Don't Jump!

I am not the kind of person who loves to do new things that challenge me.

I guess I'm lazy. Or comfortable.

It doesn't scare me, because every once in a while, like some sort of whiz kid, I say, when asked, "Sure! That sounds like fun."

(Dear Lord, please don't let anyone ask me to bungee jump, jump out of an airplane or even just jump. Thank you.)

So, some weeks ago a friend asked me to be part of a show. To read some of her bee-yoo-tee-full poetry and to sing a song she wrote. "Sure! That sounds like fun." says I.

And it was. The first few practices of the music weren't all that fun, as learning new songs is a little difficult for me now that I'm hearing impaired.

But the show itself was fun. Some wonderful paintings by artists both great and new, poetry,  music, tears and laughter.

Doesn't that sound like fun to you?

So today's lesson is this: Open yourself to new things and enjoy yourself. 

Unless it involves jumping.

Life in General and a Commercial (Ain't that life?)

I've been noticing life around me lately. 

That's a change, because I've been doing the old nose at the grind stone thing  lately, trying to get this book ready for the publisher. 

It's done except having my picture struck, which I reckon I will do Monday.

Ugh.

You  may be like all these other people who are taking selfies all the time and think it's a grand thing to see their mug plastered all over Facebook, texts, twitter, snapchat and whatever the heck else there is.

Not I, friend. Nope, nope, nope. I hates it, my precious.

You may have noticed it's rained here enough to float the ark. But today the sun is out and our tomatoes are turning red. I picked a few beans to go with the other handful I picked a few days ago. There might be enough that  maybe Husband and I won't have to fight over them.

On another note, I saw on the news the other day that a fella asked his mother to play the lottery for him. He carefully gave her the numbers he wanted played. She wrote them down.  

She wrote them down wrong.

She proceeded to go to the store and buy a ticket for him. Using numbers unknown to him. 

She won $100,000.00.

I bet he ain't mad at his mama.

So, commercial time!

Wait! Come back! It won't take long.

My new book coming out: "Poetry, Prose and Music: Life of an Appalachian Woman" is a whopper. No wonder I'm tired.

It's over 400 pages long filled with the funny and some sad, some light hearted mess and some introspection. Some of it rhymes, some of it doesn't, just like life. There are fifteen short stories, a few not very short. A few of these blogs you've read over the years are in there, as well as some "essays" that have been published elsewhere. A few short stories have won contests and been published. I even got money, people! And there's a great deal of photography included. Some of it quite good. Those are probably the photos I didn't take. 

And at the back, a musical CD. Three of the songs are written by yours truly. Some are contemporary Christian, a few old hymns. Daughter sings a solo and two duets with her dear old mama. Daughter also did the artwork on the CD. Show off.

I'll keep you posted (you were afraid of that) as to the progress and when it's done and when book signings will commence.

Commercial over.

So, have you read any good books lately?





















fifteen short stories

Art! Poetry! Music!

I am very excited to be a part of an art exhibition opening up tomorrow at Gilmer Arts. Candy Crawford Day will be showing over forty pieces of beautiful art. At the beginning of the show, I am honored to be reading some of the poetry that Lucy Harris penned, which were inspired by pieces of art. 

The whole thing should be a rip roaring good time, and I hope if you  like poetry, or you like art, or you  like  music or you  just like to support the local artists who work so hard, that you will drop in and spend a few minutes with us.

Candy says:

Getting close to Friday and the opening of my hometown show at Gilmer Arts in Ellijay. The special part of this show is the inclusion of Lucy Harris' poetry, with readings by Kathi Harper Hill and a song performed by Noah May. All the work in this show will feature local people and places.....thus the title "Where The Heart Is". Hope you'll stop by this Good Friday, from 4 to 7, 207 Dalton Street, Ellijay GA 30540

Our Molly

  

We own a bulldog who likes to chew.

If you’re not real careful, she’ll chew on you, too.

She’s a big young bitch with smiling face,

And she can use you to mop up the place.

Her face is half shadow and half pink and white.

Her pigeon toed stance makes grown men faint with fright.

She’ll eat anything that doesn’t eat her first.

If you’ve not seen her eat, then you’ve not seen the worst.

Just when you think you can’t stand her no more,

She’ll look up at you with eyes that implore.

She’ll blink them real slow and stick out her lip,

It’ll make your heart do an odd little flip.

She sits on her rump and lays flat on her back,

With her ears hanging loose and her jowls hanging slack.

It pulls her eyes up and she stares like a ‘gator.

Like she’s been run over sooner than later.

She’s afraid of nothing, except maybe a bear.

She’d give her life for us without turning a hair.

But she snores really loud and can smell real bad too.

If they ain’t put up, you’ll be minus a shoe.

But all in all, when it’s time to measure her love,

You won’t find it lacking, it’s gentle as a dove.

One promising wag from her stump of a tail,

And you know her loyalty will never fail.

She’s won over our family and without a doubt,

Her devotion is as strong as her body is stout.

Her heart is a giant in that great barrel chest,

And we’ll love her forever, then put her to rest.

So if you love faithfulness and genuine trust,

And you don’t mind slobber, shed hair, and dog dust,

A bulldog is something you really must own.

She just needs you – and of course, a big bone!