Violence again and what will we do about it?

Our country is known for its violence and today the violence was directed toward former president Trump. 

I am thankful he was not killed, but I have feared that this was going to happen. I don't doubt that someone will go after President Biden. There is so much political hatred in the USA at this time that I would not go near a gathering for either candidate. They can speak to us on television. 

I hate that the Trump team is calling this an act by the opposing political side when they have no idea who did this. They just like to ramp up the anger and violence.

I remember when Ronald Reagan was shot and it had nothing to do with politics. Just a nut case who wanted attention. I feel sure this is what will be found with this shot. The shooter also shot a Hispanic man in the head and that sounds like it might have been intentional. 

No matter how much I want Donald Trump to lose the election, I hate to see this violence against him or anyone. I wish this shooting would influence our government, Congress and the Supreme Court, to make it harder to get guns and make it easier to detect a gun on someone. Seems that only traditional metal guns are found with equipment used now to find a secured weapon. 

All of my life we have had differences between political parties, but I don't remember it ever being so mean and nasty as it is now. As our country is suffering with the stress of families letting politics tear them apart, I continue to say I love many people who don't believe as I do about the political situation, so we don't discuss it. A wonderful friend of mine who was just the opposite of me in his politics said to me, "Let's not talk politics. I love you too much to talk about it."

He was the sweetest, most caring man and a good man, so we enjoyed visiting together, but we did not talk politics. I also don't like to talk about religion unless I am talking to someone who accepts my religion and doesn't try to tell me I should be the same denomination as she is. I accept people who treat me with respect and who don't judge me by my political leanings or my religious beliefs. 

That is the reason we all must protect our freedom in this country. 

We must be tolerant of others who differ from us unless that person is planning to hurt someone. Although I don't understand some people and why they vote as they do, I hope we always have the freedom to vote our conscious. But I hope we always, as a country, seek to elect people of good moral conduct and who are honest and honorable. I remember when I was a child in school, our teachers made sure we learned about Presidents like George Washington and Abraham Lincoln and their part in building this wonderful country. I also admire President Jimmy Carter, a fine man of good character, and President O'Bama. I have read their books and learned so much about the difficult role of Commander in Chief. 

While many believe the president can do anything once he is in office, I learned that his hands are tied in so many ways by the Senators and Representatives in Congress. Those who follow the activities of Congress, know what I mean. Sometimes they act like children instead of mature individuals we send to Washington to make the laws that make our lives better, that keep us safe, and that protect our democracy. 

I will turn away from the TV news now because it worsens my stressful life. I will think about the enjoyable time I had with three of my writing friends this week. I had not realized how much I missed talking to writers about writing. 

I have almost all of my belongings here with me now and once I can unpack the boxes and find my stuff, I will be much more comfortable. I look forward to having more time to do things I really want to do in the coming months. I will try to do a better job of posting on my blogs.

Let me hear from you, my friends, and be safe.

Have a great week and hope you don't overdo in the heat.

Do What you love to do as long as you can.

Hello, my blogging friends and others who might stop by,

My hectic life has been made brighter by teaching a memoir class in June. I have five delightful students and one of them had a poem accepted for publication today. I am always happy when my students get something published.

I remember how long I dreamed about seeing my writing in print. The first thing I wrote and sent to our local newspaper, The Albany Herald, was a travel article. The editor called me and seemed excited to have my article. I was out of my mind with joy. I was in my late twenties at that time. But when the newspaper arrived at my house, I was upset. Because my article was a little too long for their space, the end of my piece was simply left out. So anyone reading it would wonder why I wrote an article that ended abruptly before it was finished. 

After I had some more experience with writing for newspapers, I learned to check for word length before I submitted anything. I found once I moved to NC and joined the NC Writers' Network West, there was much to learn about the craft before submitting to any publication. They all have guidelines or rules you must follow to be accepted and each one is different. 

Soon after moving to my mountain home, I began writing for the Clay County Progress, our local newspaper. I wrote about the artists in our area. I interviewed visual artists, painters, wood carvers, published writers, and met many interesting people. One lived on my street, a few houses down from mine. Another was an author of books for middle school kids, who spent her summers in our mountains but lived on the Georgia coast. She had lots of books published and many were popular in foreign countries and printed in their language.

