FUN IN THE SUN......FROM COAST TO COAST

 A series of essays.....

Picture Taken At The Northeast Tip Of Anna Maria Island, Florida

.....as seen through my eyes!


By: Jacqueline E. Hughes



Dan and I have always let family and friends know that our home is open to visitors anytime....as long as we are not out traveling ourselves, of course!  When our offer is acted upon, we are like little kids anticipating an exciting time in Paradise and, neither our visitors nor ourselves have been disappointed in all our years in Florida!

The past several days have been no exception!  It's been what I affectionately call a mini-family reunion with brother-in-law, Chris, driving down from Georgia on Friday evening and Leo and Susie, brother-in-law and his lovely wife, arriving a few hours later on a late flight out of Detroit. 

Susie And Leo Soaking-Up Some Rays!

So, with the 'lipstick pink' azaleas blooming around the perimeter of the house in the front yard and the sweet olives alive with their tiny white flowers and orange essence surrounding the pool area in the back, the adventurous, long weekend begins.  Main objective being that of rejuvenation, relaxation and reconnecting, the three 'R's' that help to 'educate' a happy adult lifestyle.

Three Brothers, Their Cigars And Many Stories Shared!

Now, I believe that there is an art form to enjoying the swimming pool in the middle of the winter....especially in Florida.  Plunk down and absorb the Vitamin D, add a liquid refreshment in any category to the mix and proceed to communicate with one another.  Laughing over uncomplicated stories that have resurfaced from the distant past is a convenient ice breaker and plenty of that had been going on the following morning.  When three brothers get together to reminisce about their past, it always makes for an interesting time. 




Susie And I Soaking In The Vitamin D?

Unfortunately, Chris had to cut his visit short and head back up to Douglas, Georgia early Sunday afternoon.  I loaded him up with a container of my homemade turkey chili, fresh bread and other various goodies to take back home and enjoy a hot, home-cooked meal that evening.  I know it's an old cliché, but making sure everyone is 'fed and happy' makes me feel like I'm doing something positive for all....

The Warmth Of Cocoa Beach And
Sand Between Our Toes

Since 'Fun in the Sun' with sand between our toes was a main attraction for all of us this visit, we donned shorts, sandals and grabbed our sunglasses before heading for the shoreline at Cocoa Beach....a mere thirty-minute drive away.  The gentle waves skimming the Atlantic waters greeted us as the sun kissed the top of our heads with its golden warmth.  Walking towards the popular Cocoa Beach Pier in the distance, we held our sandals and felt the cool sand beneath our feet. 

What a magnificent afternoon......and, five miles later, we tumbled back into our car wearing happy faces and anticipating tomorrow's visit to the Gulf coast via Anna Maria Island and Longboat Key!!

It is said that a picture can be worth a thousand words...... 

Risotto With Leeks And Asparagus

Three Bean Salad With
Turkey Sandwich



Lobster Bisque And
Caprice Salad

Enjoying a very delicious lunch at The Waterfront Restaurant of Anna Maria Island.  Our compliments to the chef!





The 'Rod And Reel Pier' Of Anna Maria Island

Ready To Walk The Beach
At Longboat Key

Dan And Leo On Longboat Key

The Beauty Of A Gulf Sunset

Bracing Imbibing Pleasures
At St. Armands Circle, Sarasota, FL

Our View From The Second Story Bar
At St. Armands Circle And Lido Key

Like everything else......all good things must come to an end.  Fortunately, we will always have our own personal memories to remind us of our 'Fun in the Sun' weekend, as well as the many  photos taken that captured the beauty of the Floridian Paradise we live in and always desire to share with family and friends.  

Until next time........!!!

  

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This story is dedicated to the memory of Ed Williams who passed on Valentine's Day.  He and my cousin, Linda, married for over forty years, enjoyed their time together vacationing at Cocoa Beach, Florida, each year.  My heart and love go out to you, Linda, at this very sad time......





Copyright © 2015 by Jacqueline E. Hughes
All rights reserved

LONG LIVE ANNIE LENNOX

A series of essays.....





PINK HYDRANGEA IN THE SPOTLIGHT

.....as seen through my eyes!

By: Jacqueline E. Hughes
Little insights and stories that have caught my attention over the past week.  Sharing some of them with you during this Valentine's week of celebration.....with Love.

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NELLE LEE HARPER: THEN AND NOW

LITTLE NELLE

What an amazing name Harper is.  I read once that her first name is Nelle.  Nelle Harper Lee.  Always wondered why she published under her middle name of Harper.  Not really such a surprise given the fact that Nelle is such a feminine, nostalgic and 'girlie' name.  I surmise that to sell this book back in 1960, a book filled with such poignant prejudice and striking inequities, Harper was dealing with some prejudices of her own. 

A female and first time author, Nelle probably did pretty much what she had been told to do by her editor even if it included changing her main character, Scout, from a woman returning home after many years into a young girl coming-of-age in the South. 

Nelle listened, but at what price?  And, I'm not too sure, having read her biography and taken-in some of her references towards naïveté and being an outcast as a child due to an extremely 'Tomboyish' personality, that these factors didn't project her as a hardworking young female pushing the parameters of a 'Man's World.' 

Did it break her?  Had she had enough with the publication of her one book?  No matter how many accolades they bestowed upon her, including a Pulitzer Prize and making her novel into a movie in 1962, soon to become a classic in its own right, did she say the sacrifice really wasn't worth it anymore and moved-on with her life? 

