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Archive for the ‘Writing’ Category

Daylight Saving Time

Posted in Birds, Journeys, Writing, tagged Daylight Saving Time, memories on March 18, 2016| 2 Comments »

“Yesterday’s the past, tomorrow is the future, but today is a gift. That’s why it’s called the present.” – Bil Keane

This is the kind of landscape I was living in when Texas changed to Daylight Saving Time back in 1967. — Photo by Pat Bean

A Memory from the Past

When the change to Daylight Saving Time rolls around each year, my memory bank gets a jolt of fresh power that takes me back to my days as a reporter on a small Texas Gulf Coast newspaper. Texas began its annual clock manipulation, as a way to save on energy costs, the same year that I walked into my first newspaper.

And this is the Arizona landscape where I live now, and which does not participate in Daylight Saving Time. — Photo by Pat Bean

While the benefits of Daylight Savings Time have been much questioned, there’s no question in my mind that this event was a first step on my road to a 37-year journalism career. You see, that 1967 newspaper story about the time change carried my first-ever byline.

I remember the managing editor lecturing me afterwards on how I could have made the article better, like not starting every sentence almost the same way. A few years later, I reread the story and cringed. While it was grammatically correct, it lacked grace. It read like a toddler taking their first step. But then that’s exactly what I had been doing at the time.

It took many, many years after that first story before I could comfortably call myself a writer. And some days, I still question the title.

Meanwhile, I’ll never forget that first timely baby step.

Blog pick of the Day. Check it out.

Bean Pat: On Growing a Spine http://tinyurl.com/jrn97k4 Some people are born with one, and some, like me, have to grow them. This blog reminded me that I, too, was almost 40 before the growth began.

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The Blahs

Posted in Art, Journeys, Writing, tagged The Blahs on March 17, 2016| 11 Comments »

“The foolish man seeks happiness in the distance; the wise grows it under his feet.” James Oppenheim

While it’s been sunny outside, the past two weeks have been dark and overcast in my head. — By Pat Bean

I have a Case

I have always been a high-energy kind of person, one who thrives on ending a day with a feeling of accomplishment. A good day for me has always been one in which I have completed a project or activity and learned something new.

But perhaps the sun came out today. — By Pat Bean

Of course I’ve had days that have been eaten up by computer games, non-stop reading or television (more the first two than the latter), but they have mostly been singular in nature with better days in between. And I don’t begrudge the reading days because I count them as learning days.

This blah episode, however, has stretched into two weeks, which accounts for the absence of recent blogs.

I’ve been sitting here this morning, curled up in a blanket in my recliner with my morning coffee and my laptop, searching for answers to the dilemma — because accomplishing nothing for days on end does not make me a happy person.

First I gave myself credit for things I did accomplish just before this case of the blahs set in. I finished my fourth rewrite of Travels with Maggie, submitted a flash fiction piece to a contest and took on a new doggie baby-sitting client. The latter means I now have three dogs to walk every day. While that uses up an extra bit of time and energy it’s not that much. And besides, the extra walking is good for me. So scratch that excuse.

Perhaps I’m dawdling because I’m anxious about taking the next step on my travel book? That actually sounds possible.

And then, there’s the unrelated fact that today is St. Patrick’s Day – the time of year when my mother died. She actually died on a Friday the 13^th, with her memorial service on St. Patrick’s Day. I still miss her, but I don’t think she’s the cause of my blahs. I mean I didn’t realize it was this time of year until today.

Perhaps I just needed some time off — and perhaps writing this blog means I’m ready to get back to being myself. I certainly hope so.

Blog pick of the Day. Check it out.

Bean Pat: My Beautiful Things http://tinyurl.com/jvf5h8e Relax and take a walk through the woods to the beach from your armchair.

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Life: There’s Nothing Simple About It

Posted in Journeys, Nature, Writing, tagged George Sibley, henry david thoreau, simplicity. the simple life, Walden on February 26, 2016| Leave a Comment »

“ G**D**! How magnificently, intricate, interwoven and complex this all is. How can we make ourselves worthy of our limited comprehensions of such magnificence?” — George Sibley

Taking on Henry David Thoreau

The complexity of nature means when the water level is low here, wading birds are the prominent species. When it’s not so shallow, ducks claim it as their habitat. — Photo by Pat Bean

I’ve long been a fan of Henry David Thoreau, whose quote,- “If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away.” has long been a personal mantra. But after reading his famed book, Walden, I was left with a nagging thought that parts of it were like Jell-O that never set.

