“Let It Rain”

 

September  2024 Blog

Raindrops, Keep Falling: A Haiku

The gentle drops of

Rain upon my head comfort

Me with their coolness.

by Ann Wilmer-Lasky

(8/30/24)

 

I’m not wet; I’m refreshed. For the first time in months, the day dawned cool, gentle raindrops fell, and the temperature didn’t reach a hundred-plus degrees.What a relief!

I will soon be able to sit outside and write again. Something I have not been able to do the last couple of summers.

As I understand it, this summer will be the hottest on record, breaking the recor made just last year. I sense a frightening trend here, and I see no worldwide effort to do anything about it.

While people are at war with one another worldwide and country-wide, the Earth is heating up to a dangerous point – or has that point already been reached and no one wants to tell us that we are truly doomed?

That wouldn’t surprise me one bit. There’s so much that we aren’t told but find out much later. Much later in this case woud probably to too late.

I would love to see the next administration concentrate on coming up with a worldwide plan to save the Earth from overheating to the point all life on Earth becomes extinct. We have no place to go. Those Sci-Fi scenarios of rocket ships to populate other planets made habitable by terra-forming just have not come true yet. What is true is that we (the people) are heating up the planet beyond its capacity to compensate and recover.

All of us who are “crying in the wilderness” hope someone in some position of authority will hear and comprehend. Maybe my “Global Warnig: Climate In Crisis” will help a tiny bit. Maybe others will catch on, and there will be a ground swell of people clamoring for change. I can dream, can’t I?

“Global Warning: Climate in Crisis” available from Amazon at: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08KWQ6SHK/

A $1.00 donation for each book sold will be made to an environmental cause. #ClimateCrisis #ClimateEmergency #SaveOurPlanet

In the meantime, I will continue to write what I feel and love and try dwelling in one of the cool places in my fiction.

As always, I welcome your reactions and responses to any of my blogs. I love to hear from my readers. Also, here are links to my Amazon, Twitter and Facebook pages, if you care to share your thoughts with me there or look for any publication announcements.

amazon.com/author/annwilmerlasky      

https://twitter.com/awlasky

https://www.facebook.com/ann.wilmerlasky

It is now September and it seems the 100+ days are behind us for the rest of the year. It also means the year is two-thirds gone Only four months left to “get ‘er done”. I’m working on it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“On Hold”

 

July/August  2024 Blog

Vigil: A Haiku

Minutes seem like hours;

Hours seem unending, waiting

For a surgeon’s smile.

by Ann Wilmer-Lasky

(7/16/24)

 

Started the July blog at least four times last month. Something always came up to make me put it down and start with another idea – or stop altogether.

So much has happened on the world scene and privately with my husband’s health issues.

So July is blown, and I’ve decided to take August off to put myself back together – again.

Thank you all for your support. See you in September.

As always, I welcome your reactions and responses to any of my blogs. I love to hear from my readers. Also, here are links to my Amazon, Twitter and Facebook pages, if you care to share your thoughts with me there or look for any publication announcements.

amazon.com/author/annwilmerlasky      

https://twitter.com/awlasky

https://www.facebook.com/ann.wilmerlasky

It’s now past July and into August, and the weather is still too hot. Still looking for more days of 100+ temps. Summer has been brutally searing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“End Game”

 

June  2024 Blog

Culmination: A Haiku

I have begun so

Often, I have forgotten

That I must finish.

by Ann Wilmer-Lasky

(5/30/24)

 

Even Michelangelo eventually finished the Sistine Chapel. My seeking out new beginnings has now come to an end. It is now time for finishings. I need to start finishing all the projects I have started and virtually abandoned.

They lie, chained in their dungeon, begging for their release and freedom. My main problem right now is deciding on precedence – do I tend first to the loudest screamer, or do I set free the longest dundeion dwellers. More than likely, I’ll choose a combination or just throw darts.

I have never been a good finisher. I was a real estate agent a long time ago, but that didn’t go well. I couldn’t ‘call the question’ – that is close the deal. I’m also much better at writing than at selling my wares. But at least the finished ones are out there to share with the world. All my projects deserve the same, but the birthing process is painful every time. However, I do believe the offspring are worth it.

I have problems completing a lot of things besides my creative projects. It’s like that old toilet humor joke: It’s not over until the paperwork is done.” That’s me – I drop the ball with the paperwork part.

It’s kind of worked out through the years; I’ve had plenty of time and managed to catch up occasionally, but now the years are catching up with me. I no longer have a broad stretch of time in front of me to do all I want to de before...

Perhaps, tying up the loose ends before that seems morbid, but I’d rather not leave a lot for my daughter to take care of when that time comes.

Besides, I would love to enjoy the fruits of even more of my labors while I can. I find there’s not much joy out there to go around these days. I would find great satisfaction in giving pleasure and enjoyment to my readers out there.

So there it stands, I will now start to finish, and Im really looking forward to it.