I will be lining-up to buy and read her prequel, as I refer to it instead, Go Set a Watchman, because it had been written before her editor intervened!  Of course, it will be expected and natural even to contrast and compare it with To Kill a Mockingbird.  I hope Nelle is braced and ready for the bumpy ride!

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EMBRACE THE OPPORTUNITY TO GROW OLD!

OH, BETTE.....SAY IT AIN'T SO!

We all do it every single day.  It's certainly a fact of life.  And, even though each of us had no initial input in the matter, we merge into the fast lane of 'Life' the moment we are born!  At this time, the precise second of birth.....we begin the aging process.

Katherine Hepburn once said, "If you survive long enough, you're revered.....rather like an old building." 

And, the most honest quote I have ever heard about aging comes from Bette Davis when she would proclaim in many interviews, "Old age isn't for sissies!"

It's inevitable, people!  But, what if we looked at aging in a positive light and stopped fearing it instead?  Taking fear out of the equation  allows us to free ourselves of uncontrollable burdens and encourages  us to live in an enlightened present.  Instead of dreading aging, this new mindset can help us embrace the opportunity to grow old. 

During our first visit to Europe in 1990, I set my agenda for capturing certain subjects and ideas on film.  They included lace-curtained windows from every country and town we visited.  My lens recorded small children simply living another day with family or playing with friends.  Most importantly was my desire to focus on the aging 'senior citizens' and define their emotions via each well-earned wrinkle, gray hair and stooped shoulder I could find. 

What I realized I had done, while looking over my photos upon  returning home, was capture my aging self in each one of them! Even though I had yet to reach the age of forty, I could imagine my subjects as my future self and applauded their resilience instead.  I was now free to reimagine the elderly and identify them with long life rather than physical deterioration.

Each photo showed me people who remained engaged with life and encapsulated a spirit of enthusiasm rather than resignation.  This process of life called aging is lifelong and as we plant the seeds of our existence early on, we must always be self-conscious of what we will have to harvest in the future. 

Oh, the original stories I could have added to each photo would be absolutely priceless to me today!  I wonder.....there's still time, isn't there?

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IRONICALLY....ANNIE'S LATEST ALBUM

OKAY...SO, LONG LIVE ANNIE LENNOX, MY FRIENDS!!!

I don't believe we actually used this terminology 'back in the day,' but I totally had a 'woman crush' on Annie Lennox when I first heard her perform as a member of the Eurythmics.  I loved so many things about Annie then as I do to this very day including her hairstyle, her enthusiasm, the rhythm and depth of her vocal style and her exciting, raw talent.  Talk about a Cheshire Cat smile......Wow!

Seeing Annie perform on the 2015 Grammy Awards this past Sunday alongside Hozier was the highlight of the evening for me!!  When Take Me To Church segued into I Put a Spell On You, and Annie literally belted out the lyrics, I looked at the expression on the face of Hozier standing a few feet away and saw a combination of humility and adoration I hadn't seen on someone's face for a very long time! 

Annie has always declared to be a feminist...."A man-loving feminist," she proclaims load and clear.  When asked by Rolling Stone what being a feminist means to her, Annie states that after traveling the globe and having visited developing countries, "I see women that don't even have the absolute basic rights........fundamental human rights that we have taken for granted.  In the Western world, women have the vote.  We have the possibility to be lawyers and doctors and to have careers that we never would have dreamed of years ago.  Women before us sacrificed so much to help the future generations of women...  What's happened is the word 'feminism' got trashed and completely devalued.  Now the time has come to reconfigure it and take feminism to places where women have no sexual, reproductive, health or educational rights.  It's not about whether you shave your legs or wear high heels.  That's irrelevant."

Annie Lennox the philanthropist has indeed traveled the world and helped raise awareness and funds for the education and health care for those affected by HIV and AIDS.  She has conversed with the influential world leaders, Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu, in order to help manifest her humanitarian work in Africa and South Africa.  In 2013 she received the Music Industry Trusts Award for her career achievements in music and her charity commitments.

In this same interview with Rolling Stone, Annie explains that after dropping out of the Academy of Music in London because she felt out of place there, she had become exposed to the genius of Joni Mitchell.  "We heard this extraordinary poetry, this extraordinary voice, this extraordinary and beautiful woman, so articulate, just beyond, playing these amazing instruments.  And she was just flawless.  She still is flawless for me.  I don't think there's ever been anybody to match Joni Mitchell."  And, I agree completely.

Moderately successful in the late 1970's in the new wave band The Tourist, this Scottish born "White Soul Singer" and her fellow musician, Dave Stewart, went on to achieve major international success in the 1980's as the Eurythmics.  Annie has compiled a long list of individual hit records and albums that have withstood the test of time and musical diversity and continue to resonate with fans both young and old.

Born Andrew Hozier-Byrne on St. Patrick's Day twenty-three years ago in Ireland, Hozier already has good reason to feel pride in sharing the stage with Annie Lennox.  Take Me To Church is a critique of oppressive institutions and directly addresses gay discrimination in Russia.  To this I say....AMEN, AMEN, AMEN!

Working side-by-side, these two anomalies (as in abnormally talented individuals), Annie Lennox and Hozier have succeeded in Putting A Spell on the Grammys as well as every one of us fortunate enough to have witnessed their epic performance.

