Rockin' the Rivers Pin Collectors

Recently, I attended the first quarterly breakfast meeting of 2014 at the Hard Rock Café. The breakfast was hosted by the Hard Rock Café near Station Square. After breakfast, pin collectors placed their pin bags on a table, displaying their Hard Rock pins. Since I didn’t have my bag, I just laid out my pins on the table.

When members get together at the pin meetings, it is to have fun, meet people, and swap for pins. The people attending the pin swaps are nice and very accommodating, usually saying “Pick a pin that you want. I can always find a pin that I want from your collections.”

This meeting wasn’t just to swap pins but it became a fundraiser for one of the members, who happened to be in the ICU of one of the local hospitals. Even nicer, the Hard Rock Café would match the money that was spent on the raffles and merchandise bought in their store!

An Easter basket was filled with some Hard Rock pins, and T-shirts, and other things, and it would be raffled off. There was a large glass jar filled with jelly beans. I was totally amazed because I bought a ticket, wrote down my guess of 895 jelly beans, and won. I also found a plastic egg in the center with three newly released Hard Rock Pins.

                                                                                                                                 

There were at least ½ dozen other items to be raffled off. I won one and got two Hard Rock T-shirts, a Hard Rock shot glass, Hard Rock earbuds, and a few more Hard Rock pins to add to my growing collection. The best part was that I didn’t have a single one of those pins in my collection.

This was a few hours of pleasant escape from my normal life. I had a good time, the money I spent went toward a good cause, and I met a number of people that were friendly and interesting. I hope that I meet them again in the future.

All in all this was a different kind of Sunday morning for me. It was one that I really enjoyed at the Hard Rock Café. I look forward to attending more.

Greenhouse Journal: Day 4 & 5

Greenhouse Journal: Day 4 and 5

Day 4 - It is bitter cold today. Walking into the warmth of the greenhouse is an unexpected joy. Before I could get into the greenhouse I had to run a few errands. Finally I sign into work at 1:00. I go into Greenhouse 2 and find a huge shipment of plants laid out on the planting benches. I follow the directions and start to plant geraniums in 6” pots and in 4” pots. The plants are in different colors like splash, lavender, white, dark red, and light pink. When I am finished I begin planting two different dahlias in both pot sizes.

Right now everything is planted in House 2 because it is too cold to work in Greenhouse 5. The rest of the plant order will go into that house tomorrow. I continue all my planting assignment, determined to finish them off.

I sign out at 5:00. I feel good knowing that we put a dent into the plant shipment. This shipment was a late one. Tomorrow will be another day and another challenge.

Day 5 - I arrive and sign in at the greenhouse, and start planting Spikes in Greenhouse 4. When I finish, I go over to Greenhouse 5. I need to bring over the plug trays and plant labels with me. Finally I am ready to start all the planting and there is a lot of head of me. I plant in 4” terra cotta pots. I work from 9-3:30, only taking a 15 minute break. I am determined to finish the shipment before I sign out.

By the end of the day, I have planted: Duranta, three different types of Sweet Potato Vine, Verbena in twisted pink and deep purple, Superbells, Cleome, Dahlia, Helichrysum, light pink Double Impatiens, Ipomoea, two different varieties of Lobelia, and two types of Angelonia, Scaveola, and Lantana.

I enjoy that I am in the warmth of the greenhouse, and that I am working alone with music playing on the radio. Every once in a while I will come across a small plug with the beginning of a small bud, blooming. That bud is amazing to see, and another perk of working in the greenhouse.

At 3:30, I look around and to my amazement: I have planted the entire shipment of plants. I water in the plants, clean up, and sign out. I am tired but pleased with my day. Next week, more plants will arrive and they will be planted in flats. Flats are the small cell and each flat contains at least 32 plants. I also know that I will be filling the cells with the soil, unless someone else does it for me.

Grandchildren's Books

Lately, I have been working on books for my grandchildren. This project will keep me busy for a long time. Right now I have 20 grandchildren. I am writing a special story about each one of them. I have so far written 11 stories. I think they are pretty good ones. That means I have 9 more to complete.