While in our region she taught a writing class at the John C. Campbell Folk School and I registered for that weeklong class. I am still surprised that I got up the nerve to ask her for an interview, but she was gracious and later told a friend that my article about her was one of the best ever. I have written about her in another post.  

Rosemary Royston is teaching here in August. Check out her class.  You will love taking classes at JCCFS.   https://folkschool.configio.com/pd/2270/creative-writing-across-genres?source=search&returncom=productlist&st_t=2077&st_ti=2516&cid=2527

Oh, how I long to do that kind of work again. With my life filled with medical appointments almost every day, I seem to have little time to do the things I really enjoy. But I hope to continue to teach classes every month or so. I teach on Zoom and if you like to write true stories of interest about you, your family, and your hopes and dreams, join us when next I hold a course of three classes online. The fee for the classes is very nominal as I do this because I love to see writers emerge and find they can write entertaining and informative truths even when they thought they could not.

Thanks for coming by and I hope you will leave a comment. You are welcome to write anonymously but please leave your first name in your comment because I might know you.

I am grateful to you who read my words and especially to those of you who leave a comment.

Tuesdays, 6 - 8:30 PM Write with Me

Write your memories into stories about your life in my Zoom classes in June.

We have a good time and everyone learns to write better as well as make friends from all parts of the country. In our last sets of classes we had a man from Kentucky, one from Virginia, and one from the Atlanta area,  a woman from Hickory NC, and another from Cullowhee, NC. Only one was from my town in North Carolina, Hayesville. 

We had six students which is a perfect number for our time limit. We always have each student read his/her homework or a story they wrote the week before class. 

I encourage each of them by asking their peers to tell what they really liked about the story they just heard. The students email me their work before class and I edit it and send back to them. 

The students bond by helping each other and they learn more about each other as they listen to the stories unfold. 

I am taking registrations now for Tuesdays, June 4, 11, 18 classes, 6:00 - 8:30 PM and the fee is only sixty dollars for all three sessions. I can be reached by sending me a message on Facebook or by sending an email to gcbmountaingirl@gmail.com

Put writing classes in the subject line so your email won't go to junk mail.

https://www.facebook.com/glenda.beall/

We have room for you so don't miss this opportunity. 

May 12, 2024

Mother, Daddy at their 50th wedding anniversary
with their grandchildren

May 12, 2024

Mothers Day

Today is the same as any other day except I have thought about my precious mother many times. My brother wrote a poem for her about her. It was so loving and sweet. He was not a child at the time, but a grown, married man with children. He wrote songs but I had not known he wrote poems. It meant so much to her. Our family did not show emotion or express love openly, but his poem was humorous as well as loving.

I wish I could post it here, but maybe another time.

Ann Lamott wrote her opinion of this holiday and she doesn't like it. It is a sad day for many people and for years I felt sad on Mother's Day. I stopped going to church on this day each year because I felt so bad when all the mothers were asked to stand and I was not among them. That was when I was much younger. Today I don't feel that way. Today I celebrate in my heart the most wonderful mother anyone could have and think of how she loved me and kept me safe when despair overcame me, when I lost faith in myself or when I needed someone to talk with about my future, someone who always had my back. I missed her most when Barry died. But she was already buried in the cemetery on the hill. 

My mother as a young woman

Moving on but slowly

LEXIE misses her sofa. I gave it away. No room in the apartment.

Last week, Gay and I went up to NC to the home I need to sell. We both worked extra hard decluttering and packing, meeting with realtors, and having a very nice young man, Elton, get my yard in good shape. 

I have only been involved in selling one house in my life. It was our dream house Barry and I built on the farm in south Georgia in 1975.  In 1995, we had already moved to the mountains and we had to go back often to make sure the house was in good repair and the yard was nice. Now I am trying to sell a house without Barry to help me make decisions, and at times the whole thing is overwhelming. Because I still cannot drive, I rely on someone to take me there and can only stay as long as my driver can stay.

But I enjoyed seeing my writer friends while there. Scott Owens, a dear friend and poet, was my house guest one night and he and I were the guest writers for the Literary Hour at the John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, NC. I have his newest book, of the twenty he has published, 'Round Here, which is a book filled with photographs by a professional photographer in Catawba County. Scott wrote a poem relating to each picture. He is so good at that. The book can be ordered from RedHawk Publications or from Amazon.com. 