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GRAMMY AWARD

IMPORTANT AWARDS

If I were to give out Grammy awards for the most important performance of the evening, non-music related, one would go to President Obama for his critical pre-filmed message when he urged all of us to join the campaign against domestic violence.  The second award would be handed to Brooke Axtell, a survivor of domestic violence,  who brilliantly related her personal journey of abuse by the man she loved and married.  It chilled me to the bone.....and, I honor her for helping to open-up our eyes to this horrific charade into a dark world of pain and deceit.   

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'THE KISS' BY AUGUSTE RODIN

THE KISS

"I love this room!  It is so amazing!"

"It's really nice.  I'm going to check-out the bathroom.  Oh, a bit small, but it's neat and clean."

"Oh, look, look, look.....  I have to wedge myself up next to the bed, but, there.  Now I can swing open the window.  Funny, it's a step-up onto the window ledge.  I can do this."

"Be careful.  Is there room for two out there?"

"Barely!  You can try it, but it's kind of tight.  Listen to that.  I am so happy to have gotten a room on the street-side rather than the inside courtyard.  Aren't you? Even if the balcony is tiny."

"Made it.  Wow!  Look at that wrought iron grill!  It is nice out here."

"I know.  We can hear the traffic of Paris and listen to the people passing by down below.  The hustle and bustle of life."

"Can't quite see the Eiffel Tower though."

"They said that the École Militaire would just block our view." 

"Say, I have an idea.  How tired are you right now?  I know it's late, but we could find a café and grab a bite to eat and then walk by la Tour Eiffel, cross over the Seine and be at l'Arc de Triomphe in about a thirty minute stroll."

"It's already eleven o'clock at night, Paris time...."

"Well, it was only a th......"

"I didn't say no.  Just analyzing the situation.  I think it sounds perfect!  Should we unpack first or just go?"

"We'll have plenty of time to unpack later.....even in the morning before breakfast.  Personally, I am starving!"

"Me, too.  That was quite the long cab ride from the Charles de Gaulle!"

"The cabby was fun though.  He told some great stories, didn't he?"

"Hope I can remember some of them to jot down tomorrow."

"We have a date with Auguste Rodin bright and early in the morning remember?  The Thinker up close and personal....amazing!"

PARIS SUNRISE

"And, The Kiss and his studio.....  Let me shut the window.  Oh, it's so beautiful out there!  I want to get up early enough in the morning to stand out on the balcony and take some photos....maybe as the sun is rising.  If I time it just right, it might be shining through that beautiful iron grill."

"Come here first.  There's something I've wanted to do since we got back to Paris.  Rodin had the right idea about that kiss....."

"I love you."

"I love you, too."



            
 HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!
                


Copyright © 2015 By Jacqueline E. Hughes
All rights reserved
                                 

NOSTALGIA

A series of essays.....

Photo Credit Naked Authors        A WALK DOWN MEMORY LANE......                                   

 

.....as seen through my eyes!



By: Jacqueline E. Hughes


Nostalgia, my old friend, why must I always find you lurking in the vast recesses of my mind...waiting, waiting for my vulnerability to emerge?  Wrap me in your rose-tinted vail so that I may see all that I long for once more.  Seduce me with your false promises but drown this present feeling of 'hope lost' so that I may smile and feel whole again, if only for a short while.

NOSTALGIA

John Larkins, author and one of New Zealand's founding fathers, once wrote, "Nostalgia is the intimate refuge of every man and every woman in a world seemingly gone mad."  If this statement holds credence, this may explain why so many of us choose to escape into a recent past that's been softened and gently shaped by our own good intentions.

My love affair with nostalgia has been a lengthy one and often reveals my true nature as a 'Hopeless Romantic' which includes everything from classic novels to ancient architecture and places that sweep you away to another place...another time.  Nostalgia has always encouraged my love for travel, foreign languages and the embracing of history in all of its myriad forms.  It would be impossible to see Paris without a lengthy visit to at least a portion of her many museums.  Housing some of the world's most important and rich collections, these museums are outstanding for their breadth, accessibility to all and historic importance.

THE LOUVRE MUSEUM IN PARIS

Whether we are seeking to enjoy masterpieces in painting, sculpture, drawings, art objects, and the history of a particular area itself, a museum is arguably the first place to visit in order to flood your senses with a healthy dose of beauty and nostalgia all in one!

The word nostalgia is a strange one.  And, when you say it out loud, it begs to be analyzed.  It feels funny as it vibrates through the nose, dribbles into the mouth and is imprisoned between the teeth.  In the end, it is released from between the lips like an exotic caged bird that's been given its freedom.  With exaggerated expression, speaking it can give the lower half of the face a good workout!  Go ahead....try it for yourself.  And that's just the physicality of this word. 

Nostalgia, as defined by the New Oxford American Dictionary, is a sentimental longing or wistful affection for the past; acute homesickness.  For me, impactive emotions radiate from it like laser light beams strobing the atmosphere during a major rock concert and its affect on human nature can be measured by a thousand different points!

There is no intention on my part to debate the positive and negative aspects of nostalgia here, especially since, as stated above, I have  embraced it for all of my own personal reasons.  David Guterson, an American novelist and author of the book, Snow Falling on Cedars, was quoted as saying, "There's a certain nostalgia and romance in a place you left."  This idea has guided me through the small villages of Provence and the wide, organized boulevards of Paris.  A bit of yourself, your own spirit, remains behind in each new location you visit and that place will remember you if and when you ever decide to return! In the meantime, I capture each space, romanticize about it and write down exactly how it made me feel then....how it makes me feel today.

