Writing – Page 16 – Jennifer's Journal

Guest Post: Vivian’s View From Here – Part II

Published on March 14, 2013August 23, 2014 by J. Kelland Perry30 Comments

I’m baaack!

Hello there, Peeps. Vivian K. Perry here, Jennifer’s (dare I say) favourite cat. Just don’t tell my sister Maisie, capiche?

Jennifer asked me back to host her blog today, because she is a little bogged down writing an especially exciting chapter of her new novel.

Whatever! I was happy to oblige, nonetheless. This is my second time guest blogging on Jennifer’s Journal. If you’re interested, and I’m sure you are because I’m so cute, you can see my first post from last summer here.

Maisie and I do agree on one thing: we are getting bored with the cold weather. We miss the summer days of hunting little creatures, and basking in the sun. It is warming up a bit, but it’s still darn chilly on the paws most days.

So we while away the hours with our indoor activities.

**Still looking pretty spiffy there, Alex**

Nice! A little something for my wish list. — **Nice! But do they come with kitties on them?**

Lying on legs, one of our best loved pastimes — **Lying on humans, one of our best-loved pastimes**

Sometimes, we get on each other’s nerves, as sisters often do. I was thinking Maisie looked entirely too comfortable having our little house all to herself, so I had to act.

There. That's better. — **There. That’s better.**

Of course, at other times Maisie and I are closer-than-this:

Maisie lets me cuddle her when she's cold — **Maisie lets me cuddle her when she’s cold**

But what is my Number One Favourite Activity?

That’s right,
Dreaming of Summer

Thank you for visiting Vivian’s View from Here! We hope you enjoyed it. 🙂

Would you like to see more of Maisie and Vivian? Check out these links:

Cats on Ice: Exploring Spring Thaw in Iceberg Alley

Vivian’s View from Here – Part I

Foliage (and Other Living Things)

The Liebster Award and Sharing the Love

Published on March 6, 2013August 23, 2014 by J. Kelland Perry18 Comments

Yesterday I was pleasantly surprised to learn my blog has been nominated for the Liebster Award, by Alessia and Fabrizio, the authors of a lovely blog I’ve been recently following, Maple&Saffron.

Thank you, Alessia and Fabrizio! I recommend for my readers to check out this wonderful cooking and travel blog, by a couple who have immigrated to Canada from a country I adore, Italy.

Here are the rules for this award:

When you receive the award, you post 11 random facts about yourself and answer 11 questions from the person who nominated you.
Pass the award onto 11 other blogs (make sure you tell them you nominated them!) and ask them 11 questions.
You are not allowed to nominate the blog who nominated you!
Make sure the blogs you choose have 200 or less followers ( I did the best I could with this, but sorry, I might’ve cheated on some).

Okay, time to get down to business. Here are my random facts:

I have the worst handwriting of anybody I know. Good thing I can type well.
I am eight months younger than my husband.
I have one older brother and one younger sister. And you know what they say about the middle child.
Being in nature calms my spirit.
I have a cat figurine collection.
There is a sandy beach 25 yards from our front door.
I like a good joke and a thoughtful quote, some of the reasons I still use Facebook.
I feel more comfortable in small groups, or just one on one conversation.
I can’t imagine a life without pets.
I worked in a bank for about 15 years.
I consider my daughter and my son my most significant contributions to this world.

Maple&Saffron ask:

If you were to leave for a trip in 5 minutes, what are the 3 things you’d take with you? An easy one, if we are talking living things and a long trip: my husband and our two cats. If not, my iPad, straightening iron, and camera.
What instrument have you ever wanted to learn to play? The piano. The guitar is a close second (tried three times but never stuck with it ).
Which recipe do you really love cooking? Not exactly a single recipe, but a big turkey dinner with all the trimmings.
What’s your favourite song when you’re travelling? Hmm..only one? That’s hard. Life Is A Highway? 🙂
You’ve just landed in Italy: what’s the first dish you wish to taste? Any kind of pasta! Or maybe margherita pizza..
Mountains, hilltops or beaches: where would you go on vacation? Anywhere is fine with me if the weather is nice, and it’s not too crowded
What’s the best thing about your country? Lots of open spaces and open minds
How do you like spending your day off? Getting outdoors for a walk or a hike, or sitting on our deck in the summer
What’s your favourite world cuisine? Italian
If you could only save one of your books, which one would you choose? One of my poetry anthologies
What role/part would you like to play in a movie? Another tough one, but I went with Ripley in Alien.

