44/365 water

Something so smooth and yielding, yet so very powerful.  Water takes the path of east resistance, yet can destroy much along that path, as seem with tsunamis.  Water is a force to be reckoned with.
Yet it sustains us, all of us on Earth--water is our sustanance.
I love an ice cold glass of water in the summertime, so refreshing.  I don't drink bottled water, only tap, and we have some of the best drinking water here in the city.  Delicious.
I love to swim in pools or oceans, though it has been a lifetime since doing either.
At the Solstice parties I used to go to in Massachusetts, we'd take the sauna in the sauna house up on the hill, above the pond.  After heating up real good, we could jump into that pond and cool off.  Delightful!
Children'ts sprinklers in the park--nice to watch as tghe dancing crystals cool off dozens of tiny feet.
And, of course, a good soaking rain in the summertime, steam rising from the pavement.

*A free-write is a type of automatic writing, where you just go with your stream of consciousness non-stop. There's no thought to spelling or grammar, and no editing of words. Supposedly this opens the mind up to greater creativity. They can be 5, 10 or 20 minutes long. Suggestions for freewrites are always welcome. Visit Evie, with whom I freewrite, at the space between colors.

a plea for suggestions

Evie and I have been doing the freewrites for about a month and a half now.  We have about 20 topics left to choose from, and need hundreds more, really, if we're going to get through a year of doing this.  Please, if you can, suggest some topics for us (please not politics!, walking man, hehehe).  We were going for one word nouns all along, but that's not a hard and fast rule.
We'd really appreciate your input, so we can put the topics on our list.
Thanks!

43/365 fabric

Fabric.  My favorite is cotton.  Soft supple cotton.  Love wearing it, love the feel of it.
Silk is wonderful, too.  I like raw silk with its sandy color and texture.
Evie knows more about fabrics.  She paints brilliant silks, and dyes fabrics for batik.  She has a more intimate relationship with fabric than I do.
I have one set of high cotton count sheets, and they are just lucioius to sleep upon.
I don't know what else to say about fabric.  There is the fabric of time, but where would one start with that?



*A free-write is a type of automatic writing, where you just go with your stream of consciousness non-stop. There's no thought to spelling or grammar, and no editing of words. Supposedly this opens the mind up to greater creativity. They can be 5, 10 or 20 minutes long. Suggestions for freewrites are always welcome. Visit Evie, with whom I freewrite, at the space between colors.

42/365 music

This 10 minute freewrite* was written while listening to Bach's Brandenburg Concertos

The music jumps up and down like people jumping for joy, then dancing in the street.  But a few moments before that was the sound of tears.
Music takes you away like tht.  Into various visions sometimes.
It used to be a staple in my life, but not so much anymore.
I would listen to Neil Young's Rust Never Sleeps over and over again, until I could sing along, and listen to that guitar.
The Beatles, it goes without saying--their albums dropped onto the record player an infinite amount of times.  Even today I go for them if I'm in a music mood.
The artists vary, from classical to rock, and so many in between.
Listening to Kitaro on the tape player when upstate camping with my sister and Melissa, we'd listen to him at night when it was sleepytime, and it would lull us into a beautiful sleep.
The Concertos pipe up in the background -- people are still dancing among the notes.

My friend, Bert, playing flute in Vermont

*A free-write is a type of automatic writing, where you just go with your stream of consciousness non-stop. There's no thought to spelling or grammar, and no editing of words. Supposedly this opens the mind up to greater creativity. They can be 5, 10 or 20 minutes long. Suggestions for freewrites are always welcome. Visit Evie, with whom I freewrite, at the space between colors.

41/365 masks

I joined a swap once, run by Sarajane Helm, to make ten miniature (2"x3"max) masks out of polymer clay, and in turn I would receive ten different masks back (including one of my own).  I did this swap twice.  I loved the masks I made, but never had a chance to take pictures of them.  Each was the same theme, but designs and colors differed.  I have the two I received back from each swap, and I'll put pictures below.

My own masks -- ones I wear for people, is almost always an "I'm okay" kind of mask, when under it, I'm maybe not feeling that okay at all.
I'm not too sure what masks other people wear.  Maybe I don't know a lot of people who wear masks, really.

Tribal masks -- so many different kinds and cultures.  Masks showing fierceness perhaps, or identifyng someone as chief.

