Getting Back To It!

This morning I sat in front of a blank screen and wondered what to write. I have been doing this a lot lately. Seems my writing mojo has mojoed out!!! Well not totally. I am working on a story. Blank Screen Syndrome took hold when I attempted to write a love scene. My first! When I finished the scene, I was taken aback at how trite it sounded.

I decided there was nothing for it but to go to the book store and buy a few historical novels and read as objectively as possible with blue highlighter at the ready. The results, I now have books with blue streaks all over the place. I uncapped blue highlighter number two, last night. It just occurred to me as I rifled through the pages of said books, maybe I should have used different coloured highlighters for different reference topics. HeyHo! Not always so quick on the uptake.

There are a few things to get to today. First and foremost, I want to give Talli Roland a rip roaring “bualadh bos”! I had the privilege of reading the ARC of “Watching Willow Watts” Talli’s latest novel. It was a brilliant read. I loved, loved, loved Willow Watts! Keep an eye out for this one!

Next is the third Crusade led by Rachael Harrie is about to begin. I took part in last year’s Crusade and have signed up for this one too. It is a great opportunity to network with and meet new blogger/writers. Looking forward to see you on the Crusade!

Episode Three - The Final Chapter

Once settled in my new seat and kindle turned off….. You cannot read a kindle during take-off and landing, very frustrating. (note to self, bring something to read for take-off and landing in future!). The plane pulled away from the gate to join the queue for take-off.  Fifteen minutes later we were still sitting in the queue not having moved an inch. Pilot came on over the intercom, introduced himself and his cabin crew and informed us we would be off shortly.

Fifteen minutes later, now keep in mind Kindle is still off and I have read the flight magazine from cover to cover. The pilot made another announcement. Take-off was delayed due to a storm coming from the south directly in our flight path and we should be off within the next twenty minutes or so. Kindle was pulled out of seat pocket.

The intercom crackled. I was engrossed in my kindle reading and surprised how quickly the twenty minutes passed. In fact it hadn’t and the pilot sounded slightly frustrated. “I am sorry ladies and gentlemen, it looks like we will be here a bit longer, there is another storm heading into our flight path from the north.” The sound of shuffling in seats filled the air. I shrugged, gave my new aisle neighbour a small smile and silently thanked the Gods of all denominations for inspiring me to change seats with tall disgruntled woman’s husband and returned to my kindle.

Two hours later, the now familiar voice of the pilot filled the cabin. “I am afraid there is some bad news Ladies and Gentlemen. Take off has been delayed due to a tornado moving into our flight path. There is no need to panic, we are perfectly safe. Please remain seated with your seat belts on. “


Two minutes later the captain was gracing us with another update. “The tower has been evacuated due to a tornado. It will take at least half an hour for the tower crew to be up and running again once the all clear is given. Hopefully we will be underway before we hit the deadline for legal flying hours under the flight time limitation regulations. I will keep you posted on any further developments.”

Thoughts of what will I do if the flight is cancelled, swirled. I looked all around me, this flight was filled to capacity, or at least it looked that way from my vantage point. There was only one flight to Dublin each day. I chided myself to stop worrying about that, and think what will this involve….collecting my bag, organizing a hotel, getting to the hotel, getting back to the airport from said as yet unidentified hotel.

Then the plane started to sway. It swayed left and then right and back again. There were inward gasps all around me. It seemed the plane was doing a little dance, back and forth. Yes, I was sitting on an airplane in the middle of a runway that was being tossed to and fro by a tornado!

“I am afraid this crew is running out of time Ladies and Gentlemen. If we are not off the ground within the next thirty minutes, we are out of legal flying time.”

The flight attendants started handing out meal trays. They were one row away from me….I was starving. It was now close to 10PM and I hadn’t eaten since I left Minneapolis. There was a scuttle of movement. Flight attendants were darting up the aisles and down the aisles. Trays were clanging as they were being whipped back onto the carts. My stomach was flapping at my ribs with the hunger and now even the prospect of food was to be cruelly denied me.

 
“Ladies and Gentlemen, the tower is manned, and our crew has voted to continue with the flight, even though we are just minutes away from our legal flying hour limit. Please fasten your seat belts. Cabin Crew prepare for take-off.”


There was a resounding round of applause. Everyone was glad to be finally moving. We were in the air within minutes. Over three hours later than our scheduled time, but a relief washed over me. I was not going to have to contend with sorting out accommodation in Chicago. All I had to contend with now, was how was I going to get from Dublin to Waterford. The bus I was supposed to be taking would be well gone by the time I landed in Dublin.

