Published Authors

A place for budding and experienced authors to share ideas about publishing and marketing books
 
HomeHome  GalleryGallery  Latest imagesLatest images  RegisterRegister  Log in  Featured MembersFeatured Members  ArticlesArticles  

 

 So, There I Was

Go down 
+8
Shelagh
LeeBrown2010
LC
slb
dkchristi
Abe F. March
alj
Betty Fasig
12 posters
Go to page : Previous  1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9  Next
AuthorMessage
Abe F. March
Five Star Member
Five Star Member
Abe F. March


Number of posts : 10768
Registration date : 2008-01-26
Age : 85
Location : Germany

So, There I Was - Page 2 Empty
PostSubject: Re: So, There I Was   So, There I Was - Page 2 EmptySun Jul 03, 2011 10:31 pm

Went out to dinner yesterday to a very nice restaurant. The lady at the table next to us asked the waitress if the salad & vegetables were locally grown. The waitress said she didn’t know but would inquire. She returned and said, “Yes, we get our vegetables from local sources.”
Note: The E.coli virus in Germany gives concern to vegetables.
I can imagine that the next time I go there to see some notation on the menu indicating that their vegetables come from local sources.

The act of inquiring brings attention to the concerns of patrons (citizens), and that is passed on. It is something we can all do.
Back to top Go down
LC
Five Star Member
Five Star Member
LC


Number of posts : 5044
Registration date : 2009-03-28

So, There I Was - Page 2 Empty
PostSubject: Re: So, There I Was   So, There I Was - Page 2 EmptyMon Jul 04, 2011 10:46 am

Speaking of windfalls and lotteries. Someone on the Writer's Net board just sold her first novel and got a $400K advance. See, it can be done -just wish I could do it! lol
Back to top Go down
Betty Fasig
Five Star Member
Five Star Member
Betty Fasig


Number of posts : 4334
Registration date : 2008-06-12
Age : 81
Location : Duette, Florida

So, There I Was - Page 2 Empty
PostSubject: Re: So, There I Was   So, There I Was - Page 2 EmptyThu Jul 07, 2011 5:30 pm

So, There I was,
Thinking about that person on the Writer's board and her 400K advance.

Winking and blinking did me no good at all.

To get my mind around that kind of possibility will take an act of God or a brain infusion.

I got to thinking that I am really lazy about this book promotion.

To give myself credit, at first I was gung ho, did all that anyone told me would help. I got my name in the local papers, went to author-thons, set up signings with the independent stores, spent lots and lots of money, got my book into libraries, schools have the audio and the print book in libraries, did readings, and at last, I gave it all up.

I am just another old bat who wrote a book. No one cares at all.

I take that back a bit, because all of you have cared and been so very, very nice. Shelagh has edited and done all of that with her kind heart for nothing.
It is time for my contract to be up with my publisher. I am nigh on to 70 years old. I do not really know what to do next. I am inclined to give up.

Then, my ego kicks in and I would like my little book, Wooffer, to be my voice when I am no longer on this earth, to say that every life has worth and is blessed by the creator of life with purpose, from the smallest that we cannot see to the very most impressive, mankind.

I doubt that many people ever get to have the opportunity to say what they would like to have said before they pass on.

At least you all know what I have in my heart and my family does. that is something.

Love,
Betty
Back to top Go down
http://woofferwood.webs.com/
Abe F. March
Five Star Member
Five Star Member
Abe F. March


Number of posts : 10768
Registration date : 2008-01-26
Age : 85
Location : Germany

So, There I Was - Page 2 Empty
PostSubject: Re: So, There I Was   So, There I Was - Page 2 EmptyThu Jul 07, 2011 10:30 pm

Betty, you have expressed much that mirror my own feelings.
I am sick of self-promotion. I am tired of trying to promote my books. Age may have something to do with it, yet it is age (wisdom) that tells me that beating on a dead horse won't make it run.
What we say, disappears. What we write will remain. We may not live to see the result of our writings, yet we know that what we wrote will live on.