Evie has this book from the Metropolitan Museum of Art -- she uses it to lean on when freewriting --
it's a book on masks, and I wish I could look at it right now to find some inspiration.

*A free-write is a type of automatic writing, where you just go with your stream of consciousness non-stop. There's no thought to spelling or grammar, and no editing of words. Supposedly this opens the mind up to greater creativity. They can be 5, 10 or 20 minutes long. Suggestions for freewrites are always welcome. Visit Evie, with whom I freewrite, at the space between colors.

40/365 packages

5 min freewrite*

Packages come in the mail when you order from eBay, something I used to do a lot.
Gifts wrapped in packages for Christmas time, or birthdyas, or just one of those random gifts on any day.
Jim used to send small jiffy packages in the mail, holding precious little trinkets he came to find.  I always looked forward to his gifts.  Even today, he sends things -- most recently a braid of sweetgrass.
It has been a long time since someone has handed me a package with mysterious objects inside.  A long time since I've given anything, too.

*A free-write is a type of automatic writing, where you just go with your stream of consciousness non-stop. There's no thought to spelling or grammar, and no editing of words. Supposedly this opens the mind up to greater creativity. They can be 5, 10 or 20 minutes long. Suggestions for freewrites are always welcome. Visit Evie, with whom I freewrite, at the space between colors.

39/365 hair

Freewrite* #39... Hair.

I wake up and my hair is a shock upon my head, having been bunched up against the pillow all night.  I have very fine, yet very coarse hair.  It is contradictory hair.  Fine should be silky, coarse should be think.  Neither of those apply to me.
I like my hair long, although my sister says I'm too old for long hair.  I don't think so.
My niece just went through a course of chemotherapy, and during that she shaved her head, because her hair was falling out so much.  She looked beautiful, nonetheless.
My hair used to come in different colors, but mostly auburn was my signature clor, adding a little fire to m otherwise watery personality.  But at one point in my life I changed the color often, from reds to browns, and even blonde at one point.  It is my experience tht redheads have more fun.
I like putting my fingers through a man's hair, but I equally enjoy a bald head on a man.  It does not matter to me.

*A free-write is a type of automatic writing, where you just go with your stream of consciousness non-stop. There's no thought to spelling or grammar, and no editing of words. Supposedly this opens the mind up to greater creativity. They can be 5, 10 or 20 minutes long. Suggestions for freewrites are always welcome. Visit Evie, with whom I freewrite, at the space between colors.

38/365 coffee

There used to be a coffee house right across the street from here.  It wasn't there very long.  On tuesday nights they'd have open poetry readings that I'd attend.  On Sunday I'd bring my New York Times and sit for a long time over coffee, and good conversation with John, the barista.  I drank regular columbian coffee, and it was good.  The music was good, too.
One moring, on my way to work, I passed the coffee shop and there were cops inside, and the owner, bleeding from his head, a shocking sight.  He was attacked by a robber with a wrench or something.  The shop closed soon after that.  I miss that little place.
It is a ritual for me that I come over to Evie's nearly every morning for coffee.  She serves it black, sans my creme and sugar.  It took me a lot of years to get used to the taste of it.
I like the Danish blend of coffee that Gevalia puts out.  Perfect with a swirl of half and half, and a teaspoon of sugar, turning the rich brown coffee to a creamy caramel color.

*A free-write is a type of automatic writing, where you just go with your stream of consciousness non-stop. There's no thought to spelling or grammar, and no editing of words. Supposedly this opens the mind up to greater creativity. They can be 5, 10 or 20 minutes long. Suggestions for freewrites are always welcome. Visit Evie, with whom I freewrite, at the space between colors.

37/365 mountains

Sitting in the cradle of the Catskill mountains, with my sister and Melissa, watching the stars turn in the sky.
There is something so comforting about being surrounded by mountains, or ascending them.
When me and Jim walked through Cuyamaca it was quiet, and hot, and then by a wonderful waterfall I heard the spirits in those mountains, and wish that I could hear those voices again someday.
In Lapland there were no mountains... just high rolling hills of evergreens.  Nice, in its way, but I couldn't help compare it to New York State and its beautiful mountain ranges.  The Adirondacks.
In Durango, Colorado, the mountains loomed large above the town.  Almost too big to comprehend.  While we did laundry, there was this grand mountain right outside, making even this chore a wonderful thing.
I knew Jim the first time on the mountain of Jamul.  A true man of the mountain, I understood his calling.

at Bear Mountain

Jim in Cuyamaca

*A free-write is a type of automatic writing, where you just go with your stream of consciousness non-stop. There's no thought to spelling or grammar, and no editing of words. Supposedly this opens the mind up to greater creativity. They can be 5, 10 or 20 minutes long. Suggestions for freewrites are always welcome. Visit Evie, with whom I freewrite, at the space between colors.

