IS ANYBODY OUT THERE?

To anyone who has checked in periodically, hoping to see something akin to words of wisdom here, I apologize for the black hole. It isn’t that I haven’t been writing or editing or tutoring. It IS that I have been writing, editing, tutoring, AND promoting/supporting our fundraising events and products for the Stephen Lewis Foundation to work as a partner with the grandmothers in Africa who are raising grandchildren orphaned by AIDS/HIV. As a result of my husband’s March heart attack and my own high cholesterol level, I’ve also been learning how to make tasty meals that are low in salt and cholesterol. We’ve been managing to do without, or reduce the amounts of some of our favourite foods. Did you know you can use a vegetable peeler to produce a limited number of five-year-old cheddar cheese curls to give the illusion of still eating the huge chunks on which we used to snack? I’m becoming a very creative salad maker and we’re eating a greater variety of fish than we have for years. Tried making a simple coconut and shrimp dish for the first time and all who ate it gave it a thumbs up. Simple is important because when I edit or write for a day, I’m somewhat of a dishrag, no, make that I AM a dishrag, when it comes time to make a meal. That is the danger time! Easy usually means high calories or high salt. Our efforts seem to be paying off. Robert has just been told to half a blood pressure medication dosage, even with a fairly high intake of dark chocolate!! And, that habit is contagious. I hear the rustle, rustle of the paper, the snap of the bar being broken into small pieces, and even though my back is to him as I read in bed, I begin to salivate for chocolate. “Yes,” I say, before I’m asked, and I succumb, once more, to chocolate. EDITING Since I last made an entry here, I’ve been editing several manuscripts, one of which won Word Alive Publisher’s 2014 prize for best non-fiction manuscript, which means that talented author, Bobbi Junior, is having her book edited, published, promoted and distributed by a well-known Christian publisher. What a great prize! Another two articles which I edited for columnist and anthology contributor, Glenda Dekeema-De Vries, won two awards from The Word Guild’s Annual Competitions. Now, if I keep rubbing editing shoulders with these women, and others of their ilk, and actually get my own manuscripts in where they belong, perhaps, I, too, will be a star! Probably, of the four manuscripts which are poised on the verge, the one which would be of the most value in the Christian world is the one for about-to-be-married couples and the clergy who counsel them. It is a matter of getting it to the right place at the right time, and at my age, I’d better get a move on! My life is a prayerful balancing act, as is the case for many people. WRITING: Some publications of my own while you and I haven’t been in touch include: 1) >Meditations for The Word in Season, Augsburg Fortress Press, July, August, September 2014 issue. July 30th to August 6th inclusive. (One of my FAVOURITE things to research and write! Preparing devotions and worship services always takes me through times of worship myself, enriching the product and enriching my life.) 2) The Worship Service in the Presbyterian Women’s Missionary Society’s Glad Tidings anniversary issue. For the 75th anniversary, in addition to writing the Go and Tell worship service, I had designed the logo for a competition. The concept came to me after a nap at Vancouver School of Theology while we were there for my husband’s study leave. It won and was refined by a professional artist to reach the hearts of many, being duplicated in pins, on tote bags and on banners. Penhold Presbyterian Church, one of two Alberta points where Robert was serving at the time, gave me great joy by surprising me with just such a hand-worked banner at the front of their church. 3) Several columns >(some of which are on line) as part of my year’s responsibility as a member of what is called the Pembroke Observer’s Community Editorial Board. So far, they’ve dealt with the importance of the Stephen Lewis Foundation, a unique family-friendly theatre at Garrison (used to be CFB) Petawawa, Troyes Cinema, where the owner does a handstand before each showing, the trials of mammograms, and, last Saturday, abuse of women. 4) For the last two referenced, I did the accompanying art work, in the first case, a clay composition with other materials incorporated and, in the second case, a collage of photos with ink slashed across it to demonstrate life damage. 5) A couple of manuscripts have been submitted to anthologies and are expected to be printed, two of which have to do with experiences of God, one by the author (just notified that it is accepted and contract to follow) and one by a child. 6) Prepared my presentation manuscript,+ related illustrations, as well as my bio for the brochure for A Day Apart for Canadian Baptist Women of Ontario and Quebec, in February 2014. I have the honour of being key note speaker. (I got to play with bubbles while getting my photograph taken for the brochure!) So, now you have it, a rough idea of why I have been so negligent about keeping my blog up to date. I apologize. I should probably put a note up on my face-book page when I make an entry here so that I am not mentally and emotionally banished to outer darkness by those who are kind enough to check in here.