Many insightful factors play important roles as to how nostalgia can and does touch all of us.  They may include age, gender, geographical location, religious background, education, and so on.  Whether it's a certain circumstance, fact or influence that contributes to a particular result in our lives.....we can sift all of these elements together in a vintage mining pan and the odds are that finding the 'golden nugget' at the bottom will be determined by the measure of our desire and time!

NOSTALGIA IN A VINTAGE
MINING PAN

I sift through these elements to help summon all of the great memories I have stored-up in my mind or written down in journals in order to recall the many places I have 'left my spirit' after visiting there.  I reflect upon the beautiful people I've met who have influenced me along the way and graciously shared their spirit, as well as the numerous circumstances revolving around my travels that have generously impacted my life.  From the aged and softened heights of the Twelve Bens, part of the Maumturks Mountains of Connemara in Ireland to the water-smoothed, white speckled rocks found along the Côte d'Azur near Nice in France, and everything in-between.....I draw upon the memories of you each and every day.

ROCK COLLECTION

In an article written by Kacey Culliney for Datamonitor, "Consumers want that trip down memory lane, too, and evoking memories through packaging and marketing falls under the nostalgia and comfort trend. It is about inducing a positive emotional response as they, an aging population, anchor their emotions to another time and place where things were simpler and happier."  A prime example of this would be the annual sales of Girl Scout cookies.  A lucrative business that utilizes this trend fervently....  After all, it's all about triggering memories!!

MY PARENT'S TYPEWRITER

The terminology of 'Retro Style' has been around since the 1970's and the concept of nostalgia is linked to retro.  Wikipedia describes retro as forms of 'technological obsolescence' including manual typewriters, cash registers and bulky hand-held cellphones.  It suggests a fundamental shift in the way we relate to the past.  "Retro suggests a half ironic, half longing consideration of the recent past; recalling 'modern' forms that are no longer current."  As ladies, we may refer to this trend as 'vintage' and flock to upgraded second-hand stores in order to find original designer pieces at a lower cost.  Shopping connoisseurs in Paris have taken advantage of this concept for many years and American woman have returned home with vintage clothes, jewelry and shoes that dot their closets like the sparkling gems their original designers always meant for them to be.....

AHH!! PARIS......!

Yes, I freely admit to being a member of the aging population.  Memories are being triggered by so many sources and Facebook has definitely contributed to this 'overwhelming at times' trend.  If we have reconnected with childhood and school friends, and most of us have, we can literally be bombarded by a timeline of products, music, clothing styles, habits, and so much more every time we connect online.  The true advantage of this trend, I believe, is having the opportunity to share with and analyze early friendships that may have contributed to and helped shape our life as it is today.  Generally, this knowledge can be most enlightening!  And, good for the soul!

Think about how many of our waking moments are spent thinking about our children when they were young and how good it felt to be, well....needed.  Even though the pride we take in raising such strong and independent children is evident and we really wouldn't have it any other way, it is human nature to want to be needed and to be able to pass on to those you love all the life experiences and knowledge you've acquired throughout the years.  And, if so blessed, hallelujah, we have been afforded new chances with new opportunities and they are affectionately entitled.....Grandchildren!!

Have you ever wondered if living in the present might be more liberating for us than evoking our 'old friend' nostalgia to seduce us with false promises?  If you meditate as I do, then you have.  If you are indeed a spiritual being who is constantly enlightened by this beautiful world and people that surround you....then you have.  Who wouldn't welcome improved concentration, increased relaxation and a minimizing of the continuous chatter of thoughts about the future, the past or judgments about what is, which distract us from what's going on in the here and now? 

The blending of these two concepts, living in the present while embracing the past, has been working quite well for me even though I realize this could offer-up contradictions of basic beliefs.  However, I find it liberating to be able to clear my mind of unnecessary chatter through meditation in order to write.  But, to be able to write, it is necessary to fill my mind with facts, ideas and experiences that have been collected from my past. 

Sounds crazy, I know.  But it works for me.  So, they teamed up, discovered that they could make sweet music together and, as they say......the rest is history!

Copyright © 2015 By Jacqueline E. Hughes
All rights reserved

SIMPLIFYING A LIFETIME

A series of essays.....

My Personal Library.....Books, Books, Books!!

.....as seen through my eyes!



By: Jacqueline E. Hughes


Is the art of creating a more simplistic lifestyle a product of age, change or the current economic vibe?  A bit of 'all of the above,' perhaps?



Short of being labeled a hoarder, I would categorize myself and lifestyle, under the heading of sentimentalist along with everything this title encompasses and implies! Reasons to shed tears: Romantic movies, NBC's Brian Williams' adoration of all canine creatures, pictures of my children and grandchildren, the rocks I bring home from all of my travels whether domestic or international, classic childhood toys and memorabilia rescued from the youth of my two adult children, and.....BOOKS!  Moving from home to home, as we have done several times in our many years of marriage, was often a nightmare!

Older, wiser and more comfortable in my own skin....I can recall the many 'Boogie-Man,' monster-filled nights I spent as a young girl just lying awake in bed thinking about our latest visit to a certain aunt and uncle's home on a Saturday night.  My aunt would open the front door and guide us along the shaggy, brown path to their kitchen.  This exposed carpeted walkway was lined by two to three-foot stacks of newspapers, magazines, boxes and overstuffed paper bags that saturated the entire room.  I now wonder how many trees sacrificed themselves to become the living room decor of my aunt's home all those years ago.....?!

