Month: July 2016

Kudos to Jill

wp-1467997845333.jpgThe local morning paper held a surprise today. Right there on the front page was a familiar face. Not the people and pets photo – the “Moving forward by looking to the past” article on the right hand side. I was so excited to see this article that I almost choked on my coffee.

Jill Morris teaches memoir classes. I am pleased to be a part of her advanced writer’s group which will resume this fall. She’s a fantastic teacher but for quite some time we wondered if she was ever going to get her memoir on the market. “It’s coming out soon,” she’d say. We waited patiently. Finally the release announcement came to my inbox.

I ordered “Eating the Walls Breaking free from the ghosts of the past” on Amazon, expedited delivery since I couldn’t wait another day – plus I was leaving on vacation and definitely needed to take it with me. If it were on Kindle, I would have read it that night. I am woefully addicted to instant gratification. Jill assures me it will be available on Kindle later. Meanwhile, I packed the paperback edition in my carryon and devoured it between beach visits. You know how people go to Kauai and come back with golden tans? Could I blame my lily white tones on this memoir?

The book is all that I expected from Jill. It’s a powerful and inspirational story of moving forward after the tragedy of her husband’s suicide. Her narrative is a fascinating portrayal of this journey with her two small children. Grief and humor cross the seas. I’ll be looking forward to her next memoir.

Now back to those classes Jill teaches. Her book is out. You know her style. Her encouragement and gentle critique will entice you to finish yours.

The Nameless One

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Truth is I experienced a moment of insanity shortly after Christmas. My heart ached for JJ during winter vacation. His friends were all out of town, Santa sent the wrong gifts, and on top of that he had to deal with the mingling of dysfunctional family personalities over holiday meals. Suddenly I had this great idea that a new kitten would bring moods of elation back into the house. And so we went on a kitten hunt.

Kittens are sparse in January. The youngest at our local shelter was six months old. “I want a kitten. One that will grow old with me,” JJ insisted. We called all the pet stores with adoption signs. No one had anything young than a year. I called a friend who works with feral cats. “We have three little black kitties just ready for adoption,” the lady said. She continued, “they are loving, sweet and feisty. Their mother abandoned them. You could take all three.”

We went to visit the lady. JJ fell for the runt kitten, a dainty little girl, a bit timid but warming up to him as we spoke. A week later we went back and picked her up. “What’s her name?” I asked.  JJ didn’t respond.

We decided we would call her “the nameless one” until she developed a personality. We posted her kinky tailed photo on Facebook asking for suggestions. While they are all appropriate descriptions, none of them came near her personality traits. Shadow, Blacky, Smokey, Natasha, Cocoa, B&B, Ebony, Mystic, Smolder, Bitimunous, Amber, Cinnamon, Superwoman, Kinky. All good suggestions but she just didn’t answer to them.

From the picture above, one might want to name her Bright Eyes. But look a little closer. Look under the rocking chair she is so precariously clinging to. This is just one small piece of evidence that her name could be Destructo. Touring our house, I can come up with a few more – Shatter (broken glass), Litter Queen or Sh*t Disturber (thinking out of the box), Psycho (night terrors), Rug Rags (shredded carpet), Pensive (where have all my pens gone?), Curtains (shredded), Photo Bomber (see photo album), Infinity (the figure eights at my ankles to trip me), Xfinity (remote control), Disdress (closet alterations)… and the list goes on.

Maybe I’ll name her when she reaches the senility of Wanda cat. Notice I said “I’ll name her.” Yes, I have been granted guardianship of this cat that JJ no longer allows in his room. Thank God we didn’t take all three.