Posted on September 12, 2014
What’s it like to be born the day after a famous day in history? Really, it’s not so bad as long as you don’t fixate on dates, because the special event that just occurred yesterday is still taking center stage. Especially in today’s world.
So it means people born the day after a special event get to bask in its glory but must claim their own right. I know.
I was born the day after D-Day. This year we both turned seventy, but only one of us is remembered on the national scene. No matter.
Because my June birthday is unique, I’m sensitive to those who were born on September 11 in any given year. This too is a special event, even if it’s overshadowed by others.
See more 10 Minutes in category Special Events
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Posted on September 11, 2014
It’s the thirteenth anniversary of 9/11, and it’s also my son’s birthday. I celebrate both, but make sure my son receives special attention. The media will handle the other event.It will always be remembered, as it should, just like D-Day or Pearl Harbor.
But sometimes little things go unmarked, so I also look for the everyday on this date. Like the fact that my son’s students remembered his birthday and sang. Like the fact that my best friend, the one who’s known me since childhood, also shares today as a birthday.
Like the burst of sunshine that came through in late afternoon and the email from a friend who’s recently moved from the area and a piano lesson that went really well. And a sense of well-being. In spite of the fact that the world is in turmoil, my little corner hangs on. I want to approach every day like this: honor the small and leave the larger items to others.
See more 10 Minutes in category Me/Family, Things to Ponder
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Posted on September 4, 2014
Tonight Earl and I attended the wake of a young man, 31 years old and married only seven weeks. He is the grandson of a good friend, and he died unexpectedly in an accident. Who at my age expects to bury a grandchild?
The funeral home was filled with mourners: family members from near and far, friends of the parents and grandparents, friends of the young man and his new bride.
As we left the funeral home, Earl asked if I wanted to have a bite to eat. At first, I said “No, I have to go home; I have things to do.” But the more I thought ( in a split second of time), it seemed processing what we’d just been through was more important than any of those things waiting at home.
So we went to the Navajo for dinner and relished being together. Talked about our friend and her loss. Imagined what it would be like to lose a family member younger than we are. Even talked about losing each other.
There’s no denying it; we’re all brought up short when something happens to someone in our family circle. Young, old, it doesn’t matter.
Posted on September 3, 2014
It’s Wednesday, which means I try to do all the dead-heading in my flower beds and trim the roses and cut the drooping daisies because tomorrow the trash truck comes to haul debris away.
Tonight I notice that some of my flowers are spent. They’ve bloomed to their highest and are now becoming spindly and thin. The impatiens are the most affected. But I see signs in other flowers as well: the geraniums, the zinnias (which are always a challenge), the black eyed Susans. It’s only the first week of September, but prime has passed.
It makes me sad that my flower beds look drab this early. Still, I’ll wait another week or so before pulling out the dead stuff. When I do, I’ll begin working the soil for next spring.
Perhaps really competent gardeners plan their gardens so that fall flowers begin to bloom as summer’s foliage fades. I’m not that good at it. I do notice my chrysanthemums look hale and hardy. But I have only four of them, and they are planted on top of each other so they look like big bushes instead of incoming floral beauties.
I love gardening, but am grateful I live where there are four seasons, which gives me a respite from the work. I wouldn’t want to be mowing and weeding and dead-heading every month of the year. So while I bemoan the dying summer plantings, I wouldn’t have it any other way.
See more 10 Minutes in category Flora/Fauna
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Posted on September 2, 2014
I subscribe to “Writer’s Digest,” both the print and the online versions. So I am regularly being admonished or exhorted or advised on many things related to writing. At first, I took them seriously. But I’m less inclined now.
Why?
Because much of the advice is presented from the reader’s point of view. For instance, an author is told to learn what his or her readers want and then give it to them. They’re told to network on social media and build readership. They’re encouraged to join writing groups too.
I have nothing against any of this advice, except . . .
It seems to put the reader first instead of what some aspiring writer is driven to put on paper. Or at least on a computer file. I mean, are serious writers supposed to cater to readers? Or are they supposed to be true to themselves?
You must know that by now I subscribe to the latter view. Writers need to write about what inspires them and worry about readers later. Even if nobody reads one of my stories, that doesn’t diminish my need to write it.
Which makes me wonder if some of this Internet advice is really about trying to make money on one’s writing. I have nothing against this either. Except, a writer needs to write just as any other human needs to breathe. It isn’t always about the money.
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Posted on September 1, 2014
Today we celebrate Labor Day, but I honestly had no idea what the holiday meant. I understand Fourth of July and Thanksgiving and even Memorial Day, but I never delved into the meaning of Labor Day. Until now. That’s one of the benefits of the Internet; you can learn about anything.