36/365 computers

The computer came into my life around 1995, using laptops when I did reviews in the field.  It was a storage of information, basically.
By 1997, when I had gotten my own desktop, I was introduced to the internet -- what a damn big place that was!  I found forums, like the now defunct Waking World, where I met people with whom I still communicate today, and people who I traveled 5, 000 miles to meet.
I've known so many people on the computer, and many in person, too.
The computer is where I first sit when I wake up, going through my morning routine, playing trivia, visiting a friend's forum, reading and writing there.
There are emails throughout the day, my sister, my niece, notification of blog comments.
Even when working on my novel , I will keep the computer online.  It's an unspoken connection.
The photographs it stores are important archives.  Thousands of pictures.
It is an encyclopedia, a date finder, a collector/storage keeper, wordprocessor, darkroom...


*A free-write is a type of automatic writing, where you just go with your stream of consciousness non-stop. There's no thought to spelling or grammar, and no editing of words. Supposedly this opens the mind up to greater creativity. They can be 5, 10 or 20 minutes long. Suggestions for freewrites are always welcome. Visit Evie, with whom I freewrite, at the space between colors.

35/365 thoughts

Thoughts.  Incessant little buggers that keep you up at night, or stampede your brain in the middle of the day.  Thoughts -- so often useless and outright disturbing.
Isn't the idea of enlightenment to have no thought?  I often find myself in that state, though I am far from enlightened.
Contemplation -- a focused thought.  It is good to comtemplate clouds, my father would say... Always take time to contemplate a cloud.  He got that from the Burt Lancaster movie, Birdman of Alcatraz.  It is one of the last things the character says in the movie.
Reminising -- a kind of thought tht tries to build a yesterday.

*A free-write is a type of automatic writing, where you just go with your stream of consciousness non-stop. There's no thought to spelling or grammar, and no editing of words. Supposedly this opens the mind up to greater creativity. They can be 5, 10 or 20 minutes long. Suggestions for freewrites are always welcome. Visit Evie, with whom I freewrite, at the space between colors.

34/365 beatles

I remember that evening in February 1964, with my parents and my sister, at JFK airport, awaiting the arrival of the Beatles.  I got bored and hungry during the incessant waiting, and ended up eating a hot open turkey sandwich at a counter, while throngs of teens and pre-teens converged over the railing to see them.  I never did; couldn't see over all the people anyway, but I was there.  I was 10 years old.
The Beatles were a staple in my home from that point on.  I loved them, my sister loved them, and my parents loved them, too.
I had boxes filled with Beatles bubblegum cards, and my sister always bought the albums and magazines they were in.
I had big round buttons that I wore all over my jacket.  I love John, I love Ringo, I love the Beatles.
Their music just took you to a good place -- it's hard to be upset when you're listening to them.
The few short years they were around changed the music world.  They changed many lives, influencing them greatly.

I think of John's song, when he sings "I don't believe in Beatles -- I just believe in me -- Yoko and me; and that's reality."  And that was cool., too.

*A free-write is a type of automatic writing, where you just go with your stream of consciousness non-stop. There's no thought to spelling or grammar, and no editing of words. Supposedly this opens the mind up to greater creativity. They can be 5, 10 or 20 minutes long. Suggestions for freewrites are always welcome. Visit Evie, with whom I freewrite, at the space between colors.

33/365 merry-go-rounds

Freewrite* #33.

