March Musings '19: Grandma Wishes

I linger in love

as a grandma today

thinking of Sierra 

in a special way.

Sierra loves playgrounds. She is a bundle of energy. The Prisma app, introduced to me by fellow slicer, Jennifer Sniadecki, was used to capture Sierra's constant motion.

It's hard to leave my grandbaby because she brings such joy to our lives. My husband and son feel the same way. I wrote about this in yesterday's slice. Today, I started my morning off watching a short video of one of Sierra's favorite books, Grandma Wishes by Julia Lobo. You can listen to the story in song form below. 

My thoughts return to each of the three nights that I put Sierra to bed. The first night, I dipped my hand into Sierra's nighttime book basket and pulled out Grandma Wishes. We sat in the white rocking chair, got cuddly, and began to read in the quiet of a darkened room. My iPhone's flashlight app lit the pages of the book while we read. After reading, we cuddled and snuggled some more, sang a little bedtime tune, and gave thanks for a lovely day before carrying Sierra to her crib where she sleeps on top of and with her babies. Before sitting back down on the rocker, I rubbed her back, and let her settle in. I was immersed in peace. I am happy that I was able to share bedtime rituals with Sierra.

(This weekend, Sierra surprised me by saying, "Hi, Gramma".  My son-in-law heard it also. We were so surprised and I was so touched.)

Day 27 of 31 days of writing

March Slice of Life Story Challenge
Two Writing Teachers

Winter Through a Lens

It happened suddenly. A forceful wind kicked up as the sky darkened. People scrambled, rushing to find warmth indoors while hair blew in several directions, blocking my vision, as I crossed the street. It was a relief to leave the parking lot where winter was leaving its calling card once again.

Within minutes, the blustery winds brought in a quick, upstart snowstorm. People inside the funeral parlor where I was, quietly whispered to each other, "It's snowing outside." By the time I left, the snow turned to rain but the cold remained. As the week progressed so did the record cold temperatures. Twitter friends from across the states, shared comments, weather maps, and photos of the deep freeze. 

Winter 2019 - ice cold! - Jennifer Sniadecki, Indiana

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After a storm that deposited a little more than a dusting, I digitized a photo to give it the effect of a typical post-storm, winter day. To follow the wacky weather systems noted in the newspapers, Long Island is back to fluctuating temperatures. So far, we have not brought out the snow shovels. That is so unusual!

tranquility

amidst billowy blankets -

fire the furnace

©CV, 2019, Long Island, NY

I am on a quest to capture winter around the globe so join me to create winter digitals, whether you have snow or not!

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I am joining Two Writing Teachers for Slice of Life Tuesday!

Digital Snow Art

Backtracking to early morning one day this week, I opened the blinds to find the sun glaring and a dusting of snow sprinkling the ground. I was eager to rush through my ritual of exercise. a hot shower to relieve the pain in my lower back. and a quick bite before heading out for my yoga class. The short walk from the car to yoga, a normal part of my routine, was going to give me time to notice my surroundings and wonder. This day was like any other day except my time was limited. 

I hopped in the car and set off yoga. When I arrived in the vicinity of the studio, I searched for a space to park. When I finally found one, I looked at the time. It was nearing the opening of the class. Trying to stay warm, I moved at a quickened pace. I knew that I did not have time to linger but I saw an usual sight as the sky turned a hazy shade of winter. The snow dustings I observed earlier in my neighborhood were curbside patches of snow. Each patch was mixed with water, crunchy left-over leaves, and debris. My curiosity was aroused. I needed a better look. When I paused, the camera phone came out. Two quick photos helped validate what I observed. Feeling that I captured a different look of winter, I headed off toward the yoga studio. 

Later during the day, I took a look at the photos. I captured gray day remnants from the overnight snowstorm. They did not have the beautiful fresh snow look but they were real, making me realize that even gray days can inspire. 

I transformed the ordinary into a piece of digital street art thanks to the suggestion of an Indiana colleague, Jennifer Sniadecki,  to try a new photo-editing app, Prisma. 

morning mosaic

decorative curb art-

winter's storm remnant

©CV, 2019

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At my prompting, Jennifer sent me her digital art created with Prisma for my upcoming gallery, Winter's Embrace. Her photos will soon appear in the Twitter Repository, #WintersEmbrace2019.

Join me at Two Writing Teachers for the Tuesday Slice of Life.

I am also offering the digital to #MoPoetry2019 on Instagram.