Guess what I found!

            In my last blog, I mentioned that I spoke to the Ottawa Independent Writers. As a result of that evening, I was requested to do a podcast and since I’m not the least bit humble here’s the link http://www.brookebroadbent.com/resources/Molly_O.mp3

You should know that I enjoy speaking to groups and presenting seminars on writing memoirs and flash fiction. That being said, if you are interested in either please jot me a note at fourteencups@hotmail.com I am considering doing a couple at our farm in August.

            Now to my wanderings – as you might have already guessed, I get very excited when I find that special wildflower and doubly so if I manage to capture a decent photo of the same. Well I didn’t have to wander far this week before my adrenaline peaked. Always searching for hidden blooms, I have developed a keen eye (a walking buddy often exclaims how did you see that!?) and yesterday, as I was power-walking along our road, my eye caught a spot of red. I sent a wish to my gods hoping beyond hoping that I had found a pink orchid. YES! There it was, in early bloom, one of Canada’s rarest that you may know as a Pink Ladies Slipper.

          

  I mustn’t discount the yellow orchids that are plentiful this year or the water iris tucked in the damp woods. This dry spring without high winds has produced exceptional subject matter. Grey skies this morning, but my camera will still hang around my neck – just in case – on my morning walk.

Life's Little Rewards

There are times in your life that bring you rewards beyond expectations. Yesterday was that kind of day. Of course all my ‘followers’ know that I love warm weather and try my best to escape winter. When the temperatures soar, my energy levels rise and I feel capable of anything. So I did my morning walk and added a half mile, attacked the rose garden then wandered off to a garden centre and purchased roses, roses, roses. In case you haven’t guessed, I really like ‘em! Of course they don’t warrant photos yet but keep posted.

Some time ago, the Ottawa Independent Writes asked me to share my thoughts on writing short stories. I spoke to a very attentive audience and was rewarded by several people coming up to me after and thanking me for an informative evening. And my greatest reward? My granddaughter, who had come with me to hear me speak, gave me the biggest reward of all. When driving home, I asked her if she learned anything and it was then she held up my handout on 11 points to editing and said – “I’m tacking this up over my desk as soon as I get home.” Wow, there can be no better reward. Now that’s something to crow about.

Blossoms and Thieves

Sometimes one hears a call and answers. A choir member put out an all-call for help getting her house renovated to meet a deadline for a TV show. I offered my help because I was curious and thought that it might be a good socializing experience – besides, I’m good with a paint brush and roller. Four afternoons later the house is due for its final inspection today. When I left yesterday, she was expecting an all-nighter to finish putting everything back together. Good luck Sue.

            Contrary to all news report saying that apple trees in this area were hard hit by frost and apples will be scarce, the blossoms have been outstanding. In our front yard, we have an ornamental flowering crab that truly outdid itself and although the colours have faded continues to take ones breath away. Unlike previous years we haven’t had high winds and storms so the petals have not blown away after a few days. In fact, our tree has been glorious for over a week.

            I have a marauder in my bird feeder. No, it is not a squirrel or chipmunk. I have enough trouble with them in my garden now this! Note the broken screen - yep, chickens are really too heavy for bird feeders.

In the woods

            Sometimes when one goes wandering it is all about seeing loved ones. I spent four days with relatives and friends to return home happy I had booted the highways. I didn’t even take my camera. However, once back the wonderful maple forest at the head of our road beckoned for my return. Within that week away a profusion of fauna had burst through the soil, some in full array and some promising more to come. When I last visited the wood I spied a single little hepatica so my goal was to see if there was more. There was an abundance of them! However, in that short time they had bloomed and turned to producing seed so I was disappointed. Just as I was leaving to head home a flash of white caught my eye. And there it was, delicate posing saucily against a birch log. I’m not enamoured with the photo result but thrilled to have found my target.

             I know not everyone gets as excited at finding nature’s treasures but you will have to bear with me. There were crowds of trillium, dog-toothed violets, yellow violets, purple violets and bell flowers. I spied wild ginger and peered beneath to see if any were in bloom and there they were (see pic) but the real treasure of the day stood glorious and breathtaking beside the laneway – two apple trees in full bloom survived untouched by the frost. When I got home I realized I had been gone over two hours, it felt like a fleeting moment.  Its been raining since then so my next foray will likely find new wild flowers, blossoms and leaves.

            Today, I’m wandering off to join a group of volunteers who are renovating a choir member’s house.

May Day

            Driving by a small maple woods at the end of our road last Friday, I spy a flash of white – a multitude of blossoms spread across the forest floor. The next morning, eager for the promised sunlight, I bundle up, grab my camera and head for the woods.