The pilot made another announcement once we were at cruising altitude thanking and congratulating the crew for their professionalism, and again everyone gave a warm and very appreciative applause. Once the meal was served, the pilot made the same announcement; I only half-heartily clapped at congratulatory speech number three. On landing in Dublin, pilot reiterated his praise for the wonderful selfless crew and how very grateful we the passengers should all be. This fourth self-congratulatory speech annoyed me and so I did not clap. It was just one too many “How great are we” speeches for me to stomach.

And so ends the saga of my journey. But hey there is always the return trip!

Episode Two!

This summer has not gone according to plan. The first indication of plans going awry was the the Hair Barrett incident. Ahhh I hear you say….worse can happen, get over it. I agree but as I indicated in Episode One, there is more, much more.

I sat at the gate waiting to board the flight to Chicago O’Hare where my transatlantic flight was departing at 18:45. On arrival at the Domestic Terminal in O’Hare all I had to do was make my way to the International Terminal by monorail. I had allowed myself plenty of time, three and a half hours to be exact.

According to my boarding pass, boarding for the Chicago flight was to begin at 14:45. I looked up from my kindle and checked the time. It was 14:50 and no sign of the plane at the gate. A muffled, barely understandable announcement came over the intercom informing all, the flight was delayed due to bad weather out of Chicago.

An hour later the flight finally arrived and all passengers were assured the turn around would be done as quickly as possible. By the time the flight took off I was down to one and three quarter hours lag time between flights. I didn’t panic though! No I didn’t….I ordered a glass of wine inhaled it to ease my rising panic and then proceeded to gulp it!!!!

Of course on arrival, my flight docked into the furthest gate out in Terminal One. Thankfully my bag had been checked through. I grabbed my carry on and sprinted towards the monorail.

On reaching the International Terminal the queue deemed perusing the Duty Free out of the question. I removed my hair barrette and joined the queue. I sailed through security this time….things were looking up!

I checked the monitor for my gate and to my dismay discovered it was at the furthest end of the International Terminal. Oh well, at least I was getting plenty of exercise. According to my calculations, I had walked at least five miles so far.

I groaned inwardly when I rounded the corner and caught my first glimpse of the gate area. It was packed. Not a seat to be had. Oh well, I told myself, there was only twenty minutes to boarding.

Did you think I was going to tell you boarding was delayed? Well it wasn’t! Boarding began right on the button. I got to my seat, put my bag in the overhead and settled in. I always book a left side aisle seat as close to an exit as possible.

A sudden uncomfortable crowded feeling came over me. I looked up from my kindle to discover a very tall woman hovering over me, glaring. “You are in my husband’s seat,” she said. “No,” I replied, "This is my seat." Between the jigs and the reels, I asked to see her husband’s ticket. His seat was one row behind in the centre. I got up from my seat to allow very tall disgruntled muttering woman into her window seat. I realized as the disgruntled muttering continued this was going to be a very uncomfortable seven hours!

I looked behind me and saw very tall disgruntled woman’s husband sitting in the centre aisle seat. I reached back and tapped him, “Would you like to switch seats once the head count is done?” He nodded in reply. I got the impression from his half hearted nod, he would have preferred to stay in his assigned seat. I on the other hand decided better him beside very tall disgruntled woman, than me!

There is a third episode to this saga. If my broadband stays with me long enough, I hope to get it posted by the end of the week.  Fingers Crossed!!!!

Episode One!

Offending Hair Barrette

On Wednesday I will be at home in Ireland for two weeks. As per usual, my journey turned into a stranger than fiction drama of assorted delays.

The day was sunny when I left the house at 10AM. The drive to Minneapolis airport went without a hitch. Boarding pass in hand….getting the bag check went like a breeze. Husband left me in the security queue. TSA passport examiner looked at my passport, I smiled and he scowled. He proceeded to scan my passport with his little flashlight thingy and looked at me again. Maybe I should stop smiling was the thought that ran through my mind. Finally he waved me on. Whew!

I began the removal of shoes, cardigan, laptop, etc. and  walked over to the friendly looking white haired TSA man. With a friendly smile he beckoned me to walk through the metal detector. Horror upon horror, red lights began flashing and the whirring of a siren silenced the hum of chatter as all looked in my direction. Nice grandfatherly TSA man said, “Do you have keys or change in your pockets?” “No” I replied. “Maybe it is your watch or earrings. Why don’t you remove them?” I did as requested and walked through the metal detector once more full of confidence, sure this time I would pass through without incident. Not a chance! Red lights flashing, buzzer shrilling through the air and Grandfatherly TSA man beckoned me back again. “Maybe it is your cross and chain” he decided. I went back to the rolling assembly line and put my cross and chain into another one of the little bowls. I walked through the now intimidating metal detector holding my breath. Why…well maybe breathing was setting the damn thing off. Nope it wasn’t the breathing. I really hate that sound!!!!

