Blue Yonder

Hope for the Best

Found this today on Writer's Almanac. I love it so much. Aunt Cleone is, without a doubt, a relative (or three) of mine. Maybe you know her too?

Poem: "Her Legacy" by Barbara Bloom, from On the Water Meridian. © The Hummingbird Press, 2007.

Her Legacy
For Aunt Cleone

After the divorce,
she sent me twenty dollars
tucked into the folds
of her crinkly blue stationery
written hard on both sides.
No use crying
over spilt milk, she said,
still, what a shame. There
never had been divorce
in the family. By then,
I had a child
and could barely remember
my aunt's voice, but her certainties
were plain. No leaping
off cliffs for her.
The whir of the sewing machine,
her shelves lined with canned goods
straight from the garden,
that was more her way. Her long letters,
full of other people's news,
never mentioned
my father's silence,
or her own lack of children.
From a quick how are you,
she'd go right to
the surgery of a neighbor
I would never meet,
or what a nice visit
she'd just enjoyed with Elsie.
Who was Elsie? I never exactly knew.
But, after all, weren't we all part
of the great messy human family?
It swirled around her kitchen,
where she tied a fresh apron
around her waist,
and carried on.
She would hope for the best,
she concluded before signing her name.
Use the money
for something special.
Something just for you.

***

Oh to write that well, that wholly, that simply...

Floating Along

Hey y'all!

Sorry to have disappeared, but with spring upon us, what can I say... we've been outside, eating popsicles, getting dirty, riding bikes and low and behold, SWIMMING!

The pool has officially opened, and that means that my children have officially lost all interest in anything that does not involve as little clothing as possible and a side of sunscreen, but make it snappy if you please because the water is CALLING! They near about vibrate while I lather them up, sidling ever closer to the edge and saying, "okay, okay, okay Mama, that's good. Now can I go?"

I've been doing a little swimming of a different sort.. wading around chest deep in new(ish) writing endeavors. I'm so caught up in the lives of my characters that I can barely think of another thing.

To give you some idea of how spaced out I've been, I actually stopped at a stop sign today and waited for it to turn green! Sad, but painfully true.

So, say your prayers for me will ya? A mama lost in her own world of plot and conflict + three little boys attempting underwater synchronization, well, it can get a little dicey.

I'm just saying, it may be a little bit quiet here for a bit while I gather my wits about me (and wash a million and one towels). Then again, my husband swears I even talk in my sleep so, who knows, I might rattle on just as much as ever.

And just one more thing before I bid you a happy weekend:

Time is running out to enter April's Blue Yonder First Monday Contest. Only seven days left!

Alright now, go and romp in the sun some this weekend, will ya? Don't forget the UV protection!

(and yes, I realize that my photo hasn't a thing to do with any of this rambling, but dang he's cute, dontcha think? I wanted to fold him up and put him in my pocket, but settled for taking his picture :-)

6,000 Words @ Six One Way

I am very excited, beyond excited, really, to make an annoucement today. It's one that I've been itching to share for weeks now.

I finally get to spill the beans!

A few months back, not too long after I began this little blog, I met a person who can only be described as a kindred spirit.

Eren, of This Vintage Chica is not only a talented, loving mama with an eye for vintage style, she's also one of the sweetest people you'll ever come to know. She and I were meant to be friends - both with three young boys, both with a love of old stuff, both born of that mix of rugged independence wrapped in cotton and leather, otherwise known as Texas.

If I didn't know better, I'd swear we were separated at birth.

Needless to say, I was over the moon and flattered beyond all reason when Eren asked me to partner with her on a new collaborative project.

Two Mamas.

Six Boys Between Us.

One Passion - Capturing Motherhood Through the Lens of a Camera.

You can follow our journey with a new post each Monday at Six One Way

You know, I love to write. It is one of my most deeply felt passions, but photography has become a new love for me, in it's own right. I'm fascinated by the idea of a language, as an art form, that can't be marred by spelling mistakes or poor word choices. I'm excited by the opportunity, and the challenge of sharing my world with you, with no words at all.

So please, join us at the table each week, for 6,000 words, in photo form, on the joy of motherhood and the messy business of raising young men.