the most interesting article entitled, The Special Challenges of Highly Intelligent and Talented Women who are Moms, to my attention. I have no desire to tout my own brilliance. I’m the first person to be little impressed by myself. However, when I read this article, I suddenly understood my lifestyle choices so much better.
For years now, people have asked how, or more to the point, why I choose to homeschool, work, and still attempt to have a creative life of my own. I’ve never really known a good answer. I like the intellectual challenge of homeschooling my children. Working isn’t a choice, but I could choose to spend my little bits of free time relaxing. Instead, I choose to read voraciously, write critically and creatively, knit, paint, etc. I actively seek out deadlines and commitments that involve those interests because deadlines ensure that I make time for those pursuits.
All I’ve ever been able to say in response to peoples’ queries is that I’m not happy unless I have that sort of stimulation in my life.
Now, thanks to Belinda Seiger, I finally understand that my impulses.
Creative Check-In
I’m afraid I don’t have much to report on the creativity front today. I’ve done no knitting or writing, although I am reading at a furious rate for the Reviews. When possible, I am reading Steve Kowit’s In the Palm of Your Hand: The Poet’s Portable Workshop as I caste about for a poetry prompt.
The highlight of my day was talking with Red Cheever for a couple of hours this afternoon. For twelve years, he has been an amazing spiritual adviser, who helps me see my life in a larger context. He suggested I read Andrew Harvey’s The Direct Path and that we read Karen Armstrong’s The Case for God together. I’m excited by both texts. I’m also toying with the idea of returning to my long-ago habit of attending the quieter weekday Masses. I find the quiet restorative.
Although you will not find direct references to God in my creative outlets, I find my creativity flows when I feel centered and connected to something greater than myself. So, I’m looking forward to that flow.