* One Year Ago Today *

I find it hard to believe that it was one year ago when I wrote the following poem and posted it on my blog, February 18, 2012. At the time, it was Untitled, but later I named it "Daddy's Girl."

I'd been seeing prop planes everywhere I went, whether walking or driving, and that particular afternoon the words just came to me. I sat at my laptop and this is what I wrote:

Daddy's Girl

I strolled along the pavement,
the sound of quiet surrounding me
like a quilt. The stillness was deafening
until I heard the engine of a prop plane 
flying overhead. Pausing and shading my eyes,
I squint and watch it putter across
the powder blue sky.
Memories flood my soul,
immediately tugging my mouth
into a wide grin.

The next day I walk the 
same path. A distant cardinal chirps,
most likely believing it's already spring.
Why shouldn't he?
These past few days have been nothing
but glorious.
Just the calendar page declares
it's only early February.
I turn, searching for his brilliant crimson color
among the vast bare branches
but my eyes cannot find him.

I notice the sky is full of vapor trails.
Those wispy, cloud-like streaks also 
carry memories for the child within me. 

I think back. All those years ago.

The newness of jet airplanes and the

thundering explosions of sonic booms.

My dad explaining the magic & mystery.
I close my eyes, and for a moment
I'm standing motionless in my front yard again.
Staring up, marveling at the sight above,
taking it all in and thinking as profoundly as
a five-year-old possibly can.

Blinking, I hesitate for a moment, then

become aware of my present surroundings.

I begin my walk back home.
Tomorrow. Maybe tomorrow 

I'll return to the same path,
thinking back and I'll
reminisce once more.
Sentimental journeys.
Always bittersweet.

©2012 Becky Povich

Although I'm amazed that I wrote poetry, what's even more amazing is that it was a breakthrough day. From then on, I began to write more often, felt more confident, and had very little writer's block. 

If you're not familiar with my love of prop planes, the following post will help.

http://beckypovich.blogspot.com/2012/02/nostalgic-sundays_19.html

* Welcome to my newest follower Pat. I hope you'll stop by often and always enjoy what you read and see! * 

"I don't believe that life is supposed to make you feel good, or make you feel miserable either. Life is just supposed to make you feel." -- Gloria Naylor

* First VGB: From Claudia Mundell

I'm happy to present my first VGB (Volunteer Guest Blogger), Claudia Mundell of Claudia's Page. Although the lovely and talented Claudia mentions me in her post, it was not a requirement! So, come on bloggers & friends....please e-mail me if you have something you'd like to share as one of my VGBs, and we'll go from there. I only have about five so far, so there's plenty of room. 

I forgot to ask Claudia for her bio and when I went to her blog, I couldn't find a profile page, either. Please check out her blog because she's a wonderful person and writes beautifully. Be sure and scroll all the way down to the bottom of her blog to see her publications. She's too shy, I guess, to have them readily available!

The Therapy of Blogging

The first decade of the new century started off rough for me. My dad died, my dog died, my hubby lost 18 inches of his colon, my sons faced some hard growing up experiences (always hard for a mother to watch), my job was downsized and eliminated, my mother’s house burned, the financial market floundered, and my husband along with three other men in his Fortune 500 company were forced into retirement. I felt one slam after another.

My husband was not happy about his retirement (neither were the other men), and it was grueling to see his discontent. I had to find a way to let off my own pressure somewhere other than home. Journaling never worked for me because I never stayed with it once started. On July 4th of 2009, I came to the computer and sat down. I had avoided blogging, but suddenly decided to teach myself something new, to focus outward with some small part of my life. I set up the pages, wrote, posted and it felt good. The rules were simple for me: post several times a week, write conversationally, stay off religion and politics, and not to whine!

