Some Good News...Always

I am off to Long Island for the weekend...more pre-birthday celebrating with hubby's family. The plan is, laying on bro-in-law's beach behind their house, take the boat over to Fire Island, some sort of drink in hand here and there, munchies, dinner at six, then off to a show, back and forth between mom-in-law and step mom-in-law (con-ver-tible, top down driving on the North Fork!). Three days of doing nothing. Not even cooking. Which I do everyday at home, my part-time job, and my once a week position at the church cooking for the homeless. Things on that end are going great!

Now lets get down to the real news. I went to the eye doctor. A follow-up for my swollen left eye, the gimp eye, and the fact that my vision has done nothing but gotten worse the past five years. I discussed eye surgery. Have they developed anything to help my blind eye, and a correction for the right side? YES!!!

I am scheduled to see the surgeon in August! Yes, they do have surgeries to help correct my vision. I have been waiting for this my whole life. Growing up with one 20/20 vision was not that bad, it was like those who have two eyes. But it did cause problems for me once the vision began going down hill in my late thirties. In some ways I feel it was a handicap, and has caused problems with making and missing mistakes in writing, along with being dyslexic. So with that, I look forward to what the future, and eye doctor holds!

Also...I turned in my mini-chapbook to the MFA Blog hosted by Jessie Carty and to Jennie my instructor for the MFA program which I audited this last semester at Princeton. Both gave me passing grades for my work. They both gave me high praise for my thesis project- 'My Valley of Kings', a mini-chapbook- titles and content. I now feel confident to pursue returning to college if that is what I wanted to do.

Thanks for your support, and for listening...fifty is turning out to be the magical age for me...although I would love to re-visit 33 and my Irish trip...and for selfish reasons...

Just Cracking Myself Up!

I should be sad, but I am not. I have slowly gotten news from all my stops along the way to Texas, they have had to cancel for personal reasons, and from being unsure it would work out if I was in the area. It will be fun when we all can get together, but I am okay. My trip is postponed for now. I need to be seriously working on my newest book. I already began the second book, but I am not even finished with the first one. A trilogy it will be...yes, liken to Twilight and others.

While coming up with an idea for a book for my family once the genealogy was finished, and after watching Clash of the Titans, something came to me...sadly at 2 AM in the freaking morning. My sleep is off again. Stomach issues and napping do not work well together. ARGH!!! But hey, I get some writing done.

Yep, when I think of how different I was than my siblings growing up, and how my brother (don't all brothers say this to you!) would tell me I was adopted. Making me cry, and scaring the crap out of me was his pleasure.

I know it still needs work...but is going to be part of 'My Valley of Kings' Mini-chapbook collection.

Hades On A Good Day

Growing up felt like hell,
because,
I really thought my parents
had adopted me...

------------- (middle section poem taken down for submission purposes)


a grandmother mirrored in me
a son’s face straight from Scotland
I am a fair princess, hidden
amongst peasants.

After reading this aloud to hubby; it really cracked me up! Oh well, if I cannot laugh at myself, then who...Let the summer games begin...I am turning 50 in less than two weeks...so much fun ahead!

What'cha Eating?

I am bad. Yes. When I know certain foods bother my stomach, I still manage to suffer from lifting them to my mouth. Especially sugar. I have managed to stay away from baking too much, the gluten and sugar, and even have a cake sitting from the weekend I will dump in the trash (after hubby eats one more piece tonight).

So while the plumber is running the dishwasher, fixing it, my stomach churns along...

Also, my contribution to Thursday Poem Share over at Jessie Carty's...

IBS

A stomach churns from last night's
empty box of sugar babies laying
‘nutrition information’ side down next

to the couch, near the back patio
hidden from husband’s view, his
wanton mouth, but conveniently

at cravings reach to the addict who
grew up on homemade pies, cakes,
and candies waiting on counters

kitchen and coffee table, hidden in back
bedroom drawer where a father would
share his stash if you were quiet when

he drank while watching television, or
napped on weekends when mom was
in the kitchen cooking as we rode

bikes down to the local Dairy Queen
for ice cream and Jan’s Food Store
filling our pockets with penny candy

back home, one by one, we begin to
feel the sting of what our parents called
the family curse running from generation

to generation of not being able to eat certain
foods; sugar, dairy, and beef, but I cannot
help myself I Buy Sugar regardless.

I doubt I would publish this one, except self, so I will leave it up!

Review- Road Work Ahead by Raymond Luczak

What do we all do when a relationship ends, good or bad? We begin to open up and share bits and pieces of what we remember, places we have gone, places we need to see, good or bad. I have met some people who still revelled in the pain of the past, but you do not read this in his work. Raymond opens up and begins to look at what repairs are needed, what road to travel next, not just where he's been. When we do this, begin to repair what may have been neglected, pain and heartache bursting through our chest, we begin to see things in another light. I see this in his words.

Raymond's poetry sheds light on his own pain, what he may or may not miss, and I believe through his writing and visiting the places he has pulled into his heart has helped him move on to new roads. Raymond Luczak may be deaf, but he hears so much more than we can imagine in his surroundings. His poetry shows us exactly what he has heard...

The first poem of this book begins with-

Once I arrived in Paris, I declared war against Time.

Strong.

Spies adored my aging face. It'd given away
one secret after another. I had been shafted.

- ARC DE TRIOMPHE, 2005

My favorite line in this poem. I cannot tell you how many times this relates to me when I have gone somewhere and wanted to put time in a box and live out every street, conquer a country. Time can be a friend, but most always an enemy.

Who wouldn't grow and heal with this writer at our side, reminding us the summer wind is around the corner, and there are so many roads still left untraveled.