buttons – beckycochrane.com

I haven’t done one of these for almost two years, and have only ever done three of them. NO, that is not the beginning of the story! Anyway, I’m not writing this story, you are. You don’t have to put it in my comments (though you certainly can, even just a teaser of it, so I can believe you might be having some fun with it). Write it in your journal, on the back of a piece of paper, in a sketchpad, anywhere you can find.

Below is the writing prompt from this wonderful book. If I were ever to teach a class for people motivated to write, this book would be one of my tools. I can barely flip through the pages without my imagination taking wing.

Try it! Here’s your prompt:

I have been haunting this museum for 39 years. I like to think my presence has helped to keep the place interesting to its clientele. The newspapers call me…..

Button Sunday

April 6 was National Tartan Day. Though I’ve s-l-o-w-l-y come to embrace my sister’s research that showed our lineage is Scottish, not Irish, which I was told all my life, information given to me by my college running buddy Kathy about Thomas Cochrane, tenth earl of Dundonald, whose burial place she saw at Westminster Abbey, helped pique my interest. You can see a little of the Cochrane tartan on that button.

And you can see how that interest in our Scottish side led me to this. I still keep these dolls in their kilts on display in the writing sanctuary every day. Muses.

I misdated this post so it published on Saturday instead of Sunday. I went back and put my actual Saturday post where it was supposed to be, corrected this one to April 7, and noted that National Tartan Day was April 6. Computers and me sometimes…

Button Sunday

I’ll just trot out my old Easter Beagle button that I’ve used before, along with a new photo of the bunny from the last Easter basket my mother ever gave me (it was in the early 2000s so clearly I was an adult, but you can’t be too old for an Easter basket or a parent’s kindness–and speaking of a parent’s kindness, some of these eggs were gifts from my mother-in-law, many of which she made herself).

Button Sunday and Song Challenge: Day 24

Today’s song challenge is “a song by a band you wish were still together.” It became impossible that Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young could reunite after David Crosby died, but even before, it was an unrealistic idea. There were too many fractured relationships among them for it to happen. I chose the button for their album So Far deliberately because it includes what I think are two key songs from a certain time in the band’s evolution. Here’s the full cover from my drowned album.

Graham Nash’s “Teach Your Children,” an admonition for parents and children to love each other despite their differences, was on the March 1970 release of their album Déjà Vu. Nash said he wrote it because of his complicated relationship with his father, and is quoted as saying, “The idea is that you write something so personal that every single person on the planet can relate to it.” Young wasn’t present in the studio when Nash taught the song to the others and they recorded it.

After Déjà Vu’s release, as “Teach Your Children” was moving up the charts, the Kent State shooting took place on May 4, inspiring Neil Young to write “Ohio.” To Nash, this song may have seemed like the consequences when the wisdom of “Teach Your Children” went unheeded. The band rushed “Ohio’s” release as a single, and it, too, climbed the charts.

David Crosby, Stephen Stills, Graham Nash, and Neil Young created an impressive body of work as individuals, as members of CSN&Y, and as members of other bands, and for me, the four together created a voice for any turbulent time and every generation. A Stephen Stills quote from last year sometimes haunts me: “Part of me misses David Crosby dreadfully. Part of me thinks he got out of here just in time.”

ETA: For my own personal reference, I’m linking to an account of Déjà Vu’s cover photo because it shows how research persistence really pays off!

Button Sunday and Song Challenge: Day 17

Happy St. Patrick’s Day. Are you wearing green today? I’m not sure how much writing I’ll be doing while Jim’s here, but I’m in the final stretch of the first section of the book which is all presented through the voice of one character. The good news is that the next character up (who’s half Irish–I can stay on topic!), has already been nudging me about how to kick off his section. It’s always a relief to have a plan.

For now, I’m simply going to enjoy the few days Jim will be here. I also committed to a small project (small for me; big for him) for someone who I’ve long enjoyed interacting with online. I once wrote a short story for an anthology he was putting together (hope remains that collection will one day be published; I’d love to see that story in print). I’ve started my part of his current project and need to get it to him as soon as I can.

The song challenge for today is “a song you’d sing with someone at karaoke.” I’ve mentioned on here more than once that I’ve had a single adventure in karaoke, when I was pulled into a group of women to sing Guns N’ Roses’ “Welcome to the Jungle.” I’m not sure I sang as much as I laughed, because one of the women took the lead and owned it. It was such a surprise, because she was normally a reserved person; it was great to see her cut loose and enjoy herself so immensely. I don’t think that experience could be replicated, BUT… with the right group of women friends, I might be persuaded to play air guitar and pretend to be as cool as Joan Jett in this video (I would provide BACKING VOCALS ONLY) on the Runaways’ “Cherry Bomb.”

Button Sunday and Song Challenge, Day 10

Hope everyone remembered to set their clocks forward last night before bed. Today’s song challenge is “a song that makes you sad.” For me, “Time in a Bottle” is a song many people call romantic, but I’ve always heard it as sad, so that’s how it makes me feel.

Yesterday, we had to say goodbye to Debby’s Stewie, who just a few days ago celebrated his seventeenth birthday. He’s had health issues the last few months and among other things, struggled with his appetite. Today, the staff at Gulf Coast offered him a little feast of birthday cake and ice cream, among other goodies, and he loved the bacon. It was already gone from his tray in this photo! He also enjoyed a bit of the birthday cake and ice cream and ate all the Cheetos before his gentle, loving goodbye. Debby’s going to miss the dog she called “the little Frenchman” so much.

Stewie was originally her grandchildren’s dog. When they had to give him up, she invited him to live with her. He and her big black lab Harley became good friends. Harley died in 2019, also on March 9. Now they’re together again.

We may not be able to save time in a bottle, but it has no power over the bonds of love.

Button Sunday with Song Challenge: Day 3

In honor of today’s song challenge, what song reminds you of summertime?

Bet you thought I’d choose a Beach Boys song, but no, here’s a deep dive from Mungo Jerry in 1970. You’d have to work hard to feel unhappy when this came over your transistor radio.

Challenges yet to come.

Button Sunday

An acquaintance was messaging me recently about being ghosted by a friend. I usually think of that happening more in dating/potential dating scenarios, though I did once have a friend ghost me. In fact, the ghosting was so thorough, and we had such a complete lack of mutual friends or acquaintances (by that time, and we lived in different cities), that I still have no idea what happened more than thirty years* later.

Have you ever been ghosted? Did you ever get an explanation or apology? If not, do you still wonder?

*Since this was in 1988, it pre-dates social media, the proliferation of cell phones, etc. Much easier to ghost people then.