2017 – Year in Review

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For the last day of 2017, I decided to look at my yearly stats. This past year my blog views went down from 2016. The reason why, I simply have not posted as often. I noticed in March I wrote about Shawn’s 45th birthday. Wow that feels like it was more than a year ago. Still one of my favorite photos of Shawn and me; I can’t believe the canvas print has been on my wall for such a short time. Then at the end of March I started an honest to goodness job (you know something with more reliable pay than writing). Despite working in April, I finished another year of NaPoWriMo – go me!

Of course after that my posts really became sluggish, not sure where my muse went off to this year. It was a little disappointing Silver Birch Press went on hiatus and then decided to close. Melanie always came up with refreshing prompts. I did not write for all of them, but I enjoyed reading everyone’s work and recognizing names of poets who became regular contributors like me.

At the end of May, my job wrapped up and Gretchen began a new adventure, taking courses at the community college. Rachael finished her first year at ASU, working hard to maintain her 4.0 GPA. The hard work seems to be paying off as the honor society invites have rolled in this past semester. Then in July I flew up to Buffalo and then my family (Dad and three sisters) traveled to Germany. I learned about the elevenie (German elfchen) during NaPoWriMo this year and put it to good use when I got back from Germany. You know me, I like short pieces. Pecking on the keyboard with one hand, short and sweet is much easier.

And that pretty much brings us to today as my blog lacked many posts in September, October or November. At the midpoint of December I blogged about my November; I had a nice birthday dinner at the Wigwam Resort. Then we had a quiet Thanksgiving and Rachael finished her fall semester by the first week of the month. An early end means an early start, school resumes for both girls on January 8th and the routine begins over again in 2018. I hope everyone has a safe and happy New Year. And to friends and family back East – stay warm.

Contemplate finish
Keep thrill alive; transition
See new beginning

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Early Start – Arizona Poets

Yesterday I reblogged how the online poetry community is going to try to write a blog a week in 2018 – about poetry, writing, inspiration, life – you know the all around things that affect poets and their writing. I decided to get a little head jump as the city of Phoenix is looking for micropoetry to feature in the city for April – national poetry month. The submission call is only open to poets who reside in Arizona. And I honestly don’t know how many of my readers actually live in the same state as me. Poems are due by January 19th, so I figured I’d share the info as soon as possible. Guidelines here

No excuse to work
on sustainability
poem for Phoenix

 

And now my list of excuses: No haiku, only AZ residents, no epics (under 50 words), it says no rhyming but I’m sure if it is pulled off well some rhyming could make it through. Yes, I’ve been working on a submission and no, I did not rhyme. The haiku above is for the #haikuchallenge on twitter today as the word is excuse.

It Feels Just Like Starting Over

2018 should be filled with great poetry and how to reading.

Merry Christmas

Mom and Gretchen ready for Star Wars VIII

VHS release
Star Wars trilogy box set
Christmas memories

A long time ago… doesn’t VHS say it all, I wanted the first bundled release of Star Wars IV, V and VI. It was only a couple years after Shawn and I were dating. And I knew my boyfriend would get the hint. Well apparently so did my Dad (he actually went out and bought a Christmas gift). He told my Mom, Roni needs the box set. My Mom told him my Christmas gifts were complete already. I also think she knew Shawn was getting me the set. Imagine my surprise when I opened my gifts Christmas morning to find the VHS set in my parents’ gifts to me. Luckily my Dad brought home the box and gave it to my Mom to wrap; when Shawn came over later with his gifts no Star Wars. My Mom called him and told him he had to rethink his gifts. Actually I would not have minded having two sets.  Believe it or not, we still have a VHS player and Gretchen still watches Empire Strikes Back on it. Yes, we have the movies on DVD, too. But no one in this house likes the redos Lucas made on the original trilogy.

Twenty some years after getting the best Christmas gift ever, Shawn, Rachael, Gretchen and I went to see Star Wars The Last Jedi on Christmas Day! 😀 Merry Christmas to me.

December’s Midpoint

Hello readers, no I have not fallen off the face of the Earth (we believe it’s flat again, right?) It has been a busy couple of months. My friends Rick and his husband, Charles, along with another friend, John, all came out to visit the weekend before my birthday in November. Then for my birthday, Shawn and I went to one of the wine dinners hosted by the Wigwam Resort – excellent wine and meal. Thanksgiving it was quiet, only the four of us here at home. Then Rachael was done with her semester a couple weeks later and to celebrate another straight A semester, she got her wisdom teeth pulled the first day of winter break. As of today that was one week ago, and yesterday we drove over to pick Gretchen up from school. In the car, I turned to tell Rachael something and almost screamed. Her jaw had a big yellow bruise and it startled me because I couldn’t think who would have beaten her. Then I remembered she had her wisdom teeth pulled; it’s funny how I did not notice the bruising in the light of the house. It was the first time Rachael has ventured out since the procedure.

At the end of October, Rachael was inducted into the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society. Gretchen has completed another class at EMCC through the ACE program and still has a week to go before the semester finishes at high school. Meanwhile we’ve been getting ready for Christmas. Last weekend Shawn, his mom and I went out to the German Christmas market at Frontier Town, Cave Creek. The three of us had a fun time. And yesterday I spent some time wrapping presents. Yippee my favorite chore.

 

December outing
Festive family fun
Christmas lights shine bright