H.M. Flath's Blog, page 4
June 8, 2014
Writing Assignment #5
Writing Assignment #5
Writing Assignment – Day 5 – June 6,2014
(You discover a letter on a path that deeply affects you. Today write about this encounter.)
It was a beautiful sunny day and Jane had left work early. It was Friday and often the boss would chase all of his staff from the office early. She had the whole afternoon to herself, to simply enjoy the sunshine and to take her dog, Casey, for a good long walk.
“I don’t very often get a chance to do this,” thought Jane as she unhooked the leash from Casey’s collar to let him run free.
“Whoa! Not so fast Casey. You are leaving me far behind,” she gasped as she ran as fast as she could to catch up. There was simply no way to even keep close.
“Okay boy, don’t get lost and don’t forget where I am,” she scolded as she resigned herself to the fact that Casey was going for a romp on his own.
Jane slowed to a leisurely walk as Casey sped ahead, romping through the tall grasses, barking at the butterflies and pausing every so often to sniff at the tree trunks. As she walked along the path, she noticed an envelope in the grasses along side the road.
Curiously she picked it up only to discover it was an unaddressed, unsealed envelope with a letter inside.
“I guess I can read this,” she said aloud, “it’s not addressed to anyone and the envelope is unsealed.”
Quickly she opened the envelope and took out the letter, unfolded it and began to read:
You are invited to a
Neighborhood Patio Party
Saturday, June 7, 2014
to be held at Jan and Mike’s home
Please……………….
………………………………………………
Tears began to flow down Jane’s cheeks and the words blurred before her eyes. The party was being held tomorrow evening at her neighbor’s home and the invitations had been sent out some time ago. Unfortunately she had not received one which indicated to her that once again she was being ignored and overlooked. There had been many similar hurtful snubs over the past year.
“Why am I the outcast of the neighborhood? What have I done to deserve this cold shoulder treatment? Why am I not being included?”
She sat down on a fallen tree trunk and wept bitterly.
After what seemed like hours, Casey returned, licked Jane’s face and snuggled up to Jane expecting a hug, a scratch behind the ears, as well as a cookie treat. Jane lovingly complied, got up and together they walked slowly down the path from which they had come, knowingly content, comforted and happy to be with each other.
“Casey, you are truly my best friend,” uttered Jane thoughtfully as she dropped the envelope and the letter in the garbage can along the path. She smiled slightly, deciding that she would rise above the hurtful treatment that she was receiving.
“C’mon Casey. Let’s go home.”
June 5, 2014
Writing Assignment – Day 3
Writing Assignment – Day 3
Three Songs of Personal Significance – June 4, 2014
This assignment has been a real challenge for me. I had to reflect back, do some serious thinking as there were so many songs that I loved in my youth and then writing for 30 minutes. The more I thought about the topic, the more convinced I became, that the songs that have been with a person for a long time are the ones that, that person would choose.
My first song of choice goes to Sweet Caroline by Neil Diamond. It is one song that makes me want to get up to dance and sing. It is also one song that both of my daughters love and they are in the 40’s age bracket. Both have been to Neil Diamond concerts and I think they find it hard to believe that even their parents relate to this song. I have a CD of Neil Diamond and there is nothing sweeter than to hear Sweet Caroline come over our home speaker system at a jacked up volume. Not only is the singing marvelous but the orchestration is second to none. Sweet Caroline is classed as a soft rock which was officially released as a single in 1969. J.F. Kennedy’s daughter, at the age of 11 years, was the inspiration for the creation of this song. Neil Diamond then sang it to her on her 50th birthday celebration in 2007. In a 2011 interview, Neil Diamond said that a magazine cover photo of Caroline Kennedy as a young child with her parents in the background, created an image in his mind and the rest of song just came together. Just think about how many years this song has survived as it has been and continues to be popular at sporting events, especially baseball and football games.
The second song that I am going to identify is Unchained Melodies. It is a kind of sing-a-long type of song and every time I hear it, I want to sing-a-long as well. This song dates back to 1955 when it was originally written by Alex North and Hy Zaret. They were originally contracted to write a song as a theme for the prison film ‘Unchained’ but the word unchained never made it into the lyrics. It was nominated for an Oscar in 1955 but it was Love is a Many Splendor Thing that actually won. It is the 1965 version of Unchained Melodies by the Righteous Brothers that I know and love…………. as it played over the jukebox in the corner cafe.
