THE SIX HUNDREDTH POST... WAS PSALM 90...and
"O GOD, OUR HELP IN AGES PAST"
"My Writing Place"
That glorious day, December 26, 2010, the day after I'd seen
that new -fangled "i-Pad" my daughter-in-law had received
for Christmas, and I had blurted out "I want one of those,"---
BE and my son, Alan, had braved the lines down at the Apple
store, and came walking into the house and up to my chair
and handed me a sack with a nice white BOX in it!
It was my new iPad...and I named him "Henry" on the spot!
(My attitude toward computers, up to that time was a whole
"nother story" which I will not go into right now. Suffice it to
say I had a bad experience with early ones in my second
career.)
I was really an ignoramus that December day about what
one could find out on a computer. My first two searches
were (tentative to say the least)---Central Park, in NYC,
and Westminster Abbey. I was very proud of myself
when they came up.
Late March 2011 came, and beautiful talented Donna
(later to be know as "B.E."--- "Beloved Editor,") said
one day: "You ought to be writing." (In my first career
I wrote a weekly piece.) "You write 'em and I'll put 'em
on!" She had great skills as a computer person.
"You'll put 'em on what?" I asked.
"We'll start you a blog." she said excitedly.
Now this is the truth. Being unlettered in computer
lingo, I said: "WHUT'S a BLOG?" (I like the concept of
plain old people writing but really think "blog" is an
unfortunate term, and I recoil every time I hear it.)
The first one went on my new MIL'S PLACE on March
31, 2011. It was titled "The Tree of Freedom" and was
based on ideas from Thomas Jefferson.
My mailing list was not lengthy at the time and a couple
of folks didn't cotton to Jefferson's premise and told
me so. I almost ceased to write---with only one under
my belt. Then I realized that you have to write as best
you can and if someone doesn't agree, not to worry
about it.
Over the five, almost six years we have been posting
MIL'S, one of the things I'm proudest of is the number
of writers who have contributed stories and poems.
Some have authored quite a number of pieces and
other have offered. shorter comments and paragraphs..
At the risk of leaving someone out, I have tried. to
recall these writers.
Most of them are "kids" who attended Clovis Schools
and graduated from CHS. I have compiled a list of
fifteen or so, and their CHS classes were 1950, 1951,
1953, and 1957, as best I remember. Ned, who was
to become a famous football coach, attended La
Casita circa 1947.
Listed alphabetically they are: Ned Biddix, Levi Brake,
Bobbie Burnett, Albin Covington, Richard Drake,
Wylie Dougherty, Sue Hale, Don Phillips Art Snipes,
Bobby Joe Snipes, Robert Stebbins, John Sieren,
Elizabeth Sieren, Gene Walker, and Vernoy Willis.
All good writers, helping remember things that would
have otherwise been lost from the history of our
lives and times. My deepest appreciation to all of you!
(There are several classmates that I have invited and
encouraged to write, as yet to no avail. B.E. herself,
is an excellent writer, but as yet she is contented to
edit and post. She is, in fact, a most important
person, and I thank her immensely. For you see, I
don't have the moxy to put these stories on.)
My first career was spent in almost twenty years as
a Gospel singer, and there are some twenty hymn
stories which appear on MIL'S. These are among the
most-read of all, according to tallies, which we can
trace.
I was seventy-seven years old when we started MIL'S
PLACE on March 31, 2011. Have you ever scraped a
watermelon with a table spoon, out on the farm, until
you were down to the rind?
That's how my mind felt a few times..."scraped out,"
A good feeling really, because it seemed to fill up
with fresh ideas.
Then I was inspired by the unforgettable poets Mary
Oliver, Robert Hass, and William Carlos Williams
and started writing poems.
Writing poetry turned out to be incredibly interesting
and satisfying, as well as fun . And it smooths out the
wrinkles ...levels out the mind.
There is a stack of pieces, maybe four feet tall, resting
and jelling in the corner of my writing place, awaiting
fine-tuning and publication. Ninety percent will likely
never make it---unless I should become famous and
every scrap should be searched out by the literati.
I have tried at every turn, to always extol our great
hometown of Clovis, its wonderful people,
our beloved parents, the finest teachers in the world,
friends of our youth, love for the USA and patriotism,
and above all---our Creator and our blessed Lord
and Savior.
All of life is a story...or a poem...waiting to be told.
And thanks so much to the kind readers who have
encouraged all us "writers!"
****************
THE SIX-HUNDRED-NINTH POST
BY MIL & B.E.
11-16-16
No comments:
Post a Comment