Kim's Ramblings

  My first sensation is the smell. Every time. The scent of salt tickles my nose before I’m even close enough to hear the rhythmic pulse of waves meeting the shoreline. Then the noise grows louder as I move closer, walking down the boardwalk that crosses over the rise of the dunes. Suddenly, a gust of breeze whips my hair across my face or knocks the hat off my head. And I don’t care. This is my happy place. My eyes sweep the beach, taking in the expanse of white sand, foaming surf, dark emerald water, and brilliant blue sky. Home. Absorbing the entire scene before me, I then allow my eyes to focus on the individual details that make up that whole. A boat far out near the horizon, wispy clouds hanging low over the water, white caps breaking against the sand, sea birds circling and diving into the churning waves. My bare feet sink into warm white sand as I begin my trek toward the water. I want to rush, but I also want to linger and savor every step. As I get closer to the water...

 I’ve never been a fan of winter. Give me the summer sun and a pool, lake, or ocean to float in, or heck, even a lawn sprinkler, and I’ll be totally content. A winter wonderland is something I prefer to see in photos. So I’m sure you can imagine how I grumbled at the forecasts of this historic snow event. They’re calling it Snowmageddon? Really? This morning at daylight 10” of snow covered our world and it was -2 degrees in our little map dot. For our area, that’s a ten-year, or even a twenty-year record. Plus, the forecast calls for a second wave starting tonight. So I decided to pull my blanket tighter and look on the bright side. First, Gary and I are both in good health and do not need to go out to seek medical care or treatment. At our ages, or at any age actually, this is a blessing. We were able to go pick up supplies ahead of the first wave, so we have plenty. We are aware that not everyone had the physical ability or the financial ability to stock up, and we are grat...

       I have been fortunate to see some exciting things happening in my writing practice. In the past few weeks, I have received my first check for a magazine piece to be published in October, received contributor's copies of an anthology, and seen a true story published in a magazine. I have eagerly shared these successes with family, friends, and fellow writers. I hope my small successes will be encouragement for others to keep digging for their own dreams.        Because it doesn’t happen overnight. The anthology story was submitted a year ago. One of the magazine stories was submitted in January, the other in March. By the way, several other pieces have been submitted since that anthology story last year and received no response at all. It can get discouraging.         But to mix a metaphor, anything worth doing is worth the wait. Never give up; never quit trying to reach that next ...

The quadrennial February day fell on a Saturday this year, so it really was like having an extra day. And after the rainy, cold, dreary January and February we’ve had, the warm sunny day was an extra blessing.             This morning my eyes popped open to sunlight coming through the bedroom shade. Remembering it was Saturday, I rolled over, intent on staying another half-hour at least. But my brain had already registered sunlight!             My desk was a mess. More than twelve hours later, it still is. My to-do list didn’t get a single check mark today. Oh, but my heart did.             After what felt like months of drizzly, windy, too-cold-to-stick-my-head-outside weather, here was a day just shouting, “Come out and play!” We spent the morning in our neglected yard, raking, pruning, burning. After a few hours w...

           Do you ever procrastinate? If so, I need to know how you finally kick yourself out of it. If not, you are my hero. And you may want to just skip this post.             You see, I’ve been “supposed to” write a blog post since the first day of this year. It could be anything, a poem, an essay, a short story.  Just words on the page was the only criteria.             First, I got sick with an upper respiratory infection and felt cruddy. I told myself I’d write after I felt better. Then I got really busy at work catching up on the things that I let slide while I was sick. And I tired easily because I wasn’t completely recuperated from the crud yet, so I had to relax and rest when I made it home.             There are always household chores that need to be done, something th...

      As this year and this decade draw to a close, we don’t have to look far to see all the problems and hurts in our community, nation, and world. It’s natural to want to fix things. It’s frustrating as well as humbling to admit there is very little we as individuals can do to solve these problems.        But if we open our eyes and our hearts, we don’t have to look far to find beauty and love. If we will look past the problems and hurts, we can see how blessed we truly are.        Each of us has a little circle where we live, work, worship, and play. We should each do everything in our ability to make things better within our own circle. We shouldn't compare our circle to anyone else’s circle, or envy someone else’s circle. If we each take care of our own little circle of the world, maybe these circles will grow and overlap, and make the whole world a better place.        We will wake up tomorrow to a new...