Whether I continue to write or withdraw is a choice I alone must make.
I am where I am today because of the choices I made. Some were right and some were wrong. I am not displeased with the aggregate of choices I made.
Doing something or doing nothing is a choice. Doing nothing is rather boring. I suppose as long as I have life in me, I am inclined to do something.
Back to top Go down
alj
Five Star Member
Five Star Member
alj


Number of posts : 9633
Registration date : 2008-12-05
Age : 80
Location : San Antonio

So, There I Was - Page 2 Empty
PostSubject: Re: So, There I Was   So, There I Was - Page 2 EmptyFri Jul 08, 2011 5:19 am

Betty and Abe, I hear you both. I am about 4 weeks from turning 68. I think about that sometimes, and feel this sense of awe at just still being.

I believe that each and every person born has an essential and unique purpose that no one else can fill. When I remember that I am a retired senior citizen, I wonder about such stuff, and often find myself reaching for a couple of little books I keep at my desk. Both are written by Richard Bach, and one is compiled with bits from the other: Illusions, The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah and Messiah's Handbook: Reminders for the Advanced Soul. I look for a specific passage that reads, "Here is a test to find whether your mission on earth is finished: If you're alive, it isn't."

As I was looking it up just now, to make sure I remembered it precisely so my quote would be accurate, I came across this one: "In order to live freely and happily, you must sacrifice boredom. It is not always an easy sacrifice."

Have a very good day, friends.

Ann
Back to top Go down
http://www.annjoiner.com
Betty Fasig
Five Star Member
Five Star Member
Betty Fasig


Number of posts : 4334
Registration date : 2008-06-12
Age : 81
Location : Duette, Florida

So, There I Was - Page 2 Empty
PostSubject: Re: So, There I Was   So, There I Was - Page 2 EmptySun Jul 24, 2011 4:49 pm

So, There I Was . . .
It must have been sixty odd years ago. I must have been nine years old. I had found a tube of lipstick somewhere and had applied it with glee. I was at school.

The lipstick was not a big hit with the teachers. I had to go to the principal's office. The Principal sent me to the nurse.

She looked at my freighted face and said, "Do not worry. We will wash your face. You will be ok."

She wetted a towel and washed my crying eyes, my snotty nose, my eyebrows, my hair line, and my mouth. I have never forgotten that kind lady.

I was looking at my Wooffer, Sarah and Jazzmin. They are all elderly dogs. Wooffer is on to 16. His eyes water and goo up. I thought of that time I was washed and now I wash my dogs faces every day with a wet paper towel. They feel the difference right away.

I think they feel as good as I did that day that the school nurse washed my tears away.

A brand new day!

Love,
Betty
Back to top Go down
http://woofferwood.webs.com/
Betty Fasig
Five Star Member
Five Star Member
Betty Fasig


Number of posts : 4334
Registration date : 2008-06-12
Age : 81
Location : Duette, Florida

So, There I Was - Page 2 Empty
PostSubject: Re: So, There I Was   So, There I Was - Page 2 EmptyTue Sep 06, 2011 5:26 pm

So, There I was . . .

David was flossing his teeth and watching American Pickers, which is a show about people who go out and look for treasures in peoples trash that they have for sale.



Me?



I was eating Brach's fruit slices and having a vodka and grapefruit (red), thinking about Mary Higgins Clark and how she is no Agatha Christi.



The difference, I think is that Mary tells you right up front who is doing the dirty deeds, why they are doing them and to whom. She tries to add in a bit of horror, too, and then writes to make the whole thing connect.



I prefer Agatha, I think.



But then, I never remember the endings of either.



Love,

Betty
Back to top Go down
http://woofferwood.webs.com/
LC
Five Star Member
Five Star Member
LC


Number of posts : 5044
Registration date : 2009-03-28

So, There I Was - Page 2 Empty
PostSubject: Re: So, There I Was   So, There I Was - Page 2 EmptyTue Sep 06, 2011 6:35 pm

You sure like those vodka grapefruits, don't you? lol. You mention them in lots of stories. Too bad I don't like any alcohol, you make them sound good even to me.
Back to top Go down
dkchristi
Five Star Member
Five Star Member
dkchristi


Number of posts : 8594
Registration date : 2008-12-29
Location : Florida

So, There I Was - Page 2 Empty
PostSubject: Re: So, There I Was   So, There I Was - Page 2 EmptyWed Sep 07, 2011 4:20 am

I see that vodka comes in flavors now - strawberry, etc. I don't drink alcohol but understand it tastes like a soda. Some soda! I think I'll stick with strawberry soda.
Back to top Go down
http://www.dkchristi.webs.com
Betty Fasig
Five Star Member
Five Star Member
Betty Fasig


