I Like...

 One of the best covers of any song is Katie Melua's version of The Cure's classic Just Like Heaven. It's shared below. While it has nothing to do with the words I've written in this post, I do like it. A lot. 

I Like…

A book that I don’t wish to end but can’t stop reading until it does

The smell of coffee in the morning and my need for it 

The familiar things being comforting

My dog sleeping at my feet

Snow falling in the evening when I’ve no reason to be outdoors in it

The nostalgia of hearing a song and what it meant to me a lifetime ago

Wandering antique stores…remembering and imagining.

The scent in the air announcing rain before it actually happens

The way the afternoon sun angles, hinting autumn is near while the calendar says summer

Bonfires, and fire pits in crisp air,

And fireplace glow

Scents of pine, and cinnamon, and nutmeg,

From candles burning and ovens baking

The way a grocery store smells weeks before Thanksgiving through Christmas,

Apples and pumpkins and jack-o-lanterns

Leaves falling, carpeting the earth’s floor, crunching under our feet

That everything is haunted in October.

I Like…

Bookstores and public libraries

Freshly baked bread, the smell and taste of it

Drinking hot chocolate and finding different ways to make it

Always learning

The joy of travel and the greater joy of returning home 

Sleeping in my own bed

Finding art in everything…the way tea pours, the curve of a vase, the shape of a tree,

Music and the peace of mind it gives me listening to it

Writing…composing my thoughts, creating with it

Wine in the evenings

My cameras, capturing magic, freezing time.

I Like...

Spruce trees covered in snow, the branches sloping from the weight of it,

Strands of multi-colored holiday lights woven around it reflecting and muted through the whiteness

Decorating the Christmas tree with ornaments from my travels 

Holiday movies and shows of my youth, shown every year, watched every year,

Wearing hats and jackets and coats, the more variety the better

Anticipation…of good, of normalcy, and receiving it

Daydreaming

Never being let down

Unexpected kindness

Peace.

France

 I recently returned from a trip to France that included visits to Paris, Versailles, and the Normandy coast, with stops at Pointe du Hoc, Omaha Beach and the Normandy American Cemetery. It was a wonderful, itinerary-filled time that I will never forget. 

Below is a screenshot of some of those photos I took, in addition to a few others not from this vacation. In doing it this way, it will at least make it a little harder for the entitled bunch to steal them. 

Honestly, I've gotten really tired of this. So tired that I've consulted an attorney. I will see where this takes me with the copyright and trademark violations, Intellectual Property theft of ideas, harassment and taunting (from the past and going forward). I have a right to this blog and to continue with it; I also own and have rights regarding content. Nearly twelve years of content. 

I have written a few blog posts in the past about this problem. If you like something here, that's great and I appreciate it. If you want to use it, first ask permission. Then give credit and/or monetary compensation for the use of it, especially if you are going to make money from it and claim it as your own. It is what you would demand for your own work, and it's the right thing to do. 

More photographs will be added to my Fine Art America and Pixels sites as I go through them. Please visit Veronica-batterson.pixels.com to take a look. Thanks to all of the honest folks who do! 

It was 1986...

    I love this song.  Even though I'd forgotten about it until I heard it again on Sirius XM the other day. It was released in the summer of 1986, and I remember clearly what I was doing and planning when I first heard it.

   It was during a modeling job I had in Atlanta. I was being photographed for a bridal magazine; through the makeup applications and touchups, dress and hair changes, this song came on the radio during the shoot. It was a stop-everything and listen to this gorgeous song...and everyone did. I also recall it so vividly because I'd been asked to audition for a bit part on Miami Vice, so I was pretty excited about it. It's interesting how songs trigger memories, as do sights and smells.  

   The Lady in Red by Chris de Burgh

Release

 

I attended the funeral of a dear old friend this past week. It’s always difficult to say goodbye, even though physical distance had made regular visits fewer than they had been in the past. Illness, too. The memories of nearly forty years of friendship being all that’s left, and knowing the years ahead are fewer than the years behind make life these days sobering. Too many good ones are leaving. It’s a fate for all of us. A sense of melancholy is hitting me pretty hard right now; I’m also very tired.

Into the Woods

(By Veronica Randolph Batterson; ©Veronica Randolph Batterson)

There’s an empty bridge

Beckoning

Offering what you will make of it.

Into the woods

To escape the realities

Of the somebodies using the nobodies.

To clear your mind

Of the unfairness 

That “lesser” women and men

Being used by the Big Man and Big Woman is the norm

That life doesn’t always give fair shakes,

Regardless of how hard you work and sacrifice.

There’s an empty bridge

Beckoning

Offering what you will make of it.

Into the woods

To take deep breaths

While getting angry,

And screaming with tears, cursing the skies above.

Plotting revenge 

Or reconciling acceptance,

Acknowledging that Grace over spite

Is being an adult,

As is offering kindness to people who don’t deserve it.

A Woman's Voice

 "A woman with a voice is, by definition, a strong woman. But the search to find that voice can be remarkably difficult."  -  Melinda Gates, Philanthropist

I continue to struggle with finding my voice. Much of it has to do with self-doubt and allowing myself to be intimidated. The fear of making someone angry and the deep seated need to keep the peace, and that my silence will ensure it, controls me. I allow myself to be suppressed, even though I grew up full of questions about the world. I promised myself it would be different for me; sadly I failed at achieving that goal. I enable other people's insecurities and inferiorities into bullying me and controlling my actions. Silence is my accountability.

My voice is loud in my published books and short stories. In this, I am proud. When I write, I'm unleashing the voice. Expressions. Stories. Feelings. Thinking. Questions. Descriptions. Loud. Soft. 

While I continue to work on the latest book, the four below remain available. My voice is heard through the many characters waiting to tell readers a story. I appreciate all who have read them and listened to their stories. 

Williamsburg Hill. Daniel's Esperanza. Funny Pages. Billy's First Dance. All are available on Amazon or can be ordered through your local bookstore. The short stories, and eleven years worth of blog posts here are my voice. Mine. Once again, thank you to those regulars and those who drop in every now and then. Shout-outs, shares, recommendations, and recognition are appreciated.

More Music

While there are so many things going on in the world, I'd like to "fire off" about them here. But I won't. Opinions. We are all entitled to them. We have a right to them. Suppressing, stifling and bullying someone because of a difference of opinion is nothing but fascist tactics. 

Sharing some more music instead. These particular blog posts are easy, less messy and are much better than reading the lunacy on Twitter, or any other social media platform. 

As always, thank you.

Latest Photos...

 I'm trying to keep my photos updated on Fine Art America and Pixels. Below are screenshots of the latest ones. To see them and all of the photographs that I have to share, please visit my site at veronica-batterson.pixels.com