Ahem…shall we try again?

16 Tuesday Jul 2019

Posted by Yvonne Montgomery in Hope, Writing

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Once upon a time there was a Writer who stopped writing. She’d finished the third book in her trilogy (Wisdom Court, that is), and almost as if a switch had been thrown, her Brain nestled into the overstuffed chintz chair now crowding the small sitting room in her head where, nearby, a nice cup of tea was steaming. Noting her lack of arms, the Brain signaled the Writer, who reached for the TV remote. “Merde,” muttered the Brain.

“I wonder what’s on the telly,” sighed the Brain. (There was no explanation for her cozy English accent.)

Lots of things were on the telly. MSNBC news programs; Call the Midwife; Bosch; John Wick movies; Law and Order reruns; TNT-chopped versions of The Hunger Games; the Kevin Bacon collection. Netflix and Amazon and Hulu were crawling with movies and edgy comedy and eye glazing sophistication. And horror. The Brain overdosed on 911.

Tons of books presented themselves: Louise Penny’s Inspector Armand Gamache books; Lawrence Block books (even a new Matt Scudder!); Bruce Most and Cassie Miles and Douglas D. Hawk books; Nora Roberts books; Charlaine Harris books. The Mueller Report. Becky Clark books.

The Brain grew fat and slow, pickled with distractions. “It’s all research,” she averred as the Writer’s fingers lost their agility and the Brain’s ability to spell suffered. “I’ll be so ready when I return to my oeuvre.” At the slow, sloppy thought, the Writer raised a brow, which she’d never been able to do before, but nothing came of it.

As summer finally took hold, the Writer began to pull a Camille, finding pots in the basement, buying plants to put in them. Tending her garden aroused a thin hope for A Better Way in the Brain, and the flood of books and films and television shows slowed to a trickle.

Came the day when the Writer looked inward, when she saw the fragile Brain struggling from the grip of the overstuffed chintz chair. “We’ll resuscitate the blog,” the Brain whispered, no trace of British accent to be heard.

Tears welled in the Writer’s eyes. “We’ll get back out there. We’ll think of something to write about.”

They decided to celebrate with a nice cup of tea.

Hot town, summer in the city…

15 Wednesday Aug 2018

Posted by Yvonne Montgomery in Hope, snark, Uncategorized

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…finish with a hellish cold and call it all shitty.

Nah, not all. June brought Bob’s and my fiftieth anniversary, which we celebrated by taking the train to Glenwood Springs. When in doubt, find water…really, really hot water. We parboiled our way through four days and chugged home, at certain points traveling 25 MPH because the tracks were so hot in the 90-plus temps. We couldn’t risk bending them by going fast. True story.

July brought some rain, some hail, some corn on the cob, some strawberries. Once again I managed to kill numerous plants through a dearth of assiduity. (Hah! I looked it up after I typed it and was right in both spelling and meaning–that I forgot, was gone, was too much of a jerk to follow the watering schedule.)

August brought the cold from hell, simply because my immune system was bored. I’m going to the State Fair to compete in the mucous-producing

Photo by Public Domain Pictures on Pexels.com

competition. It’s gross, but the sashes are stunning.

I know it’s time to move on because I’m beginning to wish I could wear jeans again. (Aren’t these little life milestones entrancing?) I know I’ll be more creative–as in actually writing, for instance–and life will have more zing, too, when I can crawl back into the jeans.

Maybe next time I’ll torture my remaining readers…are any of you out there?…by writing a take-off on What I Did on My Summer Vacation. Snorking, gagging, and using tissues will be prominently featured.

Doesn’t the woman look cute blowing her nose? You ought to get a load of me.

Cough.

31 Days of Spooky Stuff, October 13: A favorite episode of The X-Files

13 Thursday Oct 2016

Posted by Yvonne Montgomery in Grief, Hope

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Character, horror

clydeb1

I don’t know how much influence The X-Files has had on me, but it’s been significant. I’m grateful it aired when I was an adult, both because I was able to clue into most of the cultural references of its best writers, and because, growing up, I had enough nightmares as it was.

I started to write this post about the five scariest episodes of The X-Files, but ran into a problem I’m not willing to resolve. All the lists point to “Home” as either one of or the most frightening episode of the series. After seeing the preview of that episode back in 1995, I refused to watch it. (I have a deep and ongoing problem with monsters under the bed.)

clydeb2 So today I’ll remind you of one of the very best of the frightening standalone episodes the series had: “Clyde Bruckman’s Final Repose,” about a psychic whose gift is the ability to see how people will die. The late Peter Boyle played this character with grace and melancholy, and the writing and directon by Darin Morgan and David Nutter are both creepy and morbidly humorous. It remains one of the most human of the series episodes–what, after all, is more human than death?

When I recall watching this episode, I remember the joy I felt at the skill of the writing, at the brilliance of Boyle’s portrayal. It’s been a favorite “ahhh” moment in my long history of TV-watching.

Comment to enter the October 31 drawing to win a signed copy of the Wisdom Court Trilogy.

Another Lick and a Promise…

11 Wednesday May 2016

Posted by Yvonne Montgomery in Hope, Random Thoughts, Wisdom Court, Writing

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writing process

Seedling of narcissus spring flowers growing from ground

I’ve been revising like a fool, hoping the revisions aren’t foolish. Thus have Twitter & Facebook lacked for much attention, and I haven’t blogged in a good, long while. So, here’s to spring, my dears, with all the tumult and drama our Colorado springs usually have. Here’s to venturing out to plant seeds and seedlings, even though we know the likelihood of hail and destruction for a few more weeks. Here’s to doing good work and getting enough sleep and finishing the tale.
I’ll be back soon with more reflections about life, liberty, and putting words on the page. Send me good vibes, please, so I’ll see my way clear to the end of the story.