It’s not a simple thing becoming a plant from a seed. Everything has to work just right. — Photo by Pat Bean

Now I’m all for living a simple life. My daughters sometimes even chastise me because my kitchen gadgets are few and my can opener a manual one. And I’m truly against buying stuff – that lesson was doubly taught me when I got rid of everything to move all my possessions, plus me and my canine companion into a 21-foot motor home. I was amazed at how many things I had two of – and didn’t even know it.

But I don’t want to live in the woods without a bathtub and eat beans. I want to enjoy at least some of the benefits the human race has accomplished in its lifetime.

Even nature is not simple. It’s complex, as I learned as a reporter covering environmental issues. You try to save one plant or species and you impact another. You practice conservation and you take away somebody’s livelihood. A tragic flood or fire also comes with benefits.

And when it comes to relationships, each one has so many different complexities that you couldn’t even began to count them.

Nope, life is not simple. So we might just as well embrace it, as Sibley pointed out in his essay, featured in the anthology, When in Doubt, Go Higher.

Blog pick of the Day. Check it out.

Bean Pat: On thin Ice http://tinyurl.com/gl4wgbh My kind of outdoor adventure, especially at my age.

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Writers on Writing

Posted in Journeys, Writing, tagged Annie Dillard, Story Circle Network, vita-sackville-west on February 5, 2016| 6 Comments »

My writing often starts out like this night’s sky. While I’m kind of moonstruck, heading toward the light, the magical way to get there is light years away. — Photo by Pat Bean

“We are the only ones who can tell our stories because we are the only ones who have lived them.” – Susan Wittig Albert*

Words Whisper in my Ear – Or Scream in my Head

The first words I read this morning, as I sipped my cream-laced coffee after taking Pepper out for her first walk of the day, were:

“When you write, you lay out a line of words. The line of words is a writer’s pick, a wood carver’s gouge, a surgeon’s probe. You wield it, and it digs a path you follow. Soon you find yourself deep in new territory. Is it a dead end, or have you located the real subject? You will know tomorrow, or this time next year.”

This is the first paragraph in Writing Life by Annie Dillard. Her words felt as if they had picked a line in my brain, as if she had read my mind before writing them. I can’t count the number of times I’ve sat down to write about one thing and ended up writing about something else entirely; then on editing and rewriting my words, I discover it’s the very first, often well-thought out, sentence that requires the deepest knife cut.

Then suddenly the light I was aiming for disappears in a splash of brilliant color, and my writing path is lit by a magical brain wave that lets me know what I’m really writing about. — Photo by Pat Bean

My brain thinks differently when I write. And I love it when I discover a writer who can explain the phenomena so well.

My favorite writing quote of all time is:

“It is necessary to write, if the days are not to slip emptily by. How else, indeed, to clap the net over the butterfly of the moment? For the moment passes, it is forgotten; the mood is gone; life itself is gone. That is where the writer scores over his fellows: he catches the changes of his mind on the hop.” — Vita Sackville-West

What writer whispers in your ear, or screams in your head?

Blog pick of the Day. Check it out.

Bean Pat: I am a member of Story Circle Network, which for the past five years has been a tremendous support to me in finding my own writing voice after 37 years of writing with the voice of a journalist. It’s a community of women who have taught me much and never failed to offer an encouraging word. In April, SCN is holding a Stories from the Heart Workshop in Austin, Texas, which is well worth today’s Bean Pat. Check out the details of the conference at: http://www.storycircle.org/Conference/ and if you decide to go, please look me up.

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Writing and Talking

Posted in Journeys, Writing, tagged writing process on December 12, 2015| 4 Comments »

“A word is not the same with one writer as with another. One tears it from his guts. The other pulls it out of his overcoat pocket.” — Charles Peguy

“We have two ears and one tongue so that we would listen more and talk less.” — Diogenes

Two Different Worlds for Me

Ann V. Klotz wrote an essay for the Brevity Blog that began with the sentence: “I write the way I speak.” It stopped me in my tracks and had me recalling what my newspaper colleagues often said to me. “It’s a good thing Pat Bean doesn’t write the way she speaks.”

I think it was partially because of my Texas accent, but I knew it was also true in other way a well. I actually don’t write the way I speak. My thoughts and verbal communication skills get tangled up when my tongue is moving. The truth is I started writing because I discovered it was the best way for me to communicate.