Once in the kitchen, we were almost able to identify the chrome and vinyl clad kitchen chairs that were positioned around a table completely covered by layers, stacks and piles of familiar products and kitchen items.  My aunt would relieve several chairs of their teetering burdens and allow my parents to have a seat. 

From my vantage point in the corner, I could see a sink full of soiled dishes and the surrounding countertops hosting a display of erratically stacked pots and pans, coffee mugs and glasses that resembled a colorful and creative landscape of miniature mountains and valleys.  Floor areas around the counters and table contained some old, used and even new household items that still remained in their original packaging.  I can't recall blinking while in this house.  My eyes were so overwhelmed and entertained all at the same time!

My aunt's illness consisted and thrived under the concept that all things should be used only once, thrown away (eventually) and replaced by new ones.  This applied to pots and pans, dishes, mops, silverware, sheets on the bed, towels....and so on.  Obviously, the new things overlapped the old and created mass chaos in that humble little house that protected its five living inhabitants from the outside elements, if not from my aunt on the inside. 



The Grimm Family

I may not have understood, at the time, my fears as a young child of five or six, but my basic anxiety stemmed from the innocent realization of wondering if this could happen to my family.  My mother loved her younger sister and never treated our visits to her home as a laughing matter or a side-show at the circus.  I believe she always hoped that our uncle would eventually see past the 'veil of love' he had for my aunt and acquire professional help on her behalf.  Without having my mother to call-up and ask anymore, I can't remember if my uncle ever did.

As I grew older I remember thinking that this gene pool was not one I intended to splash around in any time soon!  Later on, as a young wife and mother myself, even our daughter's toys tossed around our small, Cape Cod living room floor gave me pause and I would scramble around in an attempt to clear the space before dinner thus securing peace of mind. 

I have never professed to being super possessed by the need (or desire) to clean constantly.....trust me!  The dust bunnies multiplied and thrived beneath most of our larger pieces of furniture and I never lost a moment of sleep over them.  Dust gathered on flat surfaces and was left unnoticed until someone would draw a creative rudimentary face by dispersing the dust with their tiny index finger, hmm....!!  This reminded me of that (one) car in the public parking lot screaming WASH ME on its rear window!  The dirty dishes were rinsed and placed in the dishwasher with the pots and pans resting upside-down to air on the drainboard.  Life was simple.  Life was good!



The Siskind Family

My daughters enjoyed clean, comfortable clothes and were never chastised for 'just being a kid' and playing outside in the sand, dirt or piles of Michigan leaves that accumulated in the autumn along our sidewalk deprived back street in the city.  Our priorities as parents consisted of offering positive teaching and sound advice, introducing our daughters to new ideas, food, places, and loving them with as much intensity and pride as we could possibly muster.  If an early afternoon picnic downtown at the Island Park in Eaton Rapids or a visit to the Potter Park Zoo in Lansing usurped cleaning out some accumulated dust bunnies....we enjoyed the time together!

Having entered the age of ballet, guitar, youth basketball, tap dance and piano lessons....with a sprinkling of gymnastics for good measure,  my life was spent in the car going from venue to venue almost every night of the week.  Eventually, middle and high school sports became our priority as wave upon wave of 'bleacher warming' engulfed any free time we had left.  Quite often we were eternally grateful for family and friends to come over for dinner on the occasional open weekend so that it became mandatory to clean our house from top to bottom!!  Entertaining became my timetable and saving grace when it came down to a thoroughly clean home. 

To complicate matters even more, we fell madly in love with a seventeen-room Victorian era house about the time our youngest was five years old.  Selling our small Cape Cod, we moved into this massive  Beauty with stars in our eyes and proceeded to amass seventeen rooms of furniture and untold volumes of memories (and more books) as our girls lived, laughed and played within this space of over 3,500 square feet!

Papa and Brenna

Many grand-scale and imaginative plays were staged and performed in the oversized foyer with its warm, hand-carved oak staircase and switchbacks climbing up to the second floor serving as the backdrop for each scene.  We even came to envision each daughter walking down that staircase on their wedding day with family and friends gathered in the enormous front rooms and foyer to celebrate the happy occasion.

Based upon various circumstances, changes often dictate the new phases of our lives.  Eight years later, we found ourselves downsizing to a comfortable split-level home, open concept, consisting of seven rooms and around 1,500 square feet of living space.  I will not lie....it was pure hell trying to eliminate so much 'stuff' from our lives in order to complete this transition.  It turned out to be cathartic to see many items donated to friends-in-need, others sold in several garage sales and the remaining pieces surrounding us in our new environment on Donegal Street!

Our newer more simplistic lifestyle was a product of change and  produced a lighthearted and independent nature among the four of us.  This was an immense change from our eight-year-old attitude of living for a structure rather than having a structure protect us as we lived in it.  We had become slaves to a home originally built by a lumber baron for his family and based upon his prestige within the community back in 1901.  By creating this change in our lives, we had gained peace of mind! I had acquired a much less complicated home to clean.

Corinne and Alexandria

As time dictates, we became empty nesters all too soon with both of our daughters attending Michigan State University, our own alma mater.  Our hearts were filled with pride and bleeding green and white, our university's school colors, as our youngest was enrolled as a freshman.  My husband secured a new, higher paying  job and, with the economics of the construction industry in Michigan once again on a downward spiral, this was exceptional news for us!  The downside of this was that we would be empty nesting, at the young age of forty-seven, in Orlando, Florida and far, far away from our eighteen-year old daughter.....!

