The Recipe Poem: Tribute to Mocha

How to Say Good-bye

Tricia at The Miss Rumphius Effect provides a poetry challenge each Monday. This week it’s to create a recipe poem.

                                                                                              
Mocha before her nose became cancerous.
 Mocha, aka Mocha Latte, and Mochabeans, (15) has cancer of the nose. Six weeks ago, we drove her to the vet thinking it was time. Jumping out of the vet’s arms, we chose to board her as we left for the weekend. We knew this day would eventually arrive. I will spare you the details of her nose but last night her eye started tearing as well. Weight loss as well, even though she eats like a pig.

I found her at a latte stand, 1994. A beautiful diluted calico, probably born feral. She was the most independent of the three cats. Three years ago, when she became the only cat, she finally decided to trust us enough to venture onto our bed and be part of the family along the two doxies. Last night she slept there all night, unusual and even stuck around this morning as I wrote.

So my recipe is how to say good-bye:

fold her into your lap
sprinkle love words
knead fur, take note
of her frailty
mix in memories
mousing skills, shyness, love of the garden,
and faithfulness
sift in trust and compassion
melt love into her fur
hold on- let go
once more
fold her into your lap 
shred tears

Sweet, sweet, cat I do not want to say good-bye.

 Postscript: 1:30 PM: Just returned from the vet.  Mochabeans got a reprieve.  The vet said based on the fact that she is eating, drinking water, active, we could choose to wait so we did.  When asked if it were his cat what would he do, he said he would wait.  She has lost more weight so it is a matter of time but not today.  As I write, she went outside to lounge.

Summer Revision Smackdown Summary

 

June 2009 is past. I was on the road when it left us. My last week of the Summer Revision Smackdown was without meeting goals.  A lot of time spent getting ready for the Disneyland trip and some play.

I did spend time in my head thinking about revision. And I plan to set goals for this month in the area of revision. I revised five poems and sumitted four to a local ezine for poetry. 

My biggest July goal is to get a project ready to send outside my writing group.  I have had an offer from someone to read it and give feedback. This terrifies me a bit.  I am working on the second have of the project which is intense.

Holly and Jolie are doing an awesome job of getting everyone pumped up about revising.

Tea Date with Blogging Friends

Marilyn and Annie, two blogging friends.

My drawer was #28.  My fortune:
“Quiet perseverance will bring lasting happiness.”

 

Garden Umbrella

Marilyn shows us how to make the tea.  See the fairy sized black tea cup? The tall skinny upside one is the aroma cup. You sniff before drinking.

I am a tea-cozy girl.  This tea time was a very new experience for me.  It was such a wonderful afternoon to meet up with blogging friends.

Summer Revision Smackdown Week Three

Hey! I actually did 75% of my goals this week.  Hooray for me.

This Past week’s  goals:

1. Changes on MG writing from May’s discussion.

2.  Revisions to the two poems for submission.  Send to writing group in prep of Wed. meeting.  YEP!

3. Attend Wed. writing group mtg. YEP!

4. Finish school with students. YEP! (Realize this is not really a revision goal.)

I actually had four poems that I revised for my writing critique group on Wednesday.  It was so helpful to have others listen to different versions of each poem as I read aloud.   My plan is to submit them to the 4 and 20 poetry ‘zine.  (Which I am learning that I have to figure out their audience).

It was decided that we just need to “fling the words and see where they stick.”

 My writing critique group is a highlight of each month.  Its our first anniversary next month.  There are five of us currently and we have finally settled into a groove.  Each member brings to the group a different perspective that I so appreciate.

I really revised five poems this week because I revised a poem that I had brought to share about that decision pet owners soemtimes have to make: to euthanize your pet. (One memeber had to do just that this week).

The first goal ( make changes to MG  story) will move to this week’s goals.  I really want to get those changes in before I go any further in the story.  I just returned from a morning event with the local SCBWI.  Linda Zuckerman was the guest speaker and I was SO happy that I went.    Her talk was on characters of your story.

As I listened to her, I thought of some questions about my own charaters in the MG story.  Are they compassionate enough? Do they change enough throughout the story? Are they spunky enough?  And then a really big question surfaced about the beginning of the story (and at this point not for the public to know). It was encouraging to hear her state that we have to rewrite and rewrite because that’s a lot of what I have been doing.

It was the best week of the three so far regarding SRS.

So my one goal for this final SRS Week is to finish: 

Changes on MG writing from May’s discussion.

I am leaving for vacation at the end of the week so I really would like to get that accomplished.

Thanks to Holly and Jolie for the challenge.

Garden Adventure

Last year the garden went fallow.  Too tired from grueling pursuit of national board certification and taking off  on a road trip as soon as school finished.

