Staying “Up”💛

I’m buying lots of yellow flowers these days—yellow zinnias for the garden, yellow tulips for the house…my mini-attempts at bringing sunshine into my life as a counter balance to the shortening days that September brings.

I’m also trying new things, like contra dancing (fun and humbling), making daily fresh simple microwave applesauce from apples from our one apple tree, reading more poetry and playing with words.  For example, I love the word “home,” partially because I love home (!), and also because the word contains “he” “me,” and “om!!” And how about “create,” with “eat,”  and “ate.” And then there’s “hearth”—oh, my…take a gander at all the words there! And how about the word “open”…I often see it as “oh, pen”— an homage to one of the instruments that allows us to write, to express, to make our mark.

My playing with words continues with having heard an interview that led me to buy a book called Eat Your Words: A Kansas Poetry Cookbook, edited by Traci Brimhall, Poet Laureate of Kansas.  The book unites “Kansas chefs and Kansas poets.”  As Traci says in her introduction, “food is an excellent connection point that can plant the seed for creativity and conversation.  Poetry can be a place of nourishment, a bounty, a feast.”

Traci asked each of her selected poets to respond to one of the recipes, using the recipes as writing prompts.  For example, a recipe for Fresh Corn Polenta with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes is followed by a poem called “Aunt Jane’s Tomatoes.” She also gives prompts to the readers at the end of the book in a section called “Recipes for Poems.”  As you can imagine, I am really enjoying this book.

I’m also working with words for a set of watercolor collages I’ve just started. One is called “Let’s Bloom;” another is “Blessed by Beauty.”  Sweet words, colors and beauty—all good for the spirit!

I hope this finds all of you well and “up.” 🤗 

                   💛 “Long live the sun which gives us such beautiful color.”                                                                                                  Paul Cezanne