#NaPoWriMo 2024 Day Two

Me and My Shadow

Dear Katryn,

The first five minutes
(or maybe it was fifteen)
of my life were bliss.
I made it out of our shared living space
and savored the sweet taste of freedom!
It didn’t last long, those few
precious minutes of me time
were gone once you were born.

Growing up with a shadow does
offer some amusements… like the
time I crunched down on dry cat food
you laughed so hard and
peed your pants.
It took years before you saw
sweet revenge.

As we walked home from school
and you tried to help me
across the creek only to
fall in yourself.
I started laughing so hard
because you were wet and I
managed to stay dry, until…
I told you I had to pee.
Somehow you found a way
to get me laughing harder
and we both walked home
in wet clothes.

Now… many years later,
I have photographic proof
no matter how far apart we are
you will never be rid of me.
Rest assured,
your big sister will always
haunt you…

Veronica

NaPoWriMo Prompt – Finally, here’s today’s optional prompt. Today, we’d like to challenge you to write a platonic love poem. In other words, a poem not about a romantic partner, but some other kind of love – your love for your sister, or a friend, or even your love for a really good Chicago deep dish pizza. The poem should be written directly to the object of your affections (like a letter is written to “you”), and should describe at least three memories of you engaging with that person/thing.

Good morning and welcome to day two of #NaPoWriMo where I write a love letter to the evil twin. My frequent readers may recall how I brought my sister an early birthday present last year when we saw each other back in March. We wore our t-shirts for our big birthday in November and one of my nieces (Aria) finally got around to photoshopping us together. It only took her four months one would think she has more important things to do in her life than helping out her mom and favorite aunt be together on their birthday. 😉

Herstory – Cerebral Palsy

unwieldy fingers
struggle to grasp Cheerios
lose precious jewels

cerebral palsy
aching muscles multiply
fifty hard won age

Good afternoon. I started a post on women’s history and cerebral palsy awareness month and then safari crashed on me. I tried to reopen the draft but it was empty, so I am starting back at square one. I wrote a few crip haiku for #nahaiwrimo and waited for March first to share them on my blog. Welcome to women’s history and cerebral palsy awareness month.

Dreaded MVD…

handicap placard
late-stage cerebral palsy
moral standing wanes

It finally happened; I relented to Shawn’s request and asked my doctor for the paperwork to get a handicap placard. Yes, I have officially become an invalid. And Shawn and I spent the morning of his birthday in line at the MVD and I am the proud recipient of a handicap placard. No more walking huge parking lots or having Shawn drop me off at the entrance and waiting for him to find a place to park. I am also taking calcium supplements now. The result of being a woman over 50 with cerebral palsy; two factors that affect a person’s bone density. My doctor recommended calcium supplements with vitamin D so the twenty two year old isn’t the only person in the house on vitamin D supplements now. Yes, we are still taking our sunshine walks. One reason why my doctor was skeptical when I asked for paperwork for a handicap placard. It really is for me and one shouldn’t start by saying, my husband wanted me to ask about getting a handicap placard. But really I feel like a sell out because I can walk; it’s just getting more wearisome the older I get. But we had my mother-in-law’s placard when we did the witchcraft and wizardry adventure with her. And with the amount of walking involved in the game, being able to park nearby was a plus.

Sweet Memories

Sweet memories… by Veronica Hosking (SPICES & SEASONINGS Series)

Thanks, Melanie for sharing my poem in the Spices and Seasonings series. One of my favorite memories of my mom was when she would make me tea and cinnamon toast and eating in bed.

Three Trees Haiku

1 – 12

Thanks Freya for including one of my haiku in the Three Trees series.

Here are a couple more I wrote inspired by the drawing:

Forecast bitter cold
Snow accumulates in feet
Dark and silent grove

Branches shed their leaves 
Snowflakes turn to winter coats
Insulate bare limbs 

Bitter cold is a repeating pattern for me in the winter. It’s been cold and gray for enough days in the valley of the sun that when I woke up this morning I couldn’t understand why it was so bright in my room. It took a minute to push past the brain fog for me to realize the brightness was sunshine streaming into the window. Apparently my husband pulled up his window shade, when he realized how bright it was, he left mine down, but the sunshine coming in through one window was bright enough to wake me up. On any normal morning this wouldn’t be a problem as I’m used to the brightness of our mornings. This shows we’ve been gloomy long enough that my brain didn’t compute the lightness to sunshine. I’m just happy the weathermen are forecasting highs into the 70s next week. My body and cold do not get along.

