I was depressed lately. Depression is not something, necessarily, to stamp out. I was aware depression was something I had to work through. Nothing happens in a vacuum. I knew I could not do this alone. And needed someone’s help to do that. I don’t think my wife could help me. I had to seek the help elsewhere. Someone who was not invested in me personally. Depression is an indicator. There are reasons for every state. I just had to “work” through them.
Tags: depression, depression is an indicator, mental health, my wife, needed someone's help, working through depression
Posted in balance, local, marriage, mental health, relationships, time |
There are too many clothes in my closets. I found eight long sleeved shirts and grouped them. There are so many shirts I hardly wore. I don’t even know where they came from. I still think my clothes breed in secret. I did not buy them. There is a clothes giveaway in town and my wife must have gotten some of them there. I am ready to give some back. My favorite ones get lost in the shuffle.
Tags: closets, clothes giveaway, eight long sleeved shirts, give some back, my wife, shirts, the shirt breed in secret in my closet, too many shirts in my clothes closet
Posted in balance, life, local, marriage, time |
“My wife is driving me crazy!” ‘Join the crew.’ my doctor said. It is amazing how the right words spoken at the right moment can validate you. And make you feel like you are not all alone. The worst thing is feeling you are going through something all alone. Or, at least, thinking you are.
Tags: my wife, the right words spoken at the right time, validate, you are not all alone
Posted in balance, local, marriage, relationships |
The greatest discovery I made today was my “monster” cactus hanging from a tree outside had two buds near the ground. Its tentacles are several inches wide and over three feet long. When my wife bought the cactus months ago, it was flowering. I have been examining the gigantic cactus every day. Each day the two buds grow larger. I don’t think these flowers will be as large as the ones last spring, that were four or five inches wide and three or four inches long. And four days later I spotted two more buds, this time near the top of it just emerging. It is going to be a race to fall. And the colder weather. Let us see how many flowers will emerge before we have to bring the cactus in the house?
Tags: "monster" cactus, cactus, cactus flowers, colder weather, Fall, flowers, my wife, spring, the cactus tentacles were several feet long
Posted in beauty, flowers, local, nature, seasons, time |
There were small discoveries today. My cherry tree in the driveway is growing almost horizontally. It has something to do with the way my wife kept trimming it. I noticed three small branches growing straight up seeking the light only inches apart. I, also, found it interesting that the three phlox bushes were all different shades of pink and white. I noted that the one basket of petunia plants perked up. I was not sure that it would come back. But it did. A little water did the trick. Only three short observations outside but it gave me pleasure. And I am sure I will make more discoveries as I spend more time outside today. I like watching my plants cultivated and wild.
Tags: a basket of petunias, a cherry tree, cultivated plants, flowers, gardening, gave me pleasure, my wife, phlox, pink and white phlox, plants, small discoveries, wild plants
Posted in beauty, flowers, local, nature, time |
My wife cares about every living thing even the lowly earthworm. She gave me a hard time about buying worms to use for fishing. I did buy a dozen. Then she insisted I let loose the worms that were left after my fishing trip. That is one thing I love about her: her concern for every living thing.
Tags: earthworms, fishing with earthworms, my wife, my wife's concern for every living thing
Posted in animals, beauty, God, local, love, marriage, nature, relationships, time |
“Noah’s Ark” was gone. It was a big boat, over forty feet long — really a small yacht — that sat, raised up high on a platform, in a meadow at the crest of a hill. We passed it every time we drove home from town. I started calling the boat “Noah’s Ark”. It was a landmark. I have lived in this town ten years and my wife even longer, and she always remembered that boat sitting there. It stood, surrounded by high weeds, for years–maybe several decades. She told me that the owner and his family had at one time lived in it, down in Florida. He died recently. Now The Ark was gone. I wonder what will happen to it.
Tags: boat in field, Florida, landmark, meadow, my wife, Noah's Ark, The boat on top of the hill
Posted in animals, death, local, nature, time |
Yesterday my wife found a nest in the garage. Some months ago I suspected a Carolina wren had a nest nearby. Usually when I spot the bird singing perched on top of our fence several times she has a nest nearby. I looked and could not find the nest. Once I found a baby bird flying around the garage. I made sure it found its way outside. I then suspected there might be a nest in the garage but, again, I could not locate it. Yesterday, my wife spotted a bird nest inside near the entrance of the garage. This is the third year in a row a Carolina wren has nested in our immediate area.
Tags: baby bird, bird nest, bird signing, bird-watching, birds, Carolina wren, Carolina wren nesting nearby, garage, my wife
Posted in birds, local, nature, seasons, time |
The poem I write usually finds me. I just record it. Something happens to me. I just have to get it down. Or lose it. And in the beginning I do not edit at all. That comes later. I can never predict when my poems come. At that point getting it down and working on it is the most important thing in the whole world. I just obey my Muse. I usually know when I am done. There are no more words. The hard work comes later–the editing that is. I am lucky. I can run poems by my wife. She has good instincts.
Tags: editing, Muse, my wife, poem, poetry, writing
Posted in marriage, time, writing, your job/mission/profession |
This was a meal fit for a king: large delicious, sweet local blueberries with a cut up banana with milk and cereal. It was a perfect breakfast. I had sampled the blueberries before buying them. And only then did I buy them. My wife ate two bowls of them with some sugar sprinkled on them. I thought that was overkill. I was glad I bought a quart of them at the local Amish store. They are disappearing quickly.
Tags: Amish store, banana, fruit, local blueberries, meal fit for a king, milk and cereal, my wife
Posted in local, marriage |
It was only raining on one side of our yard. My wife pointed this out. I looked out the bathroom window and saw she was right. You could see where the shower was ending. It was amazing. I had never seen anything like that before.
Tags: my wife, rain, raining on one side of our yard
Posted in beauty, local, marriage, nature, time |
Editing when I write a poem (or blog) (or anything), is different for different types of writing. For blogs I edit as I go along. For journals entries that turn into poems I try initially to get the particular experience down. At that point I do not edit and if I decide to turn the entry into a poem I then start editing when I get to the computer. Letters I write I never edit. I do read my letter once. Sometimes I find omissions and add a word or two here or there but that is it. I but I really do not edit my letters.
I do write autobiographical short stories but this is rare. I could only remember three I wrote. There I write initially without editing and then when I get to the computer with it I get it all down, print the initial draft and then edit each subsequent draft which is done from the hard copy. This is my general process. I do use my wife as an editor. For a general reaction, which I always consider as I edit further. I am very lucky to have her.
Tags: autobiographical short stories, blogs, converting journal entries into poems, editing, editing blogs, editing poems from my journal, getting it all down in jounal entries, journal entries, my wife, poems, poetry, types of writing, writing, writing an autobiographical short story, writing journal entries, writing letters
Posted in balance, knowledge&learning, local, marriage, relationships, time, writing, your job/mission/profession |
