Here are some of my favorite shoot out photos:
The downtown Paducah skyline from inside our performing arts center.
My son Jake, with pony Peter in 1986. Jake is 33. Peter is 31. Jake has had a rough go lately: this mother's heart sometimes feels squoze too tight to beat. As any mother of grown children knows.
Silhouettes.
Mama Pajama
Landmark
Circles
My son Jake, with pony Peter in 1986. Jake is 33. Peter is 31. Jake has had a rough go lately: this mother's heart sometimes feels squoze too tight to beat. As any mother of grown children knows.
Silhouettes.
Mama Pajama
Landmark
sunset at the Paducah Kennel Club
I love, love, love the idea of going on virtual visits to towns all over this great globe every Friday through the lenses of some gifted, creative, talented photographers. (Don't ask me how they let me in!) It's so personal. This virtual visiting. (Click on the camera on the right side bar to see what I mean.)
Which brings me to me. I miss you all!
In true Patience fashion, I have cut myself off from the very things which sustain me. My novel languishes. Every time I step into the shower the characters clamor at me:
Let us out! You've shut us in for far too long.
Little Hope stares dead on, letting me know that she expects more from me. Emily goes about her business. She avoids eye contact for the most part. She tries again to anchor a stray branch of curls behind her ear while she watches her dogs play tumble tag and she shoots me a glance to convey her disappointment. You have a story to tell, she says. Proper stops his playing for a moment, turns his handsome face to me and wags. I'm here waiting for you, he beams. When you are ready. I'm here.
I get out of the shower and shove them away.
Every morning that I'm not at the hospital, working, I say, "I'm going to spend the morning in Blogland today." And every evening I realize that I never made the time. What is with that? I let other stuff (crap, poop, shit even) take precedence. I've cut myself off from my friends.
I don't know why.
Do I feel as though I've run out of funny stories to tell? Am I just too tired? Have I over scheduled myself into a creative abyss? Or do I just have a good old case of writer's block? (I feel pretentious at this point even calling myself a writer.)
I don't know. What I do know is that I miss you all.
Circles
So do me a favor, and hug your hounds for me
Posts
There. I posted. Blah blah blah, but at least I posted something. Blah.
ReplyDeletePatience,
ReplyDeleteAll I can say is that we miss you too. But, if you believe, as I think you do, in the circles and the cycles of life, then don't be too hard on yourself. You've been working consecutive 12-hour shifts, remember???
Time for a hug yourself moment? Time to remind yourself that there's a time for everything (even if in today's world, it seems as though there is no time for anything at all)?
Joan and the Boychiks delivering hugs and love aplenty!!
We all want to do the fun things in life, sometimes we can get away with it but other times the boring, mundane & necessary things take precedence. Hopefully the fun will rise to the top soon. Just think of the dog shows you hope to attend in the summer, that you can only do 'cos you're working now. It is a wearing time of the year too but the nights are getting shorter & Spring bulbs are shooting (well they are here LOL) & with more sunshine life will look brighter too.
ReplyDeleteEvery day I check to see if there is something new from you but realise you are busy with work & dogs & home. Hopefully the 12 hour working days will turn into 8 hour days & life return to a more even keel, even if that does still include the other stuff (crap, shit, poop scooping too).
As long as the ideas are in your head your novel will emerge, like a butterfly from its chrysalis, maybe not as rapidly as you would like but at its own pace.
Keep smiling Patience & patience, please!
Keep your Sunny Side Up, Patience, and know we are all out here. Some (me) have a bad case of the Februaries and have become too witless to comment. So, blah, blah, blah right back atcha!
ReplyDeleteJo and Stella
What Jake from FL (whose name I like and who is obviously very wise) said.
ReplyDeleteI've missed your posts. I check every couple of days, but know you are busy. You're just establishing a new rhythm in your life. Give it time. It will come and then you'll write.
I can't believe Peter is still with us. Sorry to hear our Jake is having a rough go. I'm sending strong, positive honorary aunt energy. (Good Lord, I'm old. He's 33?)
you would think that being creative is relaxing - but no I think you have to have a certain internal peace to create. try creating something else, like (I hate to make this example cause I would hate it...)knit a blanket. do something that moves your hands but allows your mind to rest.
ReplyDeleteHugs from Brasil....
Patience
ReplyDeleteYou can't get wid of us that easily, heheh we undewstand about wunning out of time and having too many things to do, but once you have come into ouw heawts , you'we thewe fow good and we look fowawd to anything fwom you. Hug youw gowgeous hounds and youw sweet son and don't wowwy,.you awe most cewtainly a witew..mommi says, she doesn't feel like a paintew anymowe eithew, cause she's too depwessed most of the time to paint and can't even affowd the matewials, and besides no one buys them. I pawsonally think (and I think youw waggle will agwee wif me) that hoomans awe nuts
we do not have such silly insecoowities..
we awe hewe fow you aways
smoochie kisses
ASTA
I see London, I see France, I saw Patience Saturday night! And she was talking and visiting and everything! (And her red purse matched her red outfit.) Just sayin'.
ReplyDeletePatience...Please, don't be too hard on yourself...muzzer doesn't blog as much as I want her too, and she doesn't really do anything any more....I think she is guilty of Ahn Wee.
ReplyDeleteShe says to tell you that 33 seems to be a difficult age for children this year, oh, and to say that some children have difficult years every day...'specially if they are girl children.
