Spring

Spring has once again arrived in New Jersey, more or less. It has been a cold Spring and it is now April 15th and the daffodils are really just out in force. Although nothing much seems to stop the daffodils - they come up through the snow if they have to. Such a beautiful flower with a wonderful scent, and with such strength, like some people. I read about the tribulations that some individuals have sometimes, and they would be enough to stop or slow down the average person, but these people are NOT average - they go above and beyond their own infirmities and obstacles - they rise above. I just read about a young man like this who co-founded an organization in New Brunswick called R.I.S.E.N. They want to help and mentor youth who are at risk and it comes from their own challenges in life. We should be thankful for them.
I always marvel at the daffodils when they appear. They seem more like wildflowers than true garden flowers, something very special and beautiful, a gift after the darkness of winter.I'm thankful for them, too.

Diners and such

We just visited the Flemington Diner. The opening was a momentous occasion in the community as our last diner burned down close to thirty years ago. We watched the burned out site for the reappearance or rejuvenation of the original diner but this never happened. Apparently, there was insurance fraud involved, so the site just deteriorated and eventually, years later, the land was sold and redeveloped into stores. The original diner was large and had a banquet room where various functions were held. It had a very popular feature: a large salad bar that had more than salad. It also offered hot dishes, and senior citizens would come in just for the "salad bar" at lunchtime and make it their main meal. I worked for a company which had weekly meetings there and when the diner burned, we ended up down the street at what my boss called "the greasy spoon." At that time, there were few restaurants that had the room for a company meeting. Over the years, there were other restaurants, but none was the classic diner with which we are familiar in New Jersey. Diners have evolved over the years from the original railroad dining car but usually the diner is a free standing building on a highway, which is open early and late and offers counter service and tables with basic types of American food such as burgers, hot dogs, soups, salads, entrees such as possibly pot roast and lunches with sandwiches and of course, desserts such as pies, cakes and rice puddings. Actually, there is much more, including breakfast, pancakes, sausages and eggs.

When we visited the new diner, there were a lot of senior citizens happily enjoying lunch. The diner is probably less expensive than than the other chain restaurants we have  here.  Actually, there is another restaurant not far away but it is in another town. It calls itself a diner but although it actually has a real railroad car attached (!) it is closer to a restaurant in ambiance with a wood burning fireplace and it also is a very popular place because the food is good and plain with early bird offerings.

All this doesn't really convey what a diner is. Maybe it is a restaurant that doesn't have any aspirations to be something more than it is. Just plain food in variety. Ours also has something that is in short supply around here - the Danish pastry. And a selection of fruit pies. That's enough to entice us in. That's OK.

La Florida

Beautiful Florida. How lucky we are to have a state like this in the USA. Housing is varied, from reasonable to multimillions. But everyone has access to gorgeous free beaches, waterways, lakes by the hundreds, and everywhere there is the beauty of flowers and palms and tropical plants. Leaving Disneyworld out of it, there is plenty to keep anyone busy. And the climate (leaving aside hurricanes and natural things no one can do much about) is very good. Winter is kind down here. Summer, not so much, but many people prefer it to the North anyway. It is a good state for older people and of course that makes it a cliche that is the butt of jokes and sneering comments. I say, let them sneer! I will be sitting on a lanai with my glass of wine, with the swaying palms and pines in view. Right now, just temporarily, but who knows, maybe much longer in future.

Mulling

Mulling over what I should write about next. I'd like to make it interesting if possible. Or at least lively enough to keep the reader awake. I'm now reading a book about button collectors. On the face of it, you wouldn't think this would be too exciting, but in the hands of a good writer, almost anything can be. The button collectors book is a mystery of course. Prior to that, I read a book about granite quarrying, also a mystery. A very good book, I might add, in spite of the subject. The author told you just enough about the operation and not too much. Too much about digging granite out of the ground would not be good at all. There was a great description of a boat chase up the North Carolina coast in it, so if I had stopped at the mention of granite, I might have missed that. And I do love boats. The title of this book is "Hiding Gladys " by Lee Mims. The button book is "Hot Button" by Kylie Logan. and I've just started it  so I can't report on it further. I have quite the collection of old buttons myself as I can never bring myself to throw them out. However, I'm sure none of them are the really old and unusual that I will be reading about, the true "collector" buttons. I'm already starting to get interested as someone has just mentioned a "moonglow" button. What a lovely name.  Maybe it is because it brings back the movie "Picnic" and the musical theme, a movie I saw when a teenager.

Winter in the Northeast

Well, I guess we are in the Northeast in New Jersey. We  just miss being in the MidAtlantic and we are not far enough North to be in New England. Our weather is fairly good although we are not immune to storms. Being in the West of the State, we don't usually get any of the coastal storms, unless they veer Westward. So it could be worse.
I was thinking the other day about personality and how that must factor into any work of fiction. I suppose another word for that is character, when it comes to writing, anyway. If a writer can capture that, it makes for a fascinating read. I think that is what makes Britcoms so interesting. They always feature the little quirks that make you laugh and recognize in people you know yourself.
Then there are the fatal flaws. Once you observe that a character has a fatal flaw you are waiting for them to come to a bad end.....or will they? Suspense! It's easy for me to talk about this but actually creating a work of fiction in which people come to life is not easy at all. But we can hope.
Somewhere Inspiration is lurking, ready to strike!

A Pain in the.....

When I reached the age of about seven, I think, I made my first acquaintance with the migraine. This then became my (almost) lifelong companion. Those blinding headaches would occur regularly, and I never knew exactly when one would strike.
Different people have different versions of the migraine. Some people have more severe and/or more frequent ones. But most are somewhat similar. A faint throb in the temples which gets worse and more insistent until your whole head is a field of pain. Light hurts your eyes. You lie down somewhere quiet, take aspirin and wait for it to go away. When I was a child, I would get the severe pain of a headache which made me nauseous. After I had thrown up and lain down for a while and slept, the headache had done its worst.
But on into maturity, then the headache became a three day endurance test. Taking aspirins, putting cloths on the head, trying to sleep and waking up worse, on and on the pain would go until when I was exhausted, it would start to fade away. Having headaches like this makes you a different person, one who tries to avoid stressful situations which might trigger a headache. Because once started the headache will run its course. You may as well forget about any profession that is high stress because you will pay for it. A calm lifestyle with good food at regular intervals is what you need. Then, after menopause, one good thing seemed to happen. The migraines faded away, a thing I never thought would occur. By that time the migraine was a part of me, but suddenly I was free of it. I don't know why, but I'm thankful.

Martin Luther, you were a great man

I remember when Martin Luther King was leading peace marches in the South. That was in the days when it was hazardous to do this. There was not only prejudice in the South, but actual rules that excluded anyone of color from certain things. It is hard to imagine now that there were separate facilities for whites and "coloreds" such as toilets and places to sit on the bus. Yet Martin Luther was not bitter, violent, sarcastic, snarky, superior or any of the negative things that divide people. No, what I remember about him is the love that he exuded. He had a dream and that dream was of a world where people accepted others no matter what differences they had. In that world, those who were disadvantaged did not want to "get back at" the people who had wronged them. If we are divided in that way, how can we come together? No, Martin Luther King rose above that kind of thinking and that is why I salute him. I wish there were more like him, and actually, I believe there are many out there. We just don't hear about them. The media today would prefer to feature the sensational and so often the sensational is negative. So today is Martin Luther's day, the day we celebrate a truly great man.