Summertime Peace

It's August already. July slipped by under a halo of heat and tissues. I flip-flopped between feeling healthy enough and ready to enjoy summer's charms to wondering if I would ever stop being attacked by allergens in the air. It's been three weeks of allergy meds, inhalers, and not feeling right but Sunday starts a week of breathing in sea air and tossing worries into the Atlantic Ocean. I can imagine the breathing view of Cape May's painted ladies proudly facing the beach. We already missed a well-planned anniversary weekend trip to the Chesapeake shore in Virginia so I am eager to find tranquility at the Jersey Shore next week. 

ocean waves ripples

sunkissed sands meet endless seas

peace floats within

©CVarsalona, 2023 - Photo by Terje Akke

A while ago, my long-distance teacher/writer friend, Terje Akke, shared a photo of Estonia. Her picture provided a few moments of evolving peace. I've kept the photo of the beach scene waiting for the right moment for a small poem to appear. I dedicate this image poem to Terje with the hopes she has found time to just be this summer.

Time to Just Be

a feather light to touch

shares space with summer sand

summer nurtures souls

©CVarsalona, 2023

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::

May the month of August bring summertime peace to all!

It's the Tuesday Slice of Life at Two Writing Teachers a place to reflect and meet up with educators around the globe.

Patience Needed

This year's Memorial Day weekend had its share of sun, high temperatures, planting, and an unexpected occurrence. For a month now, my family has had trouble with our HVAC system. Moving from heat to air conditioning seemed to be a difficult transition. When the thermostat posted a note that gave me cause to be alarmed, I started a long process of trying to find out why. Of course, the problem happened on the weekend when it was challenging to find help.

I turned to the customer service office that handles emergency problems. The tech started off the conversation in a friendly tone that quickly turned to more difficult questioning. I had to run from the loft thermostat to the first floor one and then outside to my Carrier unit. I got so confused by the questioning that the tech started to repeat the question which only got me more confused. When he asked me to pull off the cover of the thermostat and look at the wires, I knew that I was in trouble. There was no way that I would ever be calm enough to start pulling out wires and joining them. My husband said definitely not and that settled everything. We were not comfortable with this virtual type of resolving the problem of no air on a very hot and sticky day. I gave up on this unusual way of solving my problem. Next, I tried the HVAC weekend office. I ended up in the hands of another tech who said he could come out to look at the problem but not until the next day. We had no choice so I asked my son to monitor the heat situation and turn on the fan at night. 

The day before Memorial Day, the tech came out and checked the thermostat upstairs. He found the same issues I told him about. Thinking back over the past month, I noticed problems on and off but especially now since the outdoor temperatures were rising. To sum up the afternoon visit, the tech found a capacitor problem and just so happened to have a new one in his truck. Unfortunately, this did not fix the problem. The unit started getting hotter so the system needed to be turned off completely. We had no choice but to make the air conditioning system downstairs cooler. Now the challenge was to stay cool as the temperatures rose. 

Today, I woke early thinking about the issue. The heat was already rising and was my stress level. My husband and I called the HVAC company but we were asked to leave a message. Then, we tried the builder's warranty department but no one responded. Another message was left. We had to wait. Patience is not our strong suit. I finally got an email saying that a part was ordered but that didn't help because we thought it was more than one part that was needed. By this afternoon the temperature outside was in the high 90s and the town next door was already at 100 degrees. 

All that was left to do was wait but waiting is not our forte. Country Living has a quote that I am now trying to live by. 

How was your Memorial Day Weekend?

I now join the Tuesday Slice of Life at Two Writing Teachers. 

Poetryliscious Poetry - NPM 2022

I am pleased to say that I successfully completed the 15th Annual Slife of Life Story Challenge with a comprehensive index poem to catalog my month of daily writing. Two Writing Teachers' challenge is a wonderful writing experience in which I met new slicers and enjoyed blogging alongside writers I've known for years. I am grateful for this special group of educators. 

I am now ready to dedicate April, National Poetry Month, to the writing of poetryliscious poetry throughout this month or capturing the "humanity of the moment" in photos to capture the "humanity of the moment".

incessant rain splashes lawns

washes negativity

away as dark clouds hover

springtime reigns-coldness settles

©CV, 2022

🌧

Slicers, I invite you to join me to wash away any negativity in the air as springtime reigns.

