Tag: Blogging

Posted in #weekendcoffeeshare, nonfiction

weekendcoffeeshare #175

Posted on by R.M. Carlson

August 23, 2024

Hello everyone and welcome to my weekendcoffeeshare for the week beginning August 23, 2024! Please come right in and join me for a catchup and a cup of coffee or tea. Please help yourself to whatever you like.

If we were having coffee together today, I would tell you that I haven’t participated in the coffee share or in any of the challenges for about three weeks now. Why? Put simply, life got in the way! There have been lots of things, some good and some not so good, going on that has taken my focus (and time) away from writing. I’m getting back in the groove now.

My flower gardens are just about gone for this year. We have four distinct seasons here in my location in the U.S., Kentucky, Upper South. Summer is coming to an end. We’ve even had nights down in the 40s though the days are still mostly hot, even some in the 90s. We have had an awfully hot summer and some of the plants I have traditionally grown have not done so well this year. Others have fared very well. I think climate change will eventually change our growing zones and that is perhaps happening in my location even now.

Here are some of the plants that I’ve managed to grow this summer.

Clematis
Japanese Painted Fern
Rhododendron
Peonies
New Guinea Impatients

They have been nice and brightened up my yard, but the weather has been hard on them. These are not plants that do particularly well when the temperatures are in the 90s every day. Very unusual for my area.

My husband and I have both had some health issues pop up recently. He will have to have some eye surgery in the fall. As for me, it is going to take a specific and very restrictive diet. There is nothing, and I mean nothing, to eat on this diet. I’m already thin and I really don’t want to get any thinner, but I suspect that will happen! Getting older is not for sissies!

I’ve been fortunate to be able to talk to and see some friends and family recently. That always helps everything seem better. I had a small nuclear family, but I have a big extended family on both my mom’s and dad’s sides of the family. I also have good lifetime – and new – friends. We have had a lot of support over the past few weeks.

Sophie, the German Shepherd
Sophie at a nearby state park
Hazel, my little rescued Pembroke Welsh Corgi
Hazel again (enlarge)

These two (very spoiled) four-legged babies have been my salvation over the past few weeks. Sophie is big and protective, but a baby inside. Hazel is just now really coming around after being rescued last year. It’s been hard for her, but she has turned into a sweet, loyal puppy. They lift my spirits when times are tough.

I am redecorating the inside of my house and in the fall, we will paint the entire inside. Redecorating is really an overstatement. I am redoing some things, but not everything. Just decluttering and, in the process, figuring out how to modernize as I go along. So far, it has been a very big job. I worked such long hours for so many years and didn’t really pay much attention to my home. I’m paying for that now by having to put some long hours into my house!

All of this adds up to no writing for the past few weeks. I don’t want to get into that pattern, so I’m back to work on my blog and will be participating more. Not only do I enjoy writing, but it is therapeutic for me. I’m starting to freelance a little, mostly in the field in which I worked for so many years which is finance.

I’ve missed talking to all of you. Thank you for coming to my weekendcoffeeshare!

Thank you Natalie, the Explorer for hosting #weekendcoffeeshare!

Posted in Challenges, Fiction, Flash Fiction

The Sound of Silence

Posted on by R.M. Carlson

#RetroTuesday June 25, 2024

Friday Fiction with Ronovan Writes

Challenge #30 – Favorite Song

Introduction: Way back in the day, everyone loved Simon and Garfunkel’s “The Sound of Silence.” It was an anthem for the baby boom generation, including me. Flash forward to about 2016. I heard a cover of the song by the band Disturbed and it knocked me off my feet – and still does. This story is about that song, but the Disturbed interpretation of it. Maybe I should say my interpretation of their interpretation.