Merry to round and round again, Merry go round and round -- words from a poem I wrote a long time ago, and I cannot recall any other lines.
What an odd name the Carousel has -- merry go round.  Fun for everyone.
Richly colored horses rearing their heads, gliding up and down, helping you reach that gold ring.  Merry go round and round again, merry go round and round.
I remember the carousel in Coney Island, throughout my life, from when I was a child to when Melissa was a child, and we'd all go for a ride.  It has been some time since doing that, though I may have done it when Jim was here in the 90's  -- or am I having pipe dreams again?
I have a silver ring in my memory box -- from which ride of my life, I am not sure.  You can't get away with stealing off with the gold rings, they pay mind to who caught that one.
The music plays, like a whirlwind in your head.  A whole world apart.  The color and sounds blend together.
Hope your Merry goes round and round again.  Hope mine does, too.

*A free-write is a type of automatic writing, where you just go with your stream of consciousness non-stop. There's no thought to spelling or grammar, and no editing of words. Supposedly this opens the mind up to greater creativity. They can be 5, 10 or 20 minutes long. Suggestions for freewrites are always welcome. Visit Evie, with whom I freewrite, at the space between colors.

32/365 distance

Long distance relationships, I have had at least three of these of significance.  With Evie for eighteen years while she lived in California; with Jim for the past 33 years, only having met a handfull of times for a week or so at a time--yet distance be damned, we are hard and fast friends.  And thirdly, my long distance relationship of about ten years with Jorma before we even met.  Distance does not keep people apart -- it can be overcome.  Letters and phone calls heal the lines of distance -- these days, emails and such.
Conversational distance -- about 2 feet, thank you. Anything less and you're a close talker.  That episode of Seinfeld was on just last night -- the one with the close talker.

*A free-write is a type of automatic writing, where you just go with your stream of consciousness non-stop. There's no thought to spelling or grammar, and no editing of words. Supposedly this opens the mind up to greater creativity. They can be 5, 10 or 20 minutes long. Suggestions for freewrites are always welcome. Visit Evie, with whom I freewrite, at the space between colors.

31/365 fire

Fire is scary, it's so fierce and immediate.  Wildfires burning out West, consuming even people's homes.  Burnt out homes in the Bronx, or Detroit.  On these huge levels fire is definitely scary.
But then there are comforting fires -- sitting around a fire pit, someone brought marshmallows, I spiked my coffee with Jack Daniels, there are people telling stories, and laughter.  Everyone eyes the fire.
A fireplace at home, warming the room.  You can smell it, so fragrant, so inviting.
When I was in Lapland there were a couple of very cold nights in May, so Jorma made a fire.  The walls stayed hot for a long time after, I remember.
Light a match, light a cigarette.

a sacred fire built to heat the stones for a sweat lodge

*A free-write is a type of automatic writing, where you just go with your stream of consciousness non-stop. There's no thought to spelling or grammar, and no editing of words. Supposedly this opens the mind up to greater creativity. They can be 5, 10 or 20 minutes long. Suggestions for freewrites are always welcome. Visit Evie, with whom I freewrite, at the space between colors.

30/365 cats

Freewrite* on Cats.

I think back to the first cat I knew, which would be my mother's cat, Susie.  Grey/white tiger stripe - loyal to my mother, and lay in her lap, and no one else's.
I have had cats throughout my life.  Queerly loyal companions -- some so seemingly human, like Coffee, and Bud, that you expected them to say something at any moment.
There is a picture somewhere of a black and white cat (Princess, I think) inside a birdcage, and the parakeet outside the cage.   That was a curious cat.
Now I live with Morrison and Little Guy, but they don't live together.  I keep them separated ever since the bad incident last year, where Little Guy got torn up, and needed surgery.
Morrison is still just a feral creature, able to be a little attentive towards you when he's hungry.  But will not, for the most part, allow petting-- just an occassional head butt with my hand, and he'll let me rub his head for a few seconds.  He'll repeat it 2 or 3 times, and then just walk away.  When I'm on the phone, he'll talk a lot, joining in on the chatter, I guess.
Little Guy, lonely in the bedroom during the day, is happy when I decide to watch tv in the bedroom, and of course, he sleeps right next to me all night.

*A free-write is a type of automatic writing, where you just go with your stream of consciousness non-stop. There's no thought to spelling or grammar, and no editing of words. Supposedly this opens the mind up to greater creativity. They can be 5, 10 or 20 minutes long. Suggestions for freewrites are always welcome. Visit Evie, with whom I freewrite, at the space between colors.

