SUMMER – OH YEAH?

     It has been really too wet and all this gray makes me sad and lethargic.  And it has been wet!  Every time I think the yard cannot get soggier – it does get soggier.  So, I put all my summer stuff out in the house -turquoise and shells and tea lights in sand. Maybe that will work.

     John will go in for the gall bladder stuff  the end of July (leaving about 2 weeks to recuperate before the cruise) if we can get all the doctors together and happy – I am looking  forward to the time when all this gets to be funny.

     Poetry is winding down for the summer and has been really good of  late – good features and the opens have brought out some fine, young, new voices. Dave Roscos and Tom O were at Barron’s last night – a real blast from the past .  If you are old enough to remember the Melody Bar in the 80’s where it was smoked filled, LOUD, no mike so you had to shout and you were good or out – BUT if someone remembered the title of what you read or a line (even a word or two) of your poem – it was a poetic ego high for days. Dave and Tom started the reading there.

     Tuesday at Carriage House reading in Fanwood – Joe Weil and BJ Ward  are featured.  Again, two of  the  wonderful poets who were (and are)  so generous with their time and help to so many young poets and were so instrumental to my growth as a writer.  Come out and hear them!!!

     It feels great to be writing again – which I am – so hearing all these great poet voices who meant so  much to me is quite a thrill!!

LOTS OF POETRY

     Diane is a GEM!!  The festival on the 17th was quite wonderful. Stacey Balkun and Zach Lichtmann, reading for ELR, were wonderful – new voices for many of the people there.  It is great when we are exposed to the young and fresh new writers, and these two did a good job of bringing their new voices to us.  Thanks to both of you! There are pictures of the event posted on my face book page.

     Diane’s Poetry Party on Sunday at the Huddle Inn – lots of fun. There were many poets there I had never heard before and that  always makes for a fun time.  Stayed for dinner afterward at the Inn –   had a great hamburger and much good conversation.

     The humor reading at Middletown Library last Thursday – with John, Tony Greunewald, Bob McKenty and Bob Rosenbloom – was very funny!! What more can you ask of a Humor Night!?!

     Don’t miss the Carriage House Reading this month (June 16) – B J Ward and Joe Weil – ok this is a WOW reading.

     On the personal front – we see the surgeon tomorrow and will find out then when John will have the surgery to have the gall bladder removed.  As of now, he is doing very well, feels great and just can’t wait for this to all be over – boy, do I second that!!!

MAGAZINE FESTIVAL

    Hope we will see you all at the Magazine Festival on Sunday, May 17 at the West Caldwell Library from 1 to 5.  So many fine magazines to  look at and to buy and editors to talk to. It is always a wonderful event with time to see old friends and to make some new ones. Check Diane Lockward’s blog for more details.

    We have two readers for ELR who may  be new to you:

           Stacey Balkun, a new Rutgers grad, that I first met 4 years ago when she placed first in a contest we were running.

         Zach Lichtmann a young teacher I heard read at a poetry party last year.

Both are fine poets and you should enjoy their work as well as all the other poets who will be reading on Sunday.

     John is feeling better – thank you all for your prayers and good wishes . We are waiting now to coordinate the cardiologist, gastro guys -one here and one in NYC who did the procedure, surgeon, primary doctor, OR, hospital room and  an assortment of  others, so that they can remove the stone, stent and gall bladder.  Hopefully this will happen soon – John who is always patient, it turns out is not so patient as a patient. Perhaps because he has been one so seldom and this, he has found, is frustrating.

     I look forward to seeing many of you on Sunday. I am going to take pix and I will put them here on the blog as soon as I can.

DIDN’T I DO THIS ALREADY?

    Ok, all you who bet I’d be back in a week – you lose!!! But do I ever have the excuse of all excuses! Went to NYC for the reunion (which was great at least during the couple of hours I got to spend there). The night before, we went to dinner in a great little French restaurant and John said he had chest pain – this is not good since the angioplasty is barely two months old! He finally stopped saying “I’m fine” and let the nice men take him in the ambulance to Roosevelt Hospital. They found that he had a gall stone, was septic, infection everywhere, jaundice, couldn’t do surgery because of the blood thinners he still used after the angioplasty. FYI:  scenes in an emergency room beat any tv show ever made – this city does have a million stories (and  I suppose poems) and they all play out in the early morning hours of a Saturday in the ER !

    They finally took John to a room and sent me to the hotel around 5AM. Did make the reunion luncheon, in between phone calls to and from hospital. After 50 years, college girls – even the best of us – are, shall we say, older – yet somehow the same .  Many of them I would have known if I saw them on the street.

