A Dream or Two Ago

June is so full of celebrating the act of not working, i.e., Leave Work Early Day, Take a Hike Day, or Please Take My Kids to Work Day, the urge to enjoy might be too much to resist. So why not revisit or begin journaling? Or write an article, an essay or a trailer for your next bestseller? You could also sharpen your writing skills with any of the many great resources offered by the Insecure Writers Support Group, founded by Alex Cavanaugh, right here and right now on this first Wednesday of the month, when IWSG members convene through blogging, Facebook, and Twitter to talk about whatever is on our writing minds and agendas. See what we’re all talking about here.

A dream or two ago I had one in which I desperately searched, sometimes found and chased - my own creativity. Distracted by the ring of a telephone, I stepped into a phone booth and answered a busy signal. “All circuits are busy now,” a recorded voice droned as I awoke with a hammering heart and added one more line to my eleven page To Do list: Try Again Later.  Yeah, life is like that sometimes. No worries.

Funny, the things you think of while climbing shelves in a grocery store… Benjamin Franklin evidently had the same problem reaching books in 1786 and proceeded to invent what he called the Long Arm: a long wooden pole with a grasping claw at the end. I could have used that invention that day at the store. Or, the tall woman who asked me to get my cart out of the middle of the aisle could have just reached what I was climbing for. If there is a “Be Kind to Short People Day” I’d sure like to know about it.  Have you ever had a Long Arm moment?

They said it couldn’t happen; that one could not survive. But here, my friends is proof that while not the fittest, my Jacaranda is alive! Wish I could say the same for my house plants. 

Over time, the ritual of hanging our flag as soon as we arrive at the cabin has become the self-appointed responsibility of our grandson. He even retrieves my little solar-powered Honey Bear from the closet and sets it on the porch rail. My heart swelled as I watched him go about these tasks (oblivious to the nearby gaping car doors with bags and boxes still inside), for as soon as he’d placed the flag just right he proceeded with a hand over his heart, to recite the Pledge of Allegiance.  Had I even had a camera, tears might have bungled the shot, but the memory shall always remain etched in my heart. What’s your ‘etching’ moment?

The Cup Cafe'

Two years and 4 days ago, I wrote about a debonair outlaw named John Dillinger and his infamous misadventure at the landmark Hotel Congress. I was woefully remiss not to have mentioned the legendary Tap Room bar and its devoted bartender, Tiger. Having taken the job back in 1959, I can only imagine the captivating conversations he must have had over the years with iconic leaders and western legends alike. Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top fame still calls the place his favorite bar.  Thomas “Tiger” Ziegler turned 84 last month and still works at the Tap Room!  Next time I’m having a cup with friends at the iconic penny-floored Cup Café, I think I’ll sneak across the hall and see who Tiger might be talking to these days ;-)