Accomplishments & Goals

In that mode to reflect on accomplishments of 2016 and goals for 2017 and beyond. I stopped talking about resolutions and decided to do goals. Resolutions has a negative connotation thanks to the gym's ads which is all so true for many people who make a resolution to exercise and go heavy at it January and then fall off after February. So I don't want a resolution. I want a goal that may take a week to accomplish or 2 years to accomplish. If it is a 2 year goal like finishing a course of study then I can set mini-goals per semester that brings me closer to my main goal.

Going forward what are your main goals? Take some time to think about it and make a list (yes, that sounds very resolution-like). Then based on your resources, make a timeline. Well, if I wanted to bake and decorate a cake for someone in January, then my timeline would end on the exact date in January. Baking a decorating a cake may not seem like a difficult thing but what if you wanted to use the new technique not yet learned. Then that would make you learn the technique to apply the technique.

Also, once timelines are added in, some list items may need to be changed to another date, postponed for when it can be added back into the list or sacrificed. Therefore, having a goal, setting timelines to accomplish the goal and seeing how goal fits in with other goals provides a more dynamic list. Further, if the unexpected occur, you can modify the goals.

For example, this 2016 year, I decided to enroll in studies which was my main goal so my writing (including my blog writing) became more sporadic so I modified my prior goal of daily to weekly to at least once a month and I sacrificed cake decorating in August. I also limited my social media presence.

For 2017 year, I plan to make some changes although the studies will still be my main goal but I really want to write weekly, exercise daily (sounding like a resolution, here) and maintain my limited social media presence. Note that the studies were a 2016 goal with a timeline of 2 years; the writing more frequently was a goal that I started back in 2013; exercise, not fooling anyone, used to be a yearly resolution but I have a new approach: just 15 minutes daily of walking, cycling, gliding and check it off on my calendar which sounds more doable than hours at the gym.

What are your goals or resolution for 2017?

In the meantime, check our BardsofBroward.com. This actually started as one of the projects for my studies but I have removed some pages from the project and added in some other pages to make this site. What is your opinion?

One Last Time for 2016

One last time for 2016
Let the voices be heard
in the halls, in the aisles
and especially in the courtyard!

for one last time in 2016...

Fear

I might as well confess
although I do profess
to see the positive side of things
negative things keep happening

which makes me have to rethink!
Then there is the pity party
I tend to wallow in for a while
As if, it can fix anything!

Too many times, too many tears
all for naught but for my fears
Fear of tomorrow, fear of future sorrows
fear, fear, fear, fear, fear, and more fear!

So by now you're probably wondering
What's wrong with this chick?
Would you stop being a dick
and let my mind do its wandering!

A Poetry Prompt: The Ekphrastic Experience

Have you every walked through a gallery and an artwork hypnotized you where you can't help but look and it leaves you will certain feelings? Well, these poets have captured these feelings and placed them into poems. 

I like reading other's experience or vision about an oil painting, photography or film especially when different poets write a poem on the same artwork.  Breughel’s Icarus has inspired poets like W.H. Auden and William Carlos Williams. It is always interesting to read the poem produced from the impact that the artwork had on them.

 I like seeing how the poem relates. Then again, it may not even relate as the artwork could evoke a feeling that the poet explores. This is one of the reason that I like encouraging poets to write Ekphrastic poems. It is a different form of a prompt. Prompts are great as starter fuel for the mind and many websites offer writing prompts such as 

http://www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/poetic-asides/poetry-promptshttp://poetryprompts.tumblr.com/http://www.creative-writing-now.com/creative-writing-prompts.html

These sites were the first three results of my Google search for terms "Poetry Prompt"  so I have another poetry prompt for you. 

1. Register by November 23, 2016 - form and more details at http://www.browardartguild.org/docs/BAG-Call-For-Poets-Small-Works.pdf
2. View art work between Nov. 23rd and Dec. 3rd during regular business hours to select an artwork as your inspiration.  (Gallery will be closed Thursday Nov. 24th & Friday Nov. 25th for the Thanksgiving Holiday. Gallery closed Sun., Mon., Tue.) 
3. Email your poem to info@BrowardArtGuild.org by December 7th @ 7pm.