But this year, I started seeds the beginning of May (wished I had done them earlier).  Today I planted 20 tomatoes. Four varieties: Moreton New Jersey,Ramapo (New Jersey), Cherry, and Roma.  The NJ tomatoes were from Rutgers University.

 

In between the rows I laid down newspaper, the leaves from last fall, and purchased compost.  Toward the rear of the garden, there are squash and cucumbers.  Later this summer, I plan to plant kale.

Now it may look like I planted a crop of plastic bottles but they are actually acting as min-hot houses until the tomatoes get established. Later this week, I will take them off and re-use them to cover the peppers I am planting.  The big green thing in the lower right front is a random dahlia that is growing.

One Single Impression: Walls

Today’s prompt at One Single Impression is “walls”  What walls do you have? Real? Imagined?

wall, a phantasm
between siblings, hands reach out
grasp, collide, forgive

talk over coffee
brick order cancelled

For more, visit here.

Summer Revision Smackdown

I committed myself to the “Summer Revision Smackdown Challenge“  two weeks ago.  The first week, well, I didn’t state my goals and the only revising I did was in my head. 

This week’s  goals:

1. To make the changes based on our May writer’s critique group meeting.

2. To revise at least two haiku to submit for publication.

I could tell you how I sat down and spent hours on Goal One. But that would be fibbing. I am not good at fibbing.  In reality, I moved suggested revisions from one pile to another with designated day to work as tomorrow. Tomorrow (or probably today starts week three of “SRS”).

As far as Goal Two, well, I carried them to a poetry reading on Wednesday. (thinking revision would happen through osmosis?) Sage Cohen, author of Writing the Life Poetic, lead the discussion.  Her book is an inspiration, chalk  full of tips, quotes, and essays.   Purchased  her book and have had my nose in it since (will be a Poetry Friday blog post next Friday).

Sage calls the revision process “Act II” in the poetry drama.  She also says it is a “process by which you become better acquainted with the poem and push it farther toward its own potential”.  That is what I am doing with these  two poems that I plan to submit to an on-line publication. 

I want to push myself to submit poetry here and there.  In the process, I’ve discovered that what I put on my blog is often considered “published”.   Some places only want “unpublished work”. Which is fine as I can always revise.  I see much of what I post as little seedlings. Not final drafts.

The two pieces I am revising  for submission to the on-line ‘zine called Four and Twenty: A Short Form Poetry Journal.  I think I will take these to writer’s group this week instead of the longer MG story I am working on. 

My big score and find in the blog world this week is thanks to Lee Wind who introduced me to Revision Notes.  Love it!

Week  Three, here I come:

1. Changes on MG writing from May’s discussion.

2.  Revisions to the two poems for submission.  Send to writing group in prep of Wed. meeting.

3. Attend Wed. writing group mtg.

4. Finish school with students.

If anything, participating in the Summer Revision Smackdown, has me thinking about revision more. Want to find out about other revisionistas?  Visit Cuppa Jolie.

Update on the Bridget Zinn Auction(s)

It has been a wild and crazy weekend!  Friday night was the Portland “5th Friday: Kidlit Drink Night and Silent Auction for Bridget Zinn”.  The “5th Friday” idea was Bridget’s.  (The Portland area children’s lit and YA writers and illustrators have met since the blogging conference last fall occasionally.    The 5th Friday of the month happens about once a season.)

So Friday night, we all met at the Lucky Lab in Portland.  There was a great crowd and Bridget looked radiant. She sported her “Super Cute Haircut” and dressed to match her as she calls her “starlet hair“. It is difficult to believe that she has this nasty illness coursing through her body.

The room buzzed with laughter and talking. The silent auction had about 50 items to bid on.  My friend, Susan Boase, won the raffle for Matt Holm to go to a school.  She said that a first grade teacher she knows is going to be very happy.

In all, with a generous donation from the Oregon chapter of SCBWI we raised over $3000.00.

The on-line auction closed  Saturday night.  Initial estimates were at $12,735.00.  But it has since gone over $13, 000 as additional donations have been made.

The Paypal option is up and running at the Bridget  Zinn Auction if you want to make a donation.

So between the auctions, working, the school play today, and an upcoming weekend trip to see friends, life is both good and crazy.

Matt Holm, Co-creator of Babymouse

Matt Holm, co-creator of Babymouse, has been a fabulous support in the fund raising effort for Bridget Zinn.  He’s donated an original piece of Babymouse art for the on-lin auction as well as some original proofs of the latest Babymouse book, Babymouse: Dragonslayer, due out later this year.  Oh, and he has donated a visit or two to schools for th raffle as well as an auction item.

Matt responded to my interview questions recently:

What have you recently published and what are you currently working on?

I’m doing final art for Babymouse: Burns Rubber (#12)

What books are on your nightstand?

The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves by M.T. Anderson and The Vile Villageby Lemony Snicket.