Number of posts : 4334
Registration date : 2008-06-12
Age : 81
Location : Duette, Florida

So, There I Was - Page 2 Empty
PostSubject: Re: So, There I Was   So, There I Was - Page 2 EmptyWed Sep 07, 2011 1:56 pm

Dear LC,

There are folks in my own family who would tell you that I wrote Wooffer four sheets to the breeze. sunny





Love,

Betty
Back to top Go down
http://woofferwood.webs.com/
Betty Fasig
Five Star Member
Five Star Member
Betty Fasig


Number of posts : 4334
Registration date : 2008-06-12
Age : 81
Location : Duette, Florida

So, There I Was - Page 2 Empty
PostSubject: Re: So, There I Was   So, There I Was - Page 2 EmptyMon Sep 19, 2011 5:36 pm

So, There I was . . .



My plan was to spray all the weeds on the ground cover that are under the hydroponic stacks that I have spent the last month covering with clear plastic bags. That was to solarize the media and save me the expense and labor of empying and refilling 19,440 styrofoam pots. (I hope this works).



I have a little Craftsman mower that has been here before time out of mind. I had just bought a new battery in hopes that it would start right away, and then a new starter because the battery was not the problem, and so....this morning I went out all convinced that the danged thing would start right away.



My 25 gallon spray tank is attached to the battery with a neat little wire.



No sound of ignition came forth with the turning of the key.

Interuption.



Continued tomorrow...



Love Betty
Back to top Go down
http://woofferwood.webs.com/
Abe F. March
Five Star Member
Five Star Member
Abe F. March


Number of posts : 10768
Registration date : 2008-01-26
Age : 85
Location : Germany

So, There I Was - Page 2 Empty
PostSubject: Re: So, There I Was   So, There I Was - Page 2 EmptyMon Sep 19, 2011 11:47 pm

Betty,
those ignition/starters can be fickle. I recall my motorcycle (ages ago) with the kick crank. Someone advised me to install a starter. I had problems with it and eventually went back to the crank. The downside of the crank is that with age, cranking loses much of the required force.

Waiting for the continuation of your story. Hope you're using the right key. Smile
Back to top Go down
Betty Fasig
Five Star Member
Five Star Member
Betty Fasig


Number of posts : 4334
Registration date : 2008-06-12
Age : 81
Location : Duette, Florida

So, There I Was - Page 2 Empty
PostSubject: Re: So, There I Was   So, There I Was - Page 2 EmptyTue Sep 20, 2011 7:04 am

Oh, it was the right key, Abe.



I put the electrical battery charger on the battery and went about fertilizing the roses and all my flower beds. I wear a long sleeved shirt to keep some of the sun off my old hide.



I had just put out all the fertilizer and came into the porch to get some water to drink. As I glanced over my right shoulder, to my surprise and I imagine hers too, there sat Matilda, the banana spider. Matilda is a formidable spider even if she is missing one leg. I had forgotten about her new home in the doorway of the fertilzer shed. Here is a picture of Matilda.

So, There I Was - Page 2 Banana20spider-thumb.



I almost hurt myself getting the shirt off. I put the shirt with her clinging to it on the bird seed chest just outside the door. She sat there a while. I went to find a long stick to take her back to the shed, but when I returned she had gone her own way.



Now, I know that Matilda had no intention of hurting me but what a jolt it gave to my heart to see her four inch self standing on my shoulder!



The battery charger did the trick with the Craftsman and it started right up. Something must be draining the battery. I went on about the business of killing weeds for the rest of the day.



LOve,

Betty
Back to top Go down
http://woofferwood.webs.com/
LC
Five Star Member
Five Star Member
LC


Number of posts : 5044
Registration date : 2009-03-28

So, There I Was - Page 2 Empty
PostSubject: Re: So, There I Was   So, There I Was - Page 2 EmptyTue Sep 20, 2011 2:12 pm

Quote :
Matilda is a formidable spider even if she is missing one leg.

I see eight in the picture. Is it an old picture?

Maybe Matilda found herself with a "coyote ugly" other spider? lol
Back to top Go down
Betty Fasig
Five Star Member
Five Star Member
Betty Fasig


Number of posts : 4334
Registration date : 2008-06-12
Age : 81
Location : Duette, Florida

So, There I Was - Page 2 Empty
PostSubject: Re: So, There I Was   So, There I Was - Page 2 EmptyTue Sep 20, 2011 2:42 pm

Dear LC,

Yes, Matilda was just gaining her womanhood when that picture was taken. Since, she has grown into her full self.