I will create a Poetryliscious Gallery viewing of original artistic expressions, such as photos, image poems, inspirational quotes, poetry, etc. to celebrate National Poetry Month.

If interested, please add your work to the padlet I created at 

https://padlet.com/cvarsalona/q1uymnafyupx3w8c

or

send your work to me and I will add it.

The deadline to send your work is Tuesday, April 26th.

Padlet

Thank you Two Writing Teachers for a meeting place on Slice of Life Tuesday to connect with a community of reflective writers.

#SOL22 March Musings-Day 1: Connecting

Welcome to the month of March.

 

March is

my time of year to write each day

with slicers in an artful way -

to think, to dream, and to create

small nuggets of thought worth their weight

©CV2022

Writing is a practice of the heart

and

For the past month, I joined Laura Shovan's 10th Annual February Poetry Project dealing with the topic of time. I read, researched, went down many rabbit holes, and wrote daily. Out of the 28 days, I submitted 26 poems in varied formats. Some poems were drafts, some quick writes, and others finished products. It was an inspiring period of time in which I connected with a supportive group of fellow poets. It was a time of learning and leaning on others. 

I now feel prepared to spend the month of March pondering my one word, appreciate, and writing slices of life on various passions of mine. Each year of the past seven years I participated in the Slice of Life Story Challenge, I  have looked at the art of writing through different lenses. This year, I plan on using the five different thumbnail images in the digital design above as writing prompts. The first film box shares a graphic design signifying creativity, an essential ingredient in the writing process and in art projects. It is with a creative spirit that I connect with fellow slicers of the Two Writing Teachers' community. May this month bring us all closer in our commitment to grow as writers.

Innocence

During these several days past the end of National Poetry Month, I continue to read posts by fellow poets in my poetry community. Many penned poems daily or in my case as many days as my schedule would permit. It is within this cocoon of poetic goodness that I find peace among the unpacked boxes. Today's entry will be one that fills in the gap of some days of missing writing during April. The digitized photo of my 15-month old granddaughter becomes my poetry prompt to join the Poetry Sisters' challenge for April: write a poem in the style of the poem, Innocence by Linda Hogan. While thinking about this theme, I realized that there is nothing more innocent in my life right now than a baby's ability to feel and emit deep love.

There is nothing more innocent

Than a baby snuggled in one's arms.

Soft, supple flesh cuddling closely

Wide-eyed stares connecting. 

There is no knowing of what

Is to become in the 

great expanse of life.

For now, from babyhood to

toddler exploration, pure laughter

floods life with joy.

One day, she will mature, 

Perambulate about in a normal fashion,

Not struggling with awkward movements,

slowly understanding life's complexities.

For now innocence Is transparent,

Swaddled in a encasement of love.

As an observer of what is to follow,

I watch her growth, learning alongside her-

knowing within her new beginnings

mine are also on the horizon.

©CV, 2021

💕

Reading through Hogan's poem and the Poetry Sisters' responses, I realized how significant our ponderings become in our view of life. Could there be an deeper exploration of this theme? Could I be more introspective? This poem is but one small piece in an ocean of thoughts.

I offer these thoughts to both #PoetryPals and Two Writing Teachers as today's slice of life.

Wish I'd Been There

The spirit of Christmas 2020, as unusual as it was, still lingers in my heart. For the first time since I moved into my Long Island home, I did not place a Christmas tree in my living room. We closed on the house in Virginia during Christmas week so instead of an in-house tree, my small outdoor trees and the front porch were decorated for the season. In addition, we enjoyed the beauty of the magnificent Nassau County Christmas tree. But the smell of Christmas trees continued to make me pine for the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree.

WRITING CHALLENGE

While pining for a whiff of an evergreen tree with its fragrant, balsamy smell, I came across the Poetry Sisters challenge for the last month of 2020. I remembered that I wanted to write a blog post on the theme, "Wish I'd Been There". Since there was no time in December, I decided to add it now after researching a special time in history. I turn back the clock to 1931 when the first New York City tree was "decorated with handmade garlands made from the tinfoil ends of blasting caps used in the excavation" of the site. 

In 1933, Rockefeller Center held the first lighting of the tree and made it an annual tradition.  