This kind of poetry prompt has produced many poems including some of the poems in the anthology "Bards of Broward: The Courtyard Chronicles" 

"The Last Inhabitants" by yours truly inspired after viewing an acrylic painting "Lizards in Space" by Cynthia Inkleburger.
"Abuelita En Havana" by Shawn Jackson inspired by painting of same name by Lourdes DeWick
"OH Shucks" by Shawn Jackson inspired by photograph "Aw Shucks" by Ken Harrison.
"In Black and White" by Meryl Stratford based on a black and white photograph of a foot in a ballet slipper.

I like when art and poetry share a space and I hope you like it too!

In the meantime, here is my own artwork with its poem

:

Bringing Poets Together

In the article "Bob Dylan’s Nobel prize is a vindication of popular poetry,"  some points I agreed with but had some contention with orders.

I agree with the author that "poetry bifurcated" sometimes in the 20th century. Whereas he splits them into academia and popular poetry, I feel the division is slightly different but there are a handful of poets who are academia and also popular (Billy Collins come to mind).

Not sure how to process when the author says:

In the universities, poets ceased to write for the general reader, instead writing for their peers in poetry and academia. Their poems, espousing the abstract and the obscure, grew steadily out of touch with public taste.

But I do agree that popular poetry tend to have some rhyme scheme making them more memorable.

I felt like the article meant to defend Bob Dylan winning the Nobel Prize for poetry but read like it was bashing academia (elitist) poets.

...poets ceased to write for the general reader, instead writing for their peers in poetry and academia. Their poems, espousing the abstract and the obscure, grew steadily out of touch with public taste.

Yes, there is some infighting among poets about who is a poet and who is not but let's not create a crater from a crack. I feel that all poets can work together and have created an anthology that showcases many styles from poets of different training (Bards of Broward:The Courtyard Chronicles  ISBN:978-1537135137).

What poetry is and isn't will always be a contentious point among poets. If beauty is in the eye of the beholder then poetry is for the ear.



Reference:
Pratt, David. "Bob Dylan’s Nobel prize is a vindication of popular poetry." Daily News:Lifestyle.

Picture Poems

Have you ever had a theme grab you? I did when I saw Broward Art Guild's "Out To Sea." An idea immediately hit me. Eventually, I created an oil painting and included a poem.

Then after submitting my entry and after poetry reading, I shared a picture of my art work. It reminded Meryl of a poet whose book stood on her bookshelf and whose name she couldn't recall at the time. Then she emailed me and informed of the poet's name: Kenneth Patchen. I had to look him up and was really impressed. Just google (or Bing) "Kenneth Patchen picture poems" and it might blow you away like it did me.

By the way here's my entry "Scurvy Dreams":

What do you think? Can I join his league?

Find the Bards of Broward

I hope you enjoyed that crossword last week and here are some clues to assist if you are still working on it:

Well I got another treat for you. Can you find the Bards of Broward?

The anthology Bards of Broward: The Courtyard Chronicles is coming....

Who influences the Bards of Broward?

Who are the poets that influence us? I overhead Rick telling Shawn that he's also a fan of Edna St. Vincent Millay while Meryl shares about her days studying with Lawrence Ferlinghetti. I was inspired to ask each poet who are their influences and include their answer in the anthology.

Based on the list of influential poets, can you solve this crossword puzzle?

The Bards Are Coming!

And so is the festival... I got a glimpse of the upcoming lineup and am I thrilled! A truly international festival with Caribbean and European selections. My poets with their diverse backgrounds bring different styles to the anthology as we put fingers to the keyboards for the finishing touches.

