What's up with Willow these days? Have you noticed? She posts a measly poem once a week. That's it. Could it be, after four years of furious daily postings, she ran out of steam? Well, yes, sort of ... she just ran out of
blog steam. I hear she's been hanging around Facebook a lot, and is busy putting together her second poetry chapbook manuscript. She tells me the time off has been therapeutic, and that she has finally coaxed her bloggy muse off the sofa. So, stay tuned gentle readers; fresh new posts are on their way.
The daffodils have pushed through the winter soil at Willow Manor early this year, but I hear the manor Christmas tree is still up, gathering dust, while she's heavily into Philip Larkin, among others. She says she will take down the tree for Lent.
And the empty pages?
Should they ever be filled
Let it be with observed
Celestial recurrences,
The day the flowers come,
And when the birds go.
Philip Larkin, from "Forget What Did"
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I also heard it from the grapevine that Willow is working on updating her image with a new pair of retro Michael Caine glasses. Now all she needs to be way cool, is lose the silly grin, and dangle a cigarette.
Waiting patiently for your return.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Delores...I'm back!
ReplyDeleteHeh, I just posted for the 1st time since November. I love your new glasses (that pic is groovy baby), and I may just have you beat on hours logged on Facebook. Best of luck with your new chapbook. Let me know when to click buy. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteHa! Looking forward to what shows up in this space :)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Liza...yeah, I enjoy the quick and easy posting of Facebook, as well as the fun social atmosphere...
ReplyDeleteAlways delighted to see you, Willow! I have been known to stalk, er, chat with, Tess on FB, yes, but you, well, you are the promised breath of springtime that makes the lovely winter seem long...with apologies to Kern and Hammerstein :-)
ReplyDeleteyou blog is interesting, makes me curious; like they way you write too;
ReplyDeletealso Poirot looks in tea cups and solves mysteries; can you do that?
Mike, I solve a lot of things by staring at teacups...
ReplyDeleteplease don't go away. . . I'm not on facebook . . . love your blog!
ReplyDeleteInstead of taking the Christmas tree down, you could redecorate it with purple and sackcloth :-)
ReplyDeleteChristine, thank you...no worries...I'm here to stay...
ReplyDeleteKathy, a Lent tree! Now that's novel... I pride myself on quirkiness...
ReplyDeletemy tree is up too - its too dark to take down the lights!
ReplyDeleteKeep grin, wear glasses ... lose cigarette. (my tree is down)
ReplyDeleteChristmas tree down for Lent...back up on Easter Sunday? --grin!
ReplyDeletePeeps in my neighborhood--a Spanish-majority community--still have outside lights glowing from 2010 Christmas. All the lights slow down the drug traffic (it says here, Hmmmmm)...
I also vote for the grin--the rest is up to YOU, Babe!!! This REALLY ain't a serious place, ya know? (Did I tell you Michael Cain's glasses make him look O L D ???)--grin!
LOVE your poem...OH? You didn't WRITE one? Oh my, Steve. Embarrassed again. PEACE, Tess!
I've been on a sabatical as well. I am doing a lot of painting these days. Come visit my site I am trying to post photos when I can. :-)
ReplyDeleteSteve, old?! Hey, they're waaay quirky-cool! I'm keepin' the glasses and the silly grin!
ReplyDeleteOh and by the way...my nose isn't really as big as it looks in this picture...it came with the glasses...
ReplyDeleteYou manage to make absence sound exciting. Not too sure about the glasses; won't Michael miss them?
ReplyDeleteHooray for a new chapbook, Mr. Larkin, and the return of Willow!
ReplyDeleteI have missed you so and look forward to anything from the Manor.
ReplyDeleteFour years blogging is a long time to post a daily poem, no wonder you've petered out. Face Book can be easier. Fewer expectations there, but the blog world to me seems deeper.
ReplyDeleteI think Facebook is such c**p. I've closed my account and opened another, which I think I will close, too. Too invasive, with the government poking about in it all the time. Or at least planning to do that.
ReplyDeleteI know how it feels when it seems that blog-steam is in short supply. But hey, if you're taking time out, who better to spend it with than Larkin?
ReplyDelete'Embiggen' - I like that word. I might use it with your permission.
ReplyDeleteMissed....!
ReplyDeleteas long as it's unlit.
ReplyDeleteI began blogging in 2006 and for a long time posted almost daily. i enjoyed it, but now feel a need to back off and just post every now and again.
glad to here work is happening on your second chapbook. good luck.
and you and Michael look like twins in your glasses. Move over Johnny Depp.
it's never too late to take up a new hobby. has anybody invented a pleasing spinach cigarette yet?
ReplyDeleteGreat you're back, nothing like a break to re-energise one.
ReplyDeleteLol re Christmas tree still up, I just yesterday took down some little Christmas painted eggs of a branch decoration, just so I could put a few love-birds on instead. I'm thinking I'll keep doing that; leave the decorations on until they need to be moved for the next feast.
did notice you were away
ReplyDeletejust figured you were doing something more fab
but I did apprecitate that you kept posting Mags
Tree still up...hmmm
I smell a bit of gloom
get it down
Glad to see you back. Breaks can be very useful. I have been taking a break, too. Getting through the necessary business of the day takes all my energy lately.
ReplyDeleteLove your glasses, tres retro. Kind of remind me of someone ; )
A fine piece on Larkin in this month's Harper's. Philip Larkin was one of the great poets of our century, and a truly awful person.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI've been out of blog steam for a bit, too. My blogging muse also has awakened and is again active. (At least for the moment).
ReplyDeleteTom, of course, yes, please use "embiggen"...I've claimed it as one of my words...but it's not original with me...
ReplyDeleteA sabbatical is necessary for all creative work, I believe. Whenever I come back from one, my work is more fresh, energetic and focused. Looking forward to celestial recurrences!
ReplyDeleteThat Willow is always worth waiting for - two eyes or four eyes, they are eyes that see what others can't.
ReplyDeleteNice Willow. I've notice that with the blogs that I follow the shelf life is about 3-4 years. I have to include my own in that one. It's getting harder to get inspired to post. I understand completely.
ReplyDeleteGlad to have you back....
ReplyDeleteMissed you... but how fitting for you to return - along with the Daffodills!!!
ReplyDeleteLove the Michael Caine Glasses....you KNOW you dangle a ciggie just like him - and look serious! It will be a great shot!
Love,
♥ Robin ♥
Slacker!
ReplyDeleteDear Tess: The work one must do to publish; totally understandable darling~ WoWem~ I am elatively happy for you my dear~enjoy the sabattical; we will wait with pepperminted bated breath~
ReplyDeleteI'm glad your back.
ReplyDeletei like your haiku, especially the celestial reference.
ReplyDeleteDude, no WAY did you get retro glasses! I'm getting retro glasses! They're on the way to me right now! In the mail!!!
ReplyDeleteMine are cat's eye (you may have seen my recent blog post about them?).
Soul sistahs.