Life On The Periphery

Fragment Friday

noreply@blogger.com (Constance Brewer) — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 01:36:00 +0000

1.       Trying to get up the ambition to work on some prints. I have lots of ideas, but they don’t always translate into wood or lino block. My answer is usually to work larger. It helps.

2.       Why is it so hard to find a decent long sleeved shirt in the middle of winter – oh, wait, I forgot, the stores are already stocking late spring items. Silly me.

3.       Does post Valentine’s Day chocolate taste as good when it’s marked down 50% off?

4.       Note to overly-loud customer. Now I know why you have your phone set to ring on ear-piercing…

5.       Writing about Japanese short form poetry makes me want to write Japanese short form poetry. But it doesn’t seem to work that way for sonnets, for some reason.

.

Fragment Friday

noreply@blogger.com (Constance Brewer) — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 01:41:00 +0000

1.       Another Friday, another little snowstorm. This is getting to be a habit. Good thing I don’t really drive anywhere on the weekends.

2.       I love seeing all the chocolate recipes this time of year. Not that I will make any of them, but I can get my chocolate vicariously. Less calories, too.

3.       My barely there knit sock mocks me. I tell myself if I only knit a few rows a night it will eventually get done. Or at least show some forward progress. At this rate I’ll have new wool socks for… summer.

4.       I have my drawing all laid out for a Year of the Dragon print. I’m not participating in the Baren exchange this year, but decided to go ahead and do a print anyhow. I just need to transfer the drawing to the lino block and carve it. We’ll see how long that takes me to accomplish.

5.       I can’t get into reading steampunk, horror, or zombie fiction. So sue me.

.

Fragment Friday

noreply@blogger.com (Constance Brewer) — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 01:41:00 +0000

1.       There is a nice skiff of snow covering the landscape this morning. It hides the rather beat-up brown of an ordinary February day.

2.       I’ve drunk an entire 100g can’s worth of Estate Darjeeling over the past month. Inconveniently, the place we bought the tea is 101 miles away from my house. Luckily Stash on-line is a good backup for not driving 101 miles for tea.

3.       It’s funny how my mind has different settings for writing. ‘Editing’ mode is vastly different than ‘just write’ mode.

4.       Scrolling through recipes looking for the perfect one, you know, the one that satisfies your craving for homemade without being too sweet or too complicated. Haven’t found the right recipe yet . . . .

5.       I thought when it got lighter out earlier in the morning; there would be birds at the birdfeeder when I left for work. Not yet, though. I wonder what kind of sunrise timetable they stick to? No birdseed before the sun physically rises, even though it’s light out?

.

Fragment Friday

noreply@blogger.com (Constance Brewer) — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 02:12:00 +0000

1.       I either need to become a sanctuary or find a way to write off bird seed on my income tax return. Who knew sparrows could eat so much?

2.       It’s so cold out it takes half the drive to work to get any heat in the car. Every time I buy a car I swear quick heat will be a priority. Then I go and buy the car in the middle of summer and forget…

3.       My poinsettia plant is finally blooming. It apparently failed to get the memo it is supposed to be a Christmas plant.

4.       I wish I could knit faster. I’d have more socks to wear, but somehow playing on my Kindle wins out over slogging through knitting the foot portion of a sock.

5.       It’s nice that it’s not pitch dark outside when I get off work. Not long until I can play after-work-Fetch with the Corgis again.

.

Fragment Friday

noreply@blogger.com (Constance Brewer) — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 02:00:00 +0000


Merlin at Christmas (taken with my new camera)

1.       My Corgis are brothers, but it’s amazing how different in temperament they are – just like human brothers.

2.       It’s interesting to watch the remnants of Christmas fade away, week by week. Pretty soon they will be gone, except for the neighbor who leaves his lights up and blinking until April.

3.       My new year started off by ordering a book of poems by one of my favorite poets, Carl Dennis. Who are your favorite writers to jump start the year?

4.       Knitting another pair of socks for myself. I should be knitting a hat for the change in weather I know will come. Or more mittens, you can’t have too many pairs of mittens.

5.       I feed the local birds every morning. Considering how much they eat, they shouldn’t even be able to lift themselves off the ground…

.

Fragment Friday - Pre New Year's Edition

noreply@blogger.com (Constance Brewer) — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 01:40:00 +0000

1.       I don’t make New Year’s ‘resolutions’ but I do think about things I’d like to accomplish during the upcoming year. How about you? Resolutions or wing it?

2.       I would like to get more proactive with my poetry and submit more. Of course submitting is a whole ‘nother job and set of skills. How do you track your poetry? I’ve been using a program called Sonar that is nifty. I am toying with creating an Excel spreadsheet, but frankly, I can do almost everything in Sonar that needs to be done.

