Finding Inspiration

As many of you know, I have been posting this blog for my current class, Interactive Project Management. As part of my assignment, I need to post three times a week. I used to think that posting numerous blogs on various topics wouldn't be that difficult. After all, Seinfeld managed to do a show about nothing for how many years?

Photo by Peter Junno

However, like most writers, I have found myself subject to writer’s block occasionally with this blog and thought it might be a good idea to think about where I could find my inspiration. Truth be told, this thought was hastened along by article written by Mark Schaefer on www.ragan.com entitled, “Shut Up and Blog: How to Create Endless Ideas for Content.” In this article, Schaefer says that people can develop blog topics by just being observant to those things around them and thinking about what others are asking them. In short, he says, “Consider how the emotion from that moment can be translated into a blog post. And then write it down!”

So I first thought I should look at places and times when I typically find inspiration. For me, in the shower or while I'm driving are the two best places that I find inspiration. Not necessarily because of the scenery (especially in the shower!) but because I have a chance to free my mind from other clutter. Yes, I may be concentrating on changing lanes or lathering my hair, but my mind can wander to other places and ideas. Unfortunately, neither of these places exactly lend themselves to a convenient way of writing things down immediately.

Retrieved from
 http://fjorn1.deviantart.com/art/Dream-Torn-Paper-Wallpaper-376594877.

The best times for me to develop ideas is right as I fall asleep or even in my dreams. Many of my dreams are good for science fiction as I have really, really bizarre ones. I once dreamt of a lunatic veterinarian that implanted a Saint Bernard with something that allowed the dog to give birth to a clone of his deceased son. Talk about a weird dream but oh, what a cool science fiction story though. Over the years I have kept a dream journal so I can write those thoughts down and continue to be amazed and surprised at what the subterranean parts of my brain will conjure up while I'm enjoying some well-deserved REM sleep.

Next I thought about topics that typically help me find inspiration. As you've seen in my posts, my pets, friends and family seem to drift to the top. Why? Simple. They are the most important things to me and therefore, on my mind quite a bit. Don't worry, I won't write a novella about how stinky my dog is after coming home from a play date with the neighbor dog down the street. I may, however, have to post something about how smart he is sometime though. 

And today, I drew inspiration on finding inspiration. I guess Schaefer is correct in that you can look almost anywhere to see something that might lead you to writing a blog on the topic. 

Pillows

I know for a fact that as we get older, we get quirkier. I saw this happen with my grandmother and also with my mother. Now I'm getting to be that person. I’m now the person that brings their own pillow to a hotel for the weekend – or at least should.

Pillows - I'll never take them for granted again.

I used to privately laugh at people carrying pillows through the airport. I thought to myself, “Can't you just buck up and sleep on what the hotel has made available?”

But I learned the importance of bringing such an item the hard way when I forgot to bring my pillow for my Girls Weekend Adventure on Friday. I realized the mistake about halfway to my destination so it was too late to turn around. It wouldn't make any sense to buy a new pillow either.

First, it's not like I'm a big germ-a-phobe and I worried about catching something from the hotel pill. And, second, getting your pillow to that state of perfectness is not easily done, or at least it isn't for me. It takes years to get them molded just perfectly. I have to fluff it, mold it, pull it and of course, sleep on it as I attempt to break it in.

The importance of a good pillow should not be trivialized. Pillows, in my opinion, are influential in everything from helping alleviate back or neck pain to determining how you wake up in the morning. Do you awake rested or weary? Sleeping on a bad pillow can literally be a pain in the neck for me.

So as I’m at the hotel and I know I need to find a pillow for the night. It’s at that point that I felt much like Goldilocks. Each pillow was too fluffy, too flat until finally, I discovered what was just right – a blanket. Yes, I found relief by using a blanket as my pillow but my neck and back thanked me in the morning.

I’m now resigned to the fact that I will likely be one of those people the remainder of my life – lugging pillows around on planes and weekend getaways. Could be worse I guess as I've learned I need to keep the teddy bear at home.

Girls Weekend

There are times in life that everyone needs a break. Many people go fishing, listen to music, read a book or go for a jog. I think all of that is well and good, but my idea of getting away from everything is having a weekend with the girls.

Me (cetner) with my childhood friends (left to right) , Bev, Tammy and Mary.

My friends – Mary, Bev and Tammy – are three people that I’ve known for decades. They know what I’ve been through, they know my moods, they know what makes me tick – and I know all this about them. I’ve been in their weddings, been there for births and deaths and they for me.