29/365 light and shadows

I cannot think of anything but photography when it comes to light and shadows.  Can I count my freewrite time to look for apopros pictures?  I guess not.
That very first light of morning, when you've been up all night, suddenly filling up the room.
What lies in the shadows?  That would be me, I think.
I am not about to reveal my shadow side in a freewrite.  I am not even too sure what it is.
This is really hard, maybe make it a 5 minute write.  We're discussing it now.  This wasn't a very enlightening write, now was it?

*A free-write is a type of automatic writing, where you just go with your stream of consciousness non-stop. There's no thought to spelling or grammar, and no editing of words. Supposedly this opens the mind up to greater creativity. They can be 5, 10 or 20 minutes long. Suggestions for freewrites are always welcome. Visit Evie, with whom I freewrite, at the space between colors.

28/365 dolls and toys

It is a long stretch of mind that takes me back.  I had a beautiful baby doll that came in a Christening outfit.
I remember playing Shoots & Ladders, and CandyLand, molding play-doh into animal shapes, using real potatoes for Mr. Potato Head.
Silly Putty in its own case - a plastic egg.  Picking up the impression from the comics section in the Sunday Daily News.
I played with Barbie dolls, along with her friends, Midge and Tressy.  Tressy had a button in her belly that you'd push to lengthn or shorten her hair.  Midge had freckles and somewhat kinky hair.  And Barbie was, of course, Barbie -- impossibly proportioned, and scorned for such in this day and age.  I never looked at her as being an idol type--she was just Barbie.  Always had a Ken doll, too -- he had the worst peach fuzz hair.
Colorforms, and their shinyness -- wonderful color and shapes on a black background.  Hours of fun.
I had a whole family of dolls called the Little Kiddles.  They were mini dolls, with the baby of the family being among the cutest of them all.  Barely the size of a child's thumb.
Monopoly was a great game to play if you could get someone to play with you -- It is a long game unless maybe you hae a few players.  I think I still have a monopoly game put away in the closet.
I watch Logan playing with his toys today -- his Mr Potato Head comes with a plastic potato.  Cleaner, no doubt, but it takes away a certain something.

*A free-write is a type of automatic writing, where you just go with your stream of consciousness non-stop. There's no thought to spelling or grammar, and no editing of words. Supposedly this opens the mind up to greater creativity. They can be 5, 10 or 20 minutes long. Suggestions for freewrites are always welcome. Visit Evie, with whom I freewrite, at the space between colors.

27/365 mirrors

Free-write* on Mirrors.

I rarely look in the mirror these days, prefering to remember a younger me in my head.  The mirror is brutal in its reflection.  Who is that woman with the grey hair?
I see Logan mirroring things we do.  He is a wonder to watch, reminding you to watch yourself.
Why did Cinderella want to know who's the fairest of them all when she looked in that mirror.  (note: wrong fairy tale).  Or was it her sisters who asked that question.  I can't even remember.  Narcissistic fairy tales.  Who cares who was the fairest?  Who was deciding these things anyway?
When something annoys you about another person, chances are they are mirroring a part of your own self that you are disgusted with.
There are no mirrors in this room, and I find thta odd for a bedroom.  My own bedroom has the big dresser mirror, which, like I said, I don't look into much anymore.  That's why I am thankful for old photographs, mirror images captured in time.
How many mirrors do you have to look through before you start looking backwards?  Or forwards, for that matter?
That's the thing about mirrors... they are always right now.

*A free-write is a type of automatic writing, where you just go with your stream of consciousness non-stop. There's no thought to spelling or grammar, and no editing of words. Supposedly this opens the mind up to greater creativity. They can be 5, 10 or 20 minutes long. Suggestions for freewrites are always welcome. Visit Evie, with whom I freewrite, at the space between colors.

Logan and his girlfriend

Logan knows Kayla from daycare.  She is 5 and he is 2 and a half.  She loves him so much, and him, her.  This past weekend he went to her birthday party, and here's some pics my niece took.

worn out from all the fun...

26/365 telephones

Today's free-write* is on Telephones.

I remember when they first came out with the Princess telephone.  It was so sleek compared to the ordinary telephones, and it had a light on the dial, which was really cool.
Now telephones are called "land lines," otherwise you're using a cell phone.  I don't own a cell phone, and don't have much desire to, either.  My telephone at home is enough.
I remember the black telephone in the bakery.  Literally caked with cake.  It was sure heavy.
These days when the phone rings, it is more often a telemarketer wanting my time and money, rather than someone I know.
Used to be that you could find a pay phone on every other corner, and now one is rarely seen.



