THE LAST DAY OF FEBRUARY, A month of love

Posted on by Rae Longest

powerfulwomenreaders

I didn’t love the weather in February; I didn’t love the fact that the pandemic wasn’t getting better. I did love my local library and celebrated Love Your Library Month by donating to the Brazoria County Library, and supporting the Alvin Library League by buying used books for my Little Free Library several times. I LOVE books and everything bookish.

Last February I heard about the old and famous Strand Bookstore in NYC, and with that as my impetus, I got busy planning a girlfriend’s weekend in that city I love.

Three girlfriends, ranging from 50 to 82 in age, and I planned a trip to NYC, which included a Broadway play, a bus tour of the city (none of us are “good walkers”), and a trip to the site of 9/11. Each of us had “special agendas” to carry out while we were there. I intended to visit The…

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A Poem For Friday

Posted on by Rae Longest

estherchiltonblog

Tights

Tights. Now there’s a word,

Which is quite absurd,

Panty hose is just as bad,

And pop socks are a daft fad,

The men all like stockings best,

But those straps are such a pest,

Knee highs seem to be knee lows,

Falling right down to my toes.

But tights take the crown,

For making me frown,

Whatever the size, it’s wrong,

Sometimes they are far too long,

Other times they are too short,

And between my thighs get caught,

Medium would do, I think,

But all that’s left is bright pink.

For legs that are wan,

There’s American tan,

Though the rest of me’s a sight,

White arms, brown legs doesn’t look right,

Ivory makes my legs glow,

Even in the pitch black though,

Barely black are a nice hue,

But by mistake, I buy blue.

Now and then it all works out,

A perfect pair, there’s no…

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Inner battles

Posted on by Rae Longest

Two on a Rant

War.

Who isn’t waging it inside?

Name one person without an angel on one shoulder and a devil on the other.

War begins from the time we’re told, “NO!”

We struggle with culturalization before our first steps,

battling an unseen enemy that stalks our nightmares,

conditions us to accept its presence as inevitable

while we’re told as we walk through life

there is nothing more important than peace on Earth.

We look to the heavens for solace,

awed at a moon shining through a blue sky,

a moon without air, in a space without mercy

where stars burn, and galaxies collide.

War.

Too close, a star kills.

At just the right distance a star gives life to creatures starving for flora and fauna.

We live in a universe holding an angel on one shoulder, a devil on the other…

a lesson written in the skies.

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VALENTINE by Elizabeth Wetmore: A Review

Posted on by Rae Longest

powerfulwomenreaders

A wonderful debut novel

I read about this book, just out this year, in a review in The Houston Chronicle. What made me want to read it was it was set in Odessa, Texas, where my neighbor grew up. All I remember from what she told me about the town was about the terrible, red, dust storms. The Odessa described in this novel as a 1976 oil-boom town is prosperous, and sometimes violent. Men had money, nothing to do, and were heavy drinkers. Women were homebound with many children, dependent on each other for friendship and strength.

When fourteen-year-old Gloria Ramirez appears, bloody and battered, on Mary Rose Whitehead’s front porch, asking for a glass of water and calling out for her mother, the “heartbreaking and thrilling” story begins. And, with “firepower and skill,” Wetmore narrates the story of prejudice and injustice with”breathtaking prose.”

“Sunday morning begins out here in…

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Castellan the Black and his Wise Draconic Tips on Caring for Grandchildren #BrainfluffCastellanthe Black #WiseDragonicTipsonGrandchildren #PickyEaters

Posted on by Rae Longest

Brainfluff

If you find yourself losing a game of chess to a pesky little cleverclog, a tremendous sneeze over the game generally brings it to a close. Especially if you pocket a pawn or two, while cleaning the pieces.

Castellan the Black, mighty dragon warrior, features in my short story Picky Eaters, written to provide a humorous escape from all the stuff that isn’t happening on Wyvern Peak… All proceeds for the duration of its publishing life are donated to mental health charities.

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SATURDAY MORNINGS FOR KIDS

Posted on by Rae Longest

powerfulwomenreaders

Saturday Mornings for Kids reserves Saturday for reviews and recommendations of Children’s Books much like 50s and 60s TV programming reserved Saturday mornings for cartoons.

Today I highly recommend Kashmira Sheth’s Nina Soni, Master of the Garden.

I learned so much from reading this little book!

Indian children will see their own families reflected in Nina’s family, will read words they hear at home in Hindi, and be reminded of Indian food and snacks they often eat at their own tables. Other kids will learn of these interesting words and foods, thus learning more about their Indian friends. But this book is so much more than educational; it is a “darned good read” because the characters matter to the reader, and the plot has its twists and turns.

If nothing else, Nina is a problem solver. She doesn’t let chard-eating, wild rabbits do her in, nor does she give up…

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