Here are the lyrics for those of you not familiar:

Hello darkness, my old friend
I’ve come to talk with you again
Because a vision softly creeping
Left its seeds while I was sleeping
And the vision that was planted in my brain
Still remains
Within the sound of silence

In restless dreams, I walked alone
Narrow streets of cobblestone
‘Neath the halo of a street lamp
I turned my collar to the cold and damp
When my eyes were stabbed by the flash of a neon light
That split the night
And touched the sound of silence

And in the naked light, I saw
Ten thousand people, maybe more
People talking without speaking
People hearing without listening
People writing songs that voices never shared
And no one dared
Disturb the sound of silence

“Fools” said I, “You do not know
Silence like a cancer grows
Hear my words that I might teach you
Take my arms that I might reach you”
But my words, like silent raindrops fell
And echoed in the wells of silence

And the people bowed and prayed
To the neon god they made
And the sign flashed out its warning
In the words that it was forming
Then the sign said, “The words on the prophets are written on the subway walls
In tenement halls”
And whispered in the sound of silence

The Sound of Silence

No one talks to each other anymore. At least not in America. Not in other countries either or so I’ve heard. All we hear is the sound of silence. People who are alone and lonely. Families who have broken apart. Friendships that have been destroyed. Neighbors holding grudges against neighbors.

When people do talk to each other, it is with raised voices and it is a tirade of hate, misunderstanding and evil. So silence has fallen upon the masses.

We’re afraid to disturb that silence. Our society has become so fragile we can hear our world coming apart. The ripping of those societal bonds is silent, but we know and hear it anyway.

We try to talk with them, to reason with them. We might as well stay silent as their neon god has convinced them that it is us against them. All we want to do is save ourselves and our country. They don’t seem to see that we will be destroyed if the silence prevails. How have they been blinded and deafened? Can’t they compare the current state of affairs to history? Instead of dialogue, there is the well of silence.

The silence, like a cancer, stands in the way.

Thanks to athling2001 for hosting this challenge.

Posted in #unicornchallenge, Challenges

The Runaway – #UnicornChallenge – April 12, 2024

Posted on by R.M. Carlson

The two boys hopped on the freight train as Cadot, the old Ojibwen man, watched. It was a dry, windy day, typical for these Dust Bowl days of the 1930’s in America. Even though the most profound effects were in the Midwest, most of the country was affected in some way.

The two boys were from a poor white family in town. They came out to the area around Cadot’s cabin near the railroad tracks to pick blueberries. Northern Michigan was renowned for its blueberry crop. The boys picked the berries for money to support their family.

After picking as many blueberries as they could carry, the boys would hop on a passing freight train and sell their blueberries at every stop. They would ride another freighter back.

One day, the older boy came to pick blueberries alone. Cadot asked where his brother was, and he replied that he had left home after they had fought. The boy was 15 years old. 

Almost ten years passed. The Dust Bowl was over, and World War II was firing up. Cadot had a visitor, and it was the boy who left home. He had come home to join the Navy. He had been sending his family money from Baltimore. When the boy left, Cadot grieved and didn’t expect to see him again. 

After the war was over, there was a knock at the cabin door. There stood the boy, now a man, home from the War. His seven-year-old daughter was with him.

Thanks to C.E. Ayr and Jenne Gray for hosting the #UnicornChallenge!

Posted in Challenges, Friday Fictioneers

The Old Homeplace – #FridayFictioneers – April 12, 2024

Posted on by R.M. Carlson

Photo Prompt @ Susan Rouchard

The old house was going to be destroyed. Industrial development. She barely got there in time before it became a victim of the wrecking ball. 

They stopped work for her so she could retrieve what she wanted. She had to be quick. She ran from room to room, snatching and grabbing.

She ran into the nursery and there were her books. Her childhood lived in those books. One of the workers helped and she packed them up. Nancy Drew. Huckleberry Finn. More.

She loaded them in her car as the memories battered her brain. Thinking of her family, she cried.

Thank you to Rochelle Wisoff for hosting Friday Fictioneers!

Posted in #atozchallenge, Challenges

G is for Gerontology – #AtoZChallenge – April 7, 2024

Posted on by R.M. Carlson

Theme: Aging and aging issues

#AtoZChallenge

What is gerontology? Gerontology is the study of the social, cultural, behaviorial, health, and other aspects of aging and older adults. As the population ages, and the baby boomer generation is currently the older generation, the study of gerontology as a job gets increasingly popular. Gerontologists or geriatric specialists work in hospital settings and in private practice.