3.       Do you set writing goals for the year? Mine are very loose, as in ‘create a new story, poem, work on the novel every month. Of course in April and November I do the poem a day thing. Trying to figure out how to expand the concept to writing a poem every day. I did do a haiku a day for a month, which was difficult. Maybe pick a theme for a month and write to that theme?

4.       I happened to open a paper copy of a thesaurus the other day, and was reminded again how much fun serendipitous word finds are . . . .

5.       I think it’s time I upgraded my Word program to its latest version. I’m still running on 2003. I tried Open Office but wasn’t really happy with it and the space it took up.

.

Fragment Friday – Pre-Christmas Edition

noreply@blogger.com (Constance Brewer) — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 03:30:00 +0000

1.       I have numerous Christmas carol earworms that even heavy metal has failed to eradicate. Trying to hold out until Dec 26 when all such insidious noise miraculously ceases. I hope.

2.       I actually finished my Christmas shopping well before Christmas this year. Amazing how that reduces anxiety and keeps me from banging my head on the kitchen table.

3.       If it wasn’t for the Internet, I wouldn’t have accomplished Number 2 above. All hail the mighty power of mouse clicking and credit cards.

4.       It’s really hard to edit poetry with Christmas carol earworms. The temptation is to make everything rhyme in archaic words. I didn’t realize I knew so many antiquated terms until I tried to substitute terms.

5.       Why wasn’t I smart enough to order everything pre-gift wrapped? Because I like the challenge of rolls of paper, sticky tape and unevenly cut lines? In other words, it’s not truly Christmas without some wrapping paper punishment? And yes, gift bags are the easy way out…

.

Fragment Friday

noreply@blogger.com (Constance Brewer) — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 01:49:00 +0000

1.       My neighbor has enough Christmas lights on his house that I don’t have to decorate. Neither does the rest of the neighborhood. I’m also sure airplanes flying overhead get blinded.

2.       I may actually get some Christmas cards out before Christmas. Don’t anyone faint.

3.       I have a Kindle Fire now. Liking it so far, except for the lack of WiFi hotspots anywhere near where I work.

4.       I have a sudden urge to fix oatmeal, the long suffering stuff, not the blah-in-a-packet mess.

5.       Poems have been edited, taking a break before embarking on more writing/editing. Editing is the never ending part of writing. Good thing I like it.

.

Fragment Friday

noreply@blogger.com (Constance Brewer) — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 16:41:00 +0000

1.       I don’t know who invented motion activated music-playing Christmas ornaments, but I’m sure there’s a special circle in Hell reserved just for them…

2.       A liberal dose of Metal or Weird Al is the only way to cleanse your brain of the aforementioned tinny Christmas music.

3.       What a neat surprise to be editing poems and find one you don’t remember writing – and it’s actually good.

4.       My knitting ambition far exceeds my attentions span and sometimes my ability. Colorwork is for those that can concentrate and follow symbol by symbol instructions in a chart format. This would not be me - not without much effort and brain strain.

5.       Tempted to knit little booties for the dogs. But I’m afraid their reaction will be the same as for the dog booties I bought them. Long suffering expressions and much foot shaking.

.

Fragment Friday

noreply@blogger.com (Constance Brewer) — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 05:39:00 +0000

Call For Submissions -

Every Day Poets needs your poems! We are looking for poems for publication after the Valentine’s Day holiday. Now’s the time to send us your best work. Go to EDP for details on how to submit your work.

Now on to the Fragments.

1.       Why am I always surprised by how darn cold in gets in Wyoming? It is winter, after all. For some reason the pictures of the Grand Tetons dressed in white always seem somewhat warm looking to me.

2.       My campaign to get the people at work to drink better quality coffee seems to have stalled out in the face of bulk cans of dubious brew. I’d even brought an extra coffee grinder into work, but alas, they insist on Wal-Mart super dooper saver extra insipid coffee. Why yes, I am a coffee snob. (thanks to Scott)

3.       I finished the November Poem A Day challenge with 36 poems. So I over achieved just a little. Now to edit them into some kind of cohesive order. Luckily, most of them themed together nicely. One or two are angsty drivel that will probably get rewritten. Even in the drively-est of them there is usually a good line or two.

4.       Speaking of writing, the Great Unfinished Fantasy Novel is back on the menu. I had a minor epiphany of sorts on tying up a loose plot thread at the end. Now maybe I can rewrite that final battle scene and kill everyone who deserves to die with a clear conscience.

5.       Trying to get into the mood to bake – something, anything. I do plan on a whisky-apple pie for Christmas, but don’t you think a few cookies and maybe some bread before then would be nice?

.

