A Moving Memoir #WednesdayWords #BookReviews #Memoir

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Today, I’m pleased to share another review of one of my books by fellow author Carrie Hooper. If you missed her review of How to Build a Better Mousetrap, you can click here to read it. Now, here she is to talk about My Ideal Partner.

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A Moving Memoir

by Carrie Hooper

What happens when reality shatters the dream of wedded bliss? How does a person cope when everyday activities become challenging chores? Abbie Johnson Taylor explores these topics and much more in her 2016 book, My Ideal Partner: How I Met, Married, and Cared for the Man I Loved Despite Debilitating Odds, published by DLD Books.

In My Ideal Partner, Abbie tells about her life with Bill Taylor, whom she met in 2005 through Newsreel, an audio magazine for the blind and visually impaired. (Bill was blind, and Abbie is partially sighted.) The book opens with Abbie receiving a braille marriage proposal from Bill. Stunned, she considers the reasons not to marry him. He’s nineteen years older, and they’ve only met twice. He lives in Fowler, Colorado; she lives in Sheridan, Wyoming. Marrying Bill would mean a move to unfamiliar territory. The shock and stress of Bill’s letter literally make Abbie sick for three weeks.

Eventually, however, with her father’s encouragement and another visit with Bill, who agrees to move to Sheridan, Abbie says a resounding, “Yes!” She goes on to describe the outdoor wedding in September of 2005 in her grandmother’s backyard, which includes music by a string duo and, of course, lots of good food. After their wedding, Bill and Abbie make a life together in Sheridan. With Bill’s support, Abbie quits her job as activities assistant at a nursing home in Sheridan to write full time. Bill works on his computer, stays in touch with friends, and listens to Colorado Rockies baseball games. But life throws an unexpected curve ball in January of 2006 when Bill suffers a stroke that paralyzes his left side. After a hospital stay and therapy in a nursing home, Bill comes home, unable to walk or tend to his basic needs. Another stroke in 2007 dashes any hope of him walking again. Thus, Abbie becomes his caregiver who must dress him and help him in the bathroom. Although she experiences moments of frustration, she presses on, and with the assistance of a therapist and other home health aides, learns to help Bill with tasks most people perform without a second thought. In addition, Abbie learns to cook two of Bill’s favorite meals: oatmeal and meatloaf. For six years, Abbie cares for Bill until he becomes too weak to remain at home. She doesn’t consider him a burden. She loves him, and he loves her, as evidenced by their many love words to each other and their frequent snuggling.

These difficult years have their share of positive moments. Abbie attends writers’ conferences and visits her brother in New Mexico. Bill works on his computer, reads books outside in nice weather, and continues to follow his Rockies. Some of Abbie’s relatives come for Thanksgiving.

Abbie’s book captivated me from the beginning. I laughed and cried as I read her story. If anyone is looking for a love story in the truest sense, then read My Ideal Partner.

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Thanks to Carrie for another wonderful review. Reviews are important to authors because they can boost sales. If you’ve read one of my books, please leave a review where you purchased it. Alternatively, you can use the contact form here to email me your review, and I’ll be glad to post it here and on my website. Thank you.

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New! Why Grandma Doesn’t Know Me

Independently published with the help of DLD Books.

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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A Caregiver’s Gift #TuesdayTidbit #BookReviews #Inspiration

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Two Pentacles Publishing.

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.

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Third Thursday Poets #WednesdayWords #WeeklySmile #Poetry

Attending my local poetry group’s monthly meetings always makes me smile. Most of the time, I’m inspired to write a poem, and we always have fun together.

The Third Thursday Poets started meeting in 2006 as a weekly class at the senior center. Having just started caring for my late husband at home after he suffered his first paralyzing stroke, writing poetry was a great way for me to deal with the stress of being a family caregiver. You can read more about my experiences in My Ideal Partner: How I Met, Married and Cared for the Man I Loved Despite Debilitating Odds. But I digress.