It was a bittersweet experience as Scott said this will likely be the last time I come and stay in your house. He was a favorite teacher of poetry for my Writers Circle Around the Table classes.

He made many friends in the far western part of North Carolina although he lives in Hickory, more in the Piedmont section. I hope to see him appointed Poet Laureate of North Carolina one day.

Well, it is time for me to see a doctor this afternoon to decide if my medication is working and is best for me at this time. I am so tired of constantly dealing with health issues. Physical therapy for my shoulder three times each week and under the care of several doctors who want me to come in for tests.

Although I am grateful to have access to top medical facilities and doctors for any condition, I get frustrated because I am normally an independent person. 

Although the shoulder is healing well, it will take time to gain a full range of mobility in my left arm. 

Thanks to you who read and especially to you who comment, either on this blog or by email so I know you are still with me.

I hope you are healthy and happy, doing what you enjoy, and being grateful for each day.

What Ann-Margret and I have in Common

In a recent article about Ann-Margrett, the movie star who played opposite Elvis Presley in Viva Las Vegas, I learned that she is 82 years old.  She is still very pretty, and she has a life similar to mine except she sings, and I write. She is rich and I am not. Her estimated worth is 25 million dollars.   

Like me, she doesn't get up until nearly noon every day. She makes no appointments for mornings. She loves her dogs. They make her feel joyful.

When Ann-Margret was young, she and her husband Roger enjoyed riding motorcycles. Barry and I loved to ride dirt bikes. 

Ann-Margaret still owns a motorcycle and still rides it. The avid motorcyclist says she “of course” still rides her Harley Davidson. 

“It's lavender and it's got white daisies all over it,” she says. “There's flowers on the back fender and on the front fender. I love the speed.”

While I don’t ride horses or motorcycles now, I well remember the excitement and joy of those halcyon days of yore.      

Good for you, Ann-Margret. Ride as long as you can!

As we age, fight through difficulties, and lose loved ones, we can still count our blessings, and remember.

DISABLED BUT DETERMINED - a week after extreme surgery on my shoulder

My dear readers,

I have use of one hand only. I had a fall about three weeks ago and was taken to the ER in Cumming, GA where I and my family spent four hours. 

At 2:30 AM we came home, my left arm in a sling, on pain meds with an appointment to see an orthopedist for my shoulder which ex-rays showed was broken.

It was a major break in the humerus bone and cup where it fits. The joint had to be replaced.

For a week I lived with great pain, my arm clasped to my side in a sling. I went in for surgery at 5:30 AM on February 15. I did not want to stay overnight in the hospital and was dismissed to come home. 

Immediately, we began icing the site. I continued with opioids day and night.

Gay, my dear sister, stayed with me 24/7. 

The following week was abysmal. Nausea, vomiting, no appetite, and my entire gastric system had failed. I was so sick I was taken back to the ER but this time to Wellstar in Roswell. More tests were done but no help.

The rudest nurse I ever met was my nurse in the ER. Not the entire staff, but this nurse REFUSED to help me get off the bed.

 "You got on that bed by yourself, you can get up."

As Gay reached to help me, she was told to leave me alone. I only had use of one arm, and the back of the bed was leaned back.

I had been brought in by two extremely caring and careful ambulance workers.

They had helped me onto the bed.

I reached for my sister and she helped me off the bed and into the bathroom. The surly nurse did not offer any help at all.

Once again I realized why one must have a family member or good friend present with the patient at the hospital because older people are often treated badly by staff. This woman was paid to care for me, but she refused. When I am able I will report this.

The worst experience I had was the week following the surgery. I have learned but, was not told to expect, the repercussions of anesthesia. 80 percent of surgical patients suffer horrible gastric problems and the meds offered do not help at all!

At my post-op visit, the surgeon said that the nerve block I was given likely damaged a nerve in my chest area making it difficult to breathe.

It would have been very helpful to know that. it might have prevented that trip to the ER.

;

All Kinds of Falls

Often when we speak of falls in my area, we are talking about waterfalls. But today my subject is not waterfalls. 

I got up off my bed where I had been sitting trying to find Bill Gates' podcast on my IPad. I took two steps and felt I had tripped on something. I could feel myself falling forward. With my IPad in my right hand, I evidently reached out with my left hand. It happened very quickly. I found myself lying face-forward my left hand above me and excruciating pain emanating from the left side of my body. I knew I had a bad injury.