            A carpet of trilliums, small, brave and very confused at being wakened a month early hang their miniature heads timidly braving the cold air. Maybe it is global warming that forced them out of their cozy beds and into foreign light. I shake my head and hope nature does not pull one of her cruel tricks and kill them with a sharp drop in temperature. Of course she does – the very next day.

            I had never ventured into this wood in all the years living here as it is private property but now the new owners have become friends so I headed happily along the leaf strewn pathway. It was a morning of discovery. I found hepatica, wild ginger, nightshade, dog-toothed violets, moss and fungi. The skies remained grey and the damp air penetrating, but I was lost in discovery. My camera stayed around my neck, oh I did take the odd picture but the light was wrong and the subjects bent their heads to the ground, shivering in the steady wind. There were some interesting textures of leaf and bark, but again the lighting was all wrong but I’ll share one. My venture left me delighted with the prospect of another visit next week perhaps. But now the road beckons and I’m heading off to visit friends and relatives in southern Ontario. I may wander off road and see what my lens can capture in a kinder climate.

A Gift for You

Since you follow my blog, you know I write. I have published several books.

            Fourteen Cups (2006) is a collection of short stories each about a cuppa coffee long and of course there are 14 stories – sorry they are sold out.

            Wandering Backward (2010) a glimpse backward to small town Ontario in 1944/45 is written in creative memoir style. What is that you ask? It simply means I wrote it as if it happened but it is indeed creative memory featuring fictitious characters with the exception of myself and my immediate family. Yes, some of the stories actually happened, others didn’t – I leave it to the reader to decide which is which. I wrote it to capture the little things that might be forgotten. Wandering Backwards is available through http://www.gsph.com/.

            Snow Business (2011) is a children’s book written in rhythm and rhyme for children ages 2-7. A moose and a goose have a very different view on what to do with snow. Snow Business is available on http://www.amazon.com/

            I’d love to sell books but that is not why I’m writing this blog today. I started my writing career by selling short stories to various magazines, newspapers and anthologies like Chicken Soup for the Soul (Chicken soup for the Soul Grandmothers and Chicken Soup for the Soul O Canada)(available almost everywhere). The reason I’m writing today is to tell you that I want to share a short story with you for FREE.

            Because you take an interest in my scribblings through my blog, I thought you deserved to receive a gift. As soon as you become a follower on my blog, I will send a story to your email address absolutely FREE. Enjoy my gift to you and maybe there will be more to come.

A dreary day

April 4, 2012

Today is the kind of day that deceives you. The thermometer says that the temperature is tolerable and speaks of spring awakening. It is ten degrees above freezing - not that one would notice. I am hunkered beneath a cozy throw, with the fireplace glowing and I’m about to pour a glass of wine and watch a soppy movie. That is what one does on a bone chilling day in Canada, or anywhere else for that matter. In deference to the dreary skies and the high winds and my poor arthritic bones, I’m about to waste the rest of my day. Now, mind you, I did earn this somewhat, I wasn’t a complete slacker today. I did my usual morning exercises and took a 20 minute brisk walk, vacuumed and cleaned the bathroom so I have no guilt feeling what-so-ever. As to choice of movie, I’m leaning toward An Affair to Remember, can’t get much soppier than that.

You see, I’m definitely a sunshine girl, my energy levels lift and fall as the sun shines or doesn’t. So when the promise of warm days lie ahead and sunsets are stretching into the evening hours, I bid farewell to seasonal programming and look longingly at the patch of earth waiting for me to be energized by long sunny days. Mind you, not all creatures find sunshine brings them to life. Check out our cats in the sun.

Spring continues

The pond is full of fish and I rescued a turtle from the dogs!

Can't win them all.

March 20, 2012

Ah well, we are all optimists and this early spring (of course it will last) just reinforces my high hopes. Last night, I slept with my four windows wide open and was wakened early by coyotes yipping as they moved through the woods. Today on my morning walk, two bunnies, still in their white winter coats, sat motionless on the cedar rail watching me puffing along. A cheery cardinal repeatedly answered my call and a Canada goose glided over head and settled in the field of a neighbour. The warmth of the sun felt wonderful on my old bones. It is so good to be walking briskly after a hiatus of seven months as I healed from that nasty fall.

As I turned into our driveway a glimpse of purple drew my attention and there were two brave little dwarf iris blooming away. So you see, I had every reason to be optimistic so when I opened my emails and saw that Amazon had posted the next round of their Breakthrough competition, I crossed my fingers and checked for my name. Ah well, it’s still a glorious day. Gonna grab my camera and catch the iris.