It is common for me to sit down in front of a blank page on my computer thinking I’m going to write one thing and my fingers actually type something else. While the words might actually be on the same subject I sat down to write about, they are often not what I thought I was going to say.

Writing clarifies my thoughts and pushes ideas much deeper and clearer into my head. I can’t imagine what my life would be without the written word. Perhaps that’s because things only seem real to me after I write about them, or more likely I only remember things as they were after they become words on a page.

So do you write like you talk, or are more like me? Do you know?

Bean Pat: Ann V. Klotz’ Brevity blog in case you’re interested. I find the process other writers employ fascinating. http://tinyurl.com/ozxkd9h

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Posted in Adventures With Pepper, Journeys, Nature, Writing, tagged arizona, Ira Hays, Palo Verde tree, Sacaton Rest Area on October 20, 2015| 2 Comments »

Palo Verde Trees

The trunk and branches of a Palo Verde at Sacaton Rest Area. — Photo by Pat Bean

“The more often we se the things around us — even the beautiful and wonderful things — the more they become invisible to us. That is why we often take for granted the beauty of this world: the flowers, the trees, the birds, the clouds — even those we love. Because we see things so often, we see them less and less.” — Joseph B. Wirthin

In a Historical Setting

My second stop of the day was at the Sacaton Rest Area at Mile Marker 183 on Interstate 10. I wasn’t tired, (Pepper and I were only about 75 miles from where we started our road trip) but I had discovered that Arizona Rest Stops are usually scenic and informational – and this one didn’t disappoint.

In remembrance of two Arizona police officers who died in the line of duty near Mile Marker 183 on Interstate 10. — Photo y Pat Bean

A large bronze marker at the site informed me the rest area had been the site of the first Government Indian School for Pimas and Maricopas, as well as Pima villages that served as friendly resting places for travelers heading west during the Gold Rush. The site was also the birth place of Ira Hayes, a Pima Indian who was one of the flag-raising Marines at Iwo Jima.

I remembered seeing the 1949 movie, “Sands of Iwo Jima,” in which Hayes actually portrayed himself. It was one of those unexpected memory recalls that left me wondering what other trivia was hidden in my brain that might never be brought into the light without a jolt to shake it loose.

Continuing its tribute to heroes, the rest area also contained grave markers of two Arizona police officers, Mark Dryer and Johnny Garcia, who had died in the line of duty.

A nice place for a road trip stop. — Photo by Pat Bean

After reading all the honorary plaques and informational posters, and pondering their meanings, I finally let myself simply enjoy the landscaped picnic area and the Sacaton Mountains that formed the rest area’s backdrop. What I liked best were the Palo Verde trees with their green trunks and branches.

The Palo Verde is Arizona’s State Tree. Numerous of these trees grow around my Tucson apartment, where they turn the landscape into yellow eye-candy when they blossom in early spring. Then, depending on the desert’s dicey water situation, they drop some or even all their leaves to conserve moisture. Their green bark can do everything that leaves do, making these trees one of the most drought-tolerant in nature. Appropriately, their name in Spanish simply means green stick.

This second stop of my road trip, where Pepper and I took a short walk taking in the views, reminded me, yet once again, just how amazing Mother Nature is. Don’t you agree? To be continued …

Blog pick of the Day. Check it out.

Bean Pat: Extraordinary http://tinyurl.com/pzc6svh Beautiful photographs, meaningful words.

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Working Dreams

Posted in Journeys, Writing, tagged dreams, journalism career, politicians on September 27, 2015| 5 Comments »

“Choose a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life.” – Confucious

During my journalistic career, I wrote thousands of stories some of which I kept, like this one about the Utah Air National Guard encouraging women to join up For this assignment, I got to ride in a refueling tanker and watch over a crewman’s shoulder as he refilled an F-16. And on the way back, we flew over the Grand Canyon. Did I mention how much I loved my job.

My Latest Dream was No Fun

It is not uncommon for me to step back in time to my newspaper journalism days in my dreams. Most often I find myself chasing a story, overcoming obstacles to obtain all the facts, then rushing to get it written before deadline.

Sometimes I wake up before the story is complete, which annoys me. I even try to go back to sleep so I can finish the task. I took Confucious’ advice and did find a job I loved.

Other assignments that were special to me were the times I got to write about good people, like this one about Paul Rokich, who was known as the Johnny Appleseed of the Ouirrh Mountains.

