Bring On Lemons

Thank you to WOW! Women on Writing for allowing us to participate in this tour! Today's Reviewer: Cathy Hansen is a wife, mom, teacher, independent http://seedsnbeans.blogspot.com/ beauty consultant, and small business owner. She and her husband operate SeedsNBeans, a local nature store, in Two Rivers, Wisconsin. Cathy Writes: Anyone who has ever loved a pet will enjoy There’s a Hamster in the Dashboard by David W. Berner. A cute collection of essays about various pets the author has owned, the book reminded me of pets I’ve owned, and led me to ponder the lessons they’ve taught me, as well as the lessons my children are learning from our pets. Berner’s tales of a crazy cat, a hamster named Tony that unexpectedly had babies, a pet lizard, a spider captured and studied for a few days, a dog who got him in trouble on his paper route, and others reminded me of some of my own family’s experiences with pets. There was the cat who only returned home when he smelled fres...

The first draft of anything is shit. Ernest Hemingway I'll let my host decide if she wants to edit that quote, but for me, I remember it and cite it as it was stated by a master of stating what should be obvious, but is not. I read through my first drafts with a shaking of the head. It is painful. How could I write ~that~. Good God, man, where did that come from? I struggle with what to cut and what to keep. I usually keep more than I should, and rely on the editor or a critical reader (not a critique partner, but a reader) to help me identify the excess fat. I love it all, or I would not have written it. They tell me what I should bury in revision, what should be returned to the whitespace from whence it came. However, even with an editor's eye and a critical reader's opinion, things such as weasels and passives can sneak up on us. A page littered with passives may say to the editor: Cut this page. It may say to the critical reader: This is boring. Neither fully...

"Mom, what did you want to be when you were little?" I chuckled and answered truthfully: "A businesswoman in a suit, high heels, and pantyhose" My seven year old daughter looked at me with that inquisitive (I see right through you) look and said "I'm glad you're just a mom" She didn't mean any disrespect at all and a seven year old saying 'just a mom' has a totally different meaning than when one of your peers says it. She's right though. Plain and simple, I'm just a mom to her. She hardly realizes that I work from home, manage our business, and she could care less about all the other things I do all day. She wouldn't mind if I ate bonbons and watched soap operas. She truthfully only cares about my role as a mom. As long as there is a snack after school, toilet paper in the bathroom, and clean clothes in her closet she is quite satisfied that I'm doing my job. In fact, if the snack consists of chocolate chip cook...