As I posted, I also read other blogs. I found the nicest people out there in Blog Land. I read numerous pages and many of us shared activities or situations in common. Sorrow, joy, tea, writing, reading, aging and more became common ground for forming some authentic cyber friendships. The other writers began to post comments on my blog too. Oh, I found myself looking for their names, their thoughts. When I didn’t hear, I began to worry about them, wondered if they were okay in their own worlds.

The gifts came too: a tea plaque from Linda, writing markets from Donna, a give-away box from Susan, a special Precious Moments figurine from Becky, handwritten letters from Lynn and more. I felt like Sally Field when she accepted the Academy Award. Why, they like me, really like me! But I liked them back and appreciated their connections. I was glad I had gone out on a limb, risked exposing myself on the blog, and I had found a valid and sincere community of caring people I had never met.

I have met in person for brief moments Linda from St. Louis, Donna from St. Peters, and Ginny from Aztec, New Mexico, and I know personally John from Wales. I hope to meet others someday. It doesn’t matter though if we never meet face to face because these blog buddies pay off every day when they leave comments on my blog. Their words and thoughts, the shared time in print, and the jovial connections all validate me. The online associations prove to me again that the world is a great place to be and that sharing friendship over a cup of tea or on the page…well, it is all still human connection. Blogging made mighty fine therapy for me and pretty cheap to do too! -- Claudia Mundell

~~~~~

Thank you, Claudia! And readers, please feel free to leave a message because she'll be checking in from time to time, to answer questions and/or comments.

* Welcome to my newest follower Terra. I hope you'll stop by often and always enjoy what you read and see! * 

"How rare and wonderful is that flash in the moment when we realize we have discovered a friend."- William Rotsler

* Gifts From Creative and Delightful Carmelina *

My beautiful "2000 Follower Give Away" gifts from Creative Carmelina! 

I apologize for the delay in getting my photos posted, but I was having problems with my camera. And as usual, the colors don't seem quite right, but if you click on the link above, it will take you directly to the specific post with Carmelina's gorgeous photos.

Carmelina is so creative and talented. She used a dress pattern as gift wrap!

This elegant crocheted starched tea cup set is just beautiful!

Lovely hand crafted floral note cards with envelopes!

Two of my favorite things in the whole world: embroidered flour sack towels!

Charming pink doily and white crochet dish cloth!

~~~~~

and...........

Since Carmelina is such a sweetheart, she included some extra gifts for me!

The above cream colored doily with lovely embroidery in the center.

And....these darling handmade pins!

What a fun surprise when I opened the box brought by the mail carrier!

Thank you again, Carmelina! I will definitely use and cherish my gifts!

* Welcome to my newest follower Maria. I hope you'll stop by often and always enjoy what you read and see! * 

** One more thing. My first Volunteer Guest Blogger (VGB) will be Claudia Mundell of Claudia's Page this Friday, February 15th. Be sure to stop by! **

