Music is the strongest form of Magic

Welcome to Poppy’s Blog!

The weather has been beautiful and we have a nice breeze that comes through in the morning and afternoon. In the morning, I sit and have coffee on my balcony while the woodpecker family have their meetings.  I have been keeping myself busy working in the garden, writing, crocheting, reading, bicycle riding, going on hikes, making masks, and of course watching "BOSCH"  Julie T. said I should check it out.  It has become my favorite series on Amazon.  Thank you, Julie T.  I sometimes treat myself to the "New York Times" and my favorite sections are the Weekend Arts and the Business Section.  Occasionally, I will attempt the crossword puzzle. 

How have you been holding up since the coronavirus outbreak?  I don't mind being at home, I have become a home body.  I also know I must be careful because my immune system was compromised back in 2007 when I contracted "Valley Fever" in Paso Robles, CA.  If I need to go shopping I do it early morning, and if there are too many people in the store, I will not go in.  I changed a few things I do, always wear a mask, keep 6 feet away and if anyone gets too close, I let them know. 

I would like to share a story while growing up on the farm. In times like this we need to cultivate positivity in our lives.

While growing up, my mom listened to all kinds of music and each of us learned to play an instrument. I was in the 3^rd grade when I learned to play the flute and piccolo. I played in the school band and my music teacher was Mr. Mora. We had spring and winter concerts. We practiced a lot and my brothers gave me hell.  Our dogs would howl when we practiced. My big brother played the trumpet and trombone, my other brother played the drums and my little brother played the saxophone. One Mother’s Day we put on a concert for my mom. She was “tickled pink” and smiled all day.  Those were the days!

          Those were the days, my friend

We thought they'd never end
We'd sing and dance forever and a day
We'd live the life we choose
We'd fight and never lose
For we were young and sure to have our way
La la la la...

My mom signed us up for talent shows. We played songs she picked out, and they were not bad. My big brother played the “Lonely Bull, by Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass on his trumpet, I played “Greensleeves a folk ballad by Aafje Heynis” with my flute. When I went on stage, I put the music stand up high so that nobody could see my face. Then, Mr. Mora my music teacher would come on stage and fix the stand. In the beginning I was stage fright, then I got used to it.

I now understand what my mother would say about music.  Music touches our soul because it expresses at times what we cannot verbally express ourselves or that it expresses nearly exactly how we feel. Its universal and, therefore, brings us together. It starts with a beat; raindrops tapping against a window, the roar of the ocean as the waves break and rush towards the shore, the beating of our own heart. Music brings me closer to creativity, tranquility, and beauty. I thank my mom for instilling music in my soul. Did you grow up listening to music? If so, what kind?

I will end with this quote “And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music.”

See the beauty of everyday things

It is up to you to see the beauty of everyday things. It’s easy to get wrapped up in our day to day chores that we forget to see the beauty that surrounds us. In any given moment there is beauty all around us. Sometimes we find it in the details of a flower or in the eyes of our loved one. Never stop looking. 

Infuse your life with action

Infuse your life with action. Don’t wait for it to happen. Make it happen. Make your own future. Make your own hope. Make your own love. And whatever your beliefs, honor your creator, not by passively waiting for grace to come down from upon high, but by doing what you can to make grace happen… yourself, right now, right down here on Earth. 

Make Happiness a Priority

Its been a while since I've blogged. I have so many good things happening in my life. I am loving the country and the garden has been keeping me busy.  I take evening hikes and spend time crocheting, riding my bike and writing. My granddaughter Sophia has been helping me in the garden. She is determined to grow a 500lb pumpkin and it looks like it is coming along quite nicely.

My “Polona” book is off again, and I am crossing my fingers its final. I had to do away with Cimino Kid and bring on a younger faster and agile cowboy who wears a black cowboy hat and boots. I named him “Trip."  I also have a few more stories on "Nature Special Task Team - Poppy and Marshal." I am going to make it a series.

I also started a biography of my late husband. I have more interviews to do and I am putting the dates and years together. He did so much in his lifetime and its getting interesting.  I did my first history lecture in Paso Robles on the westside. I had a few people from LA and Arroyo Grande. It was nice and relaxing.  At the end, they asked if they could take my picture. They were great. 

I had a disturbing call from my big brother who works at Good Sam hospital.  He asked me if I could make him masks. He said the hospital had him sign out a mask a couple days ago, and he has been wearing the same one for days. I made him several masks and met him in Gilroy. It was nice to see him.  He is so serious and I love him.  I made him smile after he called me "Chata" my childhood name.  I made several more masks for Don Chapin Co., Monterey County Bank, Pezzini Farm, and Lucky's employees who make my coffee in the morning. A big "thank you" to my daughter who cut the fabric and Sophia who ironed the masks. 

Helping others makes me feel good. Giving is not just about making a donation.  It is about making a difference.  We are living in strange times. I hope and pray we find a cure for this virus.  Please be safe.

I will end with this quote.   

"Make happiness a priority and be gentle with yourself in the process."

                                    My little helper 'Sophia"

Poppy had Writer's Block

Welcome to Poppy's Blog!

Its been a while since I've blogged.  I had what they call "writer’s block." So, I decided to ride my bike, jog and hike.  I planted my veggie garden and more cut flowers. I have been napping every day for 30 to 45 minutes and meditating. I dwindled my moving boxes down to 2 boxes which is great. It’s nice to be on a hill where you can ONLY see the city lights. I have an owl that hoots nightly, turkeys that wake me in the morning and frogs and crickets that sing to me. 🎶 In the evenings we watch the sunset.  Every sunset is different. 