We’ll sit around, drink a little wine, eat some snacks and try to get out of our pajamas at some point. We’ll, of course, do all of this while talking about the trials and tribulations of being mothers of teenagers. Of course, the husbands think that it’s a bunch of hens getting together to cackle and gossip. I like to think it’s a lot cheaper than going to therapy on a regular basis.

Looking forward to good times, good chats and good friends.

Random Thoughts on Speeding, Babies and Birthdays

Tickets – Yuck

My husband has the worst luck when it comes to speeding tickets. In the five-plus years that I have known him, my husband has had the misfortune to get several speeding tickets. Call it bad luck, call it bad timing or call it speeding, either way it’s not pretty.

Tonight we were busted just on the outskirts of Hammond, Wis., after having dinner with Eric’s daughter, Erin. As we sat in the car for about 15 minutes waiting for the cop to come back, we analyzed the situation. There was a car with Wisconsin tags in front of us going the same speed as we were but yet they weren't pulled over. Hmmm, we have Minnesota tags. I wonder if that was the problem.

Meanwhile as the minutes ticked by, we witnessed a number of other cars committing what seemed to be several other speed or driving infractions. Several cars sped past us on the side of the road, obviously going over the posted limited, and we witnessed irrational driving that almost resulted in an accident. But thankfully (insert sarcasm here), we were safely pulled over on the side of the road.

Thankfully there is a legal system that is in place that allows one to fight the ticket and have your day in court.

 

Royal Babies

I remember when Lady Diana and Prince Charles were married. I was just a kid and got up early so I could watch the wedding. At that time we barely had a VCR to watch movies, let alone taping something to watch it later. Then there was the birth of Prince William – again, before the age of social media.

Now, thank goodness for Facebook and Twitter because I never would have known that the royal prince was born. At least, not within moments of the baby’s birth anyway! Having lived in Scotland for a semester in college, I like to think that I have some reason to be interested in the royal family. At least I haven't obsessed over this latest event like others have. I heard on the news tonight that some 25 percent of Americans admitted to closely following the expected birth. Huh, too bad it seems more people in the States are interested in this birth than voting.

Significant Birthdays

Me at age 4

My birthday is this week. I'll be 45. Most people freak out over birthdays like this – or those that end in zero like 40 or 50. Not me. I freak out the year prior. I went off the deep end at 29 and 34 wasn’t much better. At 39 I decided to run a marathon by the time I was 40 and I did. Age 44 brought some angst but not like other years. Maybe I'm getting comfortable in my own skin and recognizing who I am. Maybe it’s just too tiring to get hung up on age. All I know is I'm happy I'm alive another year to celebrate because I don't care for the alternative. 

Recipe for a Perfect Weekend

I have to say I just had the best, if not perfect, weekend. Nearly all of the stars were in alignment for things to be at the optimum – it was great.

Reading a Good Book

It’s been a long time since I took the time to read a book for pleasure. I can’t explain exactly why that is other than there has been a lot going on in my life. Within the past five years I have done the following: met and married the man who is now my husband; purchased a home and with that comes all sorts of responsibilities; been laid off, ran my own business and started a different job; had two pets die but adopted two; had a step-daughter graduate from high school and, because I don't have enough going on, I started grad school.

So, short story, not much time to read books for leisure. But in the past few weeks, thanks to my niece, Christiana Johnson, I discovered the Hunger Games trilogy. I had seen the movie a couple of times but hadn't taken the time to read the book. I am ecstatic that I did so. The movie was phenomenal but the book – oh my, what a trip. It had me from page one and has not yet released me.

Yes, I'm in grad school but yet, I can't put these books down. I have plowed through books one and two and book three beckons me as I type. Alas, so does homework . . . ;)

Doing Yard Work

Given all of the snow, rain and lack of sunny weekend days this year, I feel as though summer only just began. I didn't plant my entire garden, my peas and beans were planted terribly late, and only half of my flower boxes have some semblance of flowers in them.

This past weekend was filled with yard work, fence building and pulling weeds. I never thought that pulling weeds would land in the “great weekend” category but guess what, it did. At the end, I felt that a job was accomplished and that eventually something would grow strong and straight, no longer hindered by weeds.

Visiting Family

I had the opportunity to see my niece this weekend along with visiting with her little boy. Christi is much like the daughter I never had. She was born when I was only 14 and we pretty much grew up together. Then, when she had her son, Owen, life dropped me in her city with a new job and time on my hands. Throughout the time I was living in DC and babysitting Owen, I grew closer to both my niece and her son. There are times that she feels like both my sister and my daughter as well as my niece. Always she feels like my friend and confidant.

