SOL #7

I was a bit frantic today because my sister was planning to spend the night with me. That wasn't the problem. The problem was the lady who cleans my house texted me she was sick and would not be able to work today. She didn't work last week either. Wow, I thought. I had been working the past 2 nights on getting things ready. However I was counting on her to do the last minute things such as dust and vacuum. I started early this morning, worked during lunch and got things looking pretty good. It was a good thing I had worked the past 2 evenings. I hate that I'm ok with things not being put in their place until I have company. Then I want everything put away in its place. I think it might be related to procrastination. The last minute I can clean house like a raging wildfire. If that happened every night for an hour, I would have a clean house. Maybe I'll try.

SOL # 6 Tracks in the snow and an erasure poem

This morning my dog and I went outside to help my husband unload his truck. Everything is still snow and ice covered but my dog wanted to explore. She took off with her nose to the snow. I heard the sound of crunching snow under her paws as she sprinted toward the woods. Nothing I could do except follow her. I was glad I had put on a heavy, hooded sweatshirt and gloves. I could not believe all the perfect sets of tracks I saw on our path. I recognized those made by a rabbit, the neighbor's cat and my dog. Other tiny tracks made me wonder what made them. I wished for my phone to take pictures. Alas, I only have my memory. One set of patterned tracks made an X in the snow. I wondered what made the animal turn around and cross back over the path. I could see another set of tracks, dragging something behind, a tail? I saw various sets of tracks that I had not seen so close to our buildings. Tracks I could not see on the ground. Lots of activity was happening without my knowledge. The only way to discover the activity would be to explore at night. If I move stealthily, I might see some critters and learn about their habitual activity.

Snow and ice covered

Sound of crunching snow

Perfect sets of tracks

Tiny tracks

Patterned tracks made an X 

Tracks dragging something behind

Lots of activity

At night

Move stealthily

Habitual activity

Missives from Missouri: Slice of Life

Missives from Missouri: Slice of Life:

Throughout the month of March, I am participating in the Slice of Life Challenge, hosted by twowritingteachers.wordpress.com. All participants aim to write a post every day for the month of March. 

SOL #5 

In the world today, everyone seems to be connected, plugged in, sharing information and following a circle of acquaintances. However, one of my cousins (E) could not connect with another cousin (L). In an email to my sisters and me, E said she tried the last phone number she had. A recording said the voice mail box has not been set up, she couldn't leave a message. I replied back that I was driving through a small community where a second-cousin (D) lives, maybe I could visit and get updated contact information. After work and on my way home, I stopped and had a nice visit with (D). He called someone, then let me speak with her. She told me L would not answer his phone, but she would give him my number. I figured that was the best I could do and gave her my cell number. Now I'm waiting to hear from L. I suppose we aren't all as connected as portrayed by the advertisements. 

SOL # 3 My father-in-law

I finally figured out how to add the symbol for SOL. Next I need to figure out how to link to Twitter. I will work on that.

My father-in-law

He is a devoted family man, and yet at age 89, is the only one remaining in his immediate family of 6. He is a wealth of history. I try to collect details of his life and the world as it was when he grew up. I hope I can give you a glimpse of how different things were.

He graduated high school and left home at the young age of 16. He spend one summer working for the Civilian Conservation Corps. He lied about his age so he could join the Merchant Marines. He traveled the world, went to radar school and hitchhiking home for holidays. One time he made it home from the Gulf Coast almost faster than the average person could drive it.

He went to California with a buddy and took odd jobs to survive. He left their car sitting by the highway because it quit working and hitchhiked home. In later years, he visited the same restaurant he once had worked in, just to check on things.

He came home and established a taxi service in the rural area. He usually charged 25 cents per mile, but for one elderly lady who made weekly visits to her family. He charged her 75 cents to make a round trip of 8 miles.

He was industrious, always looking for a way to survive. He worked for a company who supplied pinball machines and records for local businesses who had a juke box.  He became quite good at repairing mechanical things. To support his family he started working for a company, driving an 18 wheeler. He was only home on weekends and then the family would pile in the old car and drive somewhere. To this day, he can recall highway numbers and sights you will see as you travel along the road.

He finally bought his Pop's lumber business and stayed home to raise his 4 children. The 3 boys helped him in the family business. All still work there today along with 3 grandsons. Although he has retired, he often makes a trip to the post office to collect the mail for them. The children check on him daily, taking him something for lunch or out to eat.

