It’s “Hey Rene J” Today!

My career as a blogger has been upended by the true writer in the family! She never would let me see her work when she had a paper due in her studies. Oh sure – her friends had me proof their work, but not my daughter! Now I see why…she always was a great writer anyway.

I must admit, I wanted to head out to Guitar Center today and pick up a new piano book of songs to liven up the “Tipsy Trio,” too. Yes, we do seem to repeat our song list – but I don’t think we make the same mistake twice! We seem to be able to make new ones each week, which keeps us working on the old tunes. Thankfully the Christmas season will bring us a new repertoire – and we’re pretty good at the standards.

Ah, such a refreshing look at life on a Sunday evening back at the ranch. Next Sunday? Haiku writing lessons.

It was nice to have all the family back together for Sunday night dinner tonight. Andy, having just returned as a Rider on a motor-home trip with a friend, monitored the baking of the delicious home-made lasagna, squash (which I LOVE), and “salt with a little bread in it“ (i.e. the saltiest garlic bread ever made) while the other three Jenkins members were playing & singing at the usual Sunday 5pm Mass. The discussion around the dinner table tonight with my lovely family included many things: reminiscing about keeping (or NOT keeping) children’s art projects, famous “Rene sayings” (the most famous is “BUCK UP!”), and most importantly, this blog!

As we were discussing the “Haiku of the Day,” a disagreement was sparked about the “intended topic” for Haikus… which was proven by the woman who is always “right-er” (we’ll call her “Rene”) that Haikus are indeed originally written by the Japanese about nature. However, it was also noted in the discussion about this blog that every member of the Jenkins Household has been published!… all except for one: we’ll call her “Rachel.”

And that brings us to the current time, where this Writer has agreed to script tonight’s blog post… mostly in order to avoid singing the same 5 songs in the Tipsy Trio Playlist coming from the front room… but nonetheless, I (Rachel) can now say that I am published!

And thus ends this blog post… with a Rider, a “Right-er,” and (now) a Writer! But we mustn’t leave out the fourth member of the Jenkins Household… therefore, please see the “Haiku Of the Day” for his contribution to this post. Or rather, I would direct you to it if I could in any way figure out how to edit it, but I can’t, so here it is instead:

Haikus can be weird,

Sometimes they do not make sense.

Refrigerator.

How I get these emails sent to my inbox is unknown. I have two daily emails which I do not believe I subscribed to, but I rather enjoy them. So I keep them and once-in-awhile I actually pay attention to them. The first is “Word Genius.”

Now this is interesting! The word that popped up yesterday – or the day before – was “picaresque.” I didn’t know it. It refers to a novel about a roguish hero-type. Today’s NYTimes puzzle – 56 across – ”like a novel with a roguish, adventuring hero.” I knew it! But I wouldn’t have known it two days ago? Are these two ventures in cahoots?

The second daily email is “Travel Trivia.” Today’s question was so easy I laughed and didn’t even bother to open for the answer. “Which state has the highest average IQ?”

Well, “Nebraska,” obviously!

A mere month later and the comparison finally pops into my head after a circuitous mental route. Our tour guide to Montepulciano in Italy reminded me of the Artful Dodger in “Oliver!” He looked like an adult version of him, and his eyes were always darting about.

How did I get here? My job placed me in a school with an Hispanic concentration and many parents who spoke no English. My Spanish is on par with my Italian, by the way. Nary a polyglot am I. So I’m trying to decipher some of the conversation my partner is having with parents, getting my mind squished with the Spanish/Italian lexicons. Thus, I was then thinking about the regions of Italy and how different and fiercely independent each one is, language included. By the way, the modern Italy is only about 160 years old. They jokingly say that the only thing that makes them come together as one country is soccer. Then, they are all Italians! Otherwise, they are regional in their thinking and economies. It probably was a 20-second route, but the thoughts all brought me to the tour guide.

I learned this information from the Artful Dodger. Even though I’m convinced he truly is a pickpocket on the side (we saw him the following week in a highly populated tourist area while we were on public transport and he was “dodging” in and out of crowds….) he did know a thing or two about his history.

It’s nice to know some things will return to my memory at some point in some indirect way.

My son assured me it was not a “pity” game. He took up the gauntlet and challenged me to a Scrabble game on his only free night this week. What ensued was a collaborative poem after the fun. It is to be read as a script, with “R” as me, and “B” as he. We took turns issuing the “finish-the-rhyme” challenge. It was pretty short-lived.

