WARNING: The following may remind some of meandering voice mails that continue beep after beep. May need to be experienced in small doses to avoid the onset of textual coma. Do not read while operating heavy machinery. Author is not responsible for any mental trauma. Peace.


Wow- there's no doubt about it- becoming adept in this venue will be a lengthy work in progress. I have barely touched the tip of the iceberg in regard to really exploring the treasure trove of talent here. When I first started in July I thought the major difficulty would be learning how to use the technology. Knowing myself a dinosaur of disaster when working on the computer I was most concerned about looking like an idiot by putting things in the wrong place or not being able to format text exactly the way I wanted, and worst of all just learning to do all the the little techy things I never seem to do right (Brooke, how do I add a favorite again, Brooke, I'm stuck on your site- how do I get back to me again, Brookie, which of the people on the bottom is L---? Brooke Dear, how do I print this part of Wendell so I can read it on paper upstairs, What do you mean I can't move my entries around- I really want these in a different order- well that's just stupid, Brooke Doll I'm trying to make this a favorite and it's not working, Cuddle Bunny please don't yell and just tell me one more time how to write somebody without it showing on my page). What I really should have worried about was TIME!!!!! The summer has been eaten away by trips, visits, appointments, piano lessons, scorpions (really- I hope nobody else ever has to try getting 2 dogs boarded, 6 cats fostered and 3 children into a hotel within a day so the house could be bug-bombed with poison that doesn't kill scorpions after all, find a professional exterminator who will come out within 12 hours and totally spray and powder, and then two days later return to three days of washing all the bedding, dishes, surfaces, etc.)

Anyway, if anyone is still hanging on and reading all my excuses, I didn't have any idea how fast time would go on each separate activity. I've loved going through a lifetime of poetry that I really didn't think anybody else would want to read, since it's just my life after all, and having people actually respond to it has been incredible for me. Writing again is so consuming! Most of the poetry has just been brushed off and given a few final edits, but once I got started I just had to drag out my old book idea. That means looking up historical details I've forgotten, searching out old notes, etc. I'm also cutting a female monologue for my daughter out of Tennessee's play Sweet Bird of Youth- which is difficult but very rewarding. With the time spent writing I haven't read as much of the great literature here as I want, and I really don't know how so many of you not only do both, but enter comments and keep up communication as well. I need to quit work to do deviantArt justice!!!!!!!!!! I can't believe I'll be back in the classroom next week, and while I know there will be times I will simply have to drop off the face of the earth, I really want to keep coming back. So this journal will probably not change until next June- which is probably how much time it will take some people to get to the postscript, and will allow me more time to write, read, and comment! I just can't applaud all the artists on this site loudly enough- you are all amazing!

P.S. My moods are extreme, and my poetry does the run the gamut from despair to euphoria. I don't post my sad stuff while I'm still depressed because I'm a recluse during those periods. Life is full of pain and joy and the hardest times often teach us most. While I have been in love twice before as well as married and divorced, my second husband is an incredible man, I have a beautiful family, and I count my blessings even through the bouts of anxiety and depression that are simply part of my psyche. Thanks so much to those of you who have offered sympathy, and I wanted to let readers know how much relief I find in getting pain out of my mind and onto paper. Many of my darkest poems are my most beloved, and I hope people can enjoy the beauty that is so often born of pain.
Wishing those on a school calendar a safe and happy transition from summer to school year, and everyone the very best in life and love always. More Peace