#Bloganuary Day 7 What Would I do Different?

Looking over life –
What would I do different?
Happy where I am

Good afternoon it’s a cold, gloomy day here and I’m snuggled, warm in bed, drinking hot tea, reading a good book, and occasionally watching the rain outside my window. The Christmas decorations have been taken down and yesterday Shawn and Gretchen went out to the Flagg gem and mineral show. Gretchen showed me the pieces she procured for herself and Robin (as he wasn’t able to attend this year’s show) and I remarked how her free stone looked like ABC. I think she begrudgingly agreed because her offense seemed mocked, but Shawn was confused so I explained, already been chewed.

Onto todays #bloganuary prompt – What would you do different? Absolutely nothing. I’m not saying I’ve never contemplated what-ifs; I’m sure everyone has. I really enjoyed reading The Midnight Library by Matt Haig, because he explored the roads not taken quite effectively, and his protagonist realized she would be a totally different person if she had taken different turns in her life. This year marks 25 years since Shawn and I moved to the warm desert of Phoenix, AZ. The desert may not always be warm and sunny, but leaving the snow and cold of Buffalo is still a road I would happily embark on.

Another thing that has taken my lifetime to appreciate is my disability. Though since it is a birth defect, I don’t see it as something I could do differently as it’s been a part of me since birth; realizing the part cerebral palsy has had in shaping who I am and growing to be happy with that person took time. Especially growing up and feeling apart from people seen as “normal”. Well normal isn’t everything it’s advertised to be. And without my disability, I wouldn’t be the same person I am and today I kindda like who she is.

initial V scar
between thumb and forefinger
uplifts my mettle

The take away in all this I want my readers to see is: Yes, you can contemplate what-ifs and what would I do differently? But I hope you see you are enough and you are amazing just as you are and if you feel something is lacking, make a change and move forward. Dwelling on mistakes and constantly thinking how you should have done something different cannot change it. Given enough time you may come to realize if you could have gone down a different road, it would’ve changed who you are. I hope if you feel there are mistakes in your past, you take the time to learn from them and use them to make you a stronger person.

#Bloganuary Day 4 Best Gift

Shawn and me November 18, 2023

Me wearing two of my 50th birthday gifts

Good morning and I’m sure this will come as no surprise to anyone who has read my 2023 year in review that I believe the best gift is time spent with friends and family. I really did appreciate the fact Robin was home for my 50th birthday. And the dinner out with family and friends at Barrio Queen was the best. The fact I haven’t had a big birthday celebration since I was a kid may have added to enjoying the food and conversation with friends.

So way back in February of last year I bought two t-shirts that read: Vintage 1973 50 years of being awesome limited edition. I ordered them early to pack one and bring it to Kati when we got together in March. It took me forever to find just the right shirt because many read, all original parts. I do not have all my original parts because the cataracts means I have an artificial lens in my right eye; also way back when we were eight years old, Kati lost her appendix. Neither of us have all our original parts. When I saw the shirt I did buy, I loved the limited edition because two is definitely limited without being uniquely singular. Kati liked the t-shirt as well and wore it on our birthday.

Then the second photo is me wearing two of my birthday presents. A t-shirt from a friend that reads: Everyday is my birthday! Presents are always welcome ❤ Veronica and the heated scarf Shawn bought after he asked me what I wanted. I love not being tied down to a cord of a heating pad. I can now move around and get work done without leaving my wonderful heat. I also got the butterfly puzzle from another friend and a book of poetry signed by the author, Tracy, one of the friends who went to the poetry workshop with us. I need to finish reading it and write a review for him.

