Two Years and Counting!

 

February 2022 Blog

Stumped: A Haiku

Nothing comes to mind

But the frustrations of life

As we now live it.

by Ann Wilmer-Lasky

 

My mind grows tired. My heart grows weary. I’ve been vaccinated and boostered. I wear a mask everywhere I go. I see no end in sight.

I’m not sure we’ll ever be given the “All Clear”, And if we are, I’m not sure there will be a normal life to go back to. (Yep, I ended that sentence with a preposition. Pretty much, I don’t care anymore. It’s how people talk now anyway.)

I Should be used to the solitary lifestyle we now endure. As a writer, I’ve spent a lot of time alone in my own little world. But that was my choice, and I’ve always had the option and privilege to rejoin the human race at any time and share a smile and a hug with a another human being even raise a glass or two at a favorite local restaurant. I’m not doing any of that lately. I’m beginning to miss it.

Also I’ve found that the less social I am, the less inspired I am to explore new avenues of murder and mayhem.             It’s amazing what a chance encounter or new surroundings can inspire. Just seeing an interesting face or  place can lend inspiration to so much of one’s writing, even in the strange stories I tend to spend my ink on.

And I’m still spending ink on my “Sam Rock” sequel as well as my ”Chronicles of Acqueria” prequel. Hopefully they will stay on track to be published this spring and summer respectively.

Once again, Sam Rock will come up against Maerie Delaceroix and her murder of ravens. And in the Acquerian prequel, the birth of Acqueria will be expanded upon.

     The more I think about them, the more anxious I am to get back to work on them, so this will be a very short blog.

I hope with the coming of Spring, we will get back to a normal we can live freely with, if not the normal we were used to. I wish us all a save Winter’s end. I am certainly looking forward to a brighter summer minus the endless precautions we are still encumbered with.

Until next time, read and write to your heart’s content. My eclectic collection of reading matter may take your mind off things. Enjoy.

https://www.amazon.com/author/annwilmerlasky

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 my publication announcements:

https://twitter.com/awlasky

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

Hopefully, this coming month we can recover from the Winter’s bleakness, and the following month will find us looking forward more freely to Spring.

 

 

Sh*tty! Sh*tty! Bang! Bang!

August 2020 Blog

I thought this would be over by now, but it seems, it’s barely started.

Teetering: A Haiku

Difficult it is

To remain sane as the world

Around you crumbles.

by Ann Wilmer-Lasky

Any little nudge and it’s over the edge. We have been buffeted about on several fronts, not the least of which is the ongoing and still escalating Covid-19 crisis.

It’s a difficult thing to realize that as a nation we cannot master the self-control necessary to bring this catastrophe under control. And that goes from the top down. Our cardboard captain is awash in a contaminated sea in a rudderless boat with ever-enlarging holes in it. Or so it seems.

I couldn’t even make a believable horror story out of that scenario.

Unfortunately, the things we are ignoring while dealing (or not dealing) with this pandemic are not going away. When all is said and done, they will rear up and kick us in the head.

First and foremost of these “things” is the “Climate Change” crisis. It’s on the back burner, just waiting to flare up and consume the Earth.

Okay, maybe that’s a little over the top, but give me a break. I am a poet. I can always claim “poetic license”.

My Haiku Chapbook, “Global Warning” will be published shortly. It will debut to little fanfare and probably little impact, but I am bound and determined that it be published.

I have little to say this month, except to hope all my friends and fellow authors are well and safe and will continue to be so.

After posting this, I’ll get back to that drawing board and finish formatting “Global Warning”. Who knows, maybe I’ll even find the inspiration to work on my “Acqueria” prequel or “Sam Rock” sequel. I have to do something to take my mind off of what’s going on in the world.

Maybe publishing my self-reflective magnum opus Haiku chapbook will lift my spirits, even if I don’t get it out by August 22^nd, the 100^th anniversary of my mentor Ray Bradbury’s birth. But I will get it done. I do still have some pride.

In the meanwhile, my husband and I will try to keep a low profile, stay home as much as possible, and wear a mask and gloves when we do go out.

Hopefully, we will see a slowdown in the virus that plagues us. Maybe we will even see a vaccine sometime soon. We can only hope, and hope is one of the few things we have left – that and maybe a prayer or two.

Until next time, read and write to your heart’s content. My eclectic collection of reading matter may take your mind off of things. Enjoy.

https://www.amazon.com/author/annwilmerlasky

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:

https://twitter.com/awlasky

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

Hopefully, next month will find us all on the mend and on the upside of this thing, and I promise I will check for comments before next month. :)

What a Month We’ve Had!

June 2020 Blog

As I write this, I am waiting for Space X to launch. It will be the first American venture into space in nine years. I am praying it goes well. We need something to go right, right now.

Fair Wind: A Haiku

I would the breeze could

Blow ill-will, disease afar

And good be anchored.

by Ann Wilmer-Lasky

Still, nothing has gone as planned.  The world has descended further into chaos. Not only do we have a grossly underrated planet-wide pandemic to worry about, the U.S. is currently under siege.