Where do you find inspiration?

From memories of childhood embarrassment. Plus my dog. She’s the model for Babymouse’s sad face.

 What advice to do you have for would be writers/illustrators?

Keep at it! “Talent” has very little to do with success. Infinitely more important is practice, practice, practice. Also, time and space need to come together just right for deals to happen. Get out there, get to know people in the industry, let them know what you’re working on. Eventually, the stars align and the right person is in the right place at the right time and will need the thing you’re working on.

What was your favorite book as a child? As a teen? As an adult? Any particular genre stand out?

Child: Dr. Seuss’s Sleep Book by Dr. Seuss

Teen: Billy and the Boingers Bootleg by Berke Breathed

Adult: The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien (probably … lots of choices)

Genres: Sci Fi and Comics

Writing the first draft or revising? Which is your favorite?

For writing, first draft. For art, finals. Both are times when you can sort of be on autopilot, and stuff just flows out. The harder work happens in-between, when you have to see what you’ve done that’s awful and figure out how to fix it.

Favorite time of the day to work?

All day long. Eep. Oh wait, that’s when I DO work. Did you say “favorite”? Probably late morning. That’s the good time of day. Unfortunately, I still need to work many hours before then, and many, many hours after.

Chocolate: white, dark, or milk?

Milk. You mean milk chocolate, right, not chocolate milk? Not a huge fan of the latter.

Coffee or tea or —?

Diet Dr Pepper.

Dance: Funky chicken or the tango?

Neither, sadly. Keep meaning to get around to taking those ballroom dance lessons…

Thanks, Matt.  See you tonight.  Tonight is the Portland Kidlit Drink Night and Silent Auction to Support Bridget Zinn.  Lucky Lab, 6:30-9:00 PM.  We are less than 48 hours away of closing the on-line auction.  You can bid on items here.

Meet Christine Fletcher

Christineis a YA author living in Portland, OR who attended the blogging conference last fall.   Her books, Ten Cents a Dance and Tahlullah Falls will be an auction item at the Lucky Lab tomorrow.

 Wow!  The Portland Kidlit Drink Night is tomorrow. Unbelievable!

Christine also convinced her friend and co-worker to donate two gift certificates for canine massage.

I caught up with Christine recently and discovered this about her:

What have you recently published and what are you currently working on?

My most recent novel, Ten Cents a Dance, is a historical YA that came out in 2008. My next book, which is also a young adult historical, follows an ex-child star and a Broadway wannabe who go overseas during WWII to perform for the troops…and find far, far more than they bargained for.

 What books are on your nightstand?

Moloka’i by Alan Brennert, Coralineby Neil Gaiman, Possessionby A.S. Byatt, and a biography of John Adams which I swear I’ll finish eventually—it’s currently doing a superb job holding down the doily.

Where do you find inspiration?

I love the forgotten bits of history, the stuff that doesn’t make it into the textbooks. I find out about extraordinary things that ordinary people did back in the day, and I start asking, “What if?” And sometimes that turns into a novel.

 What advice do you have for would-be writers?

Hone your craft. Always strive to get better, always keep learning. Make time to learn the business. Read tons in the genre you’re writing so that you’re familiar with what’s out there. But most of all, keep writing.

 What was your favorite book as a child? As a teen? As an adult? Any particular genre stand out?

As a kid: Just So Stories, The Jungle Books by Kipling. As a teen: The Once and Future King by T.H. White. I was drawn to both writers for the same reasons: their inventive use of language and their amazing storytelling. As an adult, my all-time favorite is Middlemarch, by George Eliot.

 Writing the first draft or revising? Which is your favorite?

Writing the first draft is the fifth circle of hell. My friends can tell you the amount of moaning and complaining I do is monumental. Really, really pathetic. The two things that pull me through are 1) I have to find out what happens, which means I have to write the damn thing; and 2) I know that once I put words on the page, then I can start revising. I looooove revising. Can do it all day and half the night. Often have.

 Favorite time of the day to work?

Mornings.

Chocolate: white, dark, or milk?

White. People never fail to point out that white chocolate isn’t really chocolate. To which I reply: Exactly.

 Coffee or tea or…?

This absolutely decadent hot Ghiradelli white chocolate drink you make with milk. It helps with the fifth circle of hell.

Dance: Funky chicken or the tango?

I would love to be able to dance the tango. Given my physical talents, I’ll probably never rise above the funky chicken. I have come to accept this about myself.

Thanks, Chris.  I have heard that Moloka’i is an excellent read. will have to check it out.  BTW, when Chris appears to promote her books you can often find her in historical garb that matches the time period of her book.

You can bid on her books or the canine massages, tomorrow at the Lucky Lab, 915 SE Hawthorne, 6:30-9:00 PM.