Coffeeshop Writer's Group - Nearly everyone was there - My Birthday Celebration - Poem: I Make Bread

Stayed up till about 1 am working on my new short story The Ten Lives of Tom O'Shea, based on the story of this highly decorated police officer. 

See this blog post for background info, which also figures in my short story. 

Polished it this morning and got good feedback from the Writer's Group, esp. Floyd. I will do what you suggest, Floyd.

I was shocked and delighted that people remembered my birthday. I'll be 69 on Christmas Day. Brought my cheese challah which everyone enjoyed.

Soft butter is imperative. I walked quickly to the Dairy Case and squeezed every single tub of butter or its surrogate and brought back... Giant Brand of Butter with Canola Oil. Excuse the gap.

Our humble servant Allan Heller could not make it. He appears in my short story as a pizza delivery man.

Our group has a debate going. Shall we email our work to one another? Floyd and I vote yes. So does Linda since she's emailed her new sci-fi story to us.

Some people say they feel overwhelmed by the amount they've gotta read.

For my 60th b'day, my daughter Sarah gave me a most unusual gift. She signed me signed up for a novel-writing class at MediaBistro.com 

Not only did I write - and finish - my novel - but I had to read chapters by eleven other people. Now that was a lotta reading.

One woman, Anne Strauss, has published two novels. We had an Indian guy in our group, a cardiovascular surgeon, who was working on a novel. Then there was a guy who was an editor of an auto mag.

We'd all get together for an online chat. All eleven! One time Dan and his GF Nicole came over.

"Mom," he said. "I proposed to Nicole." 

Now of course they've got two kids, Grace, four, and Max, 18 months. We're going there for Xmas. I have another challah - just the dough - in the freezer.

Just talked to mom who doesn't wanna go. She doesn't like people seeing her walking with a cane and crexing along.

It's better to be seen, I said, than forgotten.

 Martha sent in some wonderful Xmas memories. She was a shy child, full of unintentional hysterical mischief.

Carly read a fictitious account of a California Xmas. She hails from California. The main character was Jackie. The poor little girl lived in many a different home.

Donna wrote a poem on different views of Christmas.... from the viewpoint of an adult and a child. Very food-centered. Licorice put in Christmas stockings.

The two of them bought me a Xmas cactus for my b'day

I put it in my newly cleaned window sill. BTW, I love the shape of Coke bottles. The little people were given to me by Mom who traveled to Belgium years and years ago. She also bought me the little blue dish in the front.

Thanks for the peanuts, Marf! See they know me. She also got me



How simple! How wonderful!

Kreative Kym wrote some short poems which she read us. Kym, send me a couple and I'll post em if you wish.

Linda is working on a sci-fi piece. The emperor's name is Alaric Linda.

Beatriz read a piece about growing up in Venezuela without her parents. Instead, she was raised for a year by her grandmother, her maid who went home at night, while her parents were in France. Her dad had gotten a grant to study there.

They came home - with their new twins - and Beatriz had no idea who they were.

Wow! Quite a story.

 Who made these professionally drawn bookmarks?

The same individual who gave me a b'day card of a flower and a fly.

Beatriz Moisset.

I really enjoyed my coffee - French Vanilla.

Why is my backpack strapped on? Oh, I guess I'm gonna go shopping. Scott and I are having pizza tonite so I've gotta get the requisite toppings.

Only 9 more minutes until he calls me.

BTW, my blood sugar is 175 from the challah. Let's see if it's gone down any.

Yes, it dropped to 160. But, ya know what? It could also rise. It has a mind of its own.

I MAKE BREAD

The first five refused to rise

they were testing me

initiating me into the club.

Is she worthy?

“Whisk oil into yeast, then

beat in four eggs, one at a time.”

I was twenty-four, living

with Millard in a rowhouse in Philadelphia

mom’s porch furniture in

the living room. A blue

slab of formica was my kneading

board on the kitchen table.

The room looked out onto a huge

patch of gray sky, cement, and

not a single blade of grass.

The aroma of the bread

in the oven filled the room

and wrapped around me like

the mantilla worn by

a senorita in love with a

bull fighter.

I did everything right

this time. As the bread

grew like a baby in the oven

I washed the tools in warm

sudsy water: wooden spoon with

a smiling face, rubber

spatula with dough cleaving

to the edges, a deep porcelain

bowl that once held my grandmother’s

confections

Smells good, Millard would say.

Or, rather, that’s what I wanted

him to say, once the bread

stopped being sassy and

claimed me as one of its own.