"Give generously, live joyfully, love abundantly." -- Unknown

* LOOKING FOR GUEST BLOGGERS *

First, I apologize for not posting my originally intended photos of my beautiful winnings in Creative Carmelina's give-away. Time just got away from me this weekend. Stay tuned, though, because Carmelina even wrapped the items  so delicately and I have pictures of everything!

~~~~

I've toyed with the idea for quite a while to host quite a few Guest Bloggers. I've seen it done on other blogs (and I've been a guest myself) and it's a great way to meet new people. SO...I'm asking for VGBs...Volunteer Guest Bloggers! 

Clip Art

Please contact me by e-mail, not in the comment section. If you don't already have it, it's on my Profile page. Let me know what you have in mind for a post. If I think it will work, you're hired! (well, not exactly hired.....there's no pay involved, ya know!)

One thing I'm not looking for: Anyone wanting to market any goods. At this time, I don't want the posts to be about selling or promoting anything. I want something written from your heart....just about any subject. 

You don't have to be a writer or one of my followers. If you know someone you think would like to write a post and they'd be a good fit, please let them know. And, obviously, if I've mentioned being a guest blogger to you, please e-mail and remind me! 

I haven't decided how many bloggers I'd like, so don't hesitate because you think maybe I've already received too many requests. 

This will help me greatly to keep working on my writing without totally being away from blogging so much. 

 


"Right now I'm having amnesia and deja-vu at the same time. I think I've forgotten this before." Steven Wright

* IT'S DEFINITELY HODGEPODGE *

Somehow another Friday quickly arrived and soon will be phffft! (and I accomplished many things...didn't waste a lot of time ) As soon as I typed that funny word, I remembered there's a 1954 movie with that as the title. Can you imagine?? (It's a comedy with Jack Lemmon, Judy Holliday, Jack Carson, and Kim Novak as the main characters.) 

"Hey Becky. What movie are you going to see at the show this weekend?"

"Phffft!"

"Huh? What did you say?"

"I said, I'm going to see Phffft!"

My goodness, there must've been a lot of unintentional spitting going on when people spoke that word! 

(For trivia buffs, The title "Phffft" comes from Walter Winchell's column which was widely read during the 1950s. When a celebrity couple's marriage broke up, Winchell would describe the break-up as "phffft".)

~~~~~

Have you ever had those annoying "eye floaters"? I've had them off and on for years, but a couple of weeks ago one appeared that was larger and darker. So, I decided maybe I should see my opthamologist. My appointment was yesterday afternoon and I'm happy to report that mine isn't serious, just annoying! I can live with that!

The following is from Webmd.

Eye floaters move as the eyes move. They generally appear to dart away when you try to focus on them.
Eye floaters can appear in many different shapes, such as:

• Black or gray dots

• Squiggly lines

• Threadlike strands, which can be knobby and semi-transparent

• Cobwebs

• Ring shaped

Once you develop eye floaters they usually do not go away, though they tend to improve over time.

Causes of Eye Floaters

Most eye floaters are caused by small flecks of a protein called collagen.

The back compartment of the eye is filled with a gel-like substance called vitreous humor.

How do you like that?? I have "humor" in my eyes!  

~~~~~

Do any of you ever watch Live From Daryl's House on the cable channel Palladia? I stumbled across it a few months ago and I LOVE it! Daryl Hall is the other half of the famous Hall and Oates singing duo of the '70s & '80s. Daryl has other singers come to his house and they play music and sing songs from both their careers. I haven't seen a show yet I didn't like. 

~~~~~

Writing Contest: It's the annual Column Contest of the National Society of Newspaper Columnists. You don't have to be a bona fide columnist to enter. There are categories for bloggers, too. Click on the link for full details. Deadline is April 1st. (and that's no joke!)

~~~~~

Yesterday I submitted a story for a contest that I'm really excited about. I worked on it for days! That's all I want to share at the moment, though. Send me some good karma, please!
                                                 ~~~~~

AND, I'm still working a lot on my memoir. When does the editing end?!

~~~~~

P.S. I received Carmelina's package and will share photos of my goodies on Sunday!

* Welcome to my two newest followers Wendy and Susie. I hope you'll stop by often and always enjoy what you read and see! * 

"Every day, think as you wake up: today I am fortunate to be alive, I have a precious human life, I am not going to waste it." -- Dali Lama

* My Newest Epiphany *

Some of you may be wondering where I've been the past week. I've been extremely busy and have gotten quite a few things accomplished, but as usual, I'm still behind on everything. While lamenting the fact that I'll never get caught up, I had an epiphany. 

There is no such thing as being caught up!

Every day brings new challenges to every one of us, no matter our situation. It doesn't matter whether we're young stay-at-home moms, women who have careers outside the home, middle-aged, retired, whatever. 

Laundry will always pile up. Dishes will get dirty. Tables will get dusty. And rugs/floors will have crumbs and dog hairs on them. That's called life! 

I am SO grateful I have a husband who does not care about these things.