For a glimpse into our poets, match the description to the poet:

Poet	Number	Letter	Description
Anastasia Clark	1__	__a	She's an accidental poet who didn’t know she had poetry in me until about 10 years ago and is the author of several zip odes.
Suzzette Dawes	2__	__b	Just like his dad, he writes poetry and has his poems appear in Minnetonka Review, Pearl, Wisconsin Review, and several other literary magazines.
Shawn Jackson	3__	__c	She is a wife, mother, grandmother, non-political Christian, poet, composer and cutter of paper shapes
Ellen Kendrick	4__	__d	She is a poet, counselor and educator who explores the wildlife and water birds on her lake in Coral Springs
Sue Malone	5__	__e	She won the 2013 YellowJacket Press competition for her chapbook, The Magician's Daughter.
Rick McKenzie	6__	__f	She wrote quartet of Tribute Poems to children tragically lost in Florida and are on display at Studio 18 in Pembroke Pines, FL.
Sally Naylor	7__	__g	She hosts the poetry reading at Savor Cinema formerly known as Cinema Paradiso in Fort Lauderdale
Meryl Stratford	8__	__h	His latest project finds him participating with 100K Poets For Social Change where his theme was "Breaking the Silence."

Keeping It All Up!

Keeping up with this blog has quite a task as I've been preparing an anthology which will benefit Cinema Paradiso which is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit cultural organization.

Contributing poets include some who have been featured on this blog but all have read at the courtyard:

Anastasia Clark
Suzzette Dawes
Shawn Jackson
Ellen Kendrick
Sue Malone
Rick McKenzie
Sally Naylor
Meryl Stratford

Our next poetry reading is on Saturday, October 1, 2016. Stop by and you may hear one or more of these poets reading. I hope to see you there.

Bards of Broward

It was another Saturday and another evening but not just another event: it was open mic poetry at Savor Cinema on Saturday, September 10, 2016. I enjoy listening to the poets speak as the styles are so diverse: witty, serious, prose, rhyme.

I hope to produce an anthology and here's a taste of some of the poets involved:
http://suzzettedawes.blogspot.com/2016/05/cupcake-by-shawn-jackson.html
http://suzzettedawes.blogspot.com/2016/06/featured-poet-meryl-stratford.html
http://suzzettedawes.blogspot.com/2016/06/featured-poet-sally-naylor.html
http://suzzettedawes.blogspot.com/2016/07/featured-poet-sue-malone.html

I hope to share more with you real soon. If you can stop by our next poetry reading on October 1st.

Another

Another poetry reading is slated for Saturday, September 10th and I am looking forward to the words of imagery, acrostic, Ekphrastic and rhythmic. Will you be there?

If you're far away or just cant make it then coming soon is a poetry anthology where you can peruse...

Featured Poet: Sue Malone

The next poetry reading at Cinema Paradiso-Fort Lauderdale is Saturday, July 23rd at 6 pm. I hope to see you there. In the meantime, here's a feature on a poet who has been writing a poem a day and frequently reads at the event.

What inspired you to write the particular poem?

These five poems were inspired the way most of mine have been recently.  A random idea or phrase or sight grabs my attention and I run with it.  I like to capture passing thoughts and moments and keep them in poems.  It reminds me how significant little things are.

Which poets inspire you?

I honestly don’t read a lot of poetry, but I love A Child’s Garden of Verses by Robert Louis Stevenson, the Psalms, Ogden Nash and Sandra Boynton.

Why do you enjoy writing?

Writing poetry makes me lose track of time.  It puts order and rhythm into an unpredictable world. It’s soothing and invigorating at the same time.  It adds surprising dimensions to my thoughts and experiences.  And I like to make people laugh. 

Biography
Susan Malone is a wife, mother, grandmother, non-political Christian, poet, song-writer, piano player, former preschool teacher, homemaker and cutter of paper shapes.  She has been more successful in some of these endeavors than others, but she continues to try to improve at them all.

Featured Poet: Sally Naylor

This week's feature poet is Sally Naylor. At the last Courtyard Poetry reading, she shared a couple poems from her new book Riffs. Below is an interview with Sally.

What inspired you to write the particular poem?

First I hear an idea and rush to transcribe it in Ars Poetica, I heard A good poem never cries out loud and then next you will drown happy in it, that heart, that poem. This poem is my second ars poetica. But I often write about writing since it’s a metaphor for living. I also love poems of place and have written many New York, Canada, Tennessee and Florida poems. Those have been my places for decades.