The thing about banana spider husbands is that they are small, very small in comparison to their wifes. They are very careful during mating because as soon as the female is satisfied the next generation is well on the way, she sucks the juice right out of the old man, leaving him a dangling little carcass in her web. She has not the least remorse, either.



Spiderdom is a matriarchal society. The girls get big and glorious and get to wear golden gowns and spin golden webs. The males are just toy boys who never make it through the summer.



Love,

Betty
Back to top Go down
http://woofferwood.webs.com/
alj
Five Star Member
Five Star Member
alj


Number of posts : 9633
Registration date : 2008-12-05
Age : 80
Location : San Antonio

So, There I Was - Page 2 Empty
PostSubject: Re: So, There I Was   So, There I Was - Page 2 EmptyTue Sep 20, 2011 3:30 pm

Quote :
Spiderdom is a matriarchal society. The girls get big and glorious and get to wear golden gowns and spin golden webs. The males are just toy boys who never make it through the summer.
I love reading Betty's writing.

Ann
Back to top Go down
http://www.annjoiner.com
Betty Fasig
Five Star Member
Five Star Member
Betty Fasig


Number of posts : 4334
Registration date : 2008-06-12
Age : 81
Location : Duette, Florida

So, There I Was - Page 2 Empty
PostSubject: Re: So, There I Was   So, There I Was - Page 2 EmptyTue Sep 20, 2011 5:26 pm

Ann, you are a hoot!



Today, my son, Jeff, came out and I told him about Matilda on my shoulder. I took him out to the old hoop house that is 100 feet long, and thirty feet wide, uninhabited by plants these days and mostly the glorious domain of the Golden Orb Weavers and their spouses and the little silver spiders that hang in the huge webs awaiting small, small insects that the big spiders do not notice. The webs are five feet around and the big golden spiders hang there awaiting the unsuspecting insect, lizard, worm, or what ever can be caught in the web and not rip it to shreds. The little boy friends are hanging in there, too. There must be fifty or sixty webs inside that hoop.



It is like letting your eyes get accustomed to a certain light to be able to see where they are hanging. Otherwise, there you go blind into a mass of webs.



Once, when I was new to this Florida space and these woods and did not know about the big spiders, I went riding behind David on a four-wheeler through the woods at night.



The webs caught in my hair, on my coat, clung to my face. On we raced through that darkness with only head lights in front and my David laughing his behind off. Remarkably, when we got out of the woods and cast the light of the flashlight upon my self, not one spider had made it out of the woods on me. I had a vodka and grapefruit when I got home.



Love,

Betty
Back to top Go down
http://woofferwood.webs.com/
Betty Fasig
Five Star Member
Five Star Member
Betty Fasig


Number of posts : 4334
Registration date : 2008-06-12
Age : 81
Location : Duette, Florida

So, There I Was - Page 2 Empty
PostSubject: Re: So, There I Was   So, There I Was - Page 2 EmptySat Oct 01, 2011 5:33 pm

So, There I Was,

trying to go to sleep. I started thinking about how you're are not supposed to look at the light if you are dying and every time I shut my eyes, I could see the light at the end of a dark tunnel. I knew I was not dying, so I could not help myself, I had to look. I looked a lot! Faces began to form in the light. I know this sounds bizarre, but, in the dark with my eyes shut, images faded and contorted into other faces so quickly that I began to enjoy the show!

Every little once in a while, David gave me the elbow. He said I was snoring! I know I was wide awake....I think.



Love,

Betty


Last edited by Betty Fasig on Sat Oct 01, 2011 5:57 pm; edited 1 time in total
Back to top Go down
http://woofferwood.webs.com/
alj
Five Star Member
Five Star Member
alj


Number of posts : 9633
Registration date : 2008-12-05
Age : 80
Location : San Antonio

So, There I Was - Page 2 Empty
PostSubject: Re: So, There I Was   So, There I Was - Page 2 EmptySat Oct 01, 2011 5:39 pm

What is that old Oriental saying/ "Last night I went to sleep and dreamed I was a butterfly, and today I don't know if I am a man who dreamed he was a butterfly, or a butterfly dreaming he is a mam."

I think we are all butterflies, spiders, and fairies.

