Opening Day of Duck Season, a poem by John Philpot, started our critique off with a bang. Jane has known Mr. Philpot for a number of years as he came from her home town of Mena, Arkansas. His rhymed verse that Jane read kept Peg and me in stitches. He is a television personality and you may remember seeing him on an outdoor cooking show here in Arkansas.
Jane’s poetry is beautiful, some of it thoughtful, some, full of fun. She read a lovely poem, a somber and thoughtful poem, titled Like Leaves We Shall Fall. It reminded me of The Last Leaf, a poem by Oliver Wendell Holmes. Then, to lighten the mood, Jane read The Sitting Dilemma. Sit, Sat, Set, which one do I use? I can never remember and that’s not good news. This problem is common to many of us. But, Jane straightened things out by writing about her mother’s solution: Thinking back, I can remember her rhyme that will solve this dilemma in record time. “Set the table,” she said, and I did that. I sat down and removed my hat. “Sit up straight and eat your peas.” After that, my mama was pleased.
Jane took us back to the 1950s with her poem, Happy Days. This poem was about the dancing, fashions, and pasttimes of those of us who grew up in the Fabulous Fifties.
Years ago, Peg crocheted a lot. When she lived up north, she crocheted many afghans which certainly helped banish those winter time chills. Recently, she decided to take up crocheting again. She’s looking forward to having fun creating many beautiful and useful items with her talented crochet hooks.
But Peg always finds time to read. She recently read an absorbing cozy mystery, Pawprints and Predicaments by Bethany Blake. This adventure takes place in the Pocono Mountains, involves a polar bear plunge, and a mysterious St. Bernard–all ingredients for a captivating story.
Once again, I was reminded of how vital it is to have as astute critique group. As I read my latest effort in the continuing adventure of Ned McNeil and Moonstruck and Murderous, Peg and Jane came up with some suggestions. In fact, not to give away any authoring secrets, at one point, I opened my grandmother’s New Testament, which is getting on toward a hundred years old, and showed them a clipping she had put inside the pages, many years ago. What was the clipping? How does it figure in my grandmother’s granddaughter’s mystery, many years after she placed it there? Well, it’ll all come out in the publication of the latest Ned moonlight cozy.
In case you want to further explore Ned’s dangerous exploits or go to Levi, Oklahoma and have coffee with Darcy and Flora, they are all waiting to welcome you at Amazon.
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