 Which poets inspire you?

I love Mary Oliver and my teachers Campbell McGrath and Maxine Kumin and fellow student Richard Blanco ( Obama’s inaugural poet) also my Fort Lauderdale workshop friends: Meryl, Lori, Gary and Deborah.

Why do you enjoy writing?

Writing helps me make sense of my life, it clarifies and sometimes changes my emotions and provides me a verbal album of my life. But I really do it because I have to. I’m an art addict.

A sample of her poetry:

Reprinted on this blog with permission from author.

Featured Poet: Meryl Stratford

This is another poet who frequently attends the Poetry Reading and this post will highlight two of her poems.
What inspired you to write these poems?

Elegy with Backward Clocks  was written at the end of daylight savings time, when we turn our clocks back an hour.  This is a What if? poem, imaging we really could save some time now to use at a later date, a fantasy that becomes ever more attractive as one grows older. It’s also a list poem, enacting the ritual of going around the house finding all the clocks that must be turned back, having fun naming all the different kinds of clocks.  The music of the poem echoes some phrases from a half-remembered poem by Dylan Thomas. 

In Black & White  was written in a workshop with Carolyn Forche at the Atlantic Center for the Arts.  It’s an ekphrastic poem, inspired, as the poem says, by a (large) black and white photograph of a foot in a ballet slipper, which I saw in a photo exhibit in the visitor reception center. I was playing with the idea of synecdoche, a figure of speech in which a part is made to represent the whole, and I liked the idea of that foot representing the entire art of ballet, so the phrase one had to imagine became part of the music of the poem.  When I realized that I had written about everything in the photo except the floor, I stumbled upon the ending, since the floor is at the bottom of the photo and also at the bottom, or end, of the poem. 

Which poets inspire you?

My desert island books would be:  The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Emily Dickinson, and Rainer Maria Rilke.  That said, I tend to fall in love with a different poet every week.  I have a large and ever-growing library of poetry books.  I believe is reading widely, old and new, traditional and experimental, English and translations from other languages, to find what you love.  I believe in reading deeply, rereading the books you love until you know them by heart, until they fall apart in your hands.

Why do you enjoy writing?

Poetry is the place where outer and inner worlds meet,  a compression of everything we know about real and imaginary worlds, every emotion we feel as sentient beings.  Poetry is always playful, even when it speaks of serious things.  It has myriad forms, infinite possibilities for combining and recombining words.

Elegy with Backward Clocks	In Black and White
The clocks have fallen back. The white clock ticking on the kitchen wall, the antique clock in the living room. They've fallen back as leaves fall, as darkness falls earlier each night. The bedside alarm with its shrill voice and luminous face, the pocket watch, the cuckoo clock with raucous bird and Bavarian dancers.  After the fiction of saving daylight, we've returned to facts. Once we rose with the sun, marked time by its shifting shadow. Now we have clocks. Now we have months instead of moons. We've abandoned the fantasy that we could save some of the daylight, even an hour of it.  That we could live our evenings in the light of the past, borrow light from the past to postpone for awhile the coming of darkness. These autumn days would last forever if we called them by another name.	I saw a photograph of a foot in a satin slipper, ribbon wrapping an ankle, the curve of a leather sole. Such slippers are hand-stitched by artisans, neither right nor left. Dancers batter them as they batter their own bodies into impossible beauty. I remember my first pair of pointe shoes, the diva glamour of them, and the truth, toes wrapped in lamb's wool, bleeding and bruised. Russian noblemen drank champagne from slippers such as these. The foot in the photograph was at the point of balance. One had to imagine the muscled leg pulling upward into the solar plexus, into the supple spine. One had to think of horses running on tiptoe. The foot was alone. It was the feather without the bird, the fin without the shark, fragments of Sappho suggesting a body of poetry. One had to imagine the dancer, hair pulled back, thin band of elastic round her waist to guide her partner's fingertips, Swan Queen or Sugar Plum or fourth girl on the left in a corps de ballet, music flowing through her. Don't tell me about the weaker sex. She would starve herself for her art. It was a photo of a foot in a slipper poised on a marble floor.
Reprinted with permission from author. Poems are available in chapbook: Stratford,Meryl. The Magician's Daughter. Florida: Yellow Jacket Press, 2013, Print.