And at this point in my life, I've become much less concerned about the way my house looks, too, unless friends or family are coming over! Then look out! 

And so my deadlines involve writing. I've just completed going through the edited version of my memoir. Next I'll make some changes as suggested by my fabulous editor and friend: Margo Dill 

(I can't say enough wonderful things about Margo -- at least not today! I don't have the time! I just crack myself up sometimes! Seriously, I'll be talking more about Margo at a later date.)

So, this means I'm getting closer and closer to the actual publishing of my book in print! Have I mentioned that a local fellow writer (and member of Saturday Writers) came to me and said he will get my Word document formatted the way createspace needs it....and at no charge to me?? What a great guy. I must use the word "grateful" again! This will help me publish From Pigtails to Chin Hairs much sooner than I thought I could..... 

* Welcome to my newest followers Claire Hegarty, Heather Farrar, and Marie Agneau. I hope you'll stop by often and always enjoy what you read and see! * 

P.S. I know I "owe" quite a few e-mails and I will do my best to reply soon! Please don't think I've forgotten or that I'm ignoring anyone. 

* Saturday, 2/2 Another P.S. I forgot to mention the beautiful crocheted pink tea cup and other fabulous items I won in Carmelina's 2000 Followers Giveaway! If you're not familiar with Carmelina, please stop by her blog. She is an amazing artist and all around lovely lady!

"When one door closes another one opens." -- Alexander Graham

* THE JOURNEY OF LIFE *

After reading a beautiful and inspiring post over at Julie's A Thought Grows, I decided to post mainly quotes today. My regular visitors know how much I love them: funny ones, serious ones, uplifting and inspiring ones. 

Julie's blog post is about mountain climbing and writing.....and oh yes, I definitely agree they are similar!

~~~

"Focus on the journey, not the destination. Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing it." -- Greg Anderson

"Too often we are so preoccupied with the destination, we forget the journey." -- Unknown

"How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives." -- Annie Dillard

"The journey between what you once were and who you are now becoming is where the dance of life really takes place." -- Barbara DeAngelis

"A person often meets his destiny on the road he took to avoid it." -- Jean de la Fontaine

"You should live every day like it's your last day because one day you're gonna be right." -- Ray Charles

~~~

It took me quite a few years to realize that life is about The Journey, and not The Destination. 

How about you? Do you have a favorite quote about life you'd like to share?

* Tea Cup Tuesday *

Welcome to a Tea Cup Tuesday! This weekly meme is hosted by Terri at Artful Affirmations and Martha of Martha's Favorites. 

I think it's been at least a year since I participated in Tea Cup Tuesdays. My blog is obviously not about decorating or tableware, but I do love tea cup sets, and tea pots, etc. So, I decided today was the day to take part in it again. I'm reposting part of one from May of 2010.

Below is one of my favorites, even though I couldn't possibly drink anything from it!

This is an adorable little set I bought years ago from one of those "Home Decorator" parties that women hosted in their homes. I don't remember the name of it, at the moment, but this was not their typical item, and must've been available for a certain period of time.

They are miniature in size. The cups and saucers are attached and are approximately one inch high, and the cup is one and a half inches wide. The tea pot is about 3-1/2 inches high and the tiny lid actually comes off.

They appear to be crocheted out of heavy white thread and are highly starched....thus keeping their shapes!
I especially fell in love with them, because in addition to my love of tea pots and tea cup sets, they reminded me so much of some starched knick-knacks my *maternal grandma* had in her curio cabinets....one being, in particular, of a crocheted high heel shoe!

* I wrote about my magical summer vacations at grandma's house in my soon to be released memoir, "From Pigtails to Chin Hairs: A Memoir & More"




* Welcome to my newest follower Tammy. I hope you'll stop by often and always enjoy what you read and see! *




"Your friends will know you better in the first minute you meet, than your acquaintances will know you in a thousand years." -- Richard Bach