graduating 4th grade

Graduating from 4th grade; is it a big deal? Well if you're a 4th grader, it probably is. Perhaps not, but I remember "moving up" to fifth grade. Miss Murphy was my 4th grade teacher at Washington school, and I liked her. I was torn; I wanted to stay in her class but I wanted to go into 5th grade because it meant another move toward growing up. On the other hand, miss Murphy was a plump, warm, caring, giving lady, while the 5th grade teacher was a grumpy, frumpy old lady w...ith bad breath. (I've forgotten her name.). She did, however, feed my hunger for reading and language; giving me books to read, way above the average reading level. I didn't have a choice, of course, but it was the first Time I remember weighing, in my thoughts, the processing of moving on. So yes, I think moving up from 4th to 5th grade is a big deal, especially for a 9/10 year old.

That's a novel idea

Two years or so ago, my daughter-in-law, Kristy Chapman LaRock and her husband, my son Jacob, presented to me a journal and pen.
Until this morning I had failed to find a subject suitable enough to sully the pristine pages. But this morning the opening for my endeavor to pen a novel comparing my war time experience with my great grandfather's Civil war service came to me and the process begins!

Hello..... HELLO!

image by Sarolta Ban 

 

 

Disconnected

by time, by space, by death.

memories

fade, erode, shape-shift.

evaporate

distill, condense, reborn.

repeat;

Number please? number please.

click

old friends, new projects

"This was a real a real nice clam bake,
we're mighty glad we came."
Lady Di and I traveled to Clayton, NY this weekend for our second annual luncheon get-together with my childhood chum, Marc Humbert , and his wife Carla.
"The vittles we et were good,you bet!
The company was the same."
Our 3 1/2 hour repast was served to us by the friendly wait staff at the new Harbor hotel. As the adage goes; time sure flies when you're having a good time. We had engaging conversation covering topics from the past, present and future.
"Our hearts are warm, our bellies are full, and we are feelin' prime."
One of the topics we shared was our novels. Marc has written two, as yet unfinished, unpublished, novels. I am in the process of beginning a second novel, while my first languishes, unfinished, in my desk drawer.
We agreed, if reluctantly, to each bring a finished novel to exchange at next year's meeting. Nothing like a little pressure to get us motivated.
"We said it afore
And we'll say it agen,
We all he'd a real good time."
Looking forward to next year Marc!

Sundial/birdbath

We affix ourselves

to things,

trying to stop; no,

extend time

in an attempt

to expand the present,

include the

past,

foretell the future.

 

The Sun

carries us from

moment

 to

 moment.

Where are we?

Here,

Always here.

Cyberspace illusion; Magpie 272

photo by Toni Frissell

She wasn't

Real

or

Was she a

filament

Of his imagination

Floating

Rhythmic breathing;

mine

or Hers.

A screenshot

Wounded

Mind, Heart

Unreal

Mythological sorrow

escape

to The Sea of Tranquillity