After the class ended in nine weeks, we decided to meet monthly at the same location. We’ve been meeting there ever since. When the COVID pandemic started, we met via phone conference until we could gather in person again. Members have come and gone, but the idea is still the same. Write, share, and have fun.

We each take turns running the meeting. Our facilitator begins with a prompt that we work with for about twenty minutes. Then, we each share what we’ve written. The facilitator then gives us a “homework assignment,” a suggested prompt for a poem we can bring to the next meeting. We spend the remainder of our time together critiquing poems we brought, some of which were inspired by the “homework assignment” from the previous meeting.

Last Thursday’s meeting was no different. Our facilitator asked us to pick a word from a list she gave us. We were then prompted to write down about three other words or phrases we associated with that particular word. We could then organize all that into a poem.

My chosen word was “meadowlark.” Below is what I came up with. You can click on the title to hear me read it.

Meadowlark

by Abbie Johnson Taylor

It’s song rings out over the lake
on a sunny cloudless Wyoming afternoon,
as our boat glides through smooth waters.

Dad and younger brother try to fish
while Mother and I enjoy the bird’s song,
gentle breeze that carries with it
the scent of pine trees,
whiff of worms used for bait.

At the age of thirteen,
I know little about the meadowlark,
enjoy the boat’s gentle motion,
observe, with limited vision, the lake, grass, trees, sky,
happy in summer.

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What made you smile in the past week? You can comment below or click here to participate in this week’s feature.

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.

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Poetry and Prose Offer Solace and Hope #FridayFunReads #BookReviews #Inspiration

Peonies in Winter

by Sally Rosenthal

What Amazon Says

This is a small book for the small hours when we sit alone in the dark or feel as though our grief isolates us. Although we all travel sorrow’s path at some point in our lives, many of us walk that road alone and bewildered, failing to reach out to grasp the waiting hand of a fellow traveler.

In the months following her husband’s sudden death, Sally Rosenthal explored her reactions to loss and came to realize that strength is a synergetic wisdom woven from the love passed on through the examples of relatives and beloved animals. In poems and prose, she shares what she has learned about survival and resilience. Come sit with Sally at her kitchen table and share the journey.

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My Thoughts

I met Sally Rosenthal several years ago through Behind Our Eyes, a writers’ organization to which I belong. I’ve always enjoyed reading her work and was moved to discover she mentioned me in the acknowledgements at the end of the book.

I can relate to many of the pieces here. The title essay, “Peonies in Winter,” in which Sally describes finding old perfume bottles in her closet, reminded me of my mother’s old perfume bottles that I’ve kept for years since her passing in 1999. “Charles Palmer,” in which she talks about the grandfather she never knew, tugged at my heart, making me grateful I knew my grandparents before they left this world.

Being a widow and having been a family caregiver, I felt a special connection with Sally through her poetry on the subject. I had to laugh when I read her piece about Grade A chocolates. The resources at the end add a nice touch. I recommend this book especially to those who are grieving, but I think anyone can find solace and hope here.

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.

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I Need to Pee #OpenBookBlogHop #Poetry #Inspiration

Welcome to another edition of Open Book Blog Hop. This week’s question is: “Share some of your favorite lines from your writing. How about some of your worst ones if you still remember them?”

My favorite line is something my late husband Bill said many times during the six years I cared for him after he suffered two strokes that paralyzed his left side. I included it as the last line of the poem below, which appears in my collection, How to build a Better Mousetrap: Recollections and Reflections of a Family Caregiver. The line illustrates the fact that Bill needed help performing even the most mundane of personal care tasks. You can click the link below the poem to hear me read it.

The Bedroom

by Abbie Johnson Taylor

At three in the morning,
I’m mildly aroused
by the gentle touch of his hand.
He only has one good arm and leg
but still knows how to please me.
As he strokes me,
and I breathe the scent of his sweat,
I purr with anticipation.
The mood is shattered
when he whispers, “I need to pee.”

The Bedroom

How about you authors out there? What are your favorite and worst lines? You can click here to participate and read other bloggers’ responses.