Category: Tuesday Tidbit

Abbie here. If you haven’t already done so, please subscribe to my email list to receive my twice-yearly newsletter and other announcements. This is a one-way announcements list, meaning the only messages you’ll receive will come from me. So, you can rest assured that this list is low-traffic. Send a blank email to: newsfrommycorner+subscribe@groups.io You’ll receive a confirmation email. Reply to that with another blank message, and you should be good to go.

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New! Why Grandma Doesn’t Know Me

Independently published with the help of DLD Books.

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Sixteen-year-old Natalie’s grandmother, suffering from dementia and confined to a wheelchair, lives in a nursing home and rarely recognizes Natalie. But one Halloween night, she tells her a shocking secret that only she and Natalie’s mother know. Natalie is the product of a one-night stand between her mother, who is a college English teacher, and another professor.

After some research, Natalie learns that people with dementia often have vivid memories of past events. Still not wanting to believe what her grandmother has told her, she finds her biological father online. The resemblance between them is undeniable. Not knowing what else to do, she shows his photo and website to her parents.

Natalie realizes she has some growing up to do. Scared and confused, she reaches out to her biological father, and they start corresponding.

Her younger sister, Sarah, senses their parents’ marital difficulties. At Thanksgiving, when she has an opportunity to see Santa Claus, she asks him to bring them together again. Can the jolly old elf grant her request?

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Four Summer Poems #TuesdayTidabit #Poetry #Inspiration

Photo Courtesy of Tess Anderson Photography

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Summer’s almost over. Here are four poems I wrote that appeared in the September 11th issue of The Weekly Avocet, which you can download here. You can click on the title of each poem to hear me read it. Enjoy!

Meadowlark

Its song rings out over the lake

on a sunny, cloudless Wyoming afternoon,

as our boat glides through smooth waters.

Dad and younger brother fish

while Mother and I enjoy the gentle breeze

that carries with it the scent of pine trees,

whiff of worms used for bait.

At the age of thirteen,

knowing little about the meadowlark,

I delight in the bird’s cheerful tune,

and the boat’s gentle motion,

observe, with my limited vision, the lake, grass, trees, sky,

happy in summer.

After a Summer Cold Front

The sun finally shines in a blue sky filled with white clouds.

A gentle breeze blows, as I sit in my back yard.

Birds flit about in branches above me.

With my limited vision, I can’t see them,

but I hear their wings and joyous songs.

A fly circles my head—I wave it away.

In distant places, forest fires rage.

But here, they’re momentarily forgotten.

Summers in My Younger Years (A Zip Ode)

I loved summers in my home town,

ice cream,

band concerts, swimming at the park,

picnicking and hiking in the mountains.

Joy!

Nature Hike

As I walk down the Braille Trail,

I must hold onto the rail

when it’s steep or else I’ll fail.

As I walk, the moisture stops

dripping from all the treetops.

Since there is no more spray,

I no longer need to pray

for that glorious sunshine ray.

I know I have nothing to fear,

but I listen with one ear

for the lumbering sound of a bear

or a moose with more than one ear.

Onward I boldly tread

till I come to a sign I can read.

It’s in Braille and print, and I feel

the dots that are unlike an eel.

I look for a place to stop

when I climb to the very top

of a hill where the view will arrest,

and there, I sit down and rest.

***

If you haven’t already done so, please subscribe to my email list to receive my twice-yearly newsletter and other announcements. This is a one-way announcements list, meaning the only messages you’ll receive will come from me. So, you can rest assured that this list is low-traffic. Send a blank email to: newsfrommycorner+subscribe@groups.io You’ll receive a confirmation email. Reply to that with another blank message, and you should be good to go.

***

New! Why Grandma Doesn’t Know Me

Independently published with the help of DLD Books.

Natalie realizes she has some growing up to do. Scared and confused, she reaches out to her biological father, and they start corresponding.

***

Announcing WyoPoets September Virtual Reading #TuesdayTidbit #Events #Inspiration

Photo Courtesy of Tess Anderson Photography

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I’m pleased to announce that I’ll again be participating in my state poetry society’s monthly virtual poetry reading, and you’re all invited. Even if you just want to listen to poetry, I hope you’ll come and join in the fun. The event will take place this Sunday, September 11^th, at 5 p.m. Mountain Time. All the details are below. I hope to see you there.

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WyoPoets is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

This event is open to anyone who wants to share or listen to poetry. You don’t have to be a member of WyoPoets, you don’t even have to be in Wyoming to participate. So, feel free to invite your friends! If you haven’t already, please sign up to read and receive a Zoom invitation using this Google Form: https://forms.gle/7VWJvfHWMUDCqeyYA

Topic: Virtual Poetry Night

Time: Sep 11, 2022 05:00 PM Mountain Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87019799548?pwd=YllONFgwQjlHZUs3SjUxS1pNOW9QZz09

Meeting ID: 870 1979 9548

Passcode: 126128

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Meeting ID: 870 1979 9548

Passcode: 126128

Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kb27Z4NI7X

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New! Why Grandma Doesn’t Know Me

Independently published with the help of DLD Books.