    They all went home – I went to the hospital. Monday they put a stent on the stone that was blocking a duct. It was a tricky procedure and several times it was touch and go – doctor said he almost lost him at one point. Spent rest of the week clearing up the infections, getting the blood counts where they belonged, renal functions functioning. Lots of doctors – seldom saw the same one twice which made continuity of information impossible and occasionally not too logical!

    We had driven into the city! I do NOT drive in the city! Our oldest daughter drove the car back to New Jersey and both the girls were there almost every day which was quite wonderful for me!!  John was discharged on Friday – one week after he had gone in – and we came home today.  It really is good to be home.  Thanks to everyone who sent good wishes and prayers – they were much appreciated. 

    Told you I had a good excuse!! 

    I was sorry I had to  miss the Last Thursday reading – but John is reading next month (with Tony Gruenewald, Bob Rosenbloom and Bob McKinty) so maybe you can catch him then. Also check out Diane Lockward’s blog for information about the Magazine Festival on May 17 at West Caldwell Library for 1 to 5.  Really great readers. Edison Literary Review will be having Stacey Balkun and Zach Lichtmann read for us.  If you want to try the bet thing again, I hope to post more about them and the Festival itself next week.

Lots of Stuff

     Okay – been a while. I don’t know why I don’t get here and update the post. It is fun and I love the comments, but somehow it  is always too late or I am too tired or just life…

     I have been doing the poem-a-day for National Poetry Month. I think I like prompts – they do push me to write – but I am struggling. It really took until about half way through before I was writing anything even save-able. There are a couple I will keep working on.  I am going to read a couple of them when I read at Middletown (Last Thursday reading at the Middletown Library).  We’ll see what kind of response they get.  

     Another new electronic thing—–my son is updating the web site (edisonliteraryreview.org) to web 2.0. Don’t ask, I have only a vague idea, but sounds and looks good. He will be doing this update over the weekend, so I will get back to you with the results. I am looking forward to it, I do like new things.

     This weekend we are going to my 50th College (St. Joseph’s College, Brooklyn) reunion. I’ve only been to one of the alumnae luncheons in the past 50 years – so this will be interesting. This makes me feel older than my Golden Anniversary. Somehow I did not think I was very young when I got married (which was before I graduated from college since I finished college in 3 1/2 years) but I thought I was very young in college – therefore 50 years later makes me feel OLD.  Just think about it, it does make sense after a little thought.  Will report back next week.

     This is the second time I said I would write again next week – we’ll see – any bets??

ROLLER COASTER

I know exactly what I was feeling and doing in February, 1959.  I was hovering several feet above the earth, playing house as a brand-new bride, knowing that I wanted to spend forever with my new husband.  At 23, forever seemed doable.  The concept of 50 years, however, was ungraspable – forever seemed more likely.

In February, 2009, I’m still hover happy and still playing house – the living room furniture and my life both keep getting rearranged.  50 years is still ungraspable.  Somehow it happened and we celebrated with closest friends at a favorite restaurant at a dimmer totally and beautifull arranged by our children – EVERYTHING WAS PERFECT!!

Fast forward one week – February 16 we were at the hospital emergency room for John’s chest pain. February 21 he came home with a stent in his main artery and very glad to be free of  bed and iv’s and beeps and pings.  Again the kids were amazing – doing  just the right thing at the right time.

Did I mention that  our 2 cars were hit while parked in our driveway – John’s totalled and mine saveable but with much damage – this happened about 3 weeks ago and mine is still being repaired.

I’m taking bets on whether this will sell as the next great soap opera plot!!!!

Being married to the same wonderful  (and now heart healthy) man for 50 years and having 3 amazing children and 5 beautiful grandchildren as well as loving and special friends to help us celebrate those years is quite a gift.  We both thank you all.

FYI

Check out dianelockward.com for information about 2 upcoming events she has planned:

Saturday, March 14  A Reading in Celebration of  Women’s History Month, Women Poets Reading Poems That Reflect the Lives of  Women, from 1 to 4 at the West Caldwell Library.  This reading brings out some of  the best women poets from all parts of New Jersey and there will be an opportunity to talk to new and old friends over tea and cookies.  Men are welcome to share in this day of great poetry.

Sunday, May 17  Poetry Festival showcasing  12 Journals at the West Caldwell Library from 1 to 5.  This is the sixth year of  the festival and it is a great way to hear good poetry and to see some of  the journals available in the local area – it is always a wonderful afternoon!!

There is more info on Diane’s website and I urge you to check it out

MACHINES

I have thrown tantrums over a telephone in unbalanced contrariness. I am terrorized by a missing battery bar on the cell and by texting (no lol). I have raised my blood pressure 100 points over a scale that lies. My computer from 2004 is an antique – no one supports them and so I live with the error message holding my poems captive.  I have a VCR  bought last week – yes they still sell them.