One Card Photo (see previous post)

Catching Up With You

Greetings, Thank you for dropping by. The original prime purpose of this site was that of promoting Grandmothers’ Necklace, an intriguing collection of short stories and poems compiled and edited by myself in order to raise funds to assist the grandmothers in sub-Saharan Africa who have been persevering in raising their grandchildren—orphaned by AIDS/HIV under conditions that most of us could never begin to, nor want to, imagine. Many talented writers from Ireland, the USA and Canada contributed to this book. People have told me several times that this is a wonderful book to have in the bathroom, as long as one is not worried about line-ups of anxious people awaiting a turn in the reading room. I prefer to think of it as a bedside book, suitable for a few short, satisfying reads before it is time to turn out the light. As recently as last month, Katharine Fletcher, author of several books about tours and trips, in an Ottawa Citizen column, encouraged Ottawa day-trippers to travel to the Valley Artisans Co-op Inc.’s Gallery, in Deep River. Imagine our joy when we saw one paragraph devoted to the book itself, with a recommendation to check it out! The Valley Artisans Co-op Inc., first business in Canada to carry our book, also hosts a page on their FB site about the book and where else in Canada to buy it. The Gallery itself has beautiful original items, perfect for gift-giving. If you check their site at http://www.valleyartisans.com/ , you’ll have some idea of what I mean. Customers from other provinces and countries stop there regularly on their trips through the area. The Valley Artisans have renewed their book supply once again. . Also during this past month, I received $100.00 from sales at the Antrim Truck Stop. Their copies are all gone for now. Orders have just come in from Southern Ontario, persons who have received the book as a gift and now, having read it, want to give it as a gift to friends. The beauty of it is that the contents are not stale-dated and the money can continue to go to help those who are working so hard on their own. What is happening with me, in addition to a continuing interest in promoting the book? One more bit of news re.Grandmothers to Grandmothers. For the annual Grandmothers’Tea sales tables, I was able to create some blank note paper using photos I’d taken in this area and elsewhere. Felt a strong urge to do something a little different in addition to the book. If I can, I’ll put one of the photos on the site. The other Petawawa Grannies (and Grandothers) are doing all sorts of things to work as one with the grandmothers in Africa. They served at a local Boston Pizza for one night and will be doing so again soon. A percentage of all food sales during that time goes to the Grandmothers to Grandmothers. One person made a quilt for auction. There are homemade jams and jellies. My own time is devoted to editing some very interesting manuscripts, tutoring a very capable officer from Garrison Petawawa and to a variety of writing enterprises. One disappointment was that a project in New York City was cancelled due to “artistic differences” among the persons there who had started it. I had hoped to see the monologue I’d submitted presented on the stage off-Broadway. Ah, well. My “The Cuddle of Cats” manuscript continues to receive good reviews from readers. An area veterinarian, after reading it, has stated she’d be happy to write some good words in the introduction or on the back cover. I’m hoping to interest a particular agent in it early next year. If and when it is published, I’d like a portion of the earnings to go the SPCA. Not everything, as is the case with the GN book. This one has to earn some money for our household. A few health challenges for my husband and me keep us from being as active as we would like to be. Still, there’s something to be said for having to be quiet for periods of time. The cats are cuddled nearby, or going mad as the birds and squirrels, back-dropped by the tall pines, give a performance on the window sill. The electrical fireplace is cozy (no fire with an oxygen user!). The music playing is rich and dream-promoting. As one daughter often says, “All is good.”

It's A Pain

Access to computer still erratic. Unnecessarily complicated to get it going which means I have to leave it on for too long at a time or take a chance on its not starting again. Today's dental surgery renders me rather indifferent to that.


Email from View-Bug waiting in pile-up stated I'd won a "Brilliant" award for a photo submitted some time ago. I couldn't actually post it without giving information re. friends, etc. See it at http://www.viewbug.com/photo/1681623# Morning Mist #6 by cheapshot That helps to ease the mouth pain a little.

Something else that authentically helps is reading Surprised by Oxford by Carolyn Weber, who spoke and taught at #Write!Canada 2013. Have only made it to page 47 thus far. Her writing is as intelligent and personable as she was in person. Despite the sadness of some of the early topics, her light touch with them and her sense of humour are making it a joy. It may help me to identify because I, also, am somewhat geographically challenged. I hope to write a review later on. Now to join my Tylenol friends so I can concentrate on reading some more.