Here are my nominations, lovely blogs on some of my favourite topics. For those of you nominated who don’t do awards or don’t have time to participate, please know that I understand. For those who do, thank you for participating. Your questions to answer are after the nominations list.

Nature is my Therapy

One More Day

trifles

Welcome to my Mind, Pull up a Chair

Kurt Rees poetry

bliss in images

lindatownsdin

Cauldrons and Cupcakes

Almost Spring

talktodiana

onewildword

What is your favourite book genre to read?
How long have you been blogging and what made you start?
Name your favourite meal.
If you could go anywhere in the world on your next vacation, where would you go?
What is your most prized possession?
What is your favourite way to relax?
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
Which do you prefer: music, TV, or theatre?
What movie did you see in the past year that you liked?
Who is the most important person in your life?
What are you most passionate about in life?

My First Anniversary…and Ten Things I Didn’t Know When I Started

Published on December 31, 2012January 17, 2016 by J. Kelland Perry16 Comments

One year ago today, on New Year’s Eve, 2011, I started this blog, Jennifer’s Journal. And as I mentioned in the very first post, Follow the Yellow Brick Road, I had no idea where my blog would take us. So here is what I found out.

1. I didn’t know I would have the resolve to faithfully post to my blog a little more than once a week on average. WordPress, being the best blogging site – in my opinion – had a lot to do with my enthusiasm.

2. I didn’t know I would be taking my visitors and followers on a pictorial journey of our 2011 trip to Italy and France. Nor did I know that one of these installments,
“Scenes From Italy – Part Three: Siena and Florence, Tuscany” would consistently be my most visited post, from all around the world!

3. I hadn’t made plans yet to take a Spring vacation in Florida, with my husband and my daughter and her family. My photo album from that trip,
“For the Young, & the Young at Heart: Disney’s Magic Kingdom“, would garner a record of 449 views on May 8th, the most views I had in one day.

4. I wasn’t fully aware of how beautiful it actually is where I live, here in Bonavista Bay, Newfoundland, until I read your lovely comments on my local photographic efforts. 🙂 “Autumn Walk on the East Coast” was a particular favourite.

5. I came to learn how the poems, musings, and photographs of my grandchildren would be a popular subject for many!

6. That goes for the posts of my little cats, Maisie and Vivian, as well. One of them even guest-posted in “Vivian’s View From Here“.

7. I was overwhelmed with the outpouring of support my blog received, as I was losing my mother. I cannot fully express what a source of comfort those caring comments were, and still are.

8. I didn’t know I was going to publish sixteen of my poems, and that I would be proud of them. 🙂

9. I wasn’t sure (but I am pleased I did) that I would keep my resolution to start writing a novel, and am now starting Chapter Six of the first draft. My post about it, Then You Must Write It, would be one my most popular blog posts, generating many of your comments.

10. Novel writing or not, I love my blog as the vehicle of self-expression it has turned out to be, and I will continue to update it in 2013. Connecting with many of you and making new friends is one of the best advantages of blogging.

So, let me say to all of my followers and visitors from sixty-six countries, a GIANT THANK YOU! And a Happy New Year to you all. 🙂

Jennifer’s Journal: 2012 in review

Published on December 30, 2012December 30, 2012 by J. Kelland PerryLeave a comment

Well, what do you know? WordPress.com prepared a 2012 annual report for my blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

600 people reached the top of Mt. Everest in 2012. This blog got about 5,700 views in 2012. If every person who reached the top of Mt. Everest viewed this blog, it would have taken 10 years to get that many views.

Silly statistic, isn’t it? But don’t let that stop you:

Click here to see the complete report.

A Welcome Weekend

Published on November 26, 2012August 23, 2014 by J. Kelland Perry6 Comments

This Friday, my husband and I are going to town to spend a few days caring for our two little grandchildren. Allowing L and J’s hardworking parents to go off on a private weekend and enjoy some time by themselves has become a little tradition for us, a tradition we happily and gratefully accept.

We look forward to taking them on a couple of outings, one of which will be to buy a Christmas present for a needy child and putting it under the Happy Tree at the mall. Some visits with family, a Santa Claus Parade, and the obligatory games and bedtime stories will ensure lots of fun-filled moments for the children and grandparents alike.

This weekend couldn’t come at a better time for me. Spending time with my sweet little ones is just the diversion I need right now, a breath of fresh air that will help me regroup, regain focus, and get back to my normal life. There’s this novel I started writing last month that I had no other choice but to put aside due to my recent loss, but it is back on the agenda this week, I am pleased to say.