My third song choice in How Great Thou Art. It is a Christian hymn which was often sung during the Sunday service which I attended as a child with my parents. It was one of those songs with which I grew up and which continues to capture me emotionally as an adult. It is a God-honouring song which turns Christian eyes toward God. I recall hearing it being sung by Burl Ives, Elvis Presley, Roy Rogers and now more recently by Carrie Underwood. How Great Thou Art dates back to the 1800’s, originating out of Sweden but then being adopted, translated into many languages and used in many parts of Europe. It is timeless and I’m sure it will be heard by many generations to come.
June 4, 2014
Writing Assignment – Day 2
Writing Assignment - Day 2
A Room with a View ( or just a view.) – June 3, 2014
It wasn’t always like this. In fact in 1973 when we purchased that piece of property, the real estate agent said that it was not considered to have the potential to be a view lot and with the number of trees between the available lot and the lake which was somewhere hidden behind all of those trees, it did appear that the realtor was correct. No view ……………. just a piece of property in the middle of the forest!
Years passed and surrounding lots were sold. People cleared out trees to make spaces to build their summer homes. Little by little, the trees thinned and soon there was a little glimpse of that lake peeking through the trees. How lucky we were!
Then quite recently, the Department of Forestry lopped off the tops of many of the tall coniferous trees to ensure that the power lines would remain untouched by the natural environment. Then suddenly the property next door changed ownership. The new owner, from the bald prairies, cleared off several trees which had stood tall for many years. Wow, suddenly there it was ……………… the magnificent breathtaking view of the lake in all of its splendor.
The lake which is many miles long and so very deep that in places the bottom has never been reached, is nestled in among the surrounding low Monashee mountains. This pristine body of water is fed by mountain streams, too numerous to count. In looking to the southwest, the sky at dusk reflects constantly changing colors as the sun settles slowly behind those tree covered mountains. It is from that southwest direction, the summer storms come, darkening and threatening clouds appear. Each day tells its own story as each day differs from the previous. Each season brings new and varied pictures.
In living in an environment, day in and day out, when seasons come and go, the years pass and what one has becomes the usual, the ordinary, the mundane. It is what you have come to expect and somewhere in the routines of daily living, the beauty becomes common place and the ‘wow’ factor is gone. It is not until someone visits and admires the panoramic picture that you realize that in reality, it truly is anything but ordinary. So often, the wonders of nature are lost and the appreciation for that beauty is overlooked.
The view of which I speak, is the banner picture of this website. It is what I see every day from the deck of my home and I need to pause each day to see, acknowledge and appreciate.
June 3, 2014
Writing Assignment – Day 1
FREE WRITING ASSIGNMENT #1 – JUNE 2, 2014
(I used to assign this activity to the teenagers in my English class and they used to look at me with wide eyes and an open mouth – Has anything changed?) I had to dig deep to find this in the annals of my mind. Here goes …………
It was 1976, May long weekend to be exact – Tom had three days – one more than the usual 2 day weekend. The old blue/green truck was loaded: sleeping bags (two just in case the night was cold), chain saw, food, portable barbeque, cooking utensils, etc. Tom was going to spend the weekend clearing some trees from the property that he and his wife owned, in preparation for building a summer cottage.
Three years previously, he and his wife had bought a lot on which they had planned to build one day. Well, the one day had arrived. They had gotten tired of the ‘ugly’ bathrooms in campgrounds and had decided that a more permanent summer place rather than campgrounds would be more suitable and more comfortable for their 6 weeks of holiday during the summer.
Tom looked at the forest. It was drizzling rain and the prospect of cutting down trees seemed depressing and dreary. The mosquitoes and black flies swarmed around this intruder, the undergrowth was so thick he couldn’t see more than ten feet in front of his nose and the silence of the forest was scary, especially for someone who had always been afraid of the dark.