Fragment Friday - Post Thanksgiving Edition

noreply@blogger.com (Constance Brewer) — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 19:40:00 +0000

1.    Switching colas is made more difficult by the fact no restaurant mixes it the same way. My taste buds are confused.

2.    I ended up making 3 pumpkin pies for Thanksgiving, and eldest child promptly took one off my hands. Good boy.

3.    Thinking of upgrading some of the software on my laptop. I hate change, though, so thinking about it is as far as I've gotten.

4.    Did you know Corgis honk like geese when they are excited?

5.    The good thing about duck for Thanksgiving – no leftovers. The bad thing about duck for Thanksgiving? No leftovers.

.

Fragment Friday

noreply@blogger.com (Constance Brewer) — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 20:53:00 +0000

1.    It's a beautiful day out for November, warm and sunny. Maybe the rest of the leaves will fall from the trees so I can rake before the snow.
2.    Looking forward to a fiber artists gathering this weekend. Knitters, spinners, weavers all in one place sharing techniques and food and fun.
3.    The drawback to all the leaves on the ground? Balls are hard to see. The dogs suggested I open a new can of bright green tennis balls for fetch.
4.     Debating what color to paint my living room. I have cans of burnt orange paint I bought last time I got the urge. Not so sure on that color this urge around.
5.     Never thought I'd see the day I could walk out of a bookstore with nothing. Hope our local bookstore's expansion includes more (and newer) books...

.

Fragment Friday

noreply@blogger.com (Constance Brewer) — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 01:51:00 +0000

1.       It’s that time again – the drive to work in the morning punctuated by sunrise in pinks and blues.

2.       My poems of late want to be prose poems, but I don’t want them to be. So we are tussling.

3.       How can apples have no flavor this time of year? It seems unnatural…

4.       Why does everyone want me to solve their problems? Personal and professional? I don’t get paid near enough to do that.

5.       Another 40mph wind day. Wyoming normal.

.

Fragment Friday

noreply@blogger.com (Constance Brewer) — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 19:33:00 +0000

1.    Prayer for the day, week, month - Lord, keep me from indulging my urge to start yet another art or craft...

2.    It's funny how the dogs want to be right where I am, underfoot, even when I'm doing nothing. Then I feel guilty if I get up to get something and wake them.

3.    Reading lots of fiction for a change. Usually my choice runs to non-fiction. Change of seasons?

4.    The leaves on the trees stubbornly refuse to fall. (much). I think we will get a big wind one day and they will all go at once. Even though most are still greenish.

5.     I could free up a whole lot of brainpower if I decided what was for dinner a week in advance, instead of mere hours. But then what fun would that be?

.

Fragment Friday

noreply@blogger.com (Constance Brewer) — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 05:25:00 +0000

1.       Reading lots of poems hoping to find the ones that inspire some poetic productivity. Anyone have any suggestions on a poet or poets I should be reading?

2.       Just because I wear a badge with my first name on it, and you call me by that name doesn’t mean we are bestest buds. Just sayin’.

3.       My sweetie gave me a mum plant for my office. A week later and it’s still alive. I’m quite proud of myself.

4.       I have nothing to Tweet about. Does that make me pathetic or prudent?

5.       I think the reason Halloween is in October is so that when the days get short and dark you can eat all the chocolate you were supposed to be saving for trick or treaters…

.

Fragment Friday

noreply@blogger.com (Constance Brewer) — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 03:42:00 +0000

1.       Goat’s milk soap, sheep wool socks, dog and cat-haired clothing. My life with animals is complex.

2.       I have a well traveled wheel of Brie cheese in my fridge. I take it out every night, but by the time it warms up to room temp, I don’t want cheese anymore and back in it goes…

3.       I’m still in denial that summer is well on its way out. First snow should really wake me up.

4.       I wonder if people in stock photos ever come across themselves in strange places?

5.       Yankees are out of the playoffs, too. I have no dogs in the fight any longer. Maybe I can just do rock-paper-scissors for a team to root for in the World Series?

.

Fragment Friday

noreply@blogger.com (Constance Brewer) — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 03:16:00 +0000

1.       Watching the Red Sox collapse was like watching a train wreck. I couldn’t look away even though I knew the outcome would be ... dire. I was not disappointed.

2.       Sure signs of fall – I’m drinking more coffee, and I’m knitting more wool socks.

3.       How long has it been since you bought new music? (New as in not a repurchase of an artist you had in another format…)

4.       Is it better to wait on hold with other people's muzak or crackly silence?

5.       Email today from my employer titled “Please open your pay envelope”. Like I need a reminder?

.

Fragment Friday

noreply@blogger.com (Constance Brewer) — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 02:29:00 +0000

1.       How come time flies when you have work to do and lags when you don’t? I’m sure there is some mathematical formula to explain my time disconnects…

2.       If you have stood on concrete of late, thank the Romans.

3.       My phone ring tone isn’t nearly as annoying as other people’s ringtones. Of course, my ring tone is a ringing phone.