The stories are mostly based on fact and then I use my writer’s imagination to compose a fun story. After I write the story, I proof it, and edit it. I usually add more to the story and try to keep it to 3-4 pages. When I am satisfied, I pull out my hard white books that I have ordered over the Internet. I choose what parts of the story goes on each page and cut it to that page. Then I find some scrap book paper that I can cut whichever way I wish and place it on each page, glue it, then glue down the lines to the story. When I am finished…I get a picture that is appropriate for each page to go along with the story.

So far…I have completed three books. I gave my oldest granddaughter her book on her last birthday, when she turned 17. Hannah was already familiar with the story that I had written about her. She was excited when I finally gave the finished book to her.

Right now, I am working on a 4^th book, and have one more to complete. I will give the finished books to four of my grandchildren who have summer birthdays. Two of my grandchildren will be 14 and the other two will be 13. I figured that they would appreciate a book about them with photos and a fun story. I will also write something inside of the book when I give it to them.

This is my way of doing something special for the grandchildren whom I love. Plus it lets them know that besides Grandma G loving them, I am also a writer who wanted to share my writing with each grandchild.

Hopefully they will appreciate the book. As years go by, maybe they can pull it out, read the sentiment that I have written and enjoy a look back at their life in a short story with some cute pictures of them.

I am making a memory for both me and my grandchildren. The cost of this project…PRICELESS! 

Greenhouse Journal: Day 3 at the Greenhouse

I arrive close to 9, sign in and go to greenhouse 3 to find my boss and get my planting assignment. On one of the planting benches is the newest plant shipment, waiting for me. I start on the miniature plants for the Fairy Gardens. I work in Greenhouse 4, on a variety of them like Goji’s Chocolate Ball, De De Honeysuckle, Old Man Bones, Hobbit, Dana’s Purple Passion, Sting of Bones and a few others. My favorite is the Sensitive Plant. Every time you touch one of the tiny leaves it moves.

When I finish planting these in 4’ pots, I then water the plants. I clean up the area, gather my water bottle and head over to Greenhouse 5 to plant some more. On my way, I pick up a few trays of annuals and the planting tags that go into them. On the right hand side of the house, I begin planting a number of lantana plants. On the left hand side I start planting number of varieties of Fuchsia, Iresine, Ipomoea, Coleus, Persian Shield, and more.

I stop for 15 minutes to take a break and eat a package of peanut butter crackers and drink the rest of my lemonade.  Then I continue working. I work alone in Greenhouse 5 following the planting directions from the clip board. The time seems to go by quickly today. Maybe it is because I am listening to the music on my iPod.

I finish planting everything. There is nothing else for me to do, and I can’t believe it. Neither can the woman who I work under. She is elated and tells me that I did a good job. Since everything is planted, I can leave early and she will call me later in the week when the next shipment of plants arrives.

I am happy to be done early but happier that I completed the planting in one day. I didn’t make a mistake like I had in my previous two days, no aches and pains. I walked up the steps to sign out and found a check waiting there for me from my first day’s work. The check was for $40.00. I beamed, despite not making minimum wage but then again, I would have worked for free. But holding a check in my hand made me feel good about myself, and it would buy me a tank of gas.

Greenhouse Journal: Day 1 & 2

Building up my stamina to work at the greenhouse for a minimum of six hours a day is going to take some time. It has been two years since I’ve worked there. It’s been two years since I’ve stood on my feet for six hours straight. It is hard because my legs are old. The funny part is it’s not my legs that hurt, it’s my back. This greenhouse work gives a fuller understanding and meaning to back breaking work

Here is how my work day goes: I arrive at the greenhouse at 8:45. I greet the other workers as I quickly make my way up the steps to the office, and sign in. I spryly head back downstairs to go to whatever house the new shipments of plants are located. I remove my jacket and Browns sweatshirt. I wear this sweatshirt to annoy my boss, who is an ardent Steelers fan. It gives us something to spar with each other. Then I pull my brown LMS apron on, the one with the three pockets so I can stuff my extra plastic gloves, box cutter (this is to open the bags of soil, Kleenex, a pencil and small piece of paper to write down some of my job instructions.

