Poetry Published!

My poem Strange Grandmother is published at Vox Poetica today! Please read it here.  Tomorrow it will be on the poemblog.  What do you think?

November Writing Goals Progress: Week Four

This past week was no better than the week before for tenacity - I have been far too wrapped up in another matter to write.  Today, though...the week's missed opportunities sort of caught up to me in a mad burst of productivity, and even creativity.  I wrote four good poems and submitted my chapbook.  Not bad for a week, and great for a day!

Thanksgiving

I am grateful for my girls - so grateful - and for every moment that I am able to provide for their needs.

The Squash Mariah is Prepped

I have cut the acorn squash and scooped out the seeds and pulp (tossed them in one of the container gardens hopefully, although I seem incapable of actually growing squash).  I put the squash halves, flat sides down on a baking sheet and baked them for about 50 minutes at 350 degrees while I chopped up three big apples.  Set the squash cut-sides up in a baking dish and sprinkled the scooped out part with cinnamon sugar, then put a little pat of butter in each.  Then stuffed each with chopped apples and covered again with cinnamon sugar and dabs of butter.  Into the fridge.  Tomorrow I just have to pop them back into the oven until the apples are baked in the buttery, cinnamon goodness and the squash is toasty again.  My signature Thanksgiving dish.

November Writing Goals Progress: Week Three

I'm even a half week late posting my progress, as it has been fairly non-existent.  Poor state of mind = falling off writing wagon.  I did get one story out of the notebook and onto the computer and write two poems.  That is all.

Hospitality

When I went to the Girl Scout National Conference in Houston, I stayed with my brother and sister-in-law (and their sweet little dog) who live in Houston.  It was the first time I had been to their home. They were so very nice and welcoming.  I was a little shocked by the gorgeousness and un-cluttered-ness of their apartment - it was pristine but also very warm and welcoming.  There was a guest room and everything.  It was perfection.

I could not stop thinking of my husband's poor aunt who was coming to stay at our house at that very time, in the Lone Star Baby's just-barely straightened up room with the Dora and the Madeline coverlets.  I want to be hospitable to visitors and to make them feel welcome like my brother and sister-in-law made me feel welcome, but I just don't have as much space or elegance to offer.  My house is always completely full and cluttered and there are usually a million Girl Scout supplies spilling out everywhere (two troops - small house) and some mammoth papier-mache school project taking shape in the public areas of the house.  Also, the bathtub is held together by duck tape.  And not everyone likes guinea pigs.  Not to mention the papers to be graded and all that.  And the resident peoples pile things up in every area that I clear out almost instantly. I am defeated.  And humiliated.  I hope people want to visit anyway.  SIGH.

Anyway, I had a lovely time visiting with my brother and sister-in-law.   I am so glad he found her - she is just wonderful.  I had totally spaced on the fact that our grandparents' graves are in Houston - I have not been there since we buried my grandma.  They took me to visit them and it was so nice.  I put pictures of my children and my sister's children on grandma's grave as I know she'd want to see them.  I knew they'd blow away right away, but it was like a hug, just nice.  Then my brother took us to the restaurant - The Dinner Bell -  where we ate after the funerals to buy cookies at the bakery it has.  I had forgotten that, too, but remembered when he showed me.  It was lovely.


I am so grateful for my family.

On Scum - Fact And Fantasy

I walked in during the middle of a TV program that the LSG was watching tonight in which a dog of a guy who was experiencing the desire to be a father went to see a woman he had the hots for to be told that she was pregnant.

Me:  He kind of loves her, though, right?
LSG:  Yeah.
Me:  But he's still a scuzz, right?
LSG:  Yes - but maybe the pregnancy thing will change that.
Me:   That's not usually how it happens - just so you know.

LSG:  Not in real life - just on TV.

Glad she has that distinction down.

Girl Scout National Conference

We had so much fun!

Lone Star Pa took the day off to deliver the Lone Star Girl to the Girl Scout Leadership Institute (GSLI) in Houston on the evening of Wednesday the 9th, stopping along the way to tour Rice which made a huge impression on our Biology Girl.  She had an amazing experience at the GSLI - the time of her life - and learned so much.

I drove out after work Thursday and stayed through Sunday when it was time to bring the Girl home.  I stayed with my brother and his lovely wife while the Girl stayed with the other GSLI girls at a hotel.  It was so wonderful to see family and they were so nice.