*A free-write is a type of automatic writing, where you just go with your stream of consciousness non-stop. There's no thought to spelling or grammar, and no editing of words. Supposedly this opens the mind up to greater creativity. They can be 5, 10 or 20 minutes long. Suggestions for freewrites are always welcome. Visit Evie, with whom I freewrite, at the space between colors.

25/365 blankets

Free-write* on blankets.

I have a prayer blanket that I crochetted, praying throughout each stitch.  It is a powerful blanket.  I've brought it with me on camping trips, to keep me safe and warm.  I like to sleep under blankets, so I prefer a cold-ish bedroom. Blankets are a part of sleep.
I had a favored Indian blanket back when me and Steve lived together.  That he ended up with it is too bad... it was mine.
I've had blankets that I've used to cover a sweat lodge, along with lots of other people's blankets--how many dreams in all of these, I wonder.
I did not have a "blankie" when I was little, I don't think.  The idea of it strikes me as odd.
When you're out camping is when you appreciate a blanket the most.  I like that better than a sleeping bag, or in addition to it.  It gets so cold at night, you even want to cover your face.

*A free-write is a type of automatic writing, where you just go with your stream of consciousness non-stop. There's no thought to spelling or grammar, and no editing of words. Supposedly this opens the mind up to greater creativity. They can be 5, 10 or 20 minutes long. Suggestions for freewrites are always welcome. Visit Evie, with whom I freewrite, at the space between colors.

24/365 reflections

Free-write* on Reflections

The reflection of Logan's eyelashes on his face is what comes to mind right away.
Reflections of my mind -- isn't that a song?
Went on a photowalk a couple of years ago with the intention of photographing reflections.  That wasn't so easy to do, and I think I went with the alternate suggestion of "shadows".
Reflections on water -- the sky and trees.  All these things remind me of photography.

*A free-write is a type of automatic writing, where you just go with your stream of consciousness non-stop. There's no thought to spelling or grammar, and no editing of words. Supposedly this opens the mind up to greater creativity. They can be 5, 10 or 20 minutes long. Suggestions for freewrites are always welcome. Visit Evie, with whom I freewrite, at the space between colors.

23/365 movies

Free-write* on Movies

Trying to think of my top ten movies, in no particuar order
Slingblade -- "I like the way you talk."
Now, Voyager -- "Don't let's ask for the moon, we have the stars."
Midnight Cowboy -- "Everybody's talkin' at me..."
The Wizard of Oz -- "...and your little dog, too!"
Resurrection, with Ellen Burstyn.

I remember sitting in the old movie theatres, so luxurious, with balconies of people overhead.  The bathrooms were huge, with seats by the mirrors for doing your make-up, and a vending machine that held all sorts of things.

Dr. Zhivago
The Big Chill
It's a Wonderful Life
The Postman Always Rings Twice, with John Garfield.
White Heat
Yankee Doodle Dandy

Well, that's 11, and just what came off the top of my head as favorites.  There are more.
I love a good movie.  It takes you away just as a good book can do.



*A free-write is a type of automatic writing, where you just go with your stream of consciousness non-stop. There's no thought to spelling or grammar, and no editing of words. Supposedly this opens the mind up to greater creativity. They can be 5, 10 or 20 minutes long. Suggestions for freewrites are always welcome. Visit Evie, with whom I freewrite, at the space between colors.

22/365 glass

Ten minute free-write* on Glass.

A blood specimen under glass, as seen through the microscope.  Bubbles of hemoglobin.
To see this page I look through glass -- how invaluable.
I've always been attracted to men who wear glasses.  Something about that inpenetrable blue.
I have witnessed glass blowing... a dance of fire and breath, creating a crinolin of glass design, ballerinas and fishes.
Ice as smooth as glass.  The lake in winter.
Butterflies collected under glass.  Glass protects, it's among our crew of keepers.
Glass ceilings.
The proverbial stone thrower.
Wandering around Steuben Glass, there are wonders to behold -- all sorts of animals in glass, and amazing sculptures.  I haven't been there in over 40 years, but still I remember, such an impression it made upon me.