   Today as I bustle around the kitchen, I’m surrounded by some of my favorite aromas, vanilla, brown sugar, lemon, and yeast. Those aromas carry me back and I reflect on many hours spent with Mom, Grandma, and Granny in their kitchens, watching, absorbing, learning. Learning to bake, to create, to experiment, and to adjust as needed.    You see, neither of those women, so instrumental in my domestic education, practiced exact measurement. I’m pretty sure their measuring cups were being used to root plant cuttings or something. They used a dab of this, a scoop of that, a handful of something else. And it was delicious, without fail. They taught me to stir, observe, sample, and add a bit more of something to alter the consistency, flavor, etc. I was a Home Economics teacher’s nightmare, I’m sure.    For the most part, I still cook that way, especially on favorite dishes I’ve made countless times. I’m pretty sure I could make chocolate chip cookies ...

             On a recent random weekday, nowhere near any birthday or holiday, my dad gave me a gift that I can’t stop thinking about. He found a magazine photo of a place that I’ve expressed a desire to visit, a bucket-list place. He clipped the photo, placed it in a frame, and wrote the caption, “Why not now?”             I am beyond middle-age, but still several years from retirement. I’m of the generation that grew up believing you worked until you retired, then you traveled, chased your dreams, pursued hobbies, and volunteered for causes dear to your heart. He ought to know; he raised me.             But now, at his three-quarter-century mark, he’s changed his advice. You see, we aren’t guaranteed a certain number of years. And when you finally have the time, or the money, to go and do the things on that list, the...

(I originally wrote this post for THE WRITE WAY, the blog on the White County Creative Writers website. If you're interested in writing, definitely check out that website.) It’s November, and that means NaNoWriMo.  For those who don’t know, that’s National Novel Writing Month. If you’ve never heard of it, you’ll probably be surprised to learn that there’s an online community of writers who pledge to complete a novel in only thirty days. Sounds crazy, doesn’t it? But every year since 1999, thousands have proven that it can be done. The idea started small, but has continued to grow every year. Hundreds of those novels have gone on to be published by traditional publishers, while hundreds more have been self-published. The goal is a complete first draft, a minimum of 50,000 words in thirty days or less. That’s less than 2,000 words per day. Anyone can enter. There’s no entry fee, and it’s simple to participate. • Sign up on the website  nanowrimo.org • Describe your ...

For a writer, I can think of nothing that compares to a good conference. Imagine two to three days filled with sessions, workshops, and panels where authors, publishers, and agents teach and interact with writers of all levels and backgrounds. I was on cloud nine. The creative energy was electric. Brainstorming sessions resembled a shared-consciousness. Pens scribbled notes and ideas bounced around like racket balls. Sometimes a great idea practically hit you in the head. New contacts were made and friendships forged. New information was absorbed and unfamiliar ideas explored. I took the opportunity to listen to some of the most productive writers in the country, and I also visited with several writers just like me, who struggle to get anything completed. And I’ve reached one conclusion. The opposite of productivity is not busyness or laziness. It’s not disorganization, lack of commitment, or even lack of knowledge or inferior talent. The opposite of productivity i...

            Many of you may know that Gary and I have been writing stories and poems for local contests. For the last few years we’ve attended writing conferences in Searcy and Little Rock to learn more about the craft and improve our writing.             This year, we’ve taken advantage of the opportunity to attend even more conferences and workshops. Next week, we will be attending the Ozark Creative Writers Conference in Eureka Springs. It’s a chance to take a short vacation and enjoy the beauty of the Ozarks, hear some good speakers, and meet some other people who share our love of writing.                 It is also a chance to test our skills against writers attending from other areas. There are several writing contests being awarded at this conference, and we hope to make a showing in the awards. But I...

When my daughter was young, we were active in a local church. We tried to teach her to have a relationship with the Lord and pray regularly. She has always been a kind-hearted and loving child, and frequently felt led to pray for her friends and family. Animals have always been a part of our family, and we’ve always treated them with kindness and care. So it was not surprising to me that she often prayed for a beloved pet. At one point, a Sunday School leader told her she should not pray for animals, only for people. She was confused, and I was disheartened, to put it mildly. It was and still is my belief that a loving and caring God understands the heart of a child. The lesson we were trying to teach was that you can take all of your cares, concerns, and worries to the Lord. Philippians 4:6 tells us, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition and thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” If we devalue the prayers of a young child, h...

I’m Not Allergic                         “Be careful! You know what that is.” Mom took a step back and pointed to some prolific vines in my overgrown flower bed.             “Oh, it’s okay. I’m not allergic. It’s never bothered me at all.”             “Well, I break out just walking by. I have a terrible reaction. You can’t imagine how awful. You should wear gloves when you work around it, just to be safe.”             We continued our tour of the neglected yard, listing everything I needed to get accomplished. We said our goodbyes. I waved as she pulled out of the driveway, then grabbed my clippers and hoe.             Before long, I could feel ...