It turned out that the other girls in my Senior troop did not show due to busy-ness for one and some last minute problems for the other, so I did not really need to go at all, but I am so glad that I did get to go.  The Conference was very inspiring, with information on girl-related topics that I will be posting about for some time.  It was also really fun to see everything at the Hall of Exhibits.  I quite enjoy the feeling of being "alone" in a crowd - such a special, relaxing little vacation.  I also got to spend some time with other mamas from our Council at the 100th Anniversary Celebration Saturday night.  It was wonderful.

I will post more in the days and weeks to come.  We have a lot to do to create a world where all girls can reach their full potential and make their contributions to humanity.  

2012 is the Year of The Girl - get ready!

November Writing Goals Progress: Week Two

Totally fell off the writing wagon with all the bustle and travelling, but I did manage to:

• Make a good many notes for several poems and stories and posts
• Write a poem
• Request some submission guidelines

Vote Against Proposition 6

Tuesday is a voting day on numerous constitutional amendments in Texas.  Please vote no on Proposition Six, which would allow more principle to be withdrawn from the Permanent School Fund.  Our education system need more investment, not less.

November Writing Goals Progress: Week One

• Quite a bit of Lone Star Ma author correspondence and calls for submission updates
• Sent off contract for my piece, Lactivists Do it Better, which has been accepted into the coming soon anthology Don't Leave Your Friends Behind
• Two poems written
• Two other poems submitted

Lone Star Ma #10 - Deadline Extended! Please Submit!

Submissions Call For Submissions - Lone Star Ma #10 Please see the general submission information below for guidelines and please consider submitting to our various departments.  Issue #10 of Lone Star Ma:  The Magazine of Progressive Texas Parenting and Children's Issues is our very first issue in an online format (which we've been driven to like a fracker to solar power by the unaffordable cost of printing and mailing - oh, wait - frackers don't care about unaffordable costs - never mind.) For this issue, we are looking for feature articles on Texas education funding, Texas education funding and did I mention Texas education funding?  We are also looking for articles on the effects of lax enforcement of environmental standards on children in Texas.  We are also looking for articles on social services funding in Texas.  We might be looking for articles on the Texas State Board of Education.  We do accept articles on other themes as well if they strike our fancy, so send whatever you think we should consider and we will ponder it.  Things are bad for the women and children of Texas these days, folks.  We need to spread the word and save our kids' futures from the likes of those who only care about the wealthy and the powerful.  Not on our backs.  Not on our children's backs.  Not now.  Not ever.  We will stop them. Lone Star Ma wants poetry.  Lone Star Ma wants mama fiction.  Lone Star Ma wants brilliant articles. What have you got? The deadline for submission is December 15th. The issue goes live on New Years' Day. Raise your voices.  xo, Lone Star Ma Submissions Lone Star Ma is a reader-written magazine covering topics of progressive Texas parenting and children's issues.  I totally cannot pay you for your submissions, but if I like 'em, I'll print 'em.  We need to get our voices out there.  To submit an article or poem to Lone Star Ma, please send it in the body of an e-mail to submissions(at)lonestarma(dot)com.  E-mails with attachments will not be opened. Please include working contact info., including a mailing address, phone number and e-mail address, if possible.  I may print a submitted article in a later issue than you had in mind, so if you don't want it printed after a certain date, please say so.  Published work may be archived on the website unless you ask to have it removed. Please include with your submission a bio-line, such as "Radical Rae is the mother of 4-year-old Joey and works as a social worker in Houston."  Thanks. In addition to features, mamafiction and poetry, Lone Star Ma accepts submissions for the following regular departments: Letters We Love them!! Please write!!!  Attn:  Letters. Longhorn Lactation If you have lactation news, information or action alerts, please submit them, attn:  Longhorn Lactation. Vegetarian Vittles is your place for recipes and resources for vegetarian families. If you have vegetarian recipes, news, alerts or stories to share with fellow parents, please submit them, attn:  Vegetarian Vittles.  (Recipes with nuts ain't welcome in these parts.)  Please send recipes attn:  Vegetarian Vittles. Yellow Rose Reviews Is where you review exceptional children's toys, books, magazines, music and educational products that you might not hear about in more mainstream venues.  Please send reviews attn: Yellow Rose Reviews. Educatin' The Young 'Uns If you have education news, information or action alerts, please submit them, attn:  Educatin' The Young 'Uns.

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