Beth Camp's Blog, page 9

April IWSG and another poem

Sweet Tea in IstanbulI remember drinking sweet tea in Istanbulas carpet merchants held up silken carpets, to show off the rippling vibrant colors, and later,watching the whirling dervish twirl, lost in meditation,the tiles some new language we couldn't translate.How many beds we've slept in, some sumptuous, some lumpy,in how many continents and countries,pursuing some uncharted agenda to explore

NaPoWriMo April 4: Dreaming quilts

This morning, I woke early.I could almost see that next quilt. Purple and scrappy,that's all I knew. The reality? A stack of partly sewn blocks and scraps awaits, and now,the center of this comfort quilt is done, vibrant flowers to keep someone warm,perhaps enough to dream past winter and into spring.Center block with finished quilt to come (April 2023)Today's poem was inspired by Robert Lee

NaPoWriMo April 3: Go Gentle . . .

Image by Martin Winkler on Pixabay Go gentle into this new morning,Celebrate each beginning;Sing newly formed words with each breath.Newly born, I am drawn to that light,because my words, one by one, bring dreams to life.Go gentle into this new morning.Doubters yet, we are the first to truly seehow each action ripples in a pond,Sing newly formed words with each breath.Sweet infants just this side

NaPoWriMo April 2: Ode to an Oyster

Image by jsbaw on PixabayOde to an OysterAn uncooked oyster slithers down my throat,not even a tang of salt remains,bits of garlic sting like a memory, elusive, leaving me to remember when I was a young girl, facing down my disgust to taste a raw oyster for the first time,impossible to describe, yet as unforgettableas my mother's smile as she opened another beerand got up to dance, the noise of

NaPoWriMo April 1: The Art of Swimming

 April 1, right? No, it's April 2, and I missed the very first day of National Poetry Writing Month, a challenge I happily accept most years. Except 2023. So, better to begin than not write at all. Thanks to the inspiration from NaPoWriMo, or more precisely, Maureen Thompson, from far off Washington, D.C., her daily prompt will (hopefully) help me find words.April 1 Prompt: Visit The Art of Book

Celebrating spring . . .

Happy Spring! At least, I hope the snow has melted where you are. We keep finding little nooks here and there on our daily walks where the snow hasn’t quite vanished. But the robins are back. As are the red-winged blackbirds, Canadian geese, sparrows, and coots. Still, we had such an early winter last year, the fall leaves froze on the trees and are just now coming down to decorate the porch in

Almost goodbye . . .

Next week, we'll be on the road home, Las Cruces in the rear view mirror, with memories to cherish of friends, mountain vistas, hiking trails, new kinds of birds, morning sunrises and evening sunsets,  and that perfect sense of quiet space that comes with this beautiful home we're staying in. We're fans of vrbo, partly because being short-term renters means staying in a 'real' home, with books

IWSG: Author Envy????

Each month, I'm delighted to take part in the writing challenge hosted by the Insecure Writer's Support Group. First of all, I do love challenges. Trust me, just the process writing brings a host of challenges in so many interesting and unexpected ways! Second, this is a pretty neat way to connect with other writers, especially when I'm far from home (currently we're snowbirding down in Las

On the road with an unexpected sidetrip . . .

 This month, we're snowbirds. We escaped Spokane's 20F weather to spend six weeks in New Mexico's sunshine. Yes, it was a long drive down, but we're grateful to have that car with us to explore the lovely nature preserves and those truly picturesque Organ Mountains just outside Las Cruces.The desire to go birding got us into a little trouble. Well, really, it was Google's fault. We optimistically

WEP: Gone With The Wind

 Write...Edit...Publish (also known as WEP), has given us their first writing challenge for 2023: To write a story inspired by that classic novel by Margaret Mitchell, Gone With The Wind, which is set in the tumultuous times of the Civil War. My story takes a slightly different point of view.Gone With The WindAn Old Man remembers his life in the south.The old man leaned back in hisrocking chair.