As always, I welcome your reactions and responses to any of my blogs. I love to hear from my readers. Also, here are links to my Amazon, Twitter and Facebook pages, if you care to share your thoughts with me there or look for any publication announcements.

amazon.com/author/annwilmerlasky      

https://twitter.com/awlasky

https://www.facebook.com/ann.wilmerlasky

It’s now June and the weather is still too hot. Already looking for more days of 100+ temps. Summer has arrived early. Anticipating a long and hot summer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Calendar Check”

 

May  2024 Blog

Month’s End: A Haiku

I would end the month

With that month’s tasks surely done;

Start the next anew.

by Ann Wilmer-Lasky

(4/30/24)

 

Just closed out April. Just closed out one-third of the year 2024. But – that means I still have two-thirds left.

So, that was supposed to spark my blog for May, but May has turned into one unending roller coaster ride with more downs than ups. Thus, we will start again.

Still Time: A Haiku

Thirty-one days in

May leaves thirteen days to get

Done the May “ToDo’s”.

by Ann Wilmer-Lasky

(5/18/24)

 

And we will still post a May Blog. However, it will be  a hodge-podge of unrelated anecdotes of life so far this month.

First off, I am getting things done, albeit at a snail’s pace. I really need to concentrate on doing more than the bare minimum to exist. What’s the fun in doing only what you have to do? Enjoyment comes from doing things you want to do afterward.

And I really could use some enjoyment. Lord knows I’ve had more than my share of difficult tasks to tend to, including my son’s death. I finally got a copy of his final note. He didn’t blame enybody. He just said. “Sorry, this whole life has been shit. Done. (signed) Vernon.” So we will never know what triggered the actual suicide – only that he planned it too well.

Then there’s my husband’s mysterious ongoing maladies to contend with. He may have bariatric surgery soon to help close the bottom of his esophagus that’s letting acid back up and causing a lot of damage along the way. But the reasons for the generalized nerve pain and dizziness have yet to be determined and dealt with. And his anxiety disorder may never go away, thanks to the stroke.

To top all that off, my eyesight is getting steadily worse. I’ve gone to dark mode on the computer and phone for the most part, and that helps. But not all sites and applications offer that. I am grateful for the years this AMD has been kept in check, but it will win out in the end.

So that’s another reason I need to get things going at a faster pace. I have a lot I want to do before worse befalls me.

Lately, it seems I am but one catastrophe away from a meltdown. Maybe it’s Post-Pandemic Syndrome. Or maybe it’s those calendar pages I’m ripping off faster and faster. Maybe I can’t slow the passing of time down, but I can sure try to make better use of itl

The Black Oak audio is coming along nicely again. So is the Sam Rock sequel. Just a little more touching up on both. Then on to my tribute poetry chapbook “One Life: Unlived” and then who knows? I have lots of ideas swimming around in my head. Just need to get out the hook, line and sinker and reel them all in.

As always, I welcome your reactions and responses to any of my blogs. I love to hear from my readers. Also, here are links to my Amazon, Twitter and Facebook accounts, if you care to share your thoughts with me there or look for any publication announcements.

amazon.com/author/annwilmerlasky      

https://twitter.com/awlasky

https://www.facebook.com/ann.wilmerlasky

It’s now May and the weather is much too hot. Already had a couple of days of 100+ temps. Spring is gone. Summer has landed with a thud.

 

“Focal Shift”

 

April  2024 Blog

Focal Shift: A Haiku

Much better, I find,

To concentrate on the “do’s”

Than on the “don’t do’s”.

by Ann Wilmer-Lasky

(3/29/24)

 

I’d rather be “doing” than “don’ting” or focusing on the “didn’t do’s”. I can’t help thinking of the old lyrics: “Accentuate the positive! Eliminate the negative! And don’t mess with...” Still great advice.

So I’m shifting my focus. I will concentrate on “getting ‘er done” rather than doing only what I absolutely have to and absolutely only when I have to do it.

What a concept – get ahead of the game rather than try to catch up all the time. (That trick hardly ever works.)

Yet here I am trying to meet my 1^st of the month blog-posting commitment to myself. It’s been a rough few days: the 1^st anniversary of my son’s demise, Easter weekend and April Fool’s Day. Also Mercury is now retrograde until the 25^th.Guess I better squeak this in befor communications go whacko.

And then there’s the solar eclipse on the 8^th. Please, if you’re going to view it, do so carefully and make sure your glasses aren’t fake. Should be awesome for sure, but I’m going to pass on it. My vision is already compromised with AMD.

I’ve gotten some work done on the Sam Rock sequel this last month, as well as some work on the tribute chapbook for my son. Next I need to get Steve Hamm’s audio version of my “Black Oak: Town of Joy” up and running.

Also working on eliminating 80 years of accumulations. I don’t need all this stuff I’ve been hauling around all these years. I think I still have my old Atari computer from the 1980’s somewhere in storage.