The family celebrates everyone's birthdays and holidays together. A huge party is being planned to celebrate his 90th birthday later this year.

He is a complex man, dichotomous and a mystery to me.

Just before I married his eldest son, we traveled to market. Six people riding three hours in a car. He lights up a cigar. I loved the smell and hated the smoke.

He read medical books and helped care for his wife. She had diabetes and required lots of medicine. He was always adjusting it according to what he had read.

Every Christmas, he made sure he gave all his children similar gifts or at least spent a similar amount.

Never has he make a difference in any of his children. His sense of fairness is always at the forefront.

Anniversary

This past week my husband and I celebrated our 42nd wedding anniversary. We don't know what happened to all those years. It seems they just slipped away. We have lots of memories and photos to help us remember. Unusual things trigger memories too. It might be a song, a call from an old friend, or even a new fad. I think it is odd that we don't remember the same things and suppose that is because of the differences in our focus.  But I digress, my intention was to write about our anniversary.

We've commented to each other about friends who ended a marriage, saying they often traded their current problem for a new set of problems. We have been lucky that our problems have not been immense. No marriage is perfect and sometimes ending a marriage can be the best result. For us, working together seems to help sustain our close relationship. We both view marriage as a give and take relationship and neither one expects to be "in charge".

We both have changed a lot in those 42 years and some things about us have remained the same. In the early years we worked together on building small storage barns to supplement our income. He would complete the construction and I would help by painting the finished building. Together we have taken lessons to learn disco dancing, play acoustic guitar, modern square dance, create stained glass objects, and some I can't recall.

He has worked at his family business for 50 years. I have worked there when I have had time, while going to college and still on many Saturdays. We still work together competing the monthly billing for the family business.

We have had individual interests too. He worked on cars, took courses to learn how to paint a car, design heat & air units for houses and design and oversee the building of those houses. His interest still involves cars. He has quite a collection of cars and parts. Together we attend car shows and swap meets. We travel to lots of interesting places.

Over the years, I have worked at several different jobs. I've taken lots of classes, artistic and with an end in mind. I attended college after we married and earned Bachelors, Masters and Doctoral degrees in education. I'm still taking classes and learning new things in my current job.

Within a few years, we will retire. Our plans include more traveling. Hopefully, the difference will be that we won't need to hurry back to work. I hope I can find something to fulfill my days with work. :)

SOL # 1 Thoughts on Writing

Last year I participated in writing a Slice of Life story for every day in March. It was a tough challenge, but allowed me to believe for that month that I was a writer. I wrote pieces about memories of growing up, my family and my work. I occasionally wrote a poem. I surprised myself.

After the challenge ended, I had mixed feelings about participating again. Recently, I read one post by Donalyn Miller in which she says, "If you write, you are a writer."  You can read her post here:
http://bookwhisperer.com/2014/02/22/im-a-reader-not-a-writer/

Wow, that says to me, I must participate in the SOL for this year.  I can once again say, "I am a writer." I'm hoping the habit of writing continues more consistently this year. I hope I can complete some of my ideas for picture books.

Another part of Donalyn's post says a writer makes others care about the writing. In the past, I have written from my heart, so it meant something to me. Now I must try to view each piece of writing to see if the writing stirs emotions in others. I like thinking about how others perceive my writing. Sometimes that keeps me from posting until the piece makes sense. It reminds me of teaching writing in elementary school, because students were taught to write for a particular audience. I also remember while working on a dissertation, one advisor kept asking the question, "So what?" She was trying to encourage me to think about reactions from those outside my world.

Another helpful tip from Donalyn was "ALL writers struggle". I hope, with daily practice, my writing improves.

Here goes, my first post for SOL14.

Signs

Today was finally above freezing so I took my dog, Ellie, for a leisurely walk in the woods. We were both looking for signs. Ellie had her nose right on the ground. She carefully inspected every small space around us, while I was scanning a larger area. Ellie never found anything to chase. She marked her territority more than once or simply had to go. I'm not sure Ellie found what she was looking for, but I could tell she enjoyed the time spent searching.

I found several objects that drew my interest. Ice was still in the pond and I searched for the boat. It was near the water's edge, I finally saw it sitting under the water. Can you see it?

I was looking for signs indicating the arrival of spring is nearing. I tried to take pictures of samples of spring, budding twigs.


One was from a Sassafras, others were bushes I haven't yet identified. 

Our walk gave me hope that the arrival of spring is indeed near.