PSV Western Conference & Sunday's Poetry Offering

Yesterday was the Poetry Society of Virginia's Western Conference which was held at the Riverviews Art Space in Lynchburg. It was a wonderful
gallery and though the meeting itself was slightly delayed due to a locked conference room - it was finally opened and surprisingly filled with a great
exhibit - vibrant paintings that made the room dance along a long conference table and plenty of comfy boardroom type chairs (me liked!!) The new VP
of the PSV western region Tom Morris set up a wonderful conference that included readings and a workshop with poet,novelist, and playwright Jim Peterson. He engaged the group with several tips on writing and performed a couple writing tasks with the group. It was one of the best workshops I've attended!  Jim is on the faculty of the University of Nebraska's Low residency MFA Program in Creative Writing and is Writer in Residence and Coordinator of Creative Writing at Randolph College in Lynchburg, Va.  His poetry book, The Owning Stone, was the winner of the Benjamin Saltman award. Here's a pic of some of his works but there are others. I've selected one of his poems for my Sunday Poetry Offering.

Poet/Author/Playwright Jim Peterson
"The Owning Stone"
"An Afternoon with K"
"The Bob and Weave"

Jim Peterson's:

"Letting the Dog Die"

The horses thunder
in the fields tonight.
A breeze stays high in the pines.
The dog squeezes out
from under the house
and stares at the ball
til he falls asleep
curled around my foot.
For the first time in months
the air is cool.
The front door drifts on its hinges
the old chair lounges on the lawn.
The horses rest,
lean over fences
pawing the ground.
inviting my hands to their faces,
to their withers and the sweet scratching spots.
The hammock sways
under loblolly pines
and Orion's belt.
But I'm stuck to the ground
by one foot
under the sleeping dog
who dreams of lightning and thunder,
of mud at the edge of the pond,
who dreams of the flight of old tennis balls
made better than food,
better than rolling in manure,
by the touch of these human hands.

For Nancy and Beth

 I wasn't able to post a Sunday Poetry Offering...but I found this poem in the same book of poetry by R. Conrad and thought of two special women.


"Reflection"
Friend after friend has gone, hence
They shall return no more;
Their allotments now, forever fixed
On the eternal, boundless shore.

But they, I trust, have safely landed
Within the bounds of Heavenly love
Welcomed by the Angel's hand
To their unending home above.

"Gee, It's Good To Be -

"Back home again...sometimes coming home feels just like a long lost friend" John Denver. I do love the mountains so, yet I was born and raised along the Ocean. Mom brought me to the beach for the first time at two weeks old! I guess there'll always be that love for the sea, it is a part of me, where I was raised and went on to raise my own family. Often when people think of NJ  typically it's of big cities, hwys, airports, and factories, and there are plenty of those! But, I think of the sand between my toes, the crisp water, and the beautiful colors as the sunrise comes up over the horizon. And most of all ofcourse - my family.  

A familiar site - NJ Turnpike to 195 - Shore Points

The pillars that separate Belmar and Spring Lake
have been there as long as I can remember. It was
typical for these beach communities, originally established
by different churches, to separate themselves,
 some putting in a manmade lake!

Locals love weekends like this after September.
Temps were in the mid 80's, low humidity and
the water is usually warmer than it is in May.

"Boardwalkin" is what alot of daytrippers do.
Stroll along the boards, stop in some of the shops
and eat pizza!

Ofcourse I couldn't miss taking a pic of one of
the oldest and famous dance clubs at the Jersey Shore.
D'Jais!

Hard to believe that right past the picture of those pillars

is this lake, Lake Como. We lived at the end of the road

to the left and across the street from the lake.  

Parkway - The first street my grandfather had a house.
I think it was around 1946.

And our trip ended with a surprised bride!
She was a real sport, but has a great sense
of humor anyway...so we had fun.

On 11/11/11 they'll say "I Do" and dance their
first dance as husband and wife.
Their story shall begin.

The long road home!

It was a relaxing trip and a great week visiting family, the grand finale being my future daughter-in-laws shower. It started a little off being our favorite places in Alexandria and Annapolis were both booked (on a Tuesday?) 'Til
we learned there was a big sailing regatta of some sorts so we went over the
Bay Bridge where we found lodging on Kent Island. The views were great
and it was very relaxing after seven hours on the road...and D.C. @ rush-hour

Kent Narrows



Kent Narrows



I call this my "Wish Garden"...
 I have a water garden...but not like this one just outside the windown
at the Fisherman's Inn and Crab Shack

Soybean fields along 301N

Here we Go!  