So to me, the combination of reading, doing work in the garden and visiting family account to the best weekend I've had in a long time. Nothing better than expanding your brain, getting dirt under your fingernails and getting caught up on family stories. 

Family Love Stories

My mother's family. Ann, my mom, is the little one in the front. My uncle, Bud Lawson, is the strapping young man at the top right. Grandma Lillian stands in the center in the flowered dress with her husband, Harvey Lawson (in the hat), and is surrounded by their children - his, hers and theirs - along with Great Grandpa and Grandma Metzdorf (sitting).

We all have stories that are passed on from generation to generation. In my family, we have three love stories that are the backbone and the soul of our history. I think that whether they are love stories or otherwise, family history and the act of passing it on brings identity to the family.

Uncle Bud and Aunt Becky

My grandmother, Lillian Metzdorf Ackley Lawson Johnson, was a special woman. She was the oldest of six children and outlived four husband/men throughout the course of her life. My grandmother’s second husband, Harvey Lawson, was my mom’s father. When they married, they both had two children from previous marriages and all four were in their early teens. They were Louise and Bud Lawson, twins from my grandpa Harvey’s first marriage and Paul and Earl Ackley, brothers from Grandma Lillian’s first walk down the aisle.

As it turns out, Grandma Lillian’s stepson, Bud, was about the same age as her little sister, Becky. As the two grew up together, they grew close and eventually fell in love. As family lore has it, they were set to be married until one of my mom’s sisters said, “Wait, so that will make my aunt my sister and my brother my uncle.”

Unfortunately this was in earshot of my great-grandma who did all she could to squelch the young romance. It was wartime and Bud went overseas but continued to write Becky during his travels. The letters never got to her though as my great-grandmother intervened.

Both went on with their lives, believing that the other had given up on the relationship. Bud married and had a wonderful life with his wife, Sharlene, and their four children. Becky didn't marry but yet traveled extensively and cared for an uncle in the family.

As life moved forward, Sharlene was struck with diabetes which slowly took her life. It was very sad for our family and one of the first deaths I remember as a young teen. Sometime after Sharlene’s death, it was learned that Bud and Becky were in communication again. This is back before the age of Facebook and texts so this took a little bit of effort.

Soon this couple was married after waiting three-plus decades to be together. Talk about a love story! The couple shared but a short time together as my Great Aunt Becky was ill with a liver disease but I know they were happy, joyous months.

Mom and Dad

You could say that my mom (Ann) and dad (Melvin) met via the 1950’s version of Match.com as they were set up by a mutual friend. My mom’s sister-in-law, Darlene, grew up just down the road from my dad and mentioned him to my mom. The catch? Dad was in Greenland working construction so my mom had to write him a letter.

Again, as family lore goes, my dad received the letter in October of 1958 and heavily scrutinized the letter. Since there were no spelling errors in the document, he chose to write back. They met face-to-face in December, 1958, were engaged on Valentine’s Day, 1959 and were married by that June.

Was it a whirlwind romance? Without a doubt! Were they true companions throughout the almost five decades that they were together? Absolutely. And you can bet that I've been very cautious about spelling since, in a sense, my life depended on it.

Grandma Lillian and Grandpa Oscar

As my mother and father wed, two families were blended. Shortly after the marriage, however, tragedy struck and my dad’s mother, Marie, died of cancer. My mother’s father had died when she was three and Grandma Lillian had a relationship with a terrible man that I know only as “Jim.” Eventually Jim disappeared from the picture and a romance blossomed between Grandma Lillian and my paternal grandfather, Oscar. Yes, it’s true, my mom’s mom, married my dad’s dad. How’s that for a strange family tree?

And while Grandpa Oscar died when I was just a year old and the couple was together but for a few years, both sides of the family spoke fondly of the relationship. It was obvious that they both turned to one another in times of need to find someone that understood the hell they had suffered and could support each other.

It makes me wonder, as I think about these love stories, how my story will unfold. I met my husband via Match.com. A little different than my ancestors.

Pets – Are They Really Life Lessons in Disguise?

Two of my more recent pets, Lenny and Louie.

Growing up on a farm in northern Wisconsin, I had any number of pets. They were my companions and confidants. They were my unconditional friends that listened and loved me no matter the day or the mood. Little did I know that these pets were teaching me about life at the time.

