Friday, December 31, 2010

A New Year - A New Blog Design

In keeping with my New Beginnings attitude, I decided that I wanted and needed a new blog design. I searched for ...um....hours....and finally found the one I liked the best! You are looking at it! It's a free template called Book Tree Template from Blog Templates. What could be more perfect for me? It has books, coffee, papers and a tree!  

It might take a while longer to change things around a bit and try to get it exactly the way I want it, but for now, I'm pretty happy with it.

Again, I wish you all a Happy New Year, filled with joy and bliss!

"We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year's Day." -- Edith Lovejoy Pierce

HAPPY NEW BEGINNINGS!

Happy New Year! And thank you to everyone who reads my blog, whether you comment or not, and whether you're a follower or not. I would like to say Thank-You to my newest followers, though.....but I'm not sure who I welcomed last! I'll just include the last six, and that should cover everyone....I hope!  Welcome Anila, loveablehomebody, Karen Pledger, Joyful, Garnet and Pink Apple!

To continue with yesterday's theme of regaining my passion for writing, I'd like to share some other information.

** While Googling for information the other night about "finding my muse", I stumbled across a very interesting blog Image & Verse. Rob Kistner and his wife Kathleen are a multi-talented couple. They write poetry, essays, and short stories. They are also artists of furniture design, collages, various artwork, etc. There are quite a few blogs listed for writing prompts and one for photography. Please visit their blog and find inspiration, as I did!

I contacted Rob to ask permission to post the following poem, which he graciously agreed upon. It can also be found in his archives here: Image & Verse (archives)  (Please do not reprint this anywhere without receiving Rob's written permission.)

Fickle Muse


Wee hours,
with the sane asleep,
this poet’s steeped
in conflicted inspiration.


Promptings vague,
I am filled with doubt,
words tossed about
the unyielding empty page.


I start, then stop,
to write, then not,
now clear, then caught
in merciless hesitation.


Fickle muse,
let’s be off with you!
I’ll start anew
when free of quandary’s cage.



rob kistner © 2007

Ah....oh, so true! Thank you again, Rob, for allowing me to share your poetry with others.

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** My second piece of information is this: A New York friend, who is involved in the publishing industry, knows of my writer's block angst. We spoke on the phone recently about it and in her desire to help me, she offered a gift that is so unbelievably generous and from her heart, that I'm pretty sure I squealed when she said it. When I complete my book, she is going to take me to lunch..... in New York City!! Woo-Hoo!! I think I was speechless for one of the few times in my life! Can you say "in shock"?? (and don't even think about commenting or e-mailing, asking me who this person is, because I would never divulge her name!...Plus you probably wouldn't know her, anyway, but she is special to me!)

I ended yesterday's post with "Look Out World, Here I Come."

How about...Look Out New York, Here I Come!!

"A friend is what the heart needs all the time." -- Henry van Dyke