We are rapidly devolving into anarchy, sparked by a single heinous act of abuse of power. And all that’s happening seems to be fomented by the prevalent attitude from the highest of positions.

So,  who can concentrate on writing, editing and publishing during all of this? Surprisingly enough, I have made great strides toward publication of “Global Warning”. I am within weeks (maybe days) of getting it all together.

Writing and editing on the Sam Rock sequel and the Chronicles of Acqueria prequel? Not so much. Kind of hard to slip into other realities with such a persistent, horrendous real world constantly in your face.

I can’t see anything getting easier anytime soon with the months rolling by and a divisive election looming before year’s end.

Perhaps, I should just keep my head down and dive into my projects, but I feel it would be irresponsible not to keep abreast of what’s happening.  If only for my own health and safety and that of  my family.

No matter what your politics, we need to unite and promote peace and harmony. Cooperation is not a bad word, neither is compromise. And it’s about time the needs of the many really outweighed the needs of the few.  (Remember, Spock died for that premise.)

On a more local and immediate note, I badly need a haircut. Salons are opening on a limited basis starting June 1^st in my state. One probably needs to make an appointment and very few will be served at one time, but I will celebrate when I can get in. And I’m considering getting a  boy-cut, so I don’t have to worry about it for a while.

Next, I can’t wait for the opening of my favorite restaurant in Roswell, “Peppers Grill and Bar”. I will be there with bells on, regardless of the restrictions. They make a great “California Burger” with guacamole on it.  My  mouth is watering as I write this.

I would like to go where I want when I want, but I am afraid that won’t be for a long time.

In the meantime, I am glued to CNN, watching the protests. I understand there are demonstrations in over 30 cities across the nation. I have never seen anything like this in my lifetime.

In fact, just this year (and it’s only 5 months old) I have seen so much I have never seen before – regarding anarchy, raging pandemic, and a general nastiness. It’s all unprecedented.

I’m also sure, when this dies down, we will again discover irreparable damage to our environment. Although, the worldwide shut down of so much seems to have improved air quality throughout major metropolitan areas. We can be thankful that, I guess. But then, I’m sure it won’t last long once we fire everything up again.

I hope all my faithful readers and fellow writers are well and safe at this writing. I wish us all a summer of wellness and prosperity, but I realize that is extremely optimistic.

It seems the Space X launch has gone well and is on its way to being a success. I salute all the  men and women  who have afforded us the one moment of happy triumph in the midst of all this pandemonium.

I hope  I will have better news about better times to blog about next month, but I’m not holding my breath until it comes true. I’m now watching the police in Chicago (joined by the State Police) using tear gas against protestors turned destructive rioters. I’m done for now. I’m turning on a  PBS  show about early rock and roll.

Until next time, sit back relax and enjoy a good book.  I have several to offer:

https://www.amazon.com/author/annwilmerlasky

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:

https://twitter.com/awlasky

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

As I post this, the lockdown is gradually being lifted, but there are still concerns for the spreading of the virus, maybe soon on an accelerated level. I have yet to become stark raving mad, but I am getting closer. Maybe working on “Global Warning” will help.

           

Good Plan – Didn’t Work

May 2020 Blog

No head start this month. What a cruel month it’s been. I’m just happy there’s a future to postpone things to.

Best Laid: A Haiku

I have a plan, so

What could possibly go wrong?

Life beyond control?

by Ann Wilmer-Lasky

Nothing has gone as planned. I’m still working on the “Global Warning” book. The “Climate Crisis” does not seem to be that important at the moment. Everyone has something else on their minds these days. Things like making it to the next day – physically, financially or mentally.

I have lived a long and interesting life. Nothing in it however has prepared me for this – the “Pandemic of the Century.” Not sure how things will work out. I only have the feeling, that for the greatest nation on Earth, we are the least prepared to deal with this, and we still do not have a handle on it.

So we sit and wait while the powers that be scramble to get a handle on this with little or no executive level direction. If we don’t literally succumb to this pandemic, it will be by grace alone.

I’d settle for one vaccine that will work to keep us alive and well. Somehow the prospect of 102 of them out there still being studied does not fill me with confidence. Just sounds like we’re throwing due caution to the wind and depending on a Hail Mary to save us.

Nearly everything in Roswell, NM is closed except grocery stores, Walmart and take-out (no dine-in). Oh, the pharmacies are open. That’s essential. No one is going anywhere. I seldom leave the house. I’m one of those older people at the highest risk.

My husband dons his mask and gloves and does the grocery shopping and picks up prescriptions and whatever else we need. In doing so, he risks his own health. So far we’ve been lucky. There’s little or no virus activity in Roswell itself, but you never know. They report by county in New Mexico, without mentioning actual cities involved.

As time goes by, my husband goes out less and less. I went out with him  once this last week. I donned my mask and gloves and got in the car. We drove to Walmart. There was very little traffic on the roads, There were actually very few people in Walmart. Everywhere on the floor were stickers six feet apart, warning everyone to stay six feet apart. A lot of the shelves were nearly empty. You need to take what you can get these days, and I guess that will get worse before it gets better.