It will be harder with my husband’s VHS & DVD collection. He has literally several hundred. I don’t think there’s enough time to watch them all left in our lives.

On the other hand, I need to catalog and preserve all my hand written manuscripts and poetry, as well as make sure I get everything transferred to the computer for future reference. Might be worth something to somebody some day.

Still have high hopes for this year even though it’s now one-quarter gone. There’s still three-quarters left.(I’m trying to be more optimistic.

As always, I welcome your reactions and responses to any of my blogs. I love to hear from my readers. Also, here are links to my Twitter and Facebook accounts, if you care to share your thoughts with me there or look for any publication announcements.

amazon.com/author/annwilmerlasky      

https://twitter.com/awlasky

https://www.facebook.com/ann.wilmerlasky

It’s now April and the weather is cooler than it was in March. Go figure. We’ll see what the rest of Spring brings.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“One Life – Unlived”

 

March  2024 Blog

Stagnation: A Haiku

The months fly by and

Soon a year has nearly passed

And it is not done.

by Ann Wilmer-Lasky

(3/1/24)

 

March 26^th will be a year since my son died. The poetry chapbook I need to write in memory of him lies heavy on my mind and a long way from completion. I could say I have procrastinated, but the truth is – I have stagnated. I am yet bereft and finding it difficult to put my thought and feelings to print.

I believe I’m ready to get started on it now. The feelings are still fresh, but I can now be reasonably objective enough to do it justice, I believe.

Also, it’s a year later and a year less that I have left to get it all done.

Just what is “All”? You may ask. “All” is the other half of my own life that I have never lived. All the novels I have not written. All the poetry I have yet to compose. All the joy I was promised in my senior years by those who had no idea what life would be like now.

I hope I have time for one more restart, one more chance to “get ‘er done”.

I saw Carl Reiner on a 1981 Johnny Carson rerun the other night talking about getting old. He quoted Samuel Beckett: “We are born astride the grave”.

That stuck with me. It reminds me of the idea that we start to die the moment we are born. Morbid maybe, definitely heavy thoughts and undeniably true. But before I slip into that grave I was born astride, I have many things yet to do. It’s long past time I got started – or restarted as the case may be. It is fortunate that I am in reasonably good health, of reasonably sound mind and able to meet my obligations. Thus, I can concentrate on writing if I can just shake the sadness off. I really need to smile more. It’s going to be difficult writing what’s in my heart and finding odd moments to smile. But that is what we do – we laugh and we cry our whole lives through. Those of us who write are sometimes lucky enough to share those laughs and those tears with our readers. I definitely have more to share.

As always, I welcome your reactions and responses to any of my blogs. I love to hear from my readers. Also, here are links to my Twitter and Facebook accounts, if you care to share your thoughts with me there or look for any publication announcements.

amazon.com/author/annwilmerlasky      

https://twitter.com/awlasky

https://www.facebook.com/ann.wilmerlasky

It’s now March and we are already starting to warm up. Not looking forward to the blistering hot summer I fear is coming.

Beware the Ides of March!

 

 

 

 

 

“Happy Lunar New Year 2024”

 

February  2024 Blog

Dragon Breath A Haiku

The Dragon wakes and

Breathes his fire to celebrate

The dawn of his year.

by Ann Wilmer-Lasky

(2/10/23)

 

...and I celebrate with him – breathing fire and all.

I’m late! I’m late for a very important date. About ten days late, but I am in posting my monthly blog. Sorry about that. I was under the weather for the first few days, and then overwhelmed with catching up on life and everything.

Today is the Chinese Lunar New Year, so I decided to start my year over and celebrate The Year of the Dragon as a new beginning. “Happy Lunar New Year 2024”

This year is going to be different (barring any more unforeseen illnesses or emergencies). I’m breathing fire along with the dragon (or at least I’m trying to).

Maybe I better settle for working up a storm. Maybe not. I understand there’s one headed this way (wind, rain, and snow). Guess I better cut this real short and post it before the power goes out.

I need to double down on my efforts to publish more this year. Too bad I can’t spend as much time writing, editing, and publishing as I do trying to catch up on other things I haven’t done.

I guess I can blame most of my problems on age.

Eighty is no spring chicken, and I’m guessing it’s the main reason I feel the need to take a nap during the day. But I will soldier on, and Sam Rock will be the better for it. I’m feeling it in my blood now. There will be blood (and gore)!

As always, I welcome your reactions and responses to any of my blogs. I love to hear from my readers. Also, here are links to my Twitter and Facebook accounts, if you care to share your thoughts with me there or look for any publication announcements.

amazon.com/author/annwilmerlasky      

https://twitter.com/awlasky

https://www.facebook.com/ann.wilmerlasky

It’s now February and the start of the Chinese Lunar New Year, and I’m claiming a do-over and another new beginning.

Happy, Happy New Year!