Here are just a few photos I selected from fun times we had with L and J, over the past year.

Four more sleeps, kids! Your Nanny and Poppy can’t wait. 🙂

“…Then You Must Write It”

Published on October 16, 2012March 12, 2016 by J. Kelland Perry27 Comments

“If there’s a book you really want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.” ~ Toni Morrison

I have recently begun a new adventure, dear readers and fellow bloggers.

No longer can I ignore the voice inside me that is clamouring to be heard, so I have started to write a novel. I am a little nervous, but mostly I am excited to be on this new journey I have destined for myself.

When I told a friend a little while ago about my plan to write a book, she said, “Gee, I’m the one with the English degree. I should write a book!” Well, I don’t have a degree, but I’ve always had a passion for stories, fictional or otherwise, and a desire to tell some stories of my own.

Heck, I wrote a teen novel when I was still in school, at the grand old age of fifteen. So diplomas and degrees or lack thereof won’t hinder me now either.

It has been a rewarding experience keeping this blog that I started back in December. The original purpose of Jennifer’s Journal had been to get into the habit of creating and writing something on a regular basis, in order to better prepare me for the demands of writing a novel. But now that I have taken on this ambitious new project, I will have less of that precious commodity of time to devote to blogging.

But abandoning my blog seems unthinkable to me.. Have you ever nurtured a child? Cared for a pet? Or even tended a garden? And then, stopped? No, I will keep my blog, adding thoughts, inspirations, and a photograph or two, as often and as regularly as I can. I would also like to keep you updated on my novel’s progress.

Life is going to get busier, that’s all.

I leave you with another favourite quote of mine:

“Writing is the only thing that, when I do it, I don’t feel I should be doing something else.” ~ Gloria Steinem

How about you? Have you ever written a book, or do you see yourself writing one someday? Do you have advice for someone taking on a creative project?

Guest Post: Vivian’s View From Here

Published on September 10, 2012November 21, 2023 by J. Kelland Perry15 Comments

I am happy to introduce a guest blogger on Jennifer’s Journal this week. Please welcome Vivian K. Perry, a very dear friend of mine who also happens to be, um, feline.

Greetings, humans! I am thrilled to be given this opportunity today on WordPress to share some photos, and a few things about myself.

To be honest, I think Jennifer is allowing me to host today to make up for shrieking at me last week, when I brought a mouse in the house. It was a gift, after all, so instead of screaming bloody (mousey) murder, shouldn’t she have been grateful to receive a trophy of my hunting prowess? Especially since I brought it home to her, and dropped it in the hallway – STILL ALIVE? You try to do something nice, but you are only misunderstood…

Actually, I enjoy a lovely life here with Jennifer, her husband, and my sister and womb-mate, Maisie.

Up until two summers ago, we all lived in the city. It was okay, but my sister and I were not allowed outside by ourselves because of all the traffic in our neighbourhood, and the danger to us that it entailed. So when we moved to the country, imagine our delight to be free to explore the great outdoors!

We can now come and go as we please, chase birds, butterflies and rodents, and savour the lifestyle we had only dreamed about in our former life.

Just last month, Maisie and I celebrated our fifth birthday. Here is what we looked like when we were adopted from the SPCA:

Even though we are sisters, Maisie and I are different in many ways. (Some people don’t know that kittens from the same litter can have different fathers; did you? I think that is what happened with us.) Maisie is smaller, and very much on the quiet side…

…while I am larger, quite vocal and in-your-face.

I am truly a Social Animal who adores human relationships and have been known to be exceedingly dog-like. I’ll follow you, talk to you, keep you company, sleep with you, and never, ever let you get lonely.

In fact, the other day, I went next door to visit our neighbour Ben. I simply walked in, meowed at everyone, ventured upstairs, and enjoyed a nap on his bed. No invitation necessary!

Many people think that a cat is a cat is a cat. But I’m here today to dispel that assumption. I am not aloof. I don’t scratch, bite or hiss at people. I can be very friendly with just about anyone.

And even though I do catch mice, and perhaps meow a little too loudly, I am as loyal and loving as any dog.

Just ask Jennifer.

* This blog post was since selected for publication in BBooks – Blog Books, an online magazine!

Bonavista Bay Polar Bear!