Crazy things began to swiftly happen as a movie being played in fast-motion....sort of the 'Keystone Cop Effect.'  Our oldest daughter, Ali, graduated from MSU winter term and secured an internship with the Walt Disney World Company and moved down to Orlando with her dad.  She helped to open Animal Kingdom in 1998 and was hired as a full-time employee of Disney Wide World of Sports soon afterwards.  I remained at my job in Okemos, Michigan and lived alone at our little house on Donegal as Corinne navigated her freshman year at State. 

The most difficult decision of my life lingered right around the corner when I would have to leave my baby and begin a new chapter of my life in Orlando.  This change in lifestyle may have contributed to a period of depression so deep and painful that the guilt spawned from it lingers with me to this day.  Once a Mom....always a Mom, and there is no denying the physical and emotional affect leaving a child has on a woman. 

Depression, ultimately solving nothing, had to go!  Securing employment with ISSA Homes in Celebration, Florida was amazing therapy.  New faces, new circumstances and new friendships helped out considerably and, after all, I had Dan and Ali around me on this ride. We flew back to Michigan as often as possible and brought Corinne down here for visits.



Courtesy: Tiny House Giant Journey

Now, nearly eighteen years later, and seriously near retirement, yet another simplifying lifestyle change must be made.  Oh, yes....it occupies most of our evening conversations and takes-up a large percentage of our silent thought process throughout the day.  It's not exactly about designing and building our own 'Tiny Home,' after all, or is it?  Could downsizing to, let's say, 550 square feet of living space solve our dilemma?  But what about all of my books?  I am tempted to consider living in a tiny home every time I see one on Facebook.  It's the playhouse I never had as a young girl and....it would be so darn easy to keep clean!! 

This new change is all about our five Grandchildren!  Yes, they all just happen to live back up in Michigan....!  Our heartstrings are plucked as soulfully and lovingly as the strings of a Joe Bonamassa guitar when it comes to missing and loving these five, sweet faces. 

Embarking upon yet another new phase in our lives, Papa Dan and I have some serious sorting out (major purging, as well) to do.  I'm chalking this one up to 'age' with a huge dash of Love and a whole lot of Cuteness stirred into the mix!

The Loves of our Lives

Copyright © 2015 By Jacqueline E. Hughes
All rights reserved

"I WANT TO LIVE LIKE MUSIC SOUNDS."

A series of essays.....

Author, Eva Ibbotson

.....as seen through my eyes!



By: Jacqueline E. Hughes

First of all, I would just like to say how much I love what I do! 

The Austrian born author, Eva Ibbotson, is the perfect example as to why so many of us rise early in the morning, words swirling around in our heads like iridescent butterflies, with so many ideas begging to be captured on the tiny little screen of an iPad!  Well, in my case an iPad, anyway.

Having two young, seven-year-old granddaughters who are voracious readers, it is interesting that their age group has fallen into what I refer to as the 'crack of oblivion' when it comes to the major and lucrative promotion of the Harry Potter books written by J.K. Rowling.  That's not to say that they won't be influenced by them in the near future considering the Harry Potter series targets the YA, or young adult, niche.  I think they just got lost in the shuffle, for now.

I do recall the observation of literary critics who had found similarities between Ibbotson's "Platform 13" in her book entitled The Secret Platform 13 published in 1994 and J.K. Rowling's "Platform 9 3/4" in her Harry Potter book series from 1997, both located at King's Cross Station in London.  According to Wikipedia, the journalist, Amanda Craig, has written about these similarities.  "Ibbotson would seem to have a good case for claiming plagiarism......, but unlike the American author, Nancy Stouffer, currently suing Ms. Rowling, Ibbotson says she would, 'Like to shake (Rowling) by the hand.  I think we all borrow from each other as writers.' "

My point here is to recognize the heartwarming character of this interesting individual and author, as she publicly comes to terms with life, career and human nature.  She not only recognizes the propensity of writers to 'borrow' from one another (chalking it up as a supreme compliment, perhaps), but offers her congratulations to Rowling for a job well done!


Eva Ibbotson, born Eva Marie Charlotte Michelle Wiesner, in Vienna, Austria in 1925, was the daughter of non-practicing Jewish parents.  Her father, a physician who pioneered human infertility treatment and her mother, a novelist and playwright, were divorced when Eva was only three.  Her mother went to Paris in 1933 and left when Hitler banned her work.  Eventually settling in North London, she sent for her daughter along with other family members who ultimately avoided the worst of the Nazi regime.  The experience of fleeing Vienna was a strong thread throughout Eva's life and work, according to Wikipedia.  Eva passed away on October 20, 2010 at the age of eighty-five after editing the proofs of her new children's book, One Dog And His Boy, and beginning another ghost story, The Abominables, published posthumously in 2012.

Known for her writing of children's fantasy novels and historical fiction, her career took off when she was nearly forty-five years old and spanned from 1965 through 2010. 

Logging-in more than a dozen books for children, they include Which Witch?, The Secret of Platform 13, Dial-A-Ghost and Journey to the River Sea.  The latter was written in memory of her late husband, Alan Ibbotson, a former naturalist and professor at Cambridge University.  You may recall that President Obama made a surprise visit to the independent bookstore, Prairie Lights Books in Iowa City back in 2010 where he picked up a copy of Journey to the River Sea for his daughters.

