Author: Sandy Webster

 

Beautiful mornings and sunsets here in Hayesville.

I finally finished my latest book. Now available on Amazon under S. Webster. It is all the poetry written since the last book. And has new short stories and narrative essays. I am finished for awhile since I am thinking of returning to the fictional town in Kind Gestures to write another novella. Only because I would like to get to know a character better. Poems and short stories don’t give me enough time to really get to know them.

There are three sections to this 145 page book. Poetry, Short Stories and Narrative essays.

I like how it feels in the hand. And using my own artwork for covers and pages inside is always fun for me. I don’t use an editor and have to actually feel the book to see the errors. So it took a few author proofs before I realized the images I drew and sewed for illustrations just did not have enough sharpness to them. So back into my archives of patched pictures. Now I simply say, “finished”

When I was waiting for new proofs to arrive, I went back to my hand sewing. Lots of stitching on the old linen layered shawl that got me through personal grief a few years ago and now is simply a joy to hold and pierce with threads collected from shops in Australia. When I got to a destination there, I would go into a thread shop to buy embroidery threads of all the colors of that particular area. Tasmania – lots of soft greens, NT – sharp reds, blues and browns, Queensland – brighter greens, Victoria – Eucalyptus leaf and blossom colors…and always the colors of the soils there.

All the holes I burned through the linen by using harsh soils to get the green of my driveway at home, are patched with scraps of contact printed silks and wools from Beautiful Silks. the more this ratty old shawl is handled, the softer it becomes.

It will take at least another month to finish stitching across at right angles to the first layer of stitching…but when I finish that, I might just want to make circles all over the surface…just to keep holding it.

I was quite social the other day and went to one of the monthly luncheons with the “Neighbor ladies”. This is big for me, to be in a room with that many women talking, but I did it. Came home and sat quietly until the cocktail hour and then poured myself a nice one.

Maybe I should write a story about some old lady who simply waits for 5 o’clock. But I won’t. She is familiar enough and by the time I finish my one glass of wine, or whiskey mac, or negroni, or scotch, I am ready to go to bed with a British mystery on my Iphone. Not much of a story there.

Speaking of stories, here is what I put on the back of this latest book…..

Suggestions on how to read this book:

Read slowly and aloud to those who want to listen. If your audience drops off before the first sentence is read, hand them back the remote. Try reading aloud to a kind neighbor, interested family member, fellow writer, your favorite bartender on a slow day. Bartenders are often used to listening to stories, so order a drink and give it a go. Feel free to write in the margins, underline words, phrases, and dog ear corners where you want to return.

Here is a new poem from the book:

My Feet

The right foot:

Always in the lead

Taps to music

Can’t wait to put its shoe on

Must be first

Controls all pedals

on the car floor

sewing machine

foot-levered waste basket

Whatever!

It is there to be counted on.

But the left!

Just a follower

And slow at that!

Clumsy on the dance floor

Uncertain where to step next

Every stumble is likely its fault

And just guess which was the first to get a bunion!

 

Well better get on with it….

Til later…..

 

 

A touch of Spring out by the mailbox! Just before Valentines Day, a neighbor and I treated ourselves to a wonderful dinner out. There was so much food that I ate half of it the following night. Love going to the Copper Door here in town and even had a chance to visit with the owners because they were back in town. Happened to catch them on a call with their daughter who was a favorite hostess of Lee’s and mine. So glad I went!. Also ordered the Old Fashioned using Eucalyptus bitters.

On our way out, we were given a long stem rose to take home. Lovely.

There was another basket gathering in Tasmania this weekend, so I sat down with the Gathering Book and finished this earlier today.

Most of the week was spent going over and correcting the author proof of my latest book. Now I am waiting for the next proof to go over. Not until I hold it in my hands can I see all the problems with being my own editor. It is impossible for me to catch things on a computer screen! But this book will have everything I have written since the last book and will likely be the last one for a bit. If I write any more stories, they might just be in the form of a novella…something I can stay with a bit longer and not so much arranging on the page. By next week I hope to have a picture of the cover and more information.

Later today I am off to a birthday celebration here in the neighborhood. So nice to be invited. In my old neighborhood in Brasstown, if Lee and I wanted to see neighbors, we had to host a party ourselves. Here it is a whole different story. Nice.

I promise this is the last of the table critters.

Deer that was likely shot.

Swimming cockroach.

And a dirty-faced bear just waking up.

Okay, that is about it for this week.

Next week I am going to thread my needle more often and make myself a patchwork stone to just hold. I gave the ones I did before to family for Christmas a little over a year ago. They loved getting them. And I loved the weight of holding stone in one hand while stitching its covering with the other.