So far, I have lucked out because usually I have to fill the 4” green or terra cotta pots with soil. Then 15 of those pots go into a tray. So far, I have been planting the little baby plugs. I have planted a few varieties like three different splash plants, begonias, Angelina, petunias and a few others.

The baby plugs come in small trays and have to be removed so as not to break off the plant from the root. No matter how carefully I do this job, I still manage to break off a plant from the root or snap off a few leaves. After about two hours of working on the potting bench, my back starts to hurt. Usually I stack the trays up so I don’t have to bend down. I try to stretch or do some bends, or walk out to the water cooler to refill my water bottle.

At about 12:30, I start watching the clock and hoping that I can make it until 3:00. The hours creep along and my back aches more and fatigue sets in. When my six hours of work are up, I clean up mu work area. Slowly, I walk up the steps, sign out, collect my things, and head home. I pull my car up into my garage, and think about sitting there forever. I need to go inside. After a hot shower, two Aleve tablets, and a cup of coffee, I feel remarkably better. And to think that my boss wanted me to work and eight hour day!

After two days of work, I hope I can build up my stamina. The only thing that keeps me returning to the greenhouse is the warmth and serenity of the greenhouse and watching those baby plugs grow into a beautiful healthy plant.

In the meantime, I’ll just take this one work day at a time.

Mr. McChrystal's Bagpipes

Every St. Patrick's Day, I remember my next door neighborhood. His name was Mr. McCrystal and he practiced on his bagpipes, every day. On St. Patrick's Day, I watched him in the parade, wearing his kilt and playing his bagpipes. He was a sweet man and that was my first introduction into the world of bagpipes. I am sure that he is up in heaven entertaining God and everyone else!

This was my homage to him, published in 2014...

With the approaching of St. Patrick’s Day, I started to think about my old grade school, in Cleveland Ohio. St. Patrick’s was an old Irish parish located on the West Side of Cleveland, not too far from the downtown area.

The Church was old and beautiful and still exists today. A few years ago my oldest daughter got married in that church. The church hasn’t changed and looked exactly like I remembered when I was in grade school in the 50s and 60s. The school is no longer behind the church.

I especially remembered St. Patrick’s feast day. That was the day that everyone became Irish. That included my full blooded, 100% Italian family, which the pastor dubbed as the O’Aiello family. During the St. Patrick’s Day Mass, everyone sang the religious song, Faith of Our Fathers normally. But everyone belted out the hymn All Praise to St. Patrick! Our voices and the organ filled our cavernous church.

Then afterwards, we lined up on the curb of the street in front of our church and enjoyed the Irish band blowing loudly on their bagpipes. In the parade was my neighbor, who lived in the apartment across from us. Mr. McChrystal walked by and I waved and shouted out his name. I could see his twinkly blue eyes and a small smile appear.

I didn’t know Mr. McChrystal that well but we would always greet one another. He was a slender short man with white hair, blue eyes and an Irish brogue. I would listen to him practice on his bagpipes in the afternoons. They were loud and cool and no one ever complained.

Now, there he was walking with the other bagpipers, playing an Irish song.

It has been a long time since I thought of Mr. McChrystal. He has been dead for over 50 years. But I remember his brogue and smile and playing the bagpipes. Mr. McChrysatl was the first musician I ever met. He was also the first man I ever met who wore a skirt – or rather a kilt.

I still remember how sweet he looked in his kilt and hat, and the plaid scarf wrapped and pinned to his shoulder. But I also remember how cute his knees looked, when the wind whipped up his kilt.

Back to the Greenhouse

I hate winter. I hate January, despite that I was born in January. This past January was a long cold depressing month. January seems like the longest month after the holidays. It’s usually snowy and bleak and this year, it was one of the coldest January’s on record.

Being stuck in the house depresses me. I move like a slug, usually making excuses for why I don’t want to go out, or go to the gym, or go anywhere that involves leaving the comfort of my home. Now with January behind me, my thoughts have turned to spring and the thoughts of the greenhouse. By now, the little baby plant plugs start to arrive in the greenhouse. They need to be planted in flats or pots for the coming spring season.