Here’s another year…

02 Saturday Jan 2016

Posted by Yvonne Montgomery in Hope, Symbols, Writing

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imagination, inspiration

Happy New Year. (Yes, it’s January 2, but what the hell? I can still wish good things for us all.)

I love the feeling of new possibilities, fresh starts, good things to come. Even the thought of taxes can’t suppress enthusiasm. My only questions is, if a day on the calendar can be so easily declared a good thing, why can’t I summon the feeling whenever I want? Ah, the mysteries of life.

Here’s to you and to me and to us all. May your writing fill the pages, may your revisions fill your souls with joy, and may wonderful ideas flow in your mind like a river of promises.

Here we come, 2016.

The ornate calendar dial, showing the 12 months of the year, in the Prague Astronomical Clock

And to all a good night…

24 Thursday Dec 2015

Posted by Yvonne Montgomery in Ghosts, Hope, Life

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gratitude, winter memories

Wreath decoration at door for Christmas holiday

This time of year brings joy and melancholy, too. I am filled with memories of people no longer here, grateful that they were, sad at their absence. I cherish the times I get to spend with those I love even as I miss the far-aways, geographical and emotional. As the carols wash over every location, I recall singing most of them in choirs, yet their endless repetition pushes me into annoyance before the season is half over.

It’s hard to prevent the hope for a “good Christmas” from becoming a race to check off the lists of gifts, activities, traditions not to be forgotten. The older I get, the less able I am to reach all those goals, thereby saving myself from the harried days of previous years. Yet that realization is edged with the knowledge that many of those tasks no longer must be done, thanks to the shortening list of family and friends who were here to appreciate them. But to let that sorrow define the changes defeats the purpose of the season.

To all of you in my life I say thank you, I love you, may the year ahead bring you joy. To the ghosts who visit me I say, bless you for having been in my life, for teaching me how to live, for memories-good and bad–that made me who I am.

May we all rest our heads on soft pillows and dream of the things we love.

Making lemonade from formidable lemons…

23 Friday Oct 2015

Posted by Yvonne Montgomery in Hope, Life

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gratitude, making it better

Earlier this year I wrote here about our daughter’s stay at the Michigan Head-Pain and Neurological Institute. (Taking a long walk off a short pier and And then you find a bridge, both on view below.) Misty’s had many ups and downs since she returned to Colorado, but to date she’s had the same migraine for eleven+ months and it’s taking a toll.

While it hurts to see her paring down her life due to her illness, it makes me proud to witness Misty’s determination to maintain the things closest to her heart. She lavishes love and support on family and friends, but helping the denizens of the Colorado Prairie is her passion. She doesn’t have the energy to work at her job and to volunteer for the prairie as well. Her solution is to try to raise the money to get paid for doing what she loves.

Misty has created a Crowdrise campaign to generate the money to pay her to work half-time for the coyotes and tarantulas, the pronghorn and painted turtles, and her beloved prairie dogs of the Southern Plains Land Trust during the upcoming year. If you would like to participate in helping Misty raise the funds to meet her goal, please click on the link below.

https://vimeo.com/142324901

You can follow Misty’s campaign at http://lawandmotherhood.com/20…/…/21/donate-and-enter-to-win

Thanks so much for the love and support shown to Misty this year.

Just singin’ in the rain…

08 Friday May 2015

Posted by Yvonne Montgomery in CO, Hope, Life

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gardens, gratitude

The promise in hushed air–such is the power of rain. Word has it we’ll get snow tomorrow night into Sunday. There’s a reason we’re told here in Colorado not to plant anything before Mother’s Day.

I’ve been getting Facebook posts and email from relatives living in drought-land. They’re joyous at receiving rain, and I’m so happy for them. Fingers crossed they don’t get tornadoes as well.

Here’s to rain falling on spring gardens, to hope growing from tired soil, to words spreading across empty pages. To rebirth.

Here comes the thunder.

And then you find a bridge…

02 Thursday Apr 2015

Posted by Yvonne Montgomery in Hope, Life

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gratitude, making it better

It’s been nearly a week since our daughter Misty returned from the Michigan Head-Pain & Neurological Institute. With her she brought a couple of diagnoses, a management plan, and strategies for life style changes and coping mechanisms. You notice I don’t use the word “cure.” There is none. She is among a small group of people who chronically have migraines and who must manage their conditions, much like diabetics manage their blood sugars. She has a long and winding road ahead of her, but her experience in Michigan provides a bridge from lack of information to some understanding and a path forward. I’m grateful for that.

I’m also grateful to family and friends who have shared prayers, good wishes, and love during this ongoing crisis. Thank you all so much.

Happy Spring to us all.

Taking a long walk off a short pier

02 Monday Mar 2015

Posted by Yvonne Montgomery in Grief, Hope

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Fear, love

Sometimes life presents situations you can’t get around. Sometimes you can only go through, dread growing along the way. It’s been that way around here for awhile.

Our daughter has been increasingly ill for years now, with ovarian cysts, worsening migraines, and now trigeminal neuralgia. She lives in a sea of pain with islands here and there to rest on. The islands are getting smaller and less frequent.

Soon she will leave for a headache/pain management hospital in Michigan where the staff will give her intravenous drugs to determine which mixture is most effective in treating the migraines. As you can imagine, we are hoping this experiment will enable her to reclaim her life.

Why am I writing about this now? To ask for your good vibes, prayers, and kind thoughts that Misty will get better. Sometimes just knowing people are hoping on your behalf can have a positive impact. I’m looking for all the positive I can find for my girl.

Peace, friends.