I was taken to an emergency room where I spent two hours in a sling with no help for the pain. I was diagnosed with a broken shoulder. At 2:00 AM we were dismissed.

I was told I might require surgery. Three days later, an orthopedic surgeon said the quickest recovery and to shorten the pain he recommended a shoulder replacement.

And here I am sleeping in short bursts day and night, needing round-the-clock care, and preparing for an operation. i am so very grateful I was here in the home of my sister and BIL.  

I had some falls over the past few years but was never badly hurt. But this one hurts enough for all of the others. You never know when this might happen. 

Be careful!  

Putting away the Christmas Decor and looking forward to 2024

Here we are in February, 2024. I began this post in January but did not complete it until now. So much to get to and get done it seems. 

I finally took down the Christmas decorations in my apartment. I miss my fireplace mantel so bright, and cheery.

I continue to unpack boxes I have moved here from my home in the mountains.  

Next, I will bring some of my furniture here although there is not room for much. I need places for storage and for books. I have come to enjoy the smaller living area and being uncluttered. But I need office furniture like a good desk and file cabinets. 

I went out on the deck one afternoon and I surprised a herd of deer crossing the yard down by the lake. There were six of them and they stopped and watched me for a while. I stood still and talked softly to them. After a few minutes, they moved on across to the neighbor's yard. With my bird feeders busy all day and the ducks quacking on the lake, I almost feel like I am in the mountains where I spent the last 29 years. We have a herd of deer there that come down near my house every afternoon. 

I could not ask for more than I have here at my future home with my sister and brother-in-law. 

Wildlife, the lake, and family right upstairs. Today I cooked a meal for them and for me. I like to do that so I don't have leftovers. I am learning to use the Air Fryer and set off the fire alarms. But I will continue to cook with it after watching a video on YouTube. I think it will be handy for me to cook small amounts in a short time. Do you use an Air Fryer?

Tonight Gay and Stu will go to a play and I will be fine here with Lexie. They don't feel obligated to invite me to go with them every time they go out and I don't usually want to go. I have so much to keep me busy

My writing classes which began in January are very interesting. I have six students which is just right for a two-hour class.  They are bonding and are excellent encouragers. They voted to hold another course in March. I will teach on Tuesdays, 6 - 8 PM on Zoom.

With Microsoft updating and changing, I am having to learn more new things, and that irritates me. Time is the most valuable commodity I have and I hate to waste it learning to use something new when I was doing fine with what I had.

I have also been working on revising some short fiction I hope to publish. My editor is wonderful and so helpful. She suggests I find better titles for my stories. I agree. Titles have always been hard for me.

Glenda sitting at Pat Conroy's desk in Beaufort SC. 

I envy writers who are married couples. They can help each other by reading and making suggestions. Pat Conroy said he always sent the work he did that day upstairs at night for his wife, who is also an author, to read for him. And she had him read her work. Just asking family members to read your writing does no good. They are not going to tell you if they don't like it and often if they make a suggestion for a change, you know they do not understand your purpose in the work. 

I listened to The Boys in the Boat on Audible and enjoyed it tremendously. I am listening to Barbra Streisand's memoir and loving it. She narrates her book and that makes it even more interesting. She is quite a woman who made her way when men did not want to work for women directors, and often directors became angry when she made suggestions on ways to make a film. She has a reputation of being hard to work with and now that I have heard her side of the story, I understand why she was considered that way. Barbra is such a smart woman and such a perfectionist she wanted anything she was a part of to be the very best it could be. Her talents as a singer, an actor, and a director are beyond what most of Hollywood could produce. 

I realized recently that I like myself better at this stage of life than I ever did before. I wonder if that comes with getting older. Does everyone feel this way? 

I am seeing doctors for several medical issues, but I seem to be dealing with it better than most. I laugh much more because Gay and I have the same kind of sense of humor and we laugh lots when we get together. Lexie makes me laugh with her antics and Stu always has something funny to say.

I hope you, my friends, are doing well with the cold weather or hot weather depending on where you live. When I think of so many people in this world who are suffering war, natural disasters, and loss of loved ones, I am grateful for the life I have.