Pears

Of all the objects the leader could have chosen to begin the creative activity at the Hemingway-Pfeiffer Writers' Retreat that year, he picked pears! Little did he know that I possess a pear-motif collection to die for.
Three different sizes of pear plates rest in a wrought-iron holder on one dining room wall. in the china hutch, a row of six white, saucer-sized rounds tell a story. The first one shows a pear with the French word below. The second shows a pear with one bite out, and a French phrase description. The third has two bites out, the fouteh, three bites gone, until the last one shows a pear pip, naturally with the French word underneath.
My sisters and others have given me pear pitchers, stitchery that says, "Love comes in pears/pairs," cup and saucer sets, salt and peppers, candle pears and still life pictures with pears.
I have collected mugs with pears, gift bags, thank-you notes, blank notes, napkins and napkin rings, greeting cards--all with pears on them.
Outside my inherited home stands on ancient pear tree, which, last fall, produced enough fruit to fill a seven-foot chest freezer.
I could write for days about pears without ever cutting into one.

After taxes were finished, the yard beckoned

Dazed by the strenuousness (mental) of doing my own taxes, I walked around for three days inside the house doing odd jobs--packing winter clothes, filling boxes with things ARC could use in their thrift store; taking plants outside-- you know the drill. Mom's old, old shorty curtain sets from the dining room and sunroom went in the box, unworn-during-the-current-season clothes, dishes, odd silverware, an extra glass platter, knick knacks from a deceased aunt given by her son and his wife. Stuff like that.
Then the acre yard began growing like... crazy (that's all I can do on a Saturday night). I charged the Black & Decker weedeater each night so I could trim selected areas around bushes, beds, trees and large white rocks that I begged from the church leaders when they dug for a new septic system. (I gave the church a donation to a specialty fund that needed contributions.)
So here are my excuses for not "visiting" my blog more often. I'll try to do better. Wait. Better for whom? Anyway, I started this blogging thing, so I'll try to keep keeping on. That also includes the yard and rearranging the living room for the summer. Later, pl

Taxes done: in the nick of time

Now that Easter activities are over AND taxes figured and sent, I can get back into the world of society. Speaking of society, the Lucidity Poetry Retreat in Eureka Springs was --as usual--an enjoyable experience. I always look forward to the workshop group, which seems to "grow" together as we discuss each other's poems. I have good pictures of nearly everyone at the banquet. I'll see if I can share them with the ones for whom I have email addresses. Have already made arrangements to return to Dairy Hollow (writers' colony) next April. Luckily, I'll get to go between Easter and Lucidity and it will be during mid April rather than mid March as it was this year. Is the snow gone for the year? Killer tornadoes roared through Mena AR and Murfressboro TN. Hope all of you bloggers and blogfans are safe and well. pl