Published on April 2, 2012January 27, 2017 by J. Kelland Perry5 Comments

29609_466969100031031_1607858573_n — local Facebook photo

“Be careful what you wish for, Jennifer…”

I have always adored animals, and was enjoying getting closer to nature since my husband and I moved back to rural Newfoundland, but THIS IS A LITTLE TOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT.

Yes, the big visitor showed up in our little town just yesterday, one of four recent reports of polar bears being on the island of Newfoundland so far this spring (read further and view actual pictures from yesterday from the linked article below). The Ursus Maritimus doesn’t often make its way this far south. It is when it is hungrily hunting seals, which are found on icepans this time of year, that it may end up in some of our backyards. Yikes!!

“Don’t worry,” says my husband. “Nobody has ever been attacked by a polar bear in Newtown before.”

Gee, thanks, Honey. I don’t know why I was worrying. We are, after all, only talking about the LARGEST LIVING LAND PREDATOR IN THE WORLD.

Silly RCMP, too, for warning us to be on the lookout. Oh well, as the old joke goes, I won’t have to outrun the bear, I’ll just have to outrun the husband…

Polar bears threaten Newfoundland communities (cbc.ca)

Menopause…or “Perry”-Menopause?

Published on January 30, 2012January 30, 2020 by J. Kelland Perry7 Comments

So here I am, on a frigid January evening. Outside, a bitter wind chill of minus 10 degrees Celsius (that’s 14+ degrees for you Fahrenheit folks), is blowing directly off the North Atlantic just a few yards from our door. My husband Paul is gone playing floor hockey at the high school gym, so I’m alone, trying desperately to chill out. Not figuratively, mind you, but literally. I turned down the thermostats so there is no heat on in my house, simply because my body feels like a furnace turned up on cremate.

This is a new and fresh hell for yours truly, only making itself known within the last couple of weeks. Somehow, I had let myself believe I’d be lucky enough to escape the discomfort of “tropical moments” at this time of my life. How I used to chuckle when one of my friends or coworkers complained of a hot flash. Ha! The joke is now on me. And for the uninitiated, it doesn’t feel like a source of external heat that hits you. It’s more like internal spontaneous combustion, where you think you just might suddenly burst into flames.

Stripped down to a tank top and appropriately, sweat pants, eating blueberries out of the freezer (still frozen), I’m trying to hold it together. I made the mistake earlier of googling other menopause symptoms, and started ticking off other lovely ailments I’ve been experiencing. Brain fog? Check. Anxiety? Check. Night sweats? Check. Mood swings? Okay, that one is just me, can’t blame that on The Change.

The website also warned that the whole process could take anywhere from two to eight years before it is done. That’s just terrific. Think I’ll go out and stick my head in a snow bank.

And now Paul is home. “It’s freezing here!” he says. He looks at my red face. “Is it alright if I turn up the heat?”

“If you must,” I bark, fanning myself with a throw cushion.

Then I realize something. In our house, PMS always stood for Paul Must Suffer. Well, the PMS might be coming to an end for me, but it won’t be ending for him any time soon. Will he survive? Will I?

Check back in two to eight years.

Follow the Yellow Brick Road…

Published on December 31, 2011January 6, 2019 by J. Kelland Perry12 Comments

Hello, and welcome to my Journal! This is my first foray into the world of blogging, so being a total newbie at this, I am not even sure where my words will take us. The one thing I can tell you, Dear Reader, is that Jennifer’s Journal will be a sharing of my thoughts in the forms of prose, poetry and musings. As well, I plan to include selections of photography that I think you will like.

New Year’s Eve 2011 is upon us, and 2012 beckons with promise. I should be getting gussied up for the Ball at the Barbour site here in Newtown in a few hours, the first one in several years for us. I should be primping and preening, painting my nails, curling my locks and donning a frock to ring in the new year in style with the local revelers. Instead, I’ve happened upon The (wonderful) Wizard of Oz, a movie that has hijacked my attention for the hundredth time.

And once again, I ask myself, What is it about the Scarecrow (always my favorite), that makes my silly heart melt? Is it the way he falls about in his straw-filled pants, like he hasn’t a bone in his body, or is it the way he talks so kindly to Dorothy, making me wish I was her? Yes, I smile at the Tin Man, and I laugh at the Cowardly Lion, but it is the Scarecrow that makes me PVR the rest of the movie before I am reluctantly pulled away.

And I know it is the last day of the year, but I didn’t want to wait for January One, which would have been the expected start date of a blog. I had to ask that very important question today.

Perhaps, Dorothy has the answer?

wizardscarecrow3

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