President Obama at Prairie Lights Books

As an author, grandmother and avid reader.....I know what is in store for me.  Once I begin reading the novels of Eva Ibbotson, I totally expect to love them completely and will want to read all of them!  Recently, a blogger reviewing Journey to the River Sea and discovering Ibbotson's books for the first time exclaimed, "I am considering tracking down a copy of every one of her books, building a fort, and hiding out there to read and read and read until I have devoured Eva Ibbotson's entire collection.  I want to hand out copies of Journey to the River Sea to every child I meet!  And probably a few adults, too! I loved it that much."  Oh boy!!  I am in for the long haul.....I can just feel it!

My journey into the life of this interesting female author began because of a quote I had seen online that struck me as one of the best 'writing prompts' I've seen in a long while.  Spoken by her character, Ruth, in the novel, The Morning Gift, Eva Ibbotson wrote, "I want to live like music sounds."  There's something quite magical in this statement.  How does this interesting quote affect you?  Are you conjuring up all sorts of pictures in your head right now like I am?  From the four most recognized notes (Big Bang Introduction) of Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 to the haunting dirge called A Prayer sung by Madeleine Peyroux from her album Dreamland.....and all of that 'life' filling in the huge area in between, our lives are surrounded by the sounds, noise and notes that swirl and collect around us every moment of our existence! 

Does our arm merely rise into the air as we wave hello to a friend or does it drift upwards to hang above us while a 'blues note' floats along an invisible breeze until we catch it in the smooth palm of our hand?  I hear lullabies playing in a baby's room and feel the reassurance of a calm, sleep filled night as 'gentleness' is carried along on puffs of air to be inhaled as innocent breaths, and eyes begin to softly close....close.  Drum solos executed by the likes of John Bonham, Neil Peart, Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich boom, bang and clatter until our hearts burst from the cadence and rhythms of anticipated fear, extreme adventure, lust for life....!!

Can you sit still as the music plays?  I cannot.  I will not!

For her entire life, Eva Ibbotson had said she disliked "....financial greed and lust for power" and often created antagonists in her books who have these characteristics.  Certainly this contributes to her reaction of the literary critics with regard to similarities found in the J.K. Rowling's books. 

Even though her more recent collections feature writing for children, Ibbotson was also noted for several works of fiction for adults.  Two of her acclaimed books are set in Europe at the time of World War II and reflect her experience of the time: The Morning Gift (1993) and A Song For Summer (1997).

While researching additional quotes attributed to the many characters  found in her numerous works of fiction, I discovered how they serve to delight the senses and entertain the mind, as well.  I want to share some of them with you and deservedly give credit to meetville.com for such pretty packaging, or not!?!


'A Countess Below Stairs'



'The Star of Kazan'

 

Preview Magazine interviewed Eva in the Fall of 2001 and the results of this interview reinforced everything I had been feeling about this amazing Lady!  Passionate, Modest, Sensitive, Talented and Caring.....Words that describe Eva Ibbotson completely.

What were you doing when you found out that your first book was going to be published? "Cooking supper for my husband and children. My agent phoned and I shouted and we all danced about, except my husband who saw to it that the sauce did not burn."
What did you treat yourself to afterwards?  "My first money as a writer came from a short story in a magazine.  It was a very small sum, and I bought Mars Bars for everybody in the family."

'The Dragonfly Pool'

'A Countess Below Stairs'

A wife, mother of four and award winning author, Eva Ibbotson's humble life was a lesson of Love for all of us.  Even though its roots were based in divorce, unhappiness and impending war in Europe or, because of ALL the above, the Guardian, publishing her story upon her passing in 2010, proclaimed her "A self-confessed 'happy endings freak.'  She expressed some bemusement at trends for darker children's fiction and her books always reassured young readers that good would be rewarded and that spoilt brats and greedy grown-ups would get their comeuppance."

Taking cues from her character, Ruth, in The Morning Gift, I truly believe that Eva Ibbotson lived her life like music sounds....

Copyright © 2015 By Jacqueline E. Hughes
All rights reserved

COMPLACENCY: The Eleventh Commandment?

A series of essays.....

 

 

 

MOVING ON.....2015: Pink to Aged Beige

.....as seen through my eyes!




By: Jacqueline E. Hughes

Elbow deep in Behr Ultra, (PPU7-9) Aged Beige, to be precise, one more pink-walled room is biting the dust......and, I couldn't be happier!!  Cookie-cutter homes are like that.  You're just so darn happy to be purchasing it that the initial choices made at the Design Studio, before the slab is even poured, can be daunting.  It's like decorating an entire house with choices pulled together within a span of an hour or so.  Like I said....daunting!

My goal has always been to eliminate the original 'pale mauve' walls that have dominated every vertical surface of our home since its birth in 1998.  Each time a new wall is released from its 'pink prison,' an angel gets its wings......or, something like that.  At any rate, following this painting extravaganza, which may or may not include the formal living area/library across the foyer, we should have only two 'wingless' angels left awaiting their flight instructions....

Ahh!  Another Angel Is Sighing

Complacency, as defined in the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition is a feeling of contentment or self-satisfaction, especially when coupled with an unawareness of danger, trouble or controversy.  To be complacent, a person (or group) has become satisfied with the current situation and unconcerned with changing it, often to the point of smugness.  No specific political references here she writes, with a shrug and a wink.

Standing in our dining room with 'Aged Beige' dripping down my arm like coffee flavored ice cream in a plain cone succumbing to the heat of a long summer's day, it's becoming clearer to me as to why I've suddenly thrust my whole being into this often tedious domestic project.  To be satisfied, content and unconcerned about everything that is happening around me is just not my style.  If there had been an Eleventh Commandment written down on tablets of stone by Moses who was inspired by God on Mount Sinai it would have to have read: "Thou shalt never, ever dwell in a world of complacency."  Or, something to that effect.