Ann
Back to top Go down
http://www.annjoiner.com
LeeBrown2010
Three Star Member
Three Star Member



Number of posts : 84
Registration date : 2011-09-24
Location : South Carolina

So, There I Was - Page 2 Empty
PostSubject: Re: So, There I Was   So, There I Was - Page 2 EmptySat Oct 01, 2011 5:58 pm

Betty,



I was there too…..

Standing alone and wondering what Heaven was like.

While I stood there, I looked up and there was the sky.

Beautiful and powder blue

Would I ever get there one day?

And, will I really connect with all those who left me behind?

See I believe in the afterlife but not before life on earth.

Live life to the fullest….without regrets.

I was there too…..

And life was good.

Lee
Back to top Go down
http://www.touchedbypeopleplacesandthings.com
Betty Fasig
Five Star Member
Five Star Member
Betty Fasig


Number of posts : 4334
Registration date : 2008-06-12
Age : 81
Location : Duette, Florida

So, There I Was - Page 2 Empty
PostSubject: Re: So, There I Was   So, There I Was - Page 2 EmptySat Oct 01, 2011 6:07 pm

Dreams like that, the butterfly dream. are a connection, I think, to the universal plasma of the universe and when we dream those dreams, we are liquid and can flow.

I have flown so far and felt so free that upon awaking, I wonder if I am sane.

Love,

Betty
Back to top Go down
http://woofferwood.webs.com/
alj
Five Star Member
Five Star Member
alj


Number of posts : 9633
Registration date : 2008-12-05
Age : 80
Location : San Antonio

So, There I Was - Page 2 Empty
PostSubject: Re: So, There I Was   So, There I Was - Page 2 EmptySat Oct 01, 2011 6:25 pm

Benn there.

Ann
Back to top Go down
http://www.annjoiner.com
Abe F. March
Five Star Member
Five Star Member
Abe F. March


Number of posts : 10768
Registration date : 2008-01-26
Age : 85
Location : Germany

So, There I Was - Page 2 Empty
PostSubject: Re: So, There I Was   So, There I Was - Page 2 EmptySat Oct 01, 2011 11:59 pm

Bertty,
Don't be surprised if you bump into some of us during one of your flights. Very Happy
Back to top Go down
Betty Fasig
Five Star Member
Five Star Member
Betty Fasig


Number of posts : 4334
Registration date : 2008-06-12
Age : 81
Location : Duette, Florida

So, There I Was - Page 2 Empty
PostSubject: Re: So, There I Was   So, There I Was - Page 2 EmptyFri Oct 14, 2011 5:13 pm

So, There I Was . . .

Looking out my back door. It was late, we had been blessed with a torrential downpour that lasted a long time. Out of nowhere came a 'possum with all her children attached. I was not ready. No camera in hand, just standing there looking out to the woods. I found this picture on line. It says it all.

So, There I Was - Page 2 ATT00136

The joy of motherhood, magnified.



Love,

Betty
Back to top Go down
http://woofferwood.webs.com/
Betty Fasig
Five Star Member
Five Star Member
Betty Fasig


Number of posts : 4334
Registration date : 2008-06-12
Age : 81
Location : Duette, Florida

So, There I Was - Page 2 Empty
PostSubject: Re: So, There I Was   So, There I Was - Page 2 EmptyWed Oct 19, 2011 5:49 pm

So, There I was . . .

Lost.

For years on end, I always had a plan for the day written down. The writing of the plan seemed to set it into my brain and I knew what I was about in the morning.

I have covered the hydroponics with solar bags to be free of the gardening for a while. I did all the house cleaning that I had put off. The ceiling fans, the closets, the windows, the baseboards . . .

I have planted and nurtured the gardens around the house, fed birds, repaired wind chimes, collected seeds gone for walks.

Yet, here I am. Lost.

Today, I decided to plant black-eyed peas for the deer. It is a focus.



Love,

Betty
Back to top Go down
http://woofferwood.webs.com/
Sponsored content





So, There I Was - Page 2 Empty
PostSubject: Re: So, There I Was   So, There I Was - Page 2 Empty

Back to top Go down
 
So, There I Was
Back to top 
Page 2 of 9Go to page : Previous  1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9  Next

Permissions in this forum:You cannot reply to topics in this forum
Published Authors :: General :: Writers' Blogs-
Jump to: