Candyland

I found this photo taken by Monica when she was very little. She  used a simple kiddie camera, but it's composed so well! I love the way she lined up the gingerbread men holding hands. And the shadows behind them. It always amazes me to see the world from her perspective.

 

Back when she took this picture, she was an almost-undefeated master of the game. Her innocent luck overwhelmed us. Of course it became her favorite game!

Now at age 15, her tastes have become more advanced. She enjoys "Apples to Apples" and "Sequence." She plays those games with average ability and luck.  But if she asks you to play UNO, watch out! She is an UNO card shark with a killer strategy. Don't let her sweet face fool you. She takes fiendish delight in swamping her opponents with Draw 4's and Draw 2's right away. No holding back until an opportune moment. She is on the offensive and will take adults down!

Missing Mom

It was a year ago that Mom left us to join Dad in heaven. So last night we enjoyed Tastee Toasties (soda floats) with dinner in memory of her.  It was Andrea's idea, and she also brought a beautiful pink calla lily plant to cheer me up.  

We all miss you, Gramma!

Happy Old Couple

This is an adorable photo taken at the Nebraska Humane Society to advertise these 12-year-old Cocker Spaniels.  They were possibly  litter-mates, but definitely lived their lives in the same home and needed to stay together. They ended up at NHS when their owner passed away. 

They had been at NHS for over a month when I spotted them while making a donation of old towels. Lacey (on the right) hooked me with her quiet smile and cute head-tilt. 

Tanner was taking his afternoon nap, so he didn't impress me much at first. But he had a chance to show his mellow, grandpa-type personality when I brought the whole family back to meet them. 

They were both so affectionate to all of us right away. They even accepted our old Cockapoo, Lulu, without any issues. So we took them home that day, a week before Thanksgiving.

The timing seemed like a poor choice with family coming home soon, but it worked out fine. The three dogs were a little underfoot, but they increased the affection level in our home enormously.

Ironically, two months before we adopted these two, I had posted a poem about adopting Lulu on the NHS site. (The photo below was taken in 2013, shortly after we adopted her.) The poem is even more appropriate now that I have three eternally grateful shadows.

 LULU

by Janet Sobczyk, 2016ⓒ

My shadow

not just a sunny-day presence

she's there rain or shine.

Not a replica of me in silhouette

she's entirely herself

with four legs 

and blonde, curly fur.

She mirrors my love

lies near my feet

follows me around

eternally grateful for being adopted. 

 

Recently Published in Magazine

My creative non-fiction piece, "Death of a Dryer" tied for second place in the Screamin' Mamas Magazine Spring 2016 Writing Contest. It appeared in their fall/holiday issue, which was a pleasant surprise. I assumed only the first-place pieces would appear. I love the humorous photo they found for it!

In the same issue, they also included my light-hearted poem, Collections, which validates the things we collect that have meaning to us, but pokes a little fun at their upkeep. 

Screamin' Mamas is a quarterly print-edition magazine that highlights the writing of mothers.  Check out their website at www.screaminmamas.com.
Many thanks to copy editor, Lena Luig, for her email encouragement!

Baseball Memories

  Monica in a spring game at the AllPlay Miracle League field. 

Carolyn in a softball game in D.C. last year.

                                   

Slugger Joe years ago.

  

Pete had his game face on back then!

Andrea had the least interest in softball.  Did it show?

More Mandalas

More Mandalas from The Little Book of Coloring for Calm by Madonna Gauding that I colored and added simple cinquain poems to describe.

The jagged lines in this first one seemed such a stark contrast to the center circle, so I used bold colors and a calm blue to create the feeling in the cinquain.

Friction

irritating, annoying 

nerves on edge

seek quiet space

calm

This next one was inspired by the propeller shapes in the middle ring that made me think of a plane  circling the field at the center.  The sunflowers and green circles around outer rim represent the plants. 

 

Plane

yellow, old

swooping, turning, spraying

over the fields

crop duster 

The small circles in this one reminded me of heads.  The 10 octopus-like arms reminded me of multi-tasking.  The center, colored yellow and orange, represents energy.  The use of blue for the outside rim symbolizes the calm and focus that teachers strive to create in a classroom.

 

Juggler

planning, multi-tasking, caring

lighting a spark

in 25 students

Teacher

This last one seems self-explanatory.
 

Bouquet

fresh, fragrant

thoughtful gift

of roses and thorns

love

The mandalas were used in this post with permission from the publisher, Roly Allen. 

Mandalas for inspiration

I bought The Little Book of Coloring for Calm: 100 Mandalas for Relaxation in Minutes by Madonna Gauding this winter and have enjoyed coloring these small designs as a soothing activity.  

Then, I began to see how utilizing one creative outlet can inspire another one.  In my case, the mandalas inspired me to write cinquain poetry.  These simple, 5-line poems are an enjoyable way for me to keep writing even when I have little time.

The circle of sunbursts in this mandala inspired my poem, Ideas.

  Ideas

flashes of inspiration

pearls of wisdom

on the right track

in the flow

The woven and circular patterns in this one inspired my poem, Infinite.

Infinite

no beginning

never ending

life after life

timeless 

The center spiral of this next one brought to mind movement through a tunnel toward a light, which became this memorial to my parents.

The blue and green outer rim represents life on earth.  The colored dots represent my parents' birthstones (Dad = pink tourmaline and Mom = green peridot) as they spiral in decline toward the tunnel.  Dad went a few short years ahead of Mom.

Final Journey

sadness, pain

waiting, praying, releasing

to the light

home



The outer rim and circles of this one suggested a stairway, and my nervousness about heights inspired the poem, Staircase.

 Staircase
steep, spiral
climbing, slipping, falling
in my mind
vertigo

Permission to post these mandalas on my blog was granted by the publisher, Roly Allen .