I think Asta is right, and Jake is right, and all the other wise folk are right about this one...and we love you.
gussie
pee ess...if you have noticed that Willy Yum is missing, he and Teka have gone to Paree with Mack, Sally and the gang.
12 hour shifts drain us, body and soul. Hang in there and find your balance. The time for writing will return...
ReplyDeleteMy word verification is waggiver:)
We miss you too!
ReplyDeleteWe miss you too! But we all know the feeling when you just don't have what it takes to do the blogging thing even though we miss it.
ReplyDeleteHugs,
Ane & the boys
I sure understand your absence and am just glad you made the time to post your photos...beautiful ones. I remember several of them, particularly the circled dogs! Good luck with the writing!
ReplyDeletei know how this february thing feels - the depression thing has caught me this week too. usually i can keep it at bay by being busy but this week i have been doing that sitting in a chair feeling numb thing.
ReplyDeletemaybe when march comes we will feel a bit perkier? cut yourself some slack mrs p, your readers will wait until you are ready to write. hug yourself too.
Kids are forever our kids. Jake is lucky to have a special mum.
ReplyDeletePatience, we've missed you too! That said, I completely understand. I find my blogging goes in spurts - some days I'm too busy, too tired, too lazy, too uninspired, or just too BLAH to bother blogging. I enjoy writing but sometimes I feel almost obligated to blog (kinda like those mandatory phone calls to the family) and the stubborn side of me rears its head and says "No! I'm going to stare vacantly at the latest un-reality show and to heck with the world!". And I don't work a 12 hour shift on top of everything else.
ReplyDeleteAnd as mom to a 34 year old, yes, I know that feeling of a heart "squoze too tight to beat". We never stop worrying about them or hurting whenever they hurt.
And now I'm off to hug my hounds.
We miss you too.
ReplyDeleteI've had time to do some haste blogging this past week, but next to no time for visiting. So I'm glad to be caught up with you.
Loved seeing the photo of Mama Pajama.
Miss you too - but dang, we all get busy and stressed and have Life Stuff ...take a deep breath, hug on the hounds - hug on yourself, heck, I'm sending you a virtual HUG!
ReplyDeleteSometimes we write--blog posts, clever e-mails to friends who don't blog, facebook comments that get a discussion going. Other times we watch re-runs of Law and Order SVU and Ballykissangel and think: will I ever have anything to say again? We will.
ReplyDeleteThanks for re-posting that great photo of Jake and Peter--I love it.
I try to post something a little bit creative in my facebook statuses, just because I love being creative in a tight space and I think having a little bit of something wonderful in an unexpected place is also very good. I try to do it once a day.
ReplyDeleteSome days I just can't think of anything, not even 240 characters worth.
I admire your ability to fill big spaces with beautiful writing. If sometimes the ability isn't there because it is winter, and you are tired, and you are busy, and it is WINTER, then that's okay. Tomorrow is a new chance to try.
Dear Patience.... It has all be said above... so I will just add our gentle hugs and wags...
ReplyDeleteKathy and Flynn
ah, the "novel stink eye"..common in the longest of short months! all in good time,my dear,all in good time... hugs to hounds and humans,and THINK SPRING!!!! NOW!!! (word verification is "tailtw",,tail to wag,perhaps? LOL!
ReplyDeletePatience, I think we all have our down times. Sorry to hear you are in one right now. But, like all things, it will pass just as winter will for you and this long, hot, dry summer will for us. Take good care of yourself. So glad you posted the encircled dogs again - that is a fab photo.
ReplyDeleteHey, I understand. It's hard when you work outside the home, try to keep everyone happy (dogs and Bill..lol) plus find time to get on the computer and visit everywhere you want to. It's hard. Believe me, we all understand that.
ReplyDeleteI love the dogs laying together, and of course the Texaco sign reminds me of old highways in Texas growing up!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful, just beautiful...
We understand you are very busy these days!
ReplyDeleteMy mom gave me a hug in your honor. Now, give yourself one from us!
Take care
Kisses and hugs
Lorenza
AH we miss you too but well understand..Working 12 hour shifts wipes you out..we know ,we see PL2 when she comes home...and she starts to get nervous when she doesn't blog in a week but the beauty of all this is that we ALL understand! Love A+A+PL2
ReplyDeletePATIENCE PLEEEASE!!!! Cut yourself some slack!! I come out to your blog and always find a smile, a taste of reality, a touch of love!! Even when you have been "gone" awhile it is because you are busy...because you not only hug your hounds, YOU HUG ALL OF US!! You are a wonderful piece (peace) of this colorful puzzle called life. :)
ReplyDeleteHello, I just wanted to tell you that I LOVE Whippets!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteI rescued a whippet from a greyhound rescue place when she was 4 and a half years old. I had her for 6 and a half years. I LOVED that girl so much!!!!
My Miss Amanda was a jewel!!!!!
Fern
Don't feel obligated to us in blogland...you can always catch up when you have a chance to sit! Life is demanding of our time. I do love the dixie cups on the ears of Peter, is that fly control? And of course the circle shot is classic.
ReplyDeleteAbout my post on the trading of the bones...no need to worry, both dogs are very share friendly, the bone goes back and forth without incident while the 2nd bone sits on the floor unattended.
Patience,
ReplyDeleteWe love you and miss you. But don't worry about it. Sometimes we're taken away from the things that we want to do or feel that we should. Balance and motivation will return before long.