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New Age Lawn Furniture
Sometimes the littlest thing turns into a drama, or so it seems. I’m sure that getting new lawn furniture for most people is not a big deal. At my house, it played out like a script for a TV sitcom.
I must admit times have changed since we last bought lawn furniture 19 years ago. My memory is that we went to a store, saw what we wanted and they delivered and set it up. Not anymore. In today’s world, we never actually saw the pieces, but ordered them on-line. Fed Ex delivered it all this afternoon in huge packing boxes that the guy stacked in my garage. It reminded me of the pyramids at Machu Pichu.
mountain of cartons.
But I’m never one to shirk hard work. And I had Gela cleaning for me today. She and I tackle all kinds of things. I was sure we could unpack and move all the furniture within an hour at most.
The box the table was in was huge and unwieldy so I asked the Fed Ex guy if he could move it to the front door. He got a hand truck and wheeled it over.
“Could you bring it in?” I asked naively.
As he shook his head, his long curly hair (which I was envious of) bounced. “I’m not allowed to go into a house. It’s against regulations.”
“Oh,” I said. “Does it seem heavy?”
“Probably,” he said.
Probably? Gela and I tried to pick it up and it wouldn’t budge. We tried to move it aside—couldn’t move it an inch.
Oh my God, I thought. What are you doing? You’re 67 years old. Why are you moving furniture?
My next thoughts were inspired. Who could I hire to do the job? I’d pay them my next five social security checks (I don’t get much). I’d need someone big and strong, I thought. Ah ha! Into my mind’s eye, Jack sprang forth. Jack is so tall he can change light bulbs without a ladder.
I’m 5’6″ and a peanut next to Jack.
I ran into the house (no exaggeration) and called Jack. It was my lucky day—he answered on one ring. And he had some time later in the afternoon.He came over with two strong young men to help. It took all three of them to move the table, which then had to be assembled. Three hours later, the furniture was unpacked and moved onto our deck. But not without one further incident.
Two strong young men.
Somehow in the chaos, our little Havanese took advantage of the open doors, and ran out onto the main street where he was almost hit by at least two cars. I know this not because I witnessed it. (I’d taken a moment to surreptitiously go to the bathroom.) No, the reason I know is because two of the drivers came to the house to tell me how they’d had to swerve to avoid him. Then they’d tried to catch him, but he’d already headed for home. I explained I thought Bogey was in the house, and I’d been in the bathroom. After I groveled enough, they seemed mollified enough to go on their ways.
Bogey, safe and sound.
As I finish writing this, I am also finishing a glass of wine. I’m contemplating eating dinner at the new table. If I have enough energy left.
Morning Musings
My mother told me fifty years ago to never put in writing what I wouldn’t want to become public. She also warned me against sharing secrets over the phone. “You never know who is listening,” she said.
I thought she was a little paranoid, but I never forgot her advice. It was probably not long after the McCarthy era so I understood where she was coming from, and she alerted me to the fact that the capability is there. Besides, government surveillance of our lives isn’t exactly new. Anyone who reads spy thrillers knows that!
We aren’t a very private society. A lot of you knew I was just in Chicago because of the photo I posted on Facebook. A lot of us know TMI about Andrew Weiner because of his Tweet. Talking on cell phones is anything but secure. And emails? Martha Stewart can tell you how private they are. We pay most of our bills with debit or credit cards—your movements can be checked that way too.
I have to tell you, I hope my government is alert and monitoring emails, Twitter, phone calls, etc. We are up against a wily enemy who is smart and savvy. If giving up some of my freedom to do what I wouldn’t be doing anyway is going to make me more secure in my life, I gotta say I’m okay with it. I don’t want to be a naïve dummy: I wish the Tsarnaev boys had been monitored more closely.
I’m sounding off on Snowden without having read much about it, but one other thing ticked me off this morning: Putin considering giving Snowden asylum. Here’s a country that is repressive about free speech and human right issues, but they’re going to criticize the United States? Why are they poking us in the eye? What is the signal behind that? Not good. Not good at all.
Posted in About Life in General
Tagged Boston Marathon victims, human rights, protecting our country, Putin, rights violation, Snowden
Celebration Time: The Follow Through
Lesson 52
This is a landmark day for me. One year ago I decided to start this writing blog, Writing Do’s and Don’ts. I wanted to give people useful hints to improve their writing experience. I wanted the advice to be brief and to the point. I wanted to inspire people to write—give writing prompts and assignments that might light a fire in the writer’s belly. I was inspired to do this by my writing students. “You should be sharing what you do for us,” one said. “Are you writing a how-to book?” asked another. “Everyone should get the chance to do your writing aerobics,” someone else said.
So, I began. I made a vow to myself that I would write one lesson a week come hell or high water. (I do love some clichés!) Once a week—one do and one don’t. As I continued, I saw that a “how-to” book was in the making. All I had to do every week was write one entry. Here we are one year later. Lesson Fifty-two! It’s a testimony to perseverance, if nothing else.
I learned a lot during this year about writing and about life. I do believe you have to keep going. You run your race. You do it on your own terms. You don’t check to see what other are doing. You keep your eye on your own ball.