Grandfatherly TSA man looked at me sympathetically bringing his walkie- talkie up to his mouth and requested a female agent for a search. The female TSA Agent looked me up and down as she donned her white plastic gloves, asking if I had a metal hip or knee… and then if I agreed to a body pat down. Well I thought to myself…do I have a choice! “If you must,” was my reply. Sure what else could I say! She patted me down the front as other passengers passed by craning their necks to get a good look at this suspicious traveller. Finally she moved around to my back. “Oh,” she said, “It must have been your hair barrette that set the detector off. Of course you had a man at the station you came through…he wouldn’t have noticed that!” I wondered why if she had discovered the culprit she continued the pat down. Giving a small nervous little giggle I replied, “I totally forgot about that. I will make sure to remove it at the next airport.” Pat down finished, she wished me a pleasant journey. I walked barefoot over to the multiple bowls containing my belongings and began putting myself back together.

Oh there is more to this journey, much more……

A Perfect Day!



Yesterday I decided enough was enough! I needed to get back to my writing and blogging routine. The planned two week break turned into a month. How did that happen????

The frenzy that was wedding preparations is over. The never ending ’to-do’ list that dominated my days and nights for weeks, months sits abandoned. The deadline date to finish all the glaring hit you in the face unfinished projects around and in the house has passed. The wedding is over and my batteries needed some serious re-charging. Exhaustion had became my constant friend.

The only words falling from my lips for the past month were, “What’s next on the list.” But this morning I woke up with words that needed to be put down on paper. The first morning this has happened since the frenzy took hold. To be honest I was getting a bit worried words had abandoned me. I have gone to the new post page on more than one occasion in an attempt to get back to the blogging world and all I did was stare at the blank screen.


Today I decided even if I couldn’t come up with something clever, interesting or entertaining I would post anyway and let the comments fall where they may.

Anyway, the wedding was wonderful. The glowing bride was the picture of happiness. The groom was handsome and attentive, as he waited expectantly for the love of his life to join him at the top of the aisle. The Sun enveloped them in shimmering light as they exchanged vows of love and commitment. A red tailed hawk was spotted flying overhead by my brother-in-law, an added blessing.


Mr. and Mrs.

This mother spent the whole day trying to suppress the constant barrage of tears. There were tears of pride. There were tears for the bygone days of young motherhood. There were tears for joy as I looked at my son’s face and saw his happiness. There were more tears as I watched my other three children walk down the aisle to support their brother and welcome his choice of partner with warm smiles and nods of encouragement into our family. Then there were the uncontrollable tears when my youngest son (best man) stood up beside his older brother and told all gathered that his brother was his hero. The person he has looked up to all his life. Yep….that brought on the ugly tears. Professional make-up how are you!!!!…..well it seemed like a good idea that morning.

I promised to post a photo of my “Hat”. Well this is the best I could find. There are very few photographs of me smiling. My face is taunt, lip biting and almost stern looking in most of them. Maybe I should have just let the tears flow…..professional make-up be darned. 



LS, Me and the  Hat

PS It's good to be back!

Taking a Break



Engagement Party, Ireland 8/10
Dilin & Katie

 Having lost a few followers I thought it might be a good idea to pop in and let you know....I have not fallen off  the blogsphere cliff. I am taking a small bit of a break.

The reason for this break?  In five days, family members begin arriving from Nashville, TN and Co. Waterford, Ireland for my son's wedding.  The past week has been spent trying to get the garden in some sort of usable state.  Due to the winter that refused to loosen its grip well into May everything is sooo far behind.  Then there are those pesky half finished jobs in the house that went unnoticed until last week.  Funny how that happens! 

I will be back in regular blog mode in about two weeks.  Do pop back in a few weeks....even if it is only to see the'HAT'.

PS Hope this works...Blogger has been very unsettled lately!!!  Fingers crossed.

Ohhh My Aching Back!!!!!!!!!

How did you spend your weekend? I spent mine digging in the dirt. I have 17 days to transform the mess I call my garden into a Garden of Eden before my son's wedding. Yesterday it felt like I was fighting a losing battle. Where did all those weed trees come from and how did they manage to sprout up when all the plants that cost me a kings ransom didn’t survive the ravishes of winter or haven't had the courage to break ground yet.