Begone Snow!

Feb. 29, 2012

I’m ready to come out of hibernation! Yesterday the sun shining in my garden room sent the temperature up to 19 degrees and I sucked up as much of the glorious rays as I could for an hour while sitting and reading Colleen McCullough. It was like a rebirth. Not Colleen McCullough, although she is one of my favourites, her subject matter is hardly rebirth stuff but I’ve managed to devour nearly everything she has published. Maybe Caesar oft times said “hurry sweet spring and cast away this nasty white stuff.”

While snuggled into my cozy corner this winter, I finished my novel and took the brave step of entering it into the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Contest. It operates a bit like American Idol. The contestants have to advance through stages. Stage one contestants advance strictly based on a sales pitch of 250 words. Stage two is based on a portion of the book then it is open to the general public for voting. Well, I made it into round two and I’m one happy puppy. It’s such an affirmation to sell one’s work and/or win a contest or, as in this case, advance to round two. Well winning it is not likely in the cards but I’m on the hunt for an agent and can now use my status in the competition as a selling point. One of my writing group in Sedona also made it (Peter Bernhardt) for his second time. You can see the results at www.amazon.com/abna.

So my wanderings this past few weeks has been mostly on the computer keys and, of course, I watched the Academy Awards.

Valentine's Day

Feb.14, 2012

One does not wander too far when the path is solid ice but the lure of blue water in the community pool is enough to have me inching carefully, keys in hand to the car. I’m into soft exercise, stretching etc. That would be because I hate sweating. Oh, yes, I’ve tried the classes where a svelte body with a grating voice yells as she’s announcing agonizing body movements to get the heart rate racing. Not only can I not keep in step, I have no connection between my ears, my brain and my feet. Yep, you guessed it. I was the only kid who did not advance in dancing class. Two left feet, no, just no connection feet to music. So that leaves me with swimming. But swimming in Canada in the dead of winter requires definite determination. It is all too easy to find excuses to avoid the effort. But not me, I fight my negative voice every Monday, Wednesday and Friday and head off to the pool. BTW, Happy Valentine’s day. I came down to the kitchen this morning to see my daughter serving her brood heart shaped pancakes. Now that’s love.

Frozen

January 29, 2012

            My wandering is pretty limited these days what with icy walkways and treacherous driving conditions. I did wander out on the veranda this morning to capture the rising sun reflecting on our ice-covered bushes.

            One of the great pleasures I have is sharing stories. This week I had the privilege to speak with a group of seniors at the wonderful new Kemptville library. Ottawa is hosting the National All Stars hockey tournament this weekend. Although I am not heading downtown for the festivities, I’m following it on television. How fortunate we are to live in such a vibrant community. Except for the weather, of course I am definitely not a cold weather person. Now there are folks that would counter by saying this is a mild winter. As far as I am concerned anything that remotely approaches the freezing point is intolerable. I often say that the only disservice my wonderful mother did to me was to have born me in a cold country.

            I finished the first edit of my novel-in-progress, well in order to get there, one does multi-edits targeting different aspects of the prose, but I can happily say, I think I covered them all - now to find the right publisher.

            Snow Business is sold out and I haven’t even launched it yet. This was totally unexpected and a delightful surprise. I expect to get copies by the end of February and do a launch at that time. In the meantime, I’ve returned to writing short stories and getting them off to anthologies and magazines. At least this weather does not inhibit writing, in fact, it likely encourages it because what else can one do? Watch the All Stars – that’s what.

New beginnings

January 10, 2012

Hey, I was so anxious to get rid of 2011 that I rang in the new year with Sidney Australia watching fireworks on TV at 8AM. Good riddance!

2012 is sure starting better, my physio sessions have made a vast improvement and I am walking almost limp free. I received a membership to the community pool for Christmas and spent yesterday morning lapping through the chlorine. I’m a little stiff today but that’s good – it means I used some lazy muscles.

Something that never lets me down is my Christmas cactus. I have two – one is from a cutting taken from my mother’s plant in 1962 (its 50 years old) and the other was taken from that old plant about 1978. Both old gals always burst into bloom for the Christmas season bringing me and mine much joy. Of course I grabbed my camera so I could show my readers.

The custom in our house – I have no idea where it originated, probably my old Polish grandma – but the new year is started by cleaning cupboards. I really enjoy this because I get to caress my collection of glass and reflect on how I acquired them. Now they sparkle and shine as I pass by – their way of saying thank you. Today, I tackle the pictures on the walls.

My resolution? Write, write, write. I have started well.

Happy New Year