Simply Poetry Meeting & Sunday's Poetry Offering

When I first began to write some poetry again after more than 20 years, give or take, I initially felt as if I were alone on a deserted island. But that wasn't the case, I just wasn't looking in the right place...or places!  What I found was amazing! From the tiniest towns and down a country mile or two come come these wonderfully talented poets and writers. One amazing poet lives just down the next road from me.  She is an educator, a mentor, and a woman who writes with such depth and clarity her poetry just blows me away. She adds a vibrant but warm ethnicity to her voice when she recites but admits it took a few public speaking classes and quite a few years of experience to find her own voice. With a collection of poetry that began as a child I believe when she feels she is ready to publish, people will want to hear her words.

Simply Poetry - I'm heading down to Rocky Mount this afternoon to attend a new poetry group. It's a bit of drive but I'm always excited to meet new
poets. I already know two of the poets from a poetry group that meets at the Blue Ridge Library. We've all emailed our poems which allows time to absorb the poem so there can be some honest critiques. I'm excited!

Sunday's Offering:  by Mary Etta Perry. Mary Etta Perry was born and raised in Okaloosa County, Fla. where she worked as a Registered Nurse from 1943 to 1993. She retired and moved to Brevard, N.C. where she began to write poetry.  This is from her collection of poetry called  "The Dance Goes On".

  Florida Autumn
Last night
autumn called on me
and left one golden
tallow tree,
one dozen
scarlet leaves
and three
chrysanthemums
for me.

She lingered
such a little while
I gave her only one brief smile
for the gracious gift
she brought to me
one gold and scarlet
tallow tree.

Mary Etta's poetry is inspiring. One admirer said "Spirit and emotion lives in
her poetry. She dares to let her soul show through, the lows as well as the highs."   Thank you, Mary Etta Perry...Dance On. 

What We Can do - For the Cure.

Initially this was to be a story in honor of my Mom and in loving memory of a
dear friend. But, I couldn't...because it isn't my story to tell...it's theirs...and
everyones.

1. One out of eight women will develop some type of breast cancer.

2. Every two minutes a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer.

3. Half of the women diagnosed with breast cancer are over 55 yrs. old.

Sounds so hopeless...and you can't help but feel helpless. October is National Breast Cancer Awareness month, but way too many women never need a month to be reminded. So for them, those loved ones gone, and those who fight on...we do what we can. Collect those pink yogurt tops, wear pink pins, and yes, have that mamogram!  Because it is October and it is National Breast Cancer Awareness month. But, some day, maybe one day, our grand-daughters will simply know it as October.  When that Race for Cure to be
over and done...now wouldn't that be something.   



For the Cure - many small pieces - help solve the puzzle.

                   CANCER
Hear the music my dear friend.
For it may never play again.
Dance through life a thousand years.
A thousand smiles, a thousand tears.
 
Eyes wide shut, yet seen it all.
With pain of heart and mind recall.
The questions asked but never known.
Will faith lead the angel flown?
       
To carry hard, it's bones do bare.
The burdened body, once so fair.
With strength to reach inside to touch.
So hard to try, and cry so much.
                    
And make due with hours of time
Each day lived, with a broken lifeline.
To fight and push it all to give.
The way to find, the will to live.
              
Through faith to find the battle done.
The war so bravely fought and won.
To hear the music that by chance
There's yet another day to dance. 

Stand tall and sing a victory song.
So millions hear and sing along. 
"I Danced through life a thousand years
A thousand smiles..a thousand tears."
(c) 2009  the garden girl

Please, Please, Don't Eat those Mushrooms!!

Last evening the news ran a story about two people hopitalized in serious
condition from eating wild mushrooms. It happens more often than people would think according to an ER doc. These things can be extremely poisonous, and according to a friend...even the mushrooms that are perfectly
fine to eat, if you have never eaten them before, just try alittle piece first.
If you are going to have a reaction, your tongue will tingle. (that's good to know when ordering a dish with wild mushrooms!)  My great/grandmother and grandmother would go out picking wild mushrooms but my mother didn't care for them and I never learned how to distinguish good from bad.

My dear friend Kate told me she would pick wild mushrooms when they lived out in Washington State. Though they look neat..I wouldn't dare eat!
Kate said she now uses them for an art technique she does but about the only thing I did was take a few pictures of them before pulling them out so the dogs don't get to them. Especially this first picture. This 'shroom was a Biggie! So big I saw him from a 2nd floor window~ and for a split second thought -  Space Junk?

This baby is one of the biggest I've seen...about 7" across at least!



This weird looking disc I saw from the 2nd floor window



This little one was cute and delicate - probably deadly though! 

EWWW!