Last night, even though the day was lovely, sun shining with temperatures in the high 60’s there was a frost advisory. In a panic I ran out of the house to bring in or cover newly purchased young plants. While stretching to reach the hanging baskets, one slipped out of my grasp and narrowly missed my head..but did splatter all over the patio. First casualty of my rescue mission. I shoved the potting soil back into the basket and plopped the flowers very unceremoniously back into the basket. I have yet to check the poor basket to see how much damage has been done. Hopefully I can salvage it.

Next I grabbed the very large and very heavy wooden barrel. I planted the barrel with an assortment of vividly coloured pansies only a few hours earlier. The barrel stood a few feet from the back door. I grabbed it with both hands and with a grunt heaved it up and headed for the back door. Just as I stepped over the threshold of the back door, I lost my footing…did I mention the barrel was quite heavy.  I became distracted as I tried to right myself, not wanting to land on the floor. The basket suddenly felt much lighter. It was then I noticed I was holding an empty barrel. Yes indeed Bloggie friends the bottom had fallen out of the barrel. All the soil and the now not so pretty pansies lay in a large splat on my mudroom floor. Unladylike words spilled my lips and filled the air as I went in search of a new pot to replace the bottomless barrel.

Next hurdle was to get down on my knees to retrieve and re-pot the soil and pansies.…not an easy feat after three days of major weed pulling dragging, digging and raking. I was moving like the newly discovered Tin Man in the Wizard of Oz.

I wonder if the frost would have done as much damage to my plants……….

Hard To Let Go!

A strange thing happened to me some months ago. I experienced a waking dream, a vision of sorts. In this dream/vision I saw a lovely young woman in a beautiful blue silk gown dancing at a ball. I felt her...for a split second in this strangest of waking dreams I was her. I had the oddest feeling I was glimpsing a fragment of my own distant past through the haze of time. Her name was whispered in my ear. I felt the need to write her story and yet I hadn't a clue what her story was. Only that glimpse.




I put pen to paper and slowly words began to fill a page and then another and another. Other characters in this young woman’s story began to take shape. The story begins with a tragedy in her young life. A close and loving relationship with her father is revealed and the loving relationship between her parents. There is animosity between her father and her paternal grandfather. Her grandfather’s distain and unmitigated rudeness towards her mother unfolds. Quietly standing in the background is her grandmother. The woman married to this rude incorrigible man. She is a woman of quiet grace and dignity who unconsciously commands the attention of all when she enters a room. Despite the many trials and tribulations in her life, she maintains integrity of spirit unlike her husband.


About five thousand words into the story the grandmother emerges and dominates. For some reason her story unfolds before my eyes with ease. For a while I was oblivious to the fact this story was veering away from my original MC.  Her story began to fade as I unconciously moved in a new direction.  When I realized I was losing my beloved Main Character I put the story aside in frustration.

Last week it occurred to me maybe this story is indeed about the grandmother. Maybe I should stop resisting and scrap the first couple thousand words. Did you ever have a character in your head and have her opt out on you?

An A-Z Survivor

Thank you Elizabeth!

Thank you to Arlee Bird @ Tossing It Out  the A-Z Guru

and co-hosts:

 

Jeffrey Beesler @ World of the Scribe
Alex J. Cavanaugh @ Alex J. Cavanaugh
Jen Daiker @ Unedited
Candace Ganger @ The Misadventures in Candyland
Karen J Gowen @ Coming Down the Mountain
Talli Roland @ Talli Roland
Stephen Tremp @  Breakthrough Blogs

A big Thank You to Elizabeth Mueller  who graciously bestowed this wonderful award on all who finished the A-Z .  I love it. The Laughing Zebra!!! I am wondering though Why is this Zebra laughing... never mind.  Maybe it's best I don't know. 

The Summing Up:
 I discovered very early in the A-Z process, writing a post everyday was not the only Challenge. Attempting to get around to all the blogs participating was another Challenge. After the first week, I gave up on that. There were just not enough hours in the day and the night for that matter.  I decided to keep to the blogs I followed before the Challenge began, the ones I discovered in that first week and then anyone who stopped by and left a comment here.

Many a night letters of the alphabet hounded my dreams, chasing me as I attempted to hide and escape them.  Now that April is past I am looking forward to alphabet-less dreams.

I met many new, wonderful and interesting bloggers.  I read insightful posts, humourous posts and  posts dealing with serious issues.  I learned many new words and collected some terrific recipes. So many I had to purchase a new recipe book. I was pleasantly surprised when I received emails from bloggers in response to comments I had left.  It took me a few days to figure out how that was done. I felt like a bit of an eejit when I discovered all you did was click reply!!!! Well we can't all be Einsteins!

I would like to thank all my followers, new and old for all your support and encouragement as I muddled along from A to Z.   Ta!

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