Of course, cats were the most plentiful and I always had several that were my favorites. Those that I remember best were named Fuzzy Britches, Rhondo, Martha, Ert, Snooper and Joe Cat. These cats are remembered for a number of reasons – some for having unique names, one for having an untimely death and finally, many because they managed to escape a variety of precarious situations.

Funny Names

Fuzzy Britches is one of the first cats I remember and this is very vaguely. Most likely it’s a memory conjured up with the help of descriptions provided to me by my mother. As a little girl, I had a hard time pronouncing the letter R in Fuzzy Britch’s name. You can only imagine that how that sounded and how it made my parents and other laugh. Martha and Ert also fall into that category of unique names as my intent was to name them after Bert and Ernie. Oops! The names Martha and Ert are pretty close, right?

Gone Too Soon

Rhondo, unfortunately, was the kitty that met an untimely death. Rhondo was actually a gift from a friend – not your regular barn cat that we had on the farm. We were best buds . . . Rhondo would follow me around the farm as I carried out the adventures of my day. Many times I would be in the garden, in the barn or wandering around the woods.

Our farm is located on a well-traveled county road and one day my travels took me and Rhondo too close to the road. This is when I learned that some people are mean and unforgiving. I heard a car approaching and looked up just in time to see a car swerve – not away, but toward, my cat. Thankfully Rhondo was killed instantly. It is because of this that I have no time for people that do not respect pets or other animals.

Don’t Give Up

Snooper, Martha and Joe Cat were truly cats with nine lives. For example, my brothers would hold our dog, Clyde, and grab Snooper and taunt the dog with him. Then they would let them both go – just barely giving the cat a head start. Snooper always made a quick getaway but Clyde also always just one step behind.

Martha, too, showed me the resilience of animals. It was summer time and we were haying. My dad was moving a wagon full of hay. Martha ran out at the wrong time and boom, her back legs were run over by a wagon wheel. Now, for those of you that have never hefted a hay bale – that’s about four tons of hay that ran over this cat.

Martha, amazingly, got up and ran away. She disappeared for many, many days and we all thought she had run off to die. To our surprise, Martha came down from the hay mow about a week or so later – skinny but fully recovered.

Finally, Joe Cat lived through an event that to this day still shocks and surprises me. One of the machines we had on the farm was called a straw chopper. Its premise is pretty simple. A straw bale is put into a vertical chamber that has several blades in the bottom of it. Once started and engaged, the blades rotate and thus, chop the straw, spewing it about six feet out the side of the machine and into the calf pen or cow stall.

Many times there would be half a bale or so left in the machine and the cats would jump into the chamber to take a nap. When I used the machine, I almost always checked the chamber but one day my dad needed to chop straw. Meeeooowww! Out jumps Joe Cat with gashes on his side and half of his paw missing. The vet, who happened to be there to treat a sick cow, told me that Joe Cat was going to die. For some reason, though, I wouldn’t take no for an answer. Over a few weeks, with a little penicillin and some first aid care by our dog, Heidi, the cat lived on and continued to be a great mouser – even with one less paw.

Life Lessons

As an adult I look back fondly on these relationships and realize that I was learning life lessons all along. First, names are important – as is pronouncing them correctly. Secondly, there are mean people out there that do bad things. And finally, never give up no matter how bad things look. You just may run faster or have the determination to get out of your situation. Hmm, makes me wonder what my current pets are teaching me!

Inaugural Post & A Revival of Off the Cuff

Welcome to my inaugural post! Years ago I think I started a blog but, as many of you have likely experienced, life got in the way and the blog went by the wayside. So, here I am again - putting fingers to keyboard, thoughts to screen.

The name of the blog, "CJ's Off the Cuff," is a revival of sorts. When I worked as a reporter in Edgerton, WI, I had a column with a similar name. This was back in the day before blogs, email and that thing we call the Internet. Those of you under 30 may think that was the Dark Ages but we got by just fine, thank you very much!

That said, in that column I took the opportunity to talk about things on my mind around the world, around the community and about life in general. It turns out that I touched a few people with that column, thus I'm compelled to try my hand at this once again.

I will warn you, my posts may be random. They'll range from the adventures of my two pets, to musings about nicknames and from the latest project that I'm working on to issues in the agricultural community that I feel need to be discussed. Yes, the posts will run the gamut. 

So hang on tight, it could be a fun ride as we explore my inner brain workings.

CJ