I used to work at the greenhouse. I haven’t worked there in a few years since I started to help my daughter in her catering kitchen. Yet, I still think of the greenhouse, the warmth and the enjoyment that it brings to me.  The greenhouse makes me happy. I decided that I need a change and a new place to work. So, I emailed my old boss, asking to work part time to just do the baby plantings.

Right now, we are negotiating my days and hours. It’s been awhile since I worked an eight hour shift. I’m willing to give it my best shot. The job will run through February, March and April. Standing for eight hours on the hard wood and dirt floors is uncomfortable and tiring but being surrounded by living plants is worth it.

I did get that call and have been in the greenhouse working the past two weeks. The first two days were a killer but now things are getting better. The best part of working is that I am with the plants and I will get a paycheck.

Selling A Book

For me, writing a book is easy enough. I love to write and I even love to do the research that goes along with writing a book. Even when a writer writes a novel or a fiction book, a writer still does background work – unless the place is an imaginary one – then it doesn’t matter. If a writer is writing about a certain time – the writer usually researches what the area was like during that time period.

Since my novel was set during a specific time in a certain place, I did some background research, describing the time and place where my novel was set. I researched what was there, and what was going on during my novel’s time frame.

Once I have my setting and characters and some outline idea, I begin to write. Usually the beginning or the opening of my story is the hardest to write. It’s getting that opening scene and sentence to draw a reader’s attention into the book. Oddly, I pretty much know how my story or book will end.

As for the characters, a writer has to have a connection to the characters. Once I start writing about the characters and describing them, my pen or pencil or key board becomes an extension of the characters. It is as if my characters have come alive and they are doing the talking as I seem to have become the writing instrument, transcribing whatever my characters were saying.

After I get a good start into my book, I go back and add more description to the characters and the scenery. Then I continue to write, to add more to make my story interesting, and to delete what is unnecessary. So, writing brings joy to my life. I don’t think of it as work.

When my book is done, what then? This part is the hardest for me. For years, I tried to pitch my writing. I have a folder of rejection slips. Rejection is a big part of the writing process, or the down side of writing. This is where a writer, truly needs to develop a tough skin, but believe me, that isn’t as easy as it sounds.

Each rejection leaves a bit of a scar on the writer. After I get a rejection slip - I get down, and go off by myself to lick my wounds of disappointment. Thankfully, that rejected feeling doesn’t last long. I just decide that I didn’t send my piece to the right place, which is sometimes very true. Or maybe the editor or publisher isn’t interested with my work at the time, which is sometimes also true. I get it.

Even if a writer is lucky to have their work accepted, they are part of the selling process. The writer is their own PR person, taking their books to a bookstore, or library or any other place suited to drop off one’s books and try to get them noticed and sold.

Personally, I have used my Facebook page to launch my book. I’ve asked others to give my book a ‘shout out’, alerting their Facebook followers about my book. I know there are other ways to sell a book – and I will have to figure that angle out as well.

As one can see, writing for me is so much easier than being my own PR person because I usually don’t have the foggiest idea as to how to sell my book. But – I know how to write a good one!

If you are interested in a good read, you can buy both of my books – The Doctors’ Wives, and A Leap of Faith. Both books are on Amazon for the Kindle and Barnes and Noble for the Nook.

First Cup of Coffee

What makes that first cup of coffee of the day, taste like the best cup of coffee in the whole wide world? It’s as if I struck the lottery or opened a new vein of gold.

 

Is it because I haven’t had a cup of coffee in maybe, the past 17-18 hours that my body craves it? Yet, when I go through the morning  ritual of making that first cup, then situate my-self, sit down, and take that first sip – Oh my! The warmth of that first sip is so soothing. The flavor fills up my mouth and gently slides down my throat and a warm pleasure permeates throughout my body. Not only does it taste good and fills up my senses, but it adds a very comforting feeling.

 

I sometimes think that the first sip is almost like the last sip…both are the best. I sometimes have the same feeling when I open a can of pop and swallow that first and last sip. Both are indescribable. It’s as if I’ve been on a desert island and haven’t had a drink in a very long time. Maybe it’s the first taste that is the most satisfying. Although the last sip leaves me feeling almost the same way. At least that cup of coffee or can of soda will last me for the day and the thoughts of it, even longer.

 

What about you?