Meanwhile Robin asked what I wanted for my birthday. I already have anything I need and want and was just happy he was able to be home to celebrate with me. Another plus was the deep cleaning of part of the house. Cerebral palsy and aging does not mix well and I get worn out just keeping up with the daily household chores; deep cleaning has definitely fallen by the wayside. Not to mention Robin knows how to fold fitted sheets! Yes, little things make me happy and are the best gifts.

best gift is priceless
little things make me happy
folding fitted sheets

#Bloganuary Day 2 Playtime

New Year New Puzzle

Butterfly puzzle
Metamorphosis complete
Final piece in place

Good afternoon and welcome to 2024 and the #bloganuary challenge on WordPress. The theme today is playtime. And I enjoy playing with short poetry. The puzzle above was one of my birthday presents in November, but I waited to open it because Robin’s cat likes to abscond with puzzle pieces. Robin and Burke have flown back to Oregon so I figured it was safe to open the puzzle. Gretchen and I began working on it yesterday and almost got it completed this morning. We were missing two pieces. I found one under the Charlie Brown Christmas Tree. After an extensive search over and under the table by Gretchen, the last piece was still no where to be found. I went off to take a shower, when I got out I noticed a text from Gretchen; she located the last piece. She included a photo of the puzzle and I was a little confused as it was the side that we completed. When I asked her where she found the piece, she said she sent a photo. Still confused I went down to her room and she blew up the photo; the last piece was sitting on top of the puzzle and blended right in. Doh!

Grand Canyon Puzzle in Frame

Yes, I bought a frame for the impossible puzzle. Since it was quite a challenge and apparently has a hefty price tag up at the Grand Canyon, I thought it worthy. The puzzle was only $10; puzzle glue a few bucks, but then it sat on the table forever. The frames I found were $70 or more, and yes since the actual landscape photo was over $1,000, it still was a great price but I’m cheap. I finally settled on a frame for $55. I think that’s the best I was going to do. It does look nice above the den door.

Thank you for reading my first post in January 2024. I’m already ahead of last year, since I didn’t write any posts in the first month. I really like the #bloganuary idea. I’m not sure I’ll write everyday, but I have been reading the posts others have done for yesterday’s prompt and today. Happy New Year!

Tis The Season

• 

• 

Lazy afternoon
Christmas movie on TV
Transports me back home

Last night I watched A Christmas in Vermont an old ION television christmas movie that turned East Aurora, NY into a quaint little town in Vermont. Plus there was a scene filmed at the Buffalo Botanical Gardens. Little known fact Shawn proposed to me at Easter in the Botanical Gardens parking lot. He meant to do it at the Easter display inside, but forgot until we were walking back to the car and he put his hand in his pocket for the car keys.

Shawn and Aria in Front of Vidler’s 5 & 10 2022

First Friday

• 

• 

Zen Drops

Breathe in –
Two, three, four
Swirls… in sand
Breathe out –
Two, three, four
Not perfection
Pure Zen

December 1st was First Friday in Phoenix and Shawn has a couple metal sculptures in the Tiny Works VI exhibit at Sisao Gallery.

They had poets recite poems written about pieces that inspired them, no one picked one of Shawn’s works. Of course that’s not a problem, I quickly wrote one about my favorite piece of the two. The above is the edited version. It began as:

Breathe in
One, two, three, four
Breathe out
One, two, three, four
Swirls ~
In sand
Not perfection
Pure Zen

I’m curious to know what my readers think. Do you prefer the edit or the quick write I did on Friday night?

2023 Christmas Card

Another year gone
Time to write Christmas letters
Joyful memories

Good Afternoon and welcome to December. Happy Holidays! Last month Kati and I celebrated our big birthday. Of course I gave her my gift back in March when we were together in Portland. Our birthday pictures did not make the Christmas card as I put it together before the big day, but Kati and I are in one photo when we got together in Oregon.

Photos top left corner and going down counterclockwise:

January – CluedUpp Alice in Wonderland Adventure in Phoenix
Shawn, Kathy, me and Gretchen

February – Super Bowl LVII in Glendale AZ
Shawn and I in front of the Super Bowl sign in Goodyear

March – Our trip to Oregon
1) Gretchen and me at the Japanese Garden in Portland
2) Kati and me together again
3) Shawn, Robin and Gretchen in a lecture hall at Carlson College of Veterinary Medicine
4) Shawn, Gretchen and Robin in front of Haystack Rock at Cannon Beach

August – Grand Canyon
Gretchen and Aria

July – Back in time with Dial of Destiny
Gretchen in front of Indiana Jones movie display
Me in front of Indiana Jones movie display
Shawn and me at the Joan Jett/ Bryan Adams concert