No matter how great our achievements are in this lifetime, there will always be room for bigger and better ideas that will thrust us far beyond our original hopes, dreams and initial accomplishments. 

Comfort breeds complacency!  Great things never came from comfort zones.  Thomas Edison once said, "Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work."  Seek brilliance and never be afraid of getting your hands a little dirty in the process...  Hard work strengthens character, develops the imagination and helps us rise above the ordinary. 

"Be the change you want to see in the World,"  This quote by Mahatma Gandhi resonates with so many of us and has always helped to ease the transition from personal silence to the power our change can make in this world if we choose to utilize it.  Begin a recycling program if you haven't already.  Remember, change begins with the small, doable things and can lead to huge and amazing changes once we have agreed to leave our 'comfort zone.' 

"To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often."  Thank goodness Winston Churchill never had a chance to see my unchanged and imperfect walls of almost sixteen years!  I don't think pink was even close to being his favorite color, anyway.  But, I get it...  How does anyone note improvement within either themselves or others if there are never any changes made to be used along with a basis of comparison? 

Let's all agree that a solid baseline, or imaginary line, the standard of value by which things are measured or compared, is drawn at birth.  That pretty much places all of us on the Starting Line together!  Our initial change is physical, of course, and constant as we begin to evolve into the person our DNA, environment, peer influences, education and adult examples provide for us.  This is not a permanent 'mold' by which our lives must be measured by.  This mold gives us shape, depth and minimal security and is meant to be broken whenever we feel the urge, the need, to spread our wings and fly.


This new flight pattern can be attributed to a particular teacher, mentor or coach who has had an influence on us.  Even a horrific incident that occurred in our lives such as an accident or the passing of a loved-one can ultimately bring change, sometimes in a negative slant, but often in the form of pulling us up from the depths of despair and raising us to heights that were previously unimaginable.  We will always be influenced by so many factors in our life, however, reflecting upon Anne Frank's wise words, "The final forming of a person's character lies in their own hands."  We must ultimately take responsibility for our actions.

I mentioned before that this new painting project of mine was born from something far greater than myself and reaches across the ocean depths with such power and force that its affect upon all persons should be one of such profound feelings of disquiet that change is inevitable!  No one should feel satisfied, content, unconcerned or complacent about the recent actions spawned by Hate, under the guise of Religion, that has taken place in Paris recently.  "Je Suis Charlie," a powerful slogan that has risen-up from the dark depths of this heinous crime, represents the solidarity we share with our fellow man; the battle cry of Freedom of Speech, Life and the Future of each and every one of us!  If the Haters are not displaced or eradicated, these Freedoms will be in constant jeopardy!

So read the history books from the dawn of recorded time!

Carefully Calculating Change In Our Lives

Tackling the almost eleven foot high dining room walls and covering them with fresh color and a new look is a difficult job, to be sure.  Not changing them after all this time would be a travesty of life.  If I dislike the pink walls....they should be changed.  Besides, getting down and dirty for the sake of a positive change is a cathartic release.  Penned-up emotions are flowing from my paint brush and hands like ice from Elsa's fingertips and forming a metamorphosis from complacent person to highly motivated individual.

If I dislike the injustices served mankind by the treacherous deeds of others, I must react to them because these 'thieves of freedom' mean to eliminate anyone who does not agree with their own set of ideals.  This frightens the hell out of me!  Life is a glorious gift that should not be discarded lightly for we are fragile, mortal beings who live side-by-side, hand-in-hand as we recently witnessed in Paris as people literally filled the Place de la République to march in Solidarity for all of those brutally murdered in the terror attack several days ago! 

Je Suis Charlie As Far As The Eye Can See In Paris
 

Cover Of New Edition Of
CHARLIE HEBDO

The pen and pencil with the words 'Not Afraid' emblazoned on them  have become the symbols of Freedom of Speech around the world.  As a writer, the significance of this is monumental for so many powerful reasons.  The latest cover of Charlie Hebdo proves this point as the satirical magazine that just lost twelve members of its staff refuses to roll over and shut its doors.  Drawn by cartoonist Renald Luzier, it depicts a sad Prophet Muhammad saying that all is forgiven, I am Charlie.  Undoubtedly, this cover will keep the fire burning for a very long time.



JE SUIS CHARLIE, I Am Charlie.....We are ALL Charlie when it comes to freedom and integrity and making the choice to live our lives rather than cave to others who hate so openly.....so desperately, that they are willing to ruin so many precious lives left in the wake of their disturbing swath of destruction.  I don't believe this is exactly what God had in mind when He proclaimed, "Love Thy Neighbor!"

Symbol For Freedom of Speech

With each stroke of my paintbrush, with every swipe of my paint roller, I feverishly cover-up, masque, if you will, the pain and sorrow, death and destruction, and attempts to steal our freedom by all terrorist groups around the world!  The 'pale mauve' is disappearing behind a fresh, new 'face' of paint.  I am becoming stronger, happier and more comfortable in my own skin while I come to terms with what I already knew and already believed.  Long live the power of the pen!!! Je suis Charlie, yesterday, today and tomorrow....

There's absolutely no hope for the pink library walls.  You're.going.down!!!

Liberty, Equality, Fraternity

Copyright © 2015 By Jacqueline E. Hughes
All rights reserved