*A free-write is a type of automatic writing, where you just go with your stream of consciousness non-stop. There's no thought to spelling or grammar, and no editing of words. Supposedly this opens the mind up to greater creativity. They can be 5, 10 or 20 minutes long. Visit Evie, whom I freewrite with, at the space between colors.

21/365 sound

Five minute freewrite* on Sound.

Start froma place of silence -- deep sleep.  Wake to the sound of traffic and infrequent bird chatter.  The sounds of the city fills my ears -- rumbling trucks, and zooming cars.
Change the sound to music on the stereo -- piano tinklings of Keith Jarrett, bringing me to a place of inner peace.  One note drops, another lifts up.
An airplane whooshes through the clouds.  The sound of somewhere to go.
Sometimes I want to cover myself from all sounds, and just listen to the silence, which can best be heard when there's been a heavy snowfall.
The alarm clock bekons with wake-up sound, so annoying.  That's no way to wake up -- it drowns out the sound of dreams.

*A free-write is a type of automatic writing, where you just go with your stream of consciousness non-stop. There's no thought to spelling or grammar, and no editing of words. Supposedly this opens the mind up to greater creativity. They can be 5, 10 or 20 minutes long. Visit Evie, whom I freewrite with, at the space between colors.

20/365 the camera

Today's 10 minute freewrite* subject is The Camera.

The black box which holds magical transformations of light.  Since I was a child it has always fascinated me.  The way it produced sheets of negatives.  Today everything is different.  I am not aware of just how the image is captured on a memory card, but I have to believe it captures light in the same way as an old film camera.  The camera gives proof we've been there -- anywhere -- from around the block to around the world; here is our proof carrier.
All the buttons and knobs, bringing the world closer or spreading it out in a wide angle.  The zoom lens on my camera can bring me closer or farther away.  I collect memories in the box to later transfer to another box -- my computer.  And sometimes even to reach the point of print.
The camera holds our entire lives in pictures, transporting us back to different times and places.  Where did all the time go?  Into the camera, the collector.

*A free-write is a type of automatic writing, where you just go with your stream of consciousness non-stop. There's no thought to spelling or grammar, and no editing of words. Supposedly this opens the mind up to greater creativity. They can be 5, 10 or 20 minutes long. Suggestions for freewrites are always welcome. Visit Evie, with whom I freewrite, at the space between colors. 

mountain view, who are you?

Ever since I started blogging, I have had a visit from someone from Mountain View, California. I do not know who this person (or persons?) is, but they have been consistent in visiting me. Is it someone who's reading this now? Are you Mountain View? Do you really have a view of the mountains, I wonder? Will you ever say hello on my blog? I hope so.


So very many visitors who don't say a word, but read along. It would be so nice to hear from them.

But most especially, I'd like to meet Mountain View.
 

19/365 scent

Today's 10 minute free-write* is on Scent.
The scent of my mother's lipstick, and her loose face powder, when I was a little girl.  The Emeraude cologne she has worn forever.  These are the scents of my mother.
Everyone has a scent -- a body signature.  Something only theirs.  Sometimes it is a store bought fragrance, but even that smells differently on each person once it mixes with one's personal scent.
The scent of lemons and grapefruit invigorates me.  Ocean scents take me away, as does the scents of sage and cedar and sweetgrass.
I hve worn enticing scents, like Cinnabar.  Sensual spices.  Something you'd remember.  It is good to leave a note behind when you want to be remembered.
Sometimes I can smell my father on the air-- the way he smelled after baking all day -- a beautiful mix of sweat and buttercreme, raspberry fillings, sugar and coconut.  It lets me know he's watching over me.

*A free-write is a type of automatic writing, where you just go with your stream of consciousness non-stop. There's no thought to spelling or grammar, and no editing of words. Supposedly this opens the mind up to greater creativity. They can be 5, 10 or 20 minutes long. Visit Evie, whom I freewrite with, at the space between colors.

18/365 lavender

Today's 5-minute free-write* is on Lavender.  "Patria", is a character in my novel.

Lavender sachets tucked away in the clothes drawers.  Flowery fragrance that lingers long on the skin, and in the air.  And Lavender tea, so it can linger within you.
Patria filled the silken pillows with lavender, agrimony and orange blossoms, for a good sleep.
In the Wizard of Oz they fell asleep in a field of poppies.  I think I'd fall asleep in a field of lavender.
Patria embroidered stars upon those silks, adding to their magic.
I've used smudge sticks that contained sage, cedar, and lavender.  What a good cleanse.