Before my writer’s block, I sent a book query to an agent in NY. I received an e-mail and thought it was spam then realized it was the agent I had sent my book query too. When you pitch a story, it can take somewhere between a couple of months to almost a year before you hear anything. Maybe I got lucky when I pitched “Polona,” in San Francisco. I walked in sat down and started to talk about my book.  The literary agent smiled and handed me his card and said give me 10 pages. I think my hard work, creativity and dedication is the driving force behind me. I now have two projects, I am working on simultaneously. Polona is not completed because I can’t end the story. It’s been in rewrite phase for 6 months. I guess I need to do what’s best and end the story. 

I am embarking on another book which is quite fun. Its about two people “Poppy and Marshal” plus their sidekick Max who is a black English lab. They enjoy being in nature and going on hikes and country drives looking for different flower species.  They are hired to assist ranchers that want a specific plants eradicated. Poppy and Marshal do not use pesticides or herbicides. They use their knowledge of plants and flowers to solve the conundrum.

As of now, I think I am out of the woods. My fiery passion for writing has come back. I feel refreshed, energized and confident. As Lang Leav would say: 

Once when I was running, from all that haunted me; to the dark I was succumbing – to what hurt unbearably.

Searching for the one thing, that would set my soul free.

In time I stumbled upon it, an inner calm and peace; and now I am beginning, to see and to believe, in who I am becoming - and all I’ve yet to be.

The most beautiful things in life are not things. They’re people, places and memories, and pictures.  They’re feelings and moments, smiles and laughter.

  

This weekend I will celebrate my birthday with family.  It’s wonderful to spend quality time with the people I love.  🥂 🎂 

I think I'm quite ready for another adventure.

The day Poppy met her red balloon

Welcome to Poppy’s Blog!

I am feeling better today. I worked in the garden planting a few more flowers. I am on a mission to grow the largest pink peonies. They are one of my favorites.  I also have yellow chrysanthemums which should yield a nice large flower, too.

Today I am sharing another story while growing up on the farm.

It was a couple of days before my birthday and my sister whispered in my ear that  mom was planning a party. Hosting gatherings came natural for her because she loved having company. The night before my birthday, my godmother Mary and godfather Ernie came to visit. They had a special present and wanted me to open it that night. I slowly untied the pretty bow and opened the box. My eyes lit up as I pulled the dress out of the box. It was emerald green on top with a pink ribbon that tied in the back and white pleats. They asked me to model it, so I ran into the bathroom and slipped it on. I felt like a princess, it was pretty, and the material was lightweight. I walked into the kitchen and everyone stopped to stare at me.  Mary my godmother said, "it fits her perfectly." I went over and gave Mary and Ernie a big hug to thank them for my birthday dress. 

As I jumped into bed I thought about my birthday party and how fun it was going to be. We woke up early and mom had breakfast ready.  We ate and then put our play clothes on to help with the decorations.  My mom had music on and was dancing with her broom as she cooked up a storm in the kitchen.  That meant she was happy, and it was going to be a good day.  We went out and blew up the balloons, covered the tables with a birthday linen which matched the plates and cups. My mom made her special punch with orange slices. I stopped to look at the punch bowl as the sun sparkled off it. Everything was perfect. After we finished, we went back to the house to dress for the party. My friends from school started to arrive and were sitting at the table along with my cousins. 

My dad had the barbecue going.  My mom and her sister Mercy along with Mary helped with the side dishes. We finished brushing our hair and ran to the front door. All three of us tried to fit through the doorway at the same time and I ended up falling and scraping my knee and hand.  My mom came running as I cried. She hugged me and helped me up.  I told her my dress was ruined and my knee was bleeding along with my hand.  She cleaned my scrapes and then applied red medicine. As I cried, she tied a red balloon to my wrist. She said when I have pain to pull on the string and my pain would go away. I stopped crying as I looked at the balloon. 🎈 The party was perfect. 🎂 

As I got older, the red balloon which became my safety blanket as a child reappeared because of the trials and tribulations I was experiencing. My daughter and good friend sometimes had to pop it before I floated away.  The red balloon had taken me from a child, teenager and senior. 🎈In the past couple of months, I have released the red balloon for someone who may need it.   I have become a stronger person inside and out.  As they say, you may not end up where you thought you were going, but you will always end up where you were meant to be.

In memory of Mom – My kitchen is for DANCING. 💃🏽

                         Poppy with her red balloon

Love always wins

Welcome to Poppy’s blog!

Today I am happy to be writing. I’ve been under the weather lately because my valley fever decided to flare up and create havoc with my body. My stay at the hospital made me think about our society and where it is leading us.

Our society is shifting towards more individualism and a lack of empathy. We only care for ourselves and our own welfare, but don’t care about others. We are becoming self-centered and have the inability to see the whole picture because we only see our picture. This is going to be a problem down the road when disaster strikes.  This is what I plan to do.

As a grandmother, I am going to teach my granddaughter Sophia the things that my mother taught me:

     Love thy neighbor
     Don’t take people or things for granted
     Words have power but our actions shape our lives
     Collect beautiful moments not things

Here is what Poppy will teach Sophia:

     Always be a little kinder than necessary
     Fill your soul with adventure
     If you don’t like where you are, move you are not a tree

What will you teach your children or grandchildren? When you are out and about try to say “hello” to at least three people. Remember there is nothing more truly artistic than to love people.