There were no lights that night as Tom snuggled into the sleeping bag in the back of his truck. There was no electricity up this part of this hill. The electrical line only went as far as the lower bend of the road. The next morning, after a fretful night of unrest and defense against the gnats, Tom awoke early ………….. probably around 5:00 a.m. as it was just getting light.
“I need to clear a space for a cottage,” he spoke aloud, “I have only a couple of days.”
Interesting enough, he was not alone even though he came out there alone. Another human being, a neighbour right across the road was on his lot doing exactly the same thing.
All day, the chain saws buzzed and the trees fell to the forest floor – crash after crash could be heard echoing through the silence of the forest.
Two days later, Tom returned home – mentally tired, physically weary and covered with welts from insect bites. He looked at Jane, shook his head and uttered, “We must be out of our minds to be building a cottage out there in that wilderness. There is no power …….. the bugs are horrific ………..the silence is almost overpowering.”
That was simply the beginning of …………… an adventure and many adventures to come.
May 29, 2014
May 18. 2014
I am attempting to create a website and am s...
May 18. 2014
I am attempting to create a website and am struggling with the technology, so I know that you will believe me when I say that this is truly a work in progress. 29 MORE WORDS
Finders, Keepers?
I am generally a day late and a dollar short and that holds true in this case. I am writing on the May 27 Daily Post of Finders, Keepers? even though today is May 28 and I would not keep the money.
In the early morning just as the sun is peeking up and sliding up onto the horizon, I love to walk the beach just outside of my home ………… only me and my thoughts. It is my time for reflection, rejuvenation and solitude. After all I really don’t have time for any of that during the day. Life in a school is active, interactive and very busy. Here, alone on the beach, my thoughts ramble ……………. reflecting upon the events of yesterday, reviewing today’s plan and determining what I have to look forward to. I often ask myself questions and contemplate possibilities. Should I meet anyone as I walk, they must surely think I am losing my mind. In addition to my vocal mutterings, my lungs savor the morning fresh unpolluted air and my eyes scan the horizon to admire the beauty which surrounds me. The sandy beach stretches for miles and I comb it with my eyes looking for treasures such as that unique piece of driftwood or washed-up shell which would add to my collections. Most of the time I become disturbed at the amount of garbage that has littered that once pristine beach ……………… What’s this? It looks like an envelope. I shook the sand pebbles loose and opened it. It is stuffed with bills! Wow! That doesn’t happen very often. After investigating and counting the contents, I carefully resealed the envelope containing $5000 and headed for home with the treasure safely stowed in my breast pocket. The questions that I had surrounding the money kept circling around in my head. Today will be an interesting day at school. I will share the problem of what to do with the envelope of money with the 25 teenagers in my English class. First of all, it will become a creative writing assignment and secondly, we will together, diplomatically and democratically devise a plan of action. Hopefully, at the end of this journey, we will have located the owner or discovered the mystery surrounding the money. Today will be a very interesting day and perhaps interesting for many days to come. The envelope has indeed been a real treasure.
April 25, 2014
Home
Hello and welcome to my website/Blog. I’m so glad that you are visiting here today. I am really quite a social person as I do love to chat with anyone who stops by my home or with anyone I happen to meet on the street.
Now that I have the status of being retired, I make my home at Mabel Lake just 40 km east of Enderby in the province of beautiful British Columbia. I share my home with my wife, Barbea, of nearly 50 years.
Together, we garden, work at our landscaping, make wine, undertake building projects, read, write and are consumed with a whole myriad of other activities around our home and our active little community. Our property backs onto the forestry so one might say that we ‘live in the bush’, often having wildlife visitors such as deer, black bear, moose, coyotes, cougar, etc.wandering into our back yard.
In addition to caring for our home in which we live, our 17 acre piece of rental property, also at Mabel Lake, which we rent out to tourists on a weekly basis during the summer months, keeps us busy. 
Anyone interested in holidaying at Mabel Lake should check out our property at Vacation Rental By Owner (http://www.VRBO.com. The search number for the property is 115145.)
I hope that you will take some time to explore my site. Please check Publications, my Blog, News and don’t forget the Contact. Any feedback that you can give me will be much appreciated. Thank you for dropping by and please come again.