And I will pull out my old tattered shawl to finish all the stitching needed to keep it together.

I must have a need to hold things together…or maybe just want an excuse to thread a needle.

Til later….champagne and neighbors soon.

First up is the emu from my dining table that I talked about last week.

Now for the Healing Soup I talked about. recipe as follows:

One chopped onion and three chopped garlic cloves sauteed in a couple tablespoons oil in large pot.

Then add six cups chicken broth, one cut up bunch of asparagus and one large bunch of broccoli cut in pieces (you can use stalks if you peel them first).

Bring to a boil and then cover and simmer for 20 minutes until veggies are soft.

Drop in two to three handfuls fresh baby spinach and stir til just cooked.

Add salt, pepper and pinch of cayenne to taste.

Use a stick blender to pulverize til smooth. This soup is really delicious and the combination of greens are hard to distinguish one from the other.

I also made a quiche with bits left over in the fridge.

And this morning I used my new waffle iron to cook two slices of seedy bread soaked in egg and milk. I had to pierce with a fork several times to get most of the liquid absorbed. Buttered my waffle iron, placed the bread slices to fit each side and cooked til golden. Then topped with butter, sour cream, and golden syrup.

Delicious!

It is a bit after two here in the states. I am supposed to be designing the cover for the new book, so will pour a white wine and get started.

So far today I was on the family call this morning and told the kids that if I need what I will call a stop-over place to pass away, I have found a nice place not too far from here. I assured them that I would not be coming north but staying where my last view will be of the mountains of western North Carolina. I told them I wanted to know that I had a place to go between here and the funeral home (where they are not necessarily waiting but know they are the last ticket purchased). I am in no hurry and have no cause to think the time is very near. But when one lives in an elderly (somewhat) community, one is much more aware of the order of things.

And with that in mind, I share one of my favorite poems from the new book….

Her Last Breath

When she drew her last breath,

   it came with the smell

   of strawberries.

She closed her lips and smiled

   as she savored

   the last one.

Okay, wine is at hand. Earlier I finished my exercises for balance and strengthening. Also treated myself to new clothes from favorite online shops and found myself enjoying the company of neighbors at the homeowners association meeting yesterday. My social skills have been taxed lately. But I am getting better. Which reminds me, did you know that there is a difference between “nice” and “kind”?

Look up kind vs nice and see the difference. My family and I agree that I am NOT nice but definitely kind. But I may have to work on being nice if I want to get my foot in the door of the nursing home that will be my stop before the funeral home. I will likely start with complimenting their choice of wallpaper and see how far that gets me.

Til next week, where my kindness just got me an invitation to a party!

 

This has been a weekend to stay indoors! The sun is out but doing little to melt the snow. It is still very cold out there. This morning I took this picture of rabbit tracks going up to check out one of my yard rabbits…or maybe he decided to take a walk and just got back in place before I noticed.

Anyway, it was lovely to watch the transformation out back.

I am getting the manuscript ready for the book. It is about 140 pages. Struggling with laying out the cover but will get it sorted. I think on the back cover with all that blank space where quotes of high praise are shoved in to help market the book, I will give suggestions on how the book should be read. Mainly, it should be read aloud. Not to those who drop off with the mention of, “Once upon a time…”, but good listeners. Like bartenders on a slow day (they are used to listening) and must have withdrawal when no one is telling their story. Or those missing the sound of someone’s voice and have used up their friends spare time to talk. Or read a poem at the book club that wanted, and worse, expected, you to read the book that was a drudge to even start. Tell them it is an option to come in with a poem instead of getting in line to praise Eat, Pray, Love, or some knockoff of a writer’s character…you know the ones that could be titled, Ahab’s Ugly Sister Finds Love on the Docks. Let’s keep Melville and others like him turning in their graves.

Sorry about that…just a small rant on authors who use established characters from literature because they just can’t create their own. And readers are dying to know all about Ahab’s sister falling in love…good grief!

Because it is still so cold, I am going to make some Healing Soup. It is a chopped onion softened with garlic in oil. Salt and pepper with red pepper flakes to taste, then a chopped bundle of asparagus, bunch of broccoli cut up, and a couple cups of fresh spinach cooked in six cups of chicken broth. When all cooked, pulverize with a hand mixer til smooth and serve in a mug. If you don’ like the taste of “green” then make another soup.

Sadie is staying by the window and waiting for the sun to hit her back.

Last week’s sunny starts and ends to the day.

I might be spending too much time unoccupied between dinner and bed time. I am seeing things in the table…like this seal peeking out. There is also an emu, but I will save him for another time.

I need to get back to laying out the cover for the book…

Til later…