4.       A last hot day or two to remind us what we’ll be missing very soon.

5.       I have two lines for a poem I started ten years ago – suddenly, I know it wants to be a sonnet and it’s ready to be written. Finally.

.

Fragment Friday

noreply@blogger.com (Constance Brewer) — Sat, 10 Sep 2011 01:38:00 +0000

1.       I’m not really fond of anniversaries of death. It seems counter-productive.

2.       After looking at New York flood photos, I’m glad I live in a semi-desert.

3.       My poetic output can be 12 poems in one day and nothing the next two weeks. What’s up with that?

4.       I found my camera, inserted new batteries, so there may be Corgi pics in the future.

5.       “Whistle While You Work” is a song, and a metaphor, not something you really should be doing. Just an FYI.

Fragment Friday

noreply@blogger.com (Constance Brewer) — Sat, 27 Aug 2011 03:11:00 +0000

1.       Wyoming is ready to dry up and crisp in wildfires, but I have Twitter to warn me of impending doom.

2.       Watching someone play guitar usually results in me wishing I could play guitar, but not enough to motivate me to actually learn guitar. I’m sure my resistance is a mathematical formula.

3.       Remember when you were a teenager and couldn’t wait to have a job to go to? Yeah, me neither.

4.       Excited to make a new print for a printmaking exchange. Gone from 100 ideas down to just four.

5.       When did zucchini get so expensive? I remember having to sneak around as a kid and leave them on doorsteps.

.

Fragment Friday

noreply@blogger.com (Constance Brewer) — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 01:07:00 +0000

1. Reading on-line newspapers makes me glad I don’t subscribe to a print newspaper. Rather waste electrons than paper.

2. I wonder how long it took our ancestors to discover caffeine – or how quickly I should say.

3. Out of an entire cupful of pens on my desk, a client tried seven before he found one that actually wrote worth a damn. The highlighters work fine, however.

4. What did hunter-gatherers do if neither one felt like hunting/gathering? Was there life before takeout?

5. Did you know it takes an underhand toss to make magnets stick to the file cabinet across the room?

Fragment Friday

noreply@blogger.com (Constance Brewer) — Sat, 13 Aug 2011 01:33:00 +0000

1.       Does the orange juice in the vodka count as a serving of fruit?

2.       Why can’t dogs be more like cats and sleep past 5:00a.m.??

3.       It’s scary how much sports drinks and engine coolant look alike.

4.       Despite the fact I have business cards, I still don’t feel like an adult…

5.       How come there are dozens of movies I want to see, until I’m ready to rent a DVD, when they vanish?

.

Fragment Friday

noreply@blogger.com (Constance Brewer) — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 21:00:00 +0000

1. I found out recently, to my surprise, not everything doused in caramel tastes good.

2. When I find myself out of inspiration, I find looking for the inspiring in everyday things a good place to start again.

3. I’ve found if you want to write tanka, you have to be the tanka….

4. Dogs are big time wasters – but then again you feel so good about the time you wasted.

5. My brain hasn’t transitioned yet from “damn it’s hot out” to “Oh noes, summer is almost over”.

Fragment Friday

noreply@blogger.com (Constance Brewer) — Sat, 23 Jul 2011 03:11:00 +0000

Here are five writing fragments I have in my files for you to play with. What ideas do they trigger?

1.   Fox-pelt hair cascaded in waves from the peak of a high forehead.

2.   Skin as smooth and heavy as a shot glass.

3.   The hose, in looped rattlesnake coils, waited on the grass.

4.   He wasn’t the first to fry an egg on the summer sidewalk, nor would he be the last, but Bob doubted anyone else’s pavement eggs were as tasty as his.

5.   Merle was obsessed with bees, and in time convinced himself he was immune to their venom.

.

Fragment Friday

noreply@blogger.com (Constance Brewer) — Sat, 16 Jul 2011 02:04:00 +0000

1.       I know I’m gearing up for writing poetry again when I start reading poets and poetry analysis instead of a novel.

2.       Rereading the Harry Potter novels and enjoying them just as much this time around as the first time.

3.       We had a bird in the house – a live bird. A smart bird that hid behind a bookshelf until we could rescue him. I have a sneaking suspicion the cat invited him in. The cat’s not talking.

4.       Somewhere between extreme heat outside and the very cold inside is a happy medium. It must be very small because I haven’t been able to find it yet.

5.      Now and then I find a word so stupend-fabulo-acular I beg it to be put in a poem. What’s interesting is that the word usually resists, kicking and biting the other words. Sometimes the chaos makes magic, but usually not.

.