I am a 20th century girl – machines defeat me simply by existing (and they do have existence).

Understand, then, my consternation last night when the aforementioned one week old VCR turned on/off/on/off – by itself – all night.  Into 3 AM darkness flashed red-green-yellow lights – on/off – with no discernable patterns. Chaos theory swamps my beautiful Periodic Table.  It was the clicking that woke me first, a horde of restless beetles set up housekeeping in the corner of the bedroom. John’s snoring could not drown them out.

Automation fights me.

BOOKS

I had one response to the last blog entry who agreed with me that this is a place for musing.  So – I will.

I love books. I still have my Nancy Drew books and my Mother’s copy of Lorna Doone (which was published early in the last century). I print a hard copy of anything sent to me online if I have to study it or need to refer back to it. Part of this is my eyesight (can’t see anything “far” away) and part is habit – I like the feel of paper in my hands. If I post a poem today, or a link to a poem today, unlike Lorna, it’s gone tomorrow – at least from the screen. I have to ‘click”  around to search for it (or use the Help which is only “helpful” if you already know the answer so you can click on the right line). I know that online vs print is not an either/or, nor is it a final answer; both are usable, sometimes user friendly – either changes the carbon footprint.

I love and have been published in several online mags. They certainly are seen by large numbers of readers. Imagine seeing a poem of yours on Poetry Daily?  A WOW moment!!  So, as I ended the last entry with realizing that I need to look at more blogs, so I must look at more ezines.

Why does my musing seem to lead to more for me to do??

MUSINGS: IS THE BLOG THE PLACE FOR MUSING?

First some information:

John and I will be featured on

Monday, January 12 at 7:30 

Delaware Valley Poets

Barnes and Noble  Book Store

Market Fair, Route 1 south, Princeton

     My son has politely pointed out that I have not added anything to the Blog in three months.  He is right – as he usually is. Does that it is the Season to be Jolly or that I’ve been busy, cut it?  Probably not. I did travel to San Francisco to visit aforementioned son, mailed out all my Christmas cards before Thanksgiving (don’t ask, I think the world will end if my cards go out in December), decorated the house – it is all even bluer with splashes of  red and all sparkly, threw a party for 30, had two Christmases because one daughter was working and the cousins all wanted to see each other. I really was busy. Now it’s time to take it all down – so before Christmas is neatly thrown into various plastic bins in the crawl space and the 100+ nutcrackers (again don’t ask) are hibernating for another year:

I wish you all Happy Holidays and a Healthy and Peaceful New Year.

     Being busy doesn’t preclude random thoughts and that is what I have decided to offer here today.  I guess I haven’t read enough blogs so I’m not sure if this is the place for “musing”.  On a blog can you ask and not really “show” or “tell”?  Can it be a “free write” exercise – never lift fingers from keys? An escape to the right brain trick? A place for  “ing”/ “maybe”/generalizations/ modifiers/adjectives?  Is a Blog tied to info or a place where ideas meet and meld and search for a space to moor?  Is questioning too scientific/sensitive for youtube escapism?

     Someone told me that he will only read the postings if they are witty or super clever.  One line, online solutions to core questions? Is there a difference among youtube/facebook/ twitter/blog – they are all aspects of what an individual is willing for you, the reader, to see (and judge); the shorthand evasion of sharing anything more thought inducing than my latest Pathword score compared to yours. Or are they the beginning, as the printing press was – the next vehicle for desiminating philosophy and scientific theory – the new way to “spread the word” sandals not needed.

     I guess I need to think about it more – and maybe read a few more blogs.  Comments gratfully accepted and wanted.

DODGE FESTIVAL

Spent weekend at Dodge Festival – WOW!!  So many old friends and familiar faces – and lots of new voices.  Check out Chris Abani’s work – great!! If you don’t know the work pf Patti Smith, you should really try to read some, she was very exciting.  Joe Weil, Kate Greenstreet and Betty LIes all read from their new books. See web site (edisonliteraryreview.org) for photos of the event and of some of the attending poets who have been featured in ELR over the past 7 years. I also added three new poems from the magazine – including one of mine.

Dodge Foundation is starting a youtube site where you can see and hear poets from the festival. They are hoping this becomes a major site for research on contemporary poets for teachers. Check it out or see the Dodge web site (dodgepoetryfestival.org).

It was another wonderful festival.  Even three days of rain conuldn’t dampen the fun. Much thanks to JIm Haba (this festival is his baby) and to the Dodge Foundation for supporting and fostering the community of poetry.