Gerontologists are advocates for older adults. The needs of older adults cannot just be lumped into one big category. They vary based on the health and gender of the individual. The needs of older individuals include transportation, medical care, living arrangements, legal needs, and nursing care, just to name a few. If you are an older adult and you have to enter a hospital, ask if they have a gerontologist on staff and have a meeting with that professional. You can also use the services of a gerontologist to help you plan during your older years. There may be gerontologists available for you, especially if you live in a larger community.

You can search for a geriatrics professional in your state in the U.S. by using this search engine. They can help you find an assisted living facility if that is what you want to do. They can also help you go through the process of moving into assisted living or even a rehab center or nursing home.

Take advantage of gerontology services when you are making plans. They can make the issues of aging more understandable and easier for you to navigate.

Posted in Challenges, Uncategorized

#SundayPoser 176

Posted on by R.M. Carlson

So many things bring joy to my day.

Having time to play the piano.

Reading and studying whatever topic is of interest to me at the time.

Interacting with my two dogs.

Spending a little quality time with my husband.

Looking out the windows of my house at the countryside. We live in the country.

Spending a couple of hours writing on my work in progress.

Blogging and interacting with blogging friends.

Seeing or talking to any member of my rapidly dwindling family.

Talking to or spending time with close friends.

Listening to music. My tastes in music are wide-ranging.

Learning to play keyboards. I have been a pianist most of my life, but have never played electronic keyboards. But, I’m learning!

What brings me the most joy is just the sameness of the days. It makes me comfortable and secure in my world although I also like periods of adventure.

#SundayPoser

Posted in #FridayFictioneers, Flash Fiction

Morsels for Max

Posted on by R.M. Carlson

Friday Fictioneers – March 8, 2024

Photo Prompt @ Rowena Curtin

”Gran, we should plant the flowers sitting on the deck. It’s such a beautiful spring day.”

”We will, Thelma,” replied Gran. “That will give us time to spend with Max.” Max was their dog who lived in a kennel behind the house.

Thelma looked out back at Max’s kennel.

”Oh no, Gran,” Thelma exclaimed. “Max is gone! He isn’t in his kennel.”

When they walked onto the deck, there was Max. He had turned over his bowl and the watering can. The flowers were out of their containers and chewed into pieces. Max looked at them with a satisfied grin.

100 words

Thanks to Rochelle for the Friday Fictioneers challenge! See other Friday Fictioneer’s posts at inlinkz.

Posted in Appalachia

Where is Appalachia?

Posted on by

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I live on the fringes of Appalachia and my roots are deep in this region of the United States. I live in a university town in northeastern Kentucky. Appalachia has rough geographic boundaries, but it is largely a cultural region, as opposed to a geographic region, of the U.S. In many places, Appalachia is difficult to access because of geographic impediments. The region is located in the Appalachian Mountains. Roads are few and the roads that are there are curvy through the mountains. In some places, the roads are not well built and are prone to washouts and mudslides. The fact that they run through mountains doesn’t help.

If you look at the map above, you can see that the Appalachian region includes all of West Virginia, almost half of Kentucky and Tennessee, most of Pennsylvania, one-third of Ohio, and the southern slice of New York. In the south, it touches Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina, and includes portions of Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi. Appalachia stretches from New York to Mississippi and encompasses 206,000 square miles where roughly 26 million people live.

It is a large region of the United States and even though parts are sparsely populated, the whole has a sizable number of people residing there.

Posted in #weekendcoffeeshare

What a Week! #weekendcoffeeshare – March 2, 2024

Posted on by R.M. Carlson

Welcome to my #weekendcoffeeshare for March 2, 2024! Pull up a chair, grab a cup of coffee. I also have tea if that’s your preference and I’ll share with you what’s been going on this week! Good to see all of you.

It’s been a wild weather week in northeastern Kentucky, U.S.! One day it would be almost warm (around 60 degrees F.) and the next day, the temperature dropped more than 20 degrees and there were flooding rains. I live on a hill and the creek at the bottom of the hill ran right out of its banks onto the road. Now it’s cold today, but we are supposed to have a very warm week for this time of year this coming week. 55 – 70 degrees F. Should be nice.