According to the “Time” magazine web site, Labor Day traces its origin to a parade in New York City in 1882. It was designed as a festival to celebrate the common laborer, and about ten thousand people showed up. Over time, especially as unions became stronger and more influential, the parade was formalized into a holiday on the first Monday of September in 1896.
The official holiday is 118 years old this year; and while union membership has declined in recent years, “Time” noted there are still many challenges facing workers. And it’s not just people in the fast food industry and other lower rungs of the financial ladder. Consider the corporate professional who often works ten or more hours a day, puts in unpaid overtime on weekends, and is only a text or tweet away from the office.
Now that I’m informed, I plan to celebrate the holiday by paying more attention to the plight of various working groups. And by taking a nap!
See more 10 Minutes in category Special Events, Things to Ponder
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Posted on August 31, 2014
I’m still experimenting with the Weber grill we bought a few weeks back. And here is what I’ve learned to date.
- It’s more fun to grill when the weather isn’t too hot or too cold. Wind is also a factor. You don’t want to fight the elements for your dinner.
- Timing is important. When the directions say, “Heat coals for twenty minutes,” that’s what you do. And, once the food is on the grill, timing becomes even more essential. Which is why I’m actually using a timer to grill my chicken breasts tonight. Twenty minutes on one side; fifteen on the other under indirect heat. (These are instructions I wouldn’t have understood in July.)
- Smashed potatoes are delicious on the grill. Par-boil them in heavily salted water; smash with the bottom of a glass; brush with oil and then put on the grill to toast. Yum!
- You can re-use some of the coals as long as you close your grill immediately after you’re done and then add more coals for the next grilling experience.
- Lighter fluid is better than it used to be when we grilled years ago.
- Grilled food needs watching. It’s not like cooking in the oven. So it’s nice to sip a cocktail when you’re out there bonding with your dinner.
- It’s also helpful if your husband or significant other will set the table.
See more 10 Minutes in category Dining/Food
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Posted on August 30, 2014
There are two days left in August, and the dog days have finally arrived for a shortened stay. Or maybe an extended September visit.
What are dog days? According to Wikipedia, they are the “hottest period of the year” most commonly experienced in July and August. But this summer, there wasn’t a dog to be found until yesterday. And today. And maybe tomorrow.
If you think like I do, then we were lucky this year. The summer’s temperatures were cool for the most part, which meant there were few ninety degree days and no one hundred degree ones. There was enough rain to avoid sincere watering day in and day out, and grilling outside wasn’t a humidity challenge. It was glorious.
Still, with the Labor Day Holiday within range, there is a sentimental feeling that summer has eluded us.
See more 10 Minutes in category Changing Scene
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Posted on August 29, 2014
I have a friend who reads my blog occasionally, so when she does she reads large sections of it at once. Recently she said, “I’d like to go back and start with the first entry and read them in order, but there is no chronological listing on your website.”
I revamped my blog a couple years ago and did away with the chronological listing because a list with fifteen-hundred entries seemed cumbersome. Instead, there is a search field just under the menu buttons. At the time, I thought this was a good substitute; but now I realize if you don’t know the name of a blog entry it’s useless.
I’m considering some changes once again; they’ll appear over the next couple months. In the meantime, if there is anyone else who wants to begin at the beginning, the first blog on May 20, 2004 is titled “Gauging Voices.” Type that into the field below the menu buttons and hit “Search.”
A word of warning: Should you plan to read the record of the last ten years of my life, know that there are more words in it than in War and Peace.
See more 10 Minutes in category Writing
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Posted on August 28, 2014
I’ve been experimenting with my blog this August. Have committed to posting every day to see if that increases my site traffic.
I really don’t care, since I blog for my own satisfaction. But I also want to get some other work published, and agents seemed preoccupied with an author’s “platform.” Translation for this is: How many people come to the hoping-to-be-famous author’s website. Translation for that is: How many people does the author know who will buy her work?
The answer is a moving target. If I allow only serious readers, then my work is hiding in some corner of the universe. BUT if I allow Spammers in my statistics, I am one serious blogger. Most days I get more than five hundred spam messages. Many start with a compliment such as: “Your website is just what I’ve been looking for.” It makes me feel good. Like I’m special.
But then, I see that the rest of the message is an advertisement for what the Spammer is selling. It ranges from Ray Ban and Louis Vuitton to Kate Spade and Calvin Klein. They all want a part of me. They all want me to “approve” their message and put it up on my site.
Which is why I’m vigilant about real comments. And which is also why I probably won’t meet an agent’s criteria for a great platform either.
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