R: I’m going to place my “Q” right here.
B: Time to grab another beer.
If I could only draw an “E.”
R: Please do before you have to pee!
My word is only 20 points.
B: I can feel victory in my joints.
If only this board weren’t so darn crowded!
R: Are you trying to keep your talent shrouded?
B: In the end it’s just a game.
R: and I won – just the same.

Look for more Nobel-award-winning works.

I wonder if there is a market for selling titles? Phrases and ideas that might be overlooked by a normal individual could give somebody inspiration, right? I’ve often thought of good book titles – without any idea of the novel that should accompany them. And everything needs a title, right? A person doesn’t browse the library or bookstore looking through the “untitled” section.

The law of “titling” happens between the ages of six and 18, when every paper, poem and paragraph needs a title. When I was part of that regimen, I protested and groaned and tried to use “Untitled” as often as possible. And you know why? Because I wrote the work first, then found a title for it! College wasn’t much better.

My mid-term paper on John Stuart Mill, the Victorian poet and essayist, was titled, “John Stuart Mill: Victorian Poet and Essayist.” I became slightly more imaginative with my Marxism research. “Marxism.” It left the mind to ponder the broad expanses on which I might possibly be reporting!

Thus, I come to my point. The first thing I do when I sit down to write is plunk down a title. The rest seems to follow. Here are a few titles I’ve come up with that you might like to use for your future novel. I won’t be needing them.

• When the Termites Ignore Your Wood
• The Pink Curler Mystery (I think this could be a series!)
• Chapter 97: The Birthday Party
• The Cell Phone in the Hall
• Cedar Chest Hopes (obviously a romance)
• Clinging to a Closet (subtitle: True Tales of a Hoarder)
• She Married a Taxidermist

Happy writing!

Lots of driving time today, so I was able to marvel at how dull and lifeless the autumnal colors are this year. Thus – I had to perk up my spirits by seeking out one of my favorite poems. I’d like to say I wrote it, but hey, the Haiku is challenging enough!

This poem was introduced to me 40-some years ago by my Antarctica Cindy. It’s by Bliss Carmen. I have it memorized, but I wanted to write it properly with the punctuation, so I had to research it! What a delightful venture. I learned the name of the poem is “A Vagabond Song.” I’m going to be a vagabond tomorrow!

A VAGABOND SONG by Bliss Carmen

There is something in the Autumn that is native to my blood –
Touch of manner, hint of mood;
And my heart is like a rhyme,
With the yellow and the purple and the crimson keeping time.

The scarlet of the maples can shake me like a cry
Of bugles going by.
And my lonely spirit thrills
To see the frosty asters like smoke upon the hills.

There is something in October sets the gypsy blood astir;
We must rise and follow her,
When from every hill of flame
She calls and calls each vagabond by name.

I wasn’t anticipating writing about Louisa May Alcott. For at least the past 20 years, I have addressed letters and packages to my sister Cindy as “Louisa May Alcott.” Every postal person knew from the address that it was my sister. I had the address correct, so the name was incidental. Smaller town. I’m sure that no one knew we both adored every novel by Alcott. I have our first copy of “Little Women,” which we purchased together when we pooled our money 50 years ago. Sigh…..

Here is the quote. It showed up in my notes and just reminded me of my sister.

“Far away, there in the sunshine are my highest aspirations. I may not reach them, but I can look up and see their beauty, believe in them, and try to follow where they lead.”

`

I was dethroned yet again last night. First my mother beats me, then my daughter. I am humbled.

Not really. I had crappy letters! It’s pretty tough to succeed with all vowels. A person needs some good consonants, which brings me to my story.

When traveling with family in the past, I have always brought a Scrabble board – and not the deluxe “travel edition!” Oh no…we used the old-fashioned board. No magnets to hold the letters on while you’re on the train. No nice spinning board so everyone can see it. I own three different boards, but I still have that old board, an original! First edition. We used it last night.

Years ago, my sister and I played on a train to Florence with this board and we lost an “h.” We had to take a piece of foil and form a tile with a Sharpie “h” on it. Then, my father noticed that we were missing an “x” in the game. We went through all the letters, found an extra “y,” and got out the wood-burning tool. You can’t play without the eight-point “x.”

I didn’t mind losing with all of those wonderful memories of lost letters. And I have a nice padded cushion of past victories. Ooh! Challenge anyone?

“I’m loving these hoop earrings. But I never liked them when they were popular.” – Me

“So, what’s new?” – Daughter

(Laughter all around.) All I could spit out was, “Touché.”

Gotta love “Craft Night…aka Bonding 101.”