🌲

Wish I'd 

Been There

Take me 

back in time.

Smell of pine wafting

through city air. Men

huddled together. 

No social distancing,

nor masks needed.

Excavation debris,

backdrop for tree 

lacking festive lights.

Handshakes set the stage.

Holiday phenomenon born.

🟩🟩

©CVarsalona, 2021

🌲

For decades, my family hopped in our car and drove to New York City to be inspired by the Rockefeller Center tree. With a nostalgic wish for those days to return, I bring back the memories in verse. Virtual is the only way to do so since New York City still stings from a deadly pandemic.

Marek Rygielski

⭐

🌲 

Eight

decades later,

Rockefeller Center's tree 

proudly stands illuminated

in festive gold. Brilliant star topper,

accenting a glistening, holiday legend.

Voices from winged angels announce peace.

Wonders never cease, even in the most unusual of times.

🟩

🌲 Happy New Year to All!🌲

Two Writing Teachers Slice of Life

O Christmas Tree

It's approaching the close of the year. Thoughts about the holiday season in New York City are on my mind. Who knew last December that a pandemic would sweep through the world and change our seasonal rituals. 

In years gone by, my family enjoyed the week between Christmas and New Years Day. We visited 5th Avenue's brightly lit department store windows, the Rockefeller Center tree, and St. Patrick Cathedral but travel to NYC is complicated this year. Driving would be slow and tedious so a change of plans was needed. We decided to visit the Long Island Christmas tree at RXR Plaza instead of trekking into the City. The night was cold but we were bundled in layers. Few people were at the plaza and the ice skating rink totally closed. As we parked the car, I was amazed by the brightness of the moon against the darkness. The multi-colored Christmas tree and brilliant star tree topper were a show stopper, as was the reflection of the tree in the glass building windows.  I stood in awe of the magnificent tree in front of me and kept flicking the camera to catch the best angle. My husband did the same. Even though my hands were freezing, I could not get enough of the beauty of the night sky and the glittering tree.

winter night brilliance

sparkling like gemstones

against an indigo sky

a luminescent moon, a dazzling tree

celebrate seasonal magic

masking pandemic woes

©CV, 2020

🌲🌲🌲

It's Tuesday Slice of Life at Two Writing Teachers.

Quick Note: Turning on the Hallmark channel before bedtime, I was surprised to see the title of the show. "A Christmas Tree Grows in Colorado" shares the story of a town administrator's quest for a magnificent spruce tree to be the town's showpiece. Perhaps this is a serendipitous stroke of writing luck. 

November Peace

November graciously enters autumn with a bit of October's vibrance until winds of change toss leaves about. Days grow shorter. Earth becomes quieter and tree branches expose their limbs gracefully against a darkening sky. Within this unembellished world, many turn their eyes away not seeing the beauty that lies within nature's arms. 

November holds mysteries heard in whispering winds or in piles of crunchable leaves if we listen. Do you see the beauty beyond the chilled breath of sweatherweather afternoons before the onset of dusk? Step into my digital artwork to discover November peace.

 

One chilled, windy day last week, I walked through my neighborhood feeling a reverent silence for the stillness of the approaching night. I captured this scene and subsequently digitized it and wrote a cherita, "a linked poetry form of one-, two-, and three-line stanzas that tells a story. A cherita depends on conciseness and suggestion for its effect." 

It is my hope that you will honor the slowed-down pace of November in gratitude for its blessings, even when it is difficult to see through the darkening clouds and storms of life.

in november

listen in silence to earth

gratitude whispers

©CV, 2020

I join Two Writing Teachers for the Tuesday Slice of Life to share a small moment of a November day.

A Look Back to Halloweens Past

What is the Autumn season without Halloween? 

I asked this question back in 2016. This year, I wondered how children would celebrate the festivities with all the COVID-19 restrictions. I decided to look back in time at my former autumn galleries to enjoy some fun just in case Halloween would not be a wonder-filled one for all.

Back in 2016, my neighborhood was alive with laughter and costumed characters.

You can see more here.

In 2017, I invited all to join me in creating a spooktacular 

Halloween section of Autumn Ablaze Gallery. 

In 2018, I enjoyed creating a Happy Halloween ditty story for a read aloud during storytime.

You can access my Halloween Buncee here.

The following year, I created more Buncee posters for Halloween.