I also have working dreams when I find myself in a pickle of a mess, like not having a pen to write with or getting lost on the way to an assignment, or simply missing deadline. On the morning of these dreams it usually takes me a while to convince myself that the dream isn’t real and I’m not going to get yelled at by an editor.

Part of my 37 years as a journalist, however, I was also an editor, and the dreams I have along this vein involve me doing a better job of the task than I know I did when it wasn’t a dream. I had the heart of a reporter, and only the better pay near the end of my career prompted me to become a desk-bound editor.

But I even enjoy these dreams, because they teach me something about myself.

I didn’t, however, enjoy the dream I had last night. I found myself attending a political gathering, and despite all the talking going on, I couldn’t find something to write about. Every word coming out of the candidates’ mouths sounded childish, gibberish or involved unsubstantiated claims or even bullying of people because of their looks.

When I finally woke up, I was angry, and there was no doubt in my mind where this dream had come from. What made me even angrier is that I suspect I might be having more of these nightmares in the coming days.

Bean Pat: Interesting Literature http://tinyurl.com/od9sl64 If you like Lewis Carrol and Jabberwocky, you’ll like this blog.

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Keep on Keeping On

Posted in Journeys, Writing, tagged vita-sackville-west on September 6, 2015| 4 Comments »

“What I like in a good author is not what he says, but what he whispers.” Logan Pearsall Smith

Writing feels like a sliver of silver moon that sheds light on what the dark tries to hide. within the world and within ourselves. Things may still be hazy, but never again invisible. — Photo by Pat Bean .

Doing That Writing Thing

I write because to not write is to not breathe. I think I’m not alone in how I feel. .

Why do you write, and what’s your favorite writing quote?

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I’m an Art Schizophrenic

Posted in Art, Journeys, Writing on August 17, 2015| 6 Comments »

This was a carefully done illustration of a gila woodpecker I did to go with an Audubon birding blog.

This was a carefully drawn, then painted, illustration of a gila woodpecker I did to go with an Audubon birding blog.

“Writing is a socially acceptable form of schizophrenia.” – E. L. Doctorow

This was a freehand col I did quickly, spending maybe 15 minutes on, and with no advance drawing.

This was a freehand watercolor I did quickly, spending maybe 15 minutes on, and with no advance drawing. I love it.

Not Sure If That’s Good or Bad

When I was a reporter, I learned to talk to everyone from the homeless guy on Ogden, Utah’s 25^th Street to Congressman Jim Hansen in his Washington D.C. office. I loved my life because it was always different and never boring.

And this is a piece I agonized over for days because I had a bright idea of a fish in a bowl of flowers, and which in my opinion is a total flop. I hate it.

But I eventually developed a voice as a journalist, not so much my own voice but as a style of writing in which I let readers see the world through my eyes. It was more difficult after I retired and began writing personal essays. I had to work to develop my own voice, and that took time. I finally decided that I write with an old broad’s voice, and I say that proudly, who is a wandering wonderer.

Lately I’ve become more active in art, particularly watercolors. This morning I looked at three recent pieces and realized, as far as technique and style, they had absolutely nothing in common. I keep experimenting hoping that I will discover an artistic voice, just as I have a writing voice.

Right now my artistic efforts are clearly schizophrenic. But then again maybe that’s my real art voice. What do you think?

Bean Pat: Paths of Color http://tinyurl.com/pyosgg3 Now this is an artist with a distinctive voice, and its one I love.

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Falling Down

Posted in Dogs, Journeys, Writing, tagged falling down, fears on July 7, 2015| 13 Comments »

A blast from the past: Me and Maggie hiking Mount Ogden’s foothills. — Photo by Pat Bean.

“It is necessary for a man to go away by himself, to sit on a rock and ask, ‘Who am I, where have I been, and where am I going?” Carl Sandburg

We Should All Do It More

When I was learning to ski, I would sit down the second I felt out of control. But eventually I learned to stay in control and then I seldom ever fell down.

So what does my skiing instructor tell me? “You’re not falling down enough,” he said.

It was a strange comment, but I immediately understood what he meant. He was telling me that I was playing it too safe, and that this was keeping me from getting better.

The fear of falling, call it failure, is still a fault of mine. Looking back now, I realize that this fear held me back from moving forward many times over the years. I don’t know about you, but getting up seems to be the easy part for me. .

Bean Pat: Remembering http://tinyurl.com/p7byop4 I’ve had writer’s block the past couple of weeks, which is almost a first for me. This blog gave me a helpful push in the right direction.

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