Photo courtesy of
The Flower Expert.

*A free-write is a type of automatic writing, where you just go with your stream of consciousness non-stop. There's no thought to spelling or grammar, and no editing of words. Supposedly this opens the mind up to greater creativity. They can be 5, 10 or 20 minutes long. Visit Evie, whom I freewrite with, at the space between colors.



17/365 bridges

Today's free-write* is a ten minute one on Bridges.

Oh, the bridges I've burned.  But I'll stay quiet about tht.
What bridges have I crossed? More than I could count, I dare say -- though not lately, and by lately I mean a long time.  Although I did cross the bridge back into DSL(R) photography  -- that counts for something.
I didn't mean for these freewrites to be an unchucking of me myself and I, but this is what comes out when you can't think of what the hell to write about, but ave to write anyway.
Bridges.  The Verrazano is not so far away -- a string of pearls at night, joining Brooklyn with Staten Island.  And then thee is the most beautiful bridge, The Brooklyn Bridge, with all its cables, like some enormous stringed instrument.  I've never walked over that bridge, but I did ride a bike across it once.
My eyes were the camera that day. 
When I worked down the city, the best part of the train ride was going over the Manhattan bridge, but only because it provided you with a full view of the Brooklyn bridge.



*A free-write is a type of automatic writing, where you just go with your stream of consciousness non-stop. There's no thought to spelling or grammar, and no editing of words. Supposedly this opens the mind up to greater creativity. They can be 5, 10 or 20 minutes long. Visit Evie, whom I freewrite with, at the space between colors.

16/365 windows

Today's 10 minute free-write* is on Windows.

In my living room, windows are obstructed by air conditioners, make it hard to see.  At least there is another window to look through.  There I see my sunsets, and I open the screen and shoot them with my camera, invariably capturing the very large tree down a couple of blocks.  Sometimes the sun sets behind her, and she looks all ablaze.

I think of the bedrooms I shared with Steve for so many years, and through so many windows.  Windows looking out on a quiet Bay Ridge street, with lamplight glowing.  Windows that looked over the back of 2-family houses, and the people that would hear my screaming at him as I so often did.  Windows too close for comfort.

Windows so high in Finland that they looked out upon the sky.  There were lower ones, too, but the high ones fascinated me.  There were meant to light the second landing, but were unreachable from there.

When I was a kid, living over my dad's bakery, I remember looking out the kitchen window, and I aw a few men coming to break into the bakery from the back yard.  I tried to scream but it got cauht in y throat.  I tried to fun to my father, but my legs were paralyzed, so frightened this made me.  I finally got to tell him, and I can't remember what happened after that.

~Sapphire looking out the window~



*A free-write is a type of automatic writing, where you just go with your stream of consciousness non-stop. There's no thought to spelling or grammar, and no editing of words. Supposedly this opens the mind up to greater creativity. They can be 5, 10 or 20 minutes long. Visit Evie, whom I freewrite with, at the space between colors.

15/365 treasures

Today's 10 minute free-write* is on Treasures.

Locked away in drawers, private memories of life's events, kept safe -- as if one needs to lock away such stuff.  I keep mine exposed and hung on walls, in memory boxes.  These are some of my treasures.
To say the people in my life are treasures would probably be an understatement.  And the cats, of course.  Well, at least Little Guy; Morrison, not so much.
Some of my small treasures--teeny tiny bottles from Jim, where he collected Pacific ocean water for me some 30+ years ago, now all dried up. In the other one is some magic of sorts, I can't quite remember.
A tiny pink glass elephant that my mother had a few of, but only this one survived. 
So many thing -- things I covet.  All amount to memories, it seems.  What treasure doesn't evoke a memory?  The contents of my old power pouch.  Hummingbird wings.  Crystals are my treasures, but do not evoke common memory, but memory of the ages.

*A free-write is a type of automatic writing, where you just go with your stream of consciousness non-stop. There's no thought to spelling or grammar, and no editing of words. Supposedly this opens the mind up to greater creativity. They can be 5, 10 or 20 minutes long. Visit Evie, whom I freewrite with, at the space between colors.