Feature Poet: Michael Mack

On Saturday, I hosted a poetry reading at Cinema Paradiso. Not only did we receive a good audience, we had many different readers who shared their work or recited a favorite poem. Just in time for Memorial Day, the featured poet is Michael Mack.

What poets inspire you?

Well, I am basically a structure poet with a preference toward rhyme and meter so my heroes have been Poe, Robert Service and, at the top of the list, Banjo Paterson. On the free verse side, I admire Sylvia Plath and Pablo Neruda.

Why do you enjoy writing? 

Basically, I am a very quiet person and writing allows me to express myself in a non-vocal way. I also enjoy the challenge of creating something that touches someone else in a positive way.

I enjoyed your poems tonight and would like to feature you and your poems on my blog this week. If you could please send me the text of your poems: "Small Pain in my Chest", "Friday Night at Walmart" and "The Robot."  You mentioned that the "Small Pain in my Chest" was previously published or recited at an event,  could you include the event and dedication.

 As I mentioned, my poem SMALL PAIN IN MY CHEST was read before thousands of people at the funeral services of the first Blackhawk helicopter pilot shot down in Iraq. It is also included in the high school literature textbooks in India as required reading, Although the event in the poem is fictitious, I based it on my experiences in the military and knowing how soldiers think and feel. 

Author has retained all copyright in work above but has granted me permission to reprint on this blog.

The Emperor has died

We march Uptown
Head, I hate you.
Y you wanna treat me so bad?

Pink cashmere in the Purple Rain
Raspberry beret in the Little red corvette
I feel for you
Nothing compares to you
Controversy - Delirious, Let's go crazy with
Endorphinmachine.


Whose song titles did I use for a poem? A clue is in the poem!

Cupcake by Shawn Jackson

Shawn Jackson read his poem "Cupcake" on Saturday, April 23rd at Cinema Paradiso. His poem had wit with an unexpected twist so I asked him a couple questions:

1. Where were you when inspired?

My girlfriend bakes the best cakes and cupcakes ever. One day I was bored and in need of a topic to write about. I asked a friend to give me a topic and she said Cupcakes. I fully understood what she expected me to write but I wanted to create something that would be an unexpected surprise.

2. I noticed the acrostic for 'Cupcake' , have you experimented with any other forms?

Other than a few Haiku's I'm just beginning to explore different styles of poetry. 

3. Which poets inspire you?

Henry W Longfellow, Edna St. Vincent Millay, Robert Frost, Jewel and countless slam poets. 

Here's Shawn Jackson's poem for you to enjoy:

Dialing for Wisdom

I had the pleasure of hosting a poetry reading this past Saturday and will be featuring some of the poets in the upcoming weeks.

The first poet is Mara Schlackman who was inspired to write the poem Dialing for Wisdom after a visit to the Broward Art Guild's gallery in 2015:

Day 9: 2016 National Poetry Month

Why I Cry



So many tears I've cried yet I'm not done.

Not because it's election year and dirty

Slings are part of the game. As people shun

And shame and play guilty games for country.

So many tears still welled up inside me

Not because people are so self-centered

That they can't put the cellphone down even

When someone is right there helping.

We all think of our own needs and not of others.

I'm no different with things I want to do

As I wished to see all the worldly offers

Instead of spending some time to visit you.

So now I cry for all I can never say

And I wished you had lived even just one more day.

Copyright 2016 Suzzette Dawes

April 1, 2016

April 1st is April's Fools Day, a day renown for pranks

A free pass in some workplaces although it is a work day,

radio stations deejays have a field day 

And listeners delight in the prank.

It is also the beginning of National Poetry Month

And somewhere someone is writing yet another editorial

Declaring poetry is dead or why it matters.