Natalie realizes she has some growing up to do. Scared and confused, she reaches out to her biological father, and they start corresponding.

***

A Caregiver’s Gift #TuesdayTidbit #BookReviews #Inspiration

Photo Courtesy of Tess Anderson Photography

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Today, I’m delighted to share a review of my poetry collection, How to Build a Better Mousetrap, from friend and fellow author Carrie Hooper. Carrie lives in Elmira, New York, where she teaches music and foreign languages, occasionally performs, and writes poetry of her own.

As she says in her review, we met in 2005 through Newsreel, an audio magazine where the blind and visually impaired can share ideas, music, and more. I had the pleasure of reading her poems and reviewing a couple of her books here after she joined Behind Our Eyes, a writers’ organization to which I belong. Now, here’s Carrie.

A Caregiver’s Gift: A Unique Book of Poetry

by Carrie Hooper

I recently read Abbie Johnson Taylor’s book, How to Build A Better Mousetrap: Recollections and Reflections of a Family Caregiver, published by iUniverse Inc. in 2011. I met Abbie in 2005 through Newsreel, a magazine produced by and for the blind. She and I are members of Behind Our Eyes, a writers group for people with disabilities. I have had the pleasure of reading several of her essays, stories, and poems on the group’s email list, and I also read her book, That’s Life. I always love to read her work, and How to Build A Better Mousetrap, a collection of sixty-eight poems, was no exception.

The book consists of four sections. In Part 1, “On Being A Family Caregiver,” Abbie reflects on caring for her husband, Bill, who suffered two strokes which paralyzed his left side. Abbie’s use of the future tense when describing the events surrounding Bill’s first stroke, give the opening poem a potency it would have lacked had Abbie simply related the story in the present tense. She seems to sense the impending tragedy. I felt Abbie’s frustration as she struggled to dress and feed Bill, and I could relate to her computer problems. I chuckled at her humorous account of a romantic moment, interrupted by nature’s call. Abbie’s love for Bill permeates the poems in this section. She rises above despair and completes all tasks without complaint.

Part 2, “Recollections,” offers scenes from Abbie’s childhood and adulthood: a family picnic, a road trip with her father, unforgettable audio at a writers’ conference, etc. The poem, “Junior High,” reminded me of my middle school days. I could hear the humming of the buses, the bells, and the slamming lockers.

Part 3, “Reflections,” covers a variety of topics: a trip to Florida to escape Wyoming’s winter, a spring stroll, favorite foods, a driving mishap, and much more. I especially liked the poem, “I Admire My Handiwork,” in which Abbie contrasts a poem shaped like a Christmas tree with her attempt in fifth grade to make a Christmas tree with soda can lids on felt. Part 4, “Aging,” treats the challenges of aging and requiring care. I found the poems in this section poignant, especially “Reta’s Song” and “I Remember.”

I would recommend Abbie’s book even to those who don’t normally read poetry. Her poems are easy to understand. They are verbal snapshots which engage the senses and touch the heart.

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Thank you, Carrie, for such a wonderful review of my book. Reviews are important to authors because they boost sales. If you’ve read any of my books, please leave a review where you bought the book and/or on GoodReads. Alternatively, you can use the contact form to email me your review, and I’ll be glad to post it here and on my website. Thank you for reading.

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New! Why Grandma Doesn’t Know Me

Independently published with the help of DLD Books.

Natalie realizes she has some growing up to do. Scared and confused, she reaches out to her biological father, and they start corresponding.

***

At Eventide #TuesdayTidbit #Poetry #Inspiration

Photo Courtesy of Tess Anderson Photography

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I just got off the phone with a friend who’s in Minnesota with her dying brother, now in hospice care. He has been drifting in and out of consciousness as a result of pain medications, and he’s stopped eating and drinking. So, it shouldn’t be too much longer.

This reminded me of my late husband’s last few days, when he, too, stopped eating and drinking and wasn’t aware of what was going around him. So, I’m sharing with you a poem from My Ideal Partner, which expresses my feelings during this time. You can click the link below the poem to hear me read it.

AT EVENTIDE

By Abbie Johnson Taylor

Here you lie

after suffering two strokes,

unable to walk.

For six years, I cared for you.

We were happy.

Now after giving up on life,

you’re breathing your last.

Here I sit, holding your hand,

talking to you,

singing your favorite songs,

wishing you’d respond,

tell me you love me,

squeeze my hand.

I shouldn’t be here.

At Eventide

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New! Why Grandma Doesn’t Know Me

Independently published with the help of DLD Books.

Natalie realizes she has some growing up to do. Scared and confused, she reaches out to her biological father, and they start corresponding.

***