It’s been awhile since I’ve blogged here, so I decided to redesign my site to update it. That’s been some serious work this week. Please consider the site under construction, although I am using it, and bear with me while I get all the kinks worked out.

The week started out with my little dog, Hazel, and her illness. Hazel is a Pembroke Welsh Corgi, only a year and a half old, and she has quite a serious condition. The vet and I have worked out a regimen for her and so far so good. Hazel did not have a good start in life at her breeder’s facility which is largely why she’s ill now. Hopefully, we can pull her out of it. Here is Hazel a few weeks ago. She has the sweetest temperament. We have another dog as well, Sophie, but I’ll introduce Sophie to you at another time.

After we got Hazel settled, my husband, Roger, had to enter the hospital for a night for a sleep study. He’s a pretty funny guy and kept the technicians laughing. He fell asleep before they got him hooked up for the sleep study and they had to wake him. Then he had really restless sleep and finally, ripped off some of the sensors that were monitoring his sleep. At that point, the technicians told him to please leave and that they had all the data they needed. Still waiting on results here.

My biggest frustration at this time of year, the beginning of meteorological spring in the Northern Hemisphere, is probably shared by some of you. I can’t find decent food to eat. The spring produce has not began to arrive. Since I live in a small town, it is particularly bad so we spend at least one day a week in a nearby city shopping. It takes looking far and wide to eat healthy. That will get a bit better as spring and summer arrive and local vegetable markets pop up.

The only writing I’ve done this week is on this blog. I’m not quite ready to jump into a big writing project yet, but I can feel the urge catching up to me. This time it will be a book or maybe even a serialized novel. My greatest interest, right now, lies in writing non-fiction on topics that interest me.

Speaking of topics that interest me, you cannot turn on the television, the computer, or even walk down the street without U.S. politics smacking you in the face. This is the first election year that I have actively avoided reading or watching the news. Our political situation is insane right now and has been for some time. The citizens of the U.S. are deeply polarized. It’s so bad it has destroyed friendships and families. I have no idea what will happen and am avoiding thinking about it. I’m too old for the stress.

I am a voracious reader as I’m sure many of you are. I read to relax and, of course, get ideas for writing. I just read the best two novels that are in a series of two. I want to recommend you take a look at them. I don’t normally read much fantasy, but these novels were fantasy in which the author did a fabulous job of making them feel real. Such an interesting read. They are Fourth Wing, Book 1, and Iron Flame, Book 2, by Rebecca Yarros. You’ll be knocked off your feet!

I think I’ll work on this blog, relax and watch sports the rest of the weekend! I hope you’ve enjoyed my coffee share and that I will see you again in two weeks when we resume. Have a great couple of weeks!

Northeastern Kentucky, USA. Dreary weather on the first day of meteorological spring!

Posted in Appalachia

Appalachia: Appharvest Aims to be the Breadbasket of the U.S.

Posted on by R.M. Carlson

I live in the south-central portion of Appalachia, actually on the fringes of the region, in northeastern Kentucky. We are excited about the future here due to Appharvest making its home in the county in which I live.

Appharvest is a startup company that has opened the largest greenhouse in the U.S. in Rowan County, KY. The goal of the company is to produce the majority of tomatoes used in the U.S., taking that market share away from our traditional supplier of tomatoes, Mexico.

Appharvest is a greenhouse that covers 60 acres and employs almost 300 people. Jonathan Webb is the founder of the company. He is a Kentucky resident and a graduate of the University of Kentucky. Appharvest is within a day’s drive of 70% of American consumers. It is a facility, patterned after greenhouses in The Netherlands, that uses sustainable crop production techniques. It uses recycled rainwater for irrigation and a combination of solar energy and LED lighting in order to grow the tomatoes. At a later time, Appharvest will expand beyond tomatoes.

Immediately upon the opening of the Rowan County, Kentucky facility, ground was broken for a second Appharvest greenhouse in Madison County, Kentucky. Appharvest is set to be a great asset to this region of Appalachia, providing jobs and national exposure.