More bothersome to me is why April?

When tradition holds the first day for fools.

A fool and is money may be easily parted

But are poets and their verse easily imparted

To the masses?

Copyright 2016 Suzzette Dawes

NASA and Poetry

So NASA wants to send poetry from humans to the asteroid Bennu.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/nasa-will-send-your-art-into-space_us_56e73ce3e4b0b25c9183081b

 If there are inhabitants of Bennu be forewarned: before replying with beautiful art and poetry of your own and letting us know of your existence, our scientists will gather samples retrieved during the mission to "provide important clues of how our solar system formed and evolved" or more apropos is new place to colonize (we have history).

Here's a poem I wrote for our Venutians neighbors, Bennuites I will go write to send you that poem:

Venus is our planetary neighbor

Which brings hope to learn

Our history and our future.

They found bright spots

Indicating flowing lava 

From active volcanoes.

The terrains had less craters

Than Mars which also may have had water

Russian astronauts pierced the shroud

And had a look.

Earth is our predatory neighbor

Which brings us fear to learn

That they have pierced our veil -

Our force field of sulfuric acid 

In the atmosphere and entered our terrain.

Once they realized Venus sustains life

We'll expect the colonization

And destruction of our terrain,

Our Venus.

Copyright 2016 Suzzette Dawes

Tallahassee II

Last weekend I went to Tallahassee

The black top, shrubbery and trees

Was all I saw for miles and miles

Until just after turnpike and before I-10, red leaves

Either green or stark branches for miles and miles

Interspersed among the green were red trees

I didn't know the type of tree but appreciated the beauty

Unlike my mom misunderstanding of my cousin's sexuality

She's still my cousin, she's still my mother's niece 

I couldn't understand the questions my mother was asking me

Her concern seems misplaced of my well-being

I've travelled much further and have been away longer without a peep

It made me shake my head in disbelief

That she thought what she thought

And the impact that it would have on me

My mother and her strange theories about her niece

Tallahassee I've wanted to visit but also visit my younger cousin

Who's busy and involved with events in her community.

We remembered the times when I took her and her brother to watch Toy Story

We made new memories visiting the capital and a night of karaoke.

Copyright (c) 2016 Suzzette Dawes

Tallahassee

Red contrasted against the green and gray

Leaves of trees which endured a long Florida Winter

(With cold fronts even in March)

Broke the monotony of the drive

As it has looked the same since I reached Ft Pierce

Leaving behind the palm lined highways of South Florida.

The stark contrast of trees between the north and south

Always seems to amaze me

More amazing are the treasures revealed 

When Beth gives her tour of Tallahassee 

I'm also amazed that more tourists don't visit Florida's capital

With its free entrance to museums with unique exhibits.

Museums like the Knotts House where Luella personified her Victorian

Furniture with sweet little verses that her guests then and now can read

Tour the mysteries of the House That Rhymes 

as inhabitants lived in a time gone by.

Driving through the two major schools

And listening to Beth narrate the history

Then I visited the next day, the Capitol building and all its historical displays

And the faces of the men and women that made this State great

Staring down from the walls of the old Capitol's halls

There was so much more to see:

Museum of Fine Arts, Natural History and Riley House 

For another visit to Tallahassee.

Homework devoured my schedule

In case you were wondering why I hadn't written in a while. I went back to school in January to learn programming. I had made up a schedule where I would find a monthly theme and write weekly on that theme (Plus go to classes, do homework and work). I kept up with all that in January. Then comes February and introductions are over: the homework got more intense. I do want to do well so I am spending a lot of time at the computer lab (did I mention I was also having signal issues at home?). Well I really want to keep writing so I am modifying my goal and doing away with themes. Just write!

Until next week, here's a poem:

February

February is here. Groundhog Day, Super Bowl, Grammys and the Oscars. What's your superstition for more/less winter, team, performing artists/song and actor/director/film?

I guess the greater question is why are we superstitious? It's not just sport fans who may wear lucky underwear but even job seekers may want to bring the luck before an interview by only taking right turns on route to the interview.