My plan is to continue, and also to cull out the best of the lessons, organize through subject, and create a book. I’ll let you know how it goes.
Posted in About Life in General, Writng Work Out
Tagged learning, learning your craft, perseverance, personal best, writing
In Memoriam/ A Thank You
I’ve been celebrating Memorial Day for over half a century, but I only had a vague idea of what it is. Today I got curious and went to my two trusted friends, Google and Wikipedia, to find out. The American Memorial Day, the final Monday of May, remembers the men and women who died while serving their country. These people paid the ultimate price. Tragically, their footsteps are still being followed today. Over 2000 service people have been killed in the Afghanistan War. If I read correctly, more than double that amount have committed suicide. What is that saying? That war leads not only to death, but to despair?
I remember when I was a kid, our dad would walk us up to Lake View Cemetery near Volunteer Park in Seattle. We would then go to a smaller cemetery, which I just read on Goggle was a military cemetery, the Grand Army of the Republic Cemetery.
I haven’t thought of this for years, but now I am picturing my dad standing at graves, reading the headstones and bowing his head in respect. He’d be jovial on the walk up to the cemetery, but melancholy on the way back home. What a wonderful role model he was, even in small ways. He taught us to honor the dead, not be afraid of them.
Yesterday at the grocery store, there was a table set up where you could leave items to donate to Armed Service people. I bought two packs of disposable razors. When I went up to the table to leave them, I saw at least two dozen lip balms. It wasn’t until I was home that I thought: What, our U.S. service people don’t have enough personal items? They are provided for so poorly or paid so little, that they can’t afford Q-tips? The Defense Budget is so huge, but the Armed Services personnel need to ask the public for donations? Even an English major can see that something is out of whack.
I sat down two hours ago to write something light and inspirational about Memorial Day. I was going to talk about my mother’s coleslaw and my dad’s bacon-wrapped hotdogs. But I didn’t want the day to go by without focusing on its meaning. Still, I am surprised at how dark my thoughts have become. Sometimes I think that we have come so far, but then I realize the world’s reality is not far removed from the biblical dictates of an “Eye for an eye”. Do we never learn from history that war’s brutality is dehumanizing?
But again, my intention today was not to come from a Peacenik perspective. You can’t sit back and let the bullies of the planet take over. And on Memorial Day, I want to honor those who protected me before and those who protect me now. That’s what is important. Our cousin, who served in Kuwait, introduced us to an organization, Children of Fallen Patriots, which seeks to help families of the heroes left behind. I am grateful we can add our assistance, and honor the men and women who gave their lives so we can live in safety…and barbecue this afternoon.
We Must Learn To Get Along
“In today’s interconnected and globalized world, it is now commonplace for people of dissimilar world views, faiths and races to live side by side. It is a matter of great urgency, therefore, that we find ways to cooperate with one another in a spirit of mutual acceptance and respect.”
The Dali Lama in India today.
This was the Facebook post of the Dali Lama on April 22. (Yes, Virginia, the Dali Lama has a Facebook page.) The Dali Lama is expanding on what Rodney King said so many years ago, “Can’t we all just get along?” It may be hard to believe that these two men from such different backgrounds and cultures would basically think alike. Yet Rodney King, so troubled in so many ways, had a deeper wisdom that transcended his everyday struggle. He knew a fundamental truth: live and let live.
The Dali Lama is saying that we are going to be more challenged than ever. We used to live in small tribes, then small villages, then small towns. Many people never left their birthplaces. No one new moved in next door. Everyone followed the same religion, same doctrines, same leader. But we are truly a global world now. The complexity of our lives is growing. We are no longer isolated on the north American continent. What happens in Syria affects what happens on Main Street, USA.
The people who frighten me the most are the zealots. They BELIEVE they are right. They BELIEVE their God is leading them to do what is best for the world. They BELIEVE that those who don’t share their belief are evil and should be eradicated. To them, there is only one way. To reach their goal, all ends justify the means. Just ask the Tsarnaev boys. I’ve been reading about youth who are being radicalized. It is so easy now, the experts say. The leaders only have to go on You Tube to spread their message. Or Twitter or Facebook to connect.
They stood among people that they would slaughter.
Which brings me back to the Dali Lama. I hold him up as a positive influence. I see him as a man of wisdom and spiritual connectedness. I am sure there are many who would disagree (the Chinese government for one?). I like to hear what he has to say, and to see his very human reaction to things. I feel he personifies goodness and what is best in humankind. That is who I am. I am also someone who believes that what is yours is yours. I don’t want you to take what is mine, but I certainly won’t be trying to steal yours. And I doubt I would be protecting mine with a gun.
Which leads my meandering mind to the idea of universal background checks for gun buyers. I’m not asking to take my neighbor’s gun away (shudder, shudder) but I feel it’s reasonable to require background checks for gun purchasers, at the least. Not everyone is a responsible citizen. Not everyone is sane. Not everyone is thinking that life is precious.
But it is. Life is precious. I know that.
