Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Geese Flying Overhead

     I am drinking my second cup of black coffee from a "Made in England" mug that has a cherry blossom design.  I came upstairs to write because I was having a hard time writing at the table downstairs.  Aaron, my 2 1/2 year old son, kept coming up to me asking for help.  I folded a magazine insert into a fan for him... this was a big hit for a few moments.  The minute he came downstairs, he started to ask about his phone- the cell phone that Dave gave to him after getting a new iPhone from Verizon this week.  Writing with kids... I wonder how those Victorian women were able to write with half a dozen children at their knees... but write, they did.
     Red rover red rover... rusted tractors, clover, tiny wildflowers by the side of the road, swooped trees... the woodpeckers here at the Terrace Apartments have been drum drum drumming into the trees- sounds like pecking on a typewriter.  There is also the sound of a lawn mower crunching blades of grass.  My son says, "Itchy arm".  We have been using lots of lotion- the air is dry these days and we are adjusting to the new carpets, new kitchen from the remodel.  I wonder how healthy it is to live in a place that has just been remodeled....all that construction dust settling and the new appliances breath in and out - unsettled, still finding their mechanical groove. 
     I have this week off for Spring Break.  So far, I got my 2001 Kia Sportage smog checked, went to Costco for coffee, cheese, yogurt, bread, etc...  So far, I have gone on long walks with Aaron to the park, City Hall, downtown, for icecream.  Today, we will be going to the library for story time. 
     My idea for writing this is to grab a word or prompt from a hat and write without thinking.  I could start with colors - first thing that pops in the head.  Let's start with orange.  Orange Crush, orange creamsicle, sunset, mai tai, citrus, tangerine, melon, canteloupe, dish tab, orange soap, orangatang, Tang the astronaut drink, vitamin C, who oiled the orange owl today?  ordinary orca, open slice a delight, riding in an orange vehicle, sunroof down.  orange is a pigment, made up of red and yellow, sunrise, sunset, egg yolk, fox fur, monarch butterfly, Fanta orange drink, orangeade, macaroni and cheese, heirloom tomato, orange bell pepper, seeds, blood orange, marigold, mango, cheese puff dust, cheddar cheese, pasterized cheese slices, orange m and m's and orange jelly beans, pumpkins, break a chocolate orange into segments, zen monks in orange robes walking barefoot up a rock path -stacking rocks on top of each other- rock on top of rock, algae and fungi, brick clay, adobe, oral orange, Nothing Rhymes with Orange, warmth, incandescent light, prison uniform, squash roasted with butter, orange sauce for chicken, orange leaves in autumn, traffic cone, street sign, caution, bright, strident, wild cats, tigers, lions, spirals,
     Now here is yellow... lemon drops and sunlight, fuzzy newborn chicks and goslings, ginkho leaves, yellow button tomatoes, eye shadow, buttercup, dandelion, daisy, tip of an iris, froth and flax, florescent Post-It note, yellowjacket, bumblebee, yield sign, yellow fever, Yellow Sea, skin, scorn, thorn, scardypants, soothing soft cream, wedding cake, parsnip, butternut squash, old yeller, yolk, yo-yo, yummy, yukky, pineapple, banana, Meyer lemon, summer squash, sunflowers, Yellow Pages, stars at night, Van Gogh, tropical fish, baby beak, neutral baby color, kitchen color, traffic light, slow down
     More fire colors - red lights, Little Red Riding Hood, ripe strawberries, red cheeks- blush, rutabagas, radishes, stop sign, beet red, startled, embarrassed, aroused, surprised, lips, vulva, aorta, heart, mahogany, ruby throated hummingbird, red leaves, tip of a lit cigar, red hots, red dots, fire ants, lava, volcano, excitement, cranberries, Ketchup, NetFlix wrapper, BigRed gum, Big Chief paper pad, blood cells, Mustang, tongue, grapes, red velvet cake, chili pepper, red pepper flakes, capsium, cayenne, barn, birds, balloons, high heeled shoes, lipstick, nail polish, red room, red light district, bed, head, said, led, Ted, sped, Keds, bled, bread, shed, dread, Fred, instead, cred, fled....
     One of my favorite ways to write is on paper- scribbling out a phrase and writing in something new.  There is something about the scratch of pen on paper and working it out physically.  I tend to slow down on the computer when I write... the brain needs constant exercise- mental gymnastics- neuron connections.  What are my memories?  What stories lay awaiting to be created, folded into origami birds?  Crisp dollar bill, signature, signs, designs, the world is so filled with ads and our time consumed by traffic, bills, obligations... it is so important to open the blinds and let in sunlight, moonlight... The woodpeckers continue to drill as the sparrows twitter and tweet, nonelectronically.  Aaron and I are off to the park - we have this routine- he is my GPS and tells me when to turn right or left- we stop at these humble landmarks- exciting for a toddler- I let him lead the way as we make the circuit around town... just a half mile loop-  bathed by sunshine, dew drops, we walk past gum wrappers, shrubs laced with cobwebs, tree bark ground covering, skinny trees dressed up with white christmas lights, business signs, chain stores- this place could easily be anyplace in Northern California.  What makes Pleasant Hill a unique place?  How did we end up here?

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