Psychology Today states: "We may not even be fully aware of the many little rules that we follow in order to ensure that life goes the way we want it to." (https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/fulfillment-any-age/201410/why-were-so-superstitious)

What little things do you do to ensure life goes your way?

In the meantime, here's a poem about being down on luck and hoping for better days:

January: The Month of the Count

The month of the count is coming to a close. What do you mean? I don’t make sense? This is the month that we make resolutions for the rest of the New Year and the month that we look back at the top/worst lists of the previous years so this is the month of the count. Writing about lists (things we count up or down) has not been the easiest tasks although I tend to run lists of things in my head.  One of my favorite is playlists. I like to create playlists on my devices. On YouTube, I have a playlist called “Red”:

Let’s Dance – Davie Bowie

Lady in Red – Chris DeBurgh

Red Red Wine  - UB40

Holding Back The Years – Simply Red

Roxanne – The Police

Red Light Special – TLC

Redneck Woman – Gretchen Wilson

and I wish to add more songs:

Little Red Corvette – Prince (blocked on YouTube)

What songs do you suggest?

In the meantime, here’s a poem about being in the heat (on a cold day in South Florida) and being in the red:

It's Cold Outside..

People winter in Florida because it is real nice compared to the northern snow, sleet, hail and blizzards. On the other hand, Floridians - when the weather dips in Florida, we freak out (to be quite honest, any weather other than sunny freaks us out).

It’s cold outside…

…and I have to go to work:
So let’s crank the heat inside until it feels like Summer! What to do? Wear a polo short-sleeve shirt under a jacket that can be easily removed once inside. What not to do? Wear a long-sleeve, turtleneck sweater as you’ll be sweating through the work day. And if you were smart enough to layer and not care about your hair, then you could remove the outer sweater. But if you were only sweater and maybe underwear, then you’re sweating the day away.

..and I have to run an errand:
Sweats, socks and slippers. Look around you. Yup! That’s the dress code for the customers in the store.

Morning people vs. mid-day people:
What a difference! Casual dress for morning people includes pants as the morning air is nippy. By noon, there is some sun, so shorts. Yup, sweater and shorts with slippers and socks.

And those are the three things that Floridians do when it’s cold. What’s your observation?
In the meantime, here’s a poem:

New Year Blues?

It's the new year and already feeling the blues. Maybe your house sprung a leak and you've started the year with a plumber's bill and there's more... Well, what to do after paying the bill on a credit card (New Year's goal to depend less on credit cards shot down already and New Year resolution of positivity getting a heavy downer)? I look to lists and my favorite lists are playlists because music lights my darkened tunnel. 

At life hack.org's article, "listen to upbeat music" is number two on a list of fifteen but music is my go to for overcoming sadness (http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/fifteen-simple-ways-overcome-depression-and-sadness.html). What's yours?

Let's leave this tunnel with:

Resolutions

2016 Resolutions

1. I resolve not to make resolutions especially the ones that only last through January and end some time in February 
2. I will set goals to be done in a specified timeframe. I like the feeling of accomplishment! 
3. I will do my best at whatever I am doing.
4. If I need to vent, I will be careful who I vent to!
5. Better yet, I will remember (and repeat to myself) I can only change my reaction to other people and I cannot change other people.

So what are these goals:

Some are 5 months long because I have enrolled in college for two courses at night so my goal is to attend all my classes and earn As.

Another goal is to continue writing my weekly blog. This year I want to have a monthly theme so for January, I am considering lists as I have started with a list for resolution above. Also, I would like to finish my book to enter RPLA (for the critiques). 

My exercise goal needs to be realistic so I am again considering getting up and working out for 15-30 minutes daily. My goal is 1 month then evaluate after the month.

Gardening, I've been working on my garden bed in the front for the last 3 days and still have some more weeds to pull before putting out my new decorations. This goal is weather dependent: if weather is good tomorrow then I can finish.

Like that goal, sometimes things come up and tasks have to be put aside to fulfill some obligation so I build in some flexibility.

What are your resolutions or goals or plan for 2016?