This animated Halloween Fright Night digital can be found on my Buncee dashboard here.

👻

This year, COVID-19 changed the way Halloween festivities would run. Despite the safety precautions and the restrictions on large gatherings, the day was a joyous one.  Sunshine added happiness after days of rain. Children dressed in inventive costumes. Families paraded around the neighborhood with smiles and Happy Halloween greetings flooded the streets. I created a few virtual haunted Halloween gallery walks for those who remained inside. You can see those mini-galleries here, here, and here.

👻

"It's Halloween, everyone's entitled to one good scare." 

-Bracket, Halloween (1978)

How did you celebrate Halloween? Did you have one good scare?  The night after Halloween, my family drove past the house with a yard full of macabre seasonal decorations and that gave me a scare. Take a quick look.

 

Join me now as I take a pleasant walk over to Two Writing Teachers

for the Tuesday Slice of Life.

Happy Birthday Greetings To My Daughter

There is a special bond between a mother and her daughter that lasts forever despite any interruption. When my daughter's birthday rolled around, I decided to share some old photographs to celebrate the day since we could not be together. The internet interrupted my plans.  For six hours I attempted to rectify the internet-disruption-of-service issue we have been experiencing for a month. As time rolled on, my stress increased until a picture popped up on my screen. It offered a solution. Take the modem's yellow wire and place it in the red connector box and not the yellow one like the service provider said. 

With that issue resolved, I proceeded to beat the clock in time for a happy-birthday-wish-video chat. Old photos were scanned and created into an e-card. A text message was sent out and birthday wishes exchanged. During the video chat, I shared more old photos while my daughter, husband, and daughters were traveling home from an outdoor picnic. Three-year-old Sierra was especially intrigued by the photo of Mommy as a little girl with the American Girl Doll, Samantha, waving at her. 

This morning I decided to add a song, "I Hope You Dance" by Lee Ann Wormack, for the festivities. Its line, "Time is a wheel in constant motion" offered an uplifting message: live a life full of taking chances and not being afraid to move beyond the comfort zone. With this thought, I rest assured that my daughter will pass on her spirit of hope and resiliency to her daughters.

Pause for a moment and listen to "I Hope You Dance" by Lee Ann Wormack.

Tonight a birthday cake will be shared video-style and a pandemic-style birthday

will be remembered forever.

Sending my slice of life into the universe of writing at Two Writing Teachers.

Stepping Into Autumn

It was one of those fall-ish types of day. The kind that Mother Nature was unsure how to dress.  The sky was lit with sunshine and the air soaked with warmth.  Normally, my husband and I would head for the beach but Sunday was a day for my annual autumn walk in the woods by the lake.  

Worried about bugs biting, my husband and I dressed in fall-ish attire. While inching closer to the walking trail, we saw a band of young soccer players and their families parading toward us in shorts.  Perhaps, they thought us odd all covered up when it was warm in the park.  

Enjoying the day, we started our exploration by choosing the main footpath. Shortly after the Sunday walk, my husband decided to deviate toward the shoreline.  It was there that the lapping sounds of the lake became audible the closer I inched toward the water.  Ripples gently hit the shore giving me the same rush of emotion felt when ocean waves sweep against the shore and the jetties.  All was peacefully calm at the lake. With iPhone in hand, I documented the journey.  You can see the short video, Stepping Into Autumn, below that led to the creation of a YouTube video.

Upon returning home, I carefully took out from the bag the autumn artifacts that I collected on the trail.  Golden and ruby leaves, adjoining acorns, a piece of weathered wood, wildflowers and bittersweet were interspersed among my ornamental items creating a festive display.

With a spirit of gratitude for the abundant bounty of this season, I stepped into autumn and smiled with contentment.



While creating a fall-ish look for my home, I am determined to finish designing my #EmbraceableSummer Global Gallery of Artistic Expressions for viewing on social media.  In the meantime, you can peruse the travel log comprised of gorgeous photos from around the world that I shared when I hosted Poetry Friday last week.   

🍂

I am sharing these Tuesday thoughts, my slice of life, with Two Writing Teachers.

Happy Autumn!

The above pieces of #digitalartwork will grace the walls of my 

#AbundantAutumn and #Embraceable Summer Gallery collections

found on Twitter.