Nature's Beauty and Human Creativity Make Life Good

Honeysuckle perfumes the air, and blooming daisies are waiting to be picked to tell me whether or not he loves me. However, a recent report on the radio that ticks seem to be more prevalent than usual this spring will probably keep me out of the fields. I will just have to believe Gerald rather than the daisies.

I am terrified of ticks. Mostly because of lyme disease and Rocky Mountain fever, but also just the idea of the little critter daring to attach itself to me or a loved one and suck blood sickens me. Gerald is out in weeds and woods and fields all the time, and he had his first attached tick several weeks ago. However, I was calmly sitting at the breakfast table on a recent morning reading my newspaper as usual one morning, and I felt a tickle. There on my arm was a little visitor. Fortunately he was still quite easy to get rid of. Evidently Gerald had carried it to the table on the paper when he walked down the lane and back to get the newspaper as he does every morning.

Country living does have its drawbacks, but those are overshadowed by the great beauty that surrounds us these glorious spring days.

Tonight I will be going to Southern Illinois Writers Guild to hear Cheryl Ranchino Trench talk to us. After a career in marketing, writing, radio and business, she has started her own company as a marketing consultant called Communications 8, and I am eager to hear about this career during her retirement.

I'll leave Woodsong early to do errands on the way to Carterville and may even pick up Roberta Shrake, who is using this cool afternoon to gather books from her garage to donate to a local school. Roberta wants to go tonight if she has time and energy left after her garage duties. If she does not make it tonight, maybe she can go next month to hear Bobbi Smith, a romance writer. I’ve not read any of Smith’s romances, but I heard her talk at our guild’s 2004 conference, and I definitely want to hear her again.

We have great diversity of writers from all genres in the guild, and something I have learned from all the diverse program personalities we have heard down through the years is that there is more in common among good writers than differences because of genres. All of us can learn from each other regardless of our interests. I have also learned that most writers are involved in other artistic endeavors in addition to writing--often they are great visual artists, photographers, musicians, crafters, or actors. The need to express and the principles of art flow from one area of talent to the other, and I am always inspired by speakers who share their experiences and expertise.