It’s just such an eerie feeling. On the drive back I noticed all the closed and empty stores. Roswell is a tourist attraction. No tourists now.  Not even locals wandering about. I won’t be going out again anytime soon.

Everything is on hold, including the publication of my book. If there’s any consolation to any of this, it’s that the Earth herself is breathing a sigh of relief. The air is clearing. The land is healing. But at what cost? Lives are being lost. People are facing financial ruin.

It seems there can be no happy medium. Either we are ravaged or the Earth is ravaged.

I have no idea what the next month will bring. We will all just have to wait and see. Hopefully, we’ll get a handle on this and return to some form of normalcy. But know that life as we know it has once again changed forever as it did after 9/11.

I will do what I can to keep writing and publishing. I’ll keep you posted on my progress and my plans, but I won’t bemoan what hasn’t gotten done. We are for most part doing the best we can.

Hope we all come through this well and intact. For those going through tough times and heartache, you have my prayers and condolences. We will keep on keeping on and do what we can to get to the other side of this.

Until then, sit back relax and enjoy a good book.  I have several to offer:

https://www.amazon.com/author/annwilmerlasky

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:

https://twitter.com/awlasky

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

As I post this, it has become apparent that we will still be on lockdown well into May, possibly longer. I will surely be stark-raving mad by then, and “Global Warning” may still not be published.

           

What A Difference A Month Makes

April 2020 Blog

Got a head start on this month’s edition. Who knows what will befall us in even the next few days?

Wipeout: A Haiku

Life but laughs at lines

Drawn in sand; obliterates

Them at will or whim.

by Ann Wilmer-Lasky

Wow! All of a sudden last month’s goals don’t seem to matter much anymore. The world has been set on its ear and the “Climate Crisis” set on the back burner for who knows how long. So my “Diary of a #Madwoman on #Deadline has bit the dust, so to speak. At least its launch will not be the “earth-shaking event” I planned it to be.

Don’t get me wrong, it will still be published, if not on time, then close to it. But it will not be heralded as the “balm that salved the Universe.”.

For, at the moment, we have a more immediate problem – how to survive the “plague of the century” both physically and economically. And that with or without appropriate leadership.

COVID19 (to be politically correct) has taken over our lives, literally. We think of nothing else. And now, when we need each other’s support like no other time, we are told to stay away from one another. Not to hold, not to touch, not to be even within six feet of one another. The average person can do little more than obey the directives and hope the powers-that-be can get this pandemic under control.

So far, that hope is tentative at best. Few world leaders have shown marked ability to get a decent handle on the situation. And the problem and its dire consequences continue to escalate.

Day-after-day, the numbers go up and up. We hold our collective breath that it doesn’t come too close, but it does. First cases in the state, first cases in the county, and still waiting for the first case in the city, although the first man in our state has died from it, and could have caught it in our city.

We sit and watch the news and wait, like waiting for “the other shoe to fall”, certain that it will, but not knowing when. We try to fill our hours with meaningful things to do, but they don’t get done. It seems when you have all the time in the world to do something, there are no priorities and (procrastinator that I am) I can put anything off.

Okay, taking a deep breath now. All are well here, and I am thankful for that. All our puppies are happy to have us home. The think we are there for them. That’s okay, it keeps them happy.

All projects are still moving along, if not more slowly than I had planned. I finally gathered all my Universe, Earth, world, nature and weather Haiku from the last six years together. That number was close to 500. Peeling some off for another book on the personal side of writing, I still have about 350. Now comes the fun of putting them together in a cohesive way to present them to a totally pre-occupied world.

At least it gives me something to occupy my thoughts with other than gloom and doom. Oh, wait, that’s what I usually write about, isn’t it?

As I sit here and write this, I’m also thinking of thing to put on my list of places to go when this pandemic is over. One of the first places will be my favorite restaurant (assuming they survive and are able to reopen). Then maybe a few day trips. We live in Roswell and have never made it to the debris field for the 1947 UFO crash here, nor have we made it to Carlsbad to see the caverns. Both are now on the list. Heck, I’d be happy to take a ride without wondering if the guy in the next car is wondering if I’m essential like I’d be wondering if he is.

For the moment, I am sitting in my backyard, enjoying the coolness of spring and watching the clouds wander from west to east as is their wont. I may or may not come back to you in May with the announcement that “Global Warning” has been published, but I am working on it.

I am also working on staying well. I hope you are all well and survive this current madness we have been thrown into. And I  hope to see us all back next month with smiles on our faces.

Until then, sit back relax and enjoy a good book.  I have several to offer here on my Amazon Author Page: https://twitter.com/awlasky/status/1081402168207278080

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:

https://twitter.com/awlasky

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

As I post this, it has become apparent that we will be on lockdown at least until the end of April. I should be a stark-raving loony by then, or I will have published “Global Warning”.