Posted in About Life in General, Searching for Wisdom
Tagged carnage, Dali Lama, guns, life is precious, radicalized, Rodney King, violence, wisdom, zealots
BETTER SAFER THAN SORRIER
I hate to be a worrywart, but I am, always have been and probably always will be. One of the things that has bothered me for a while is cell phones. For years I’ve heard talk about the potential danger. Was it an urban legend that they were causing brain tumors or was it truth?
I will say that I’ve been called a Henny Penny (the sky is falling girl) 
and a Nervous Nelly many times in my life. And it’s not an unwarranted slur. My mind just naturally goes to “what if the half full or empty glass falls off the counter and crashes onto the kitchen floor, shattering and slicing into the femoral artery of my nearest and dearest? What if the row boat sinks in the middle of the lake? What if the man who has locked himself in the lavoratory on my airplane is really a terrorist who has brought many tiny bottles onto the airplane and is now assembling them into a liquid nitrogen bomb? I am a writer, for goodness sake. I can’t help it if I have an overactive imagination.
I had a few extra minutes this morning as I woke up an hour before I needed to get up. (I’m not sure why, but it could have been the wind that was screeching around our doors and windows like banshees on the prowl.) With the extra time, I decided to check out Dr. Oz’s article: Dr. Oz: “5 Health Risks I Won’t Take—and Neither Should You”
Read more: http://www.oprah.com/health/Health-Risks-to-Avoid-Dr-Oz-on-Health-Hazards/3#ixzz2Q18aRKrS.
The first risk to avoid is Triclosan in your toothpaste, Dr. Oz advises. I immediately went into the bathroom. Geez, I tried to read the label on my toothpaste tube—it’s so small that it’s unreadable. I decided to forgo my brushing until I got a magnifying glass. Gingivitis is a small price to pay to avoid a potential carcinogen.
Advice Number 3 deals with cell phones…I knew it! Read the following and take heed.
“Science says: Cell phones emit radio frequency (RF) energy, a type of radiation deemed “possibly carcinogenic” by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. Unlike the radiation from a CT scan, RF energy isn’t strong enough to break DNA bonds, but the tissues near the ear you use when you’re on the phone can absorb it. Some research suggests that this could slightly increase your risk of developing brain tumors, but at least two studies that looked at brain tumor incidence among people who used cell phones regularly for ten years or more found no connection. While such news is reassuring, the medical community believes it’s difficult to know the health consequences of cell phone use until longer-term studies are done. For safety’s sake: Avoid keeping the phone pressed up against your ear; I use the speaker phone or a hands-free headset to reduce my RF exposure. Whenever possible, I also wait until I have strong cell phone reception to make calls; the weaker the signal, the more RF energy the phone emits to keep calls from dropping. At night, don’t sleep with your phone right next to your bed—it still releases RF when it’s transmitting data as you get pinged with e-mails and texts.”
OMG! I knew it! I told my kids, but would they believe me? Of course not; I’ve been giving out dire warnings for years. But they should listen. Even I can’t be wrong all the time.
Lesson 43 of Writing Do’s and Don’ts
Lesson 43
Remember, the key to a great story is a character who wants something and has impediments along the way. This combines plot with character development.
SHOW DON’T TELL: SHOWING GIVES MORE CLARITY
We’ve said this is a rule than can be broken, but don’t tell too much. Let the reader discover what the truth is. Use a combination to make your story work.
Here’s an example:
TELLING: When I was ten, my mother had a nervous breakdown. She didn’t come out of her bedroom for three months. She became overwrought by the slightest thing. It was a difficult time.
SHOWING AND TELLING: When I was ten, my mother had a nervous breakdown. She didn’t come out of her bedroom for three months.
“Come in,” she said one day, seeing me lingering at her doorway.
“How are you today, Mother?” My tone was hesitant as I walked into the room.
She mumbled something so I walked closer and sat on the edge of her bed.
“What are you doing?” she screamed.
I jumped up.
“What are you doing?” It was more of a shriek this time. It brought my dad running.
“What’s the matter? What happened?” he asked.
“She sat on my bed.” My mother pointed an accusatory finger at me.
By then I was cowering by the Chinese lacquered chest of drawers.
“Go downstairs, honey,” my father said to me. He looked so distressed I began to shake.
“You have to change the sheets,” my mother said. “You have to change the sheets.” Her chant followed my down the stairs.
DO: Tell to get important information in the story without stopping the narrative line.
DON’T: Tell too much. Stop and show what is happening. Let the reader be there, on the scene.
Show what is happening between the son and his mother.
Writing Aerobic: Far from the main street…
ASSIGNMENT : CHOOSE ONE OF THE FOLLOWING SCENARIOS AND WRITE A STORY.
Peter needs a kidney transplant. He’s 10 on the list, but his kidneys are failing fast.
Maddie needs to get a college scholarship. She’s the child of a single mother. Her interview is in a week, but she doesn’t know how she can get there.
Sheila needs to get her husband to the emergency room. They’d been at the mall when he started feeling ill. They are in the car and he’s passed out.
Posted in About Life in General
A Corner of My Mind 