I'm grateful to those who have been praying for me re. the challenging dental work and the computer's illness. Thank you.

Oh Canada, God's Love is Here!

It’s just past Canada Day, 2013. I awoke this morning thinking of a hymn text I’d written for a national competition some years ago: “Oh Canada, God’s Love is Here!” Those who have travelled or lived across Canada will be able to identify with the scenes outlined in it. This hymn was never meant to be sung in its entirety at any one time. Its intention and effect would be deadened. Parts of it have been featured on national bulletins and have been used in worship services.


Verses that relate to the area of Canada in which it was sung and those which relate to stewardship are to be used at the time of singing.

The tune for the verses is that of Great Is Thy Faithfulness, sung a little faster than it’s played on this site: http://www.hymnal.net/hymn.php/h/19 The tune of the chorus is different; the music for that is indicated at the bottom of the page. It received only an honourable mention but I’d still like to share it, instead of leaving it in a manuscripts drawer. A belated Happy Canada Day to you.

Write!Canada, here we come!

Greetings!

It’s that time again—Write!Canada—The annual Writers’ Conference sponsored by The Word Guild, national organization of writers and editors who are Christians! I’ve been happily and busily editing three book manuscripts for the past while, but have put that aside, with the clients’ encouragement, to belatedly prepare my own materials for the conference. An infected tooth has added a challenge. For the time being, that’s defeated by an antibiotic which is intended to carry me until our return home. Then, the tooth, and perhaps its neighbour, must go. No more pain in tooth, jaw and ear!

Of course, I’ll be taking along my consignment copies of Grandmothers Necklace, the anthology of poetry and prose for which the entire sale price brings in money (personally sold nine copies last month) for the Grandmothers to Grandmothers branch of the Stephen Lewis Foundation, to help to fight the tide of AIDS/HIV in Africa. (It is great to be promoting a product of such excellent writing quality. We don’t have to count on compassion sales.) If you buy, please try to buy from one of the outlets across Canada which carry the book for us. If you are also able to buy something else that they provide, so much the better. We’d like to see them rewarded. The sites were carefully chosen as places of quality.

My materials are almost ready for the classes and workshops I’m taking and for my interview times. My display set-up, still eye-catching, (In a nutshell: I’m an editor. I’m a writer. Buy Grandmothers’ Necklace and my writing and hire me to edit. Make me happy.) but deliberately smaller than last year (so I don’t hog quite as much on-site space from other writers), is ready to go into the back seat or the ample trunk of our new red Mazda 6 2014, on top of Robert’s oxygen tanks and our luggage for the trip, the stay at our daughter’s home, and for the Guelph Conference Centre itself.

Yes, Robert bid a sad farewell to the Mazda RX8. We’ll no longer be torturing it by keeping a sports car (that can’t have a block heater) in a carport and expecting it to start in the icy Ottawa Valley mornings. It was a great five years but the time had come. Apparently there were at least four offers for the car while it sat in the lot just after it had gone in. The Petawawa military at the Base Language School used to love it, crowding over to the window to see it when we arrived. May it have a cosy garage for the rest of its “life”.

In our absence, our home will lived in by our son and his wife, whom the cats two adore. (Bagheera frequently moans at the door when their car is pulling out of the driveway.) Daniel and Brenda will have the space they miss when in their apartment. The cats will have younger, livelier companions. During the conference, Robert will stay at the home of our daughter’s family in Burlington. She is a gourmet cook and pampers us. I’ll get to be part of that after the conference, and to spend some time with the grandchildren. Robert and our son-in-law may very well spend part of Father’s Day weekend at the air show in Hamilton!

After my return, I hope to get promised book reviews completed (belatedly), walls painted (still accusingly waiting after our months-long plumbing endurance test), lawns raked and cut, and joyfully continue my editing (meant sincerely. The ms. I have right now are very interesting), and, of course, writing.

More than enough gabbing. Time to take my antibiotic, catch a little more sleep, so I can continue preparations for the week to come.

Peace,

Patricia


Someday I'll learn how to post photos properly in here.

Woman Seeing Red - the Poem

The poem itself, at some persons' request. Remember that the rhythm is irregular in places. That's the best I can do for enlarging for reading. It is long for one page.