Author: E.W. Bennefeld

Storyteller, writer, poet, photographer/photoartist, retired person. Free-lance photoartist, 2004-2015; freelance editor, academic style editor, technical writer/editor, and consultant, 1984-2014. Previous: IT/DP, financial institutions. B.A. in Philosophy and English with minor concentrations in mathematics and chemistry. Published poet/writer since 1967. Science Fiction and Fantasy Poetry Association (SFPA); Lifetime Member.
Coffee Break · Personal · Weekend Coffee Share

Off Hiatus #WeekendCoffeeShare

E.W. Bennefeld1 Comment

After the disruptions of the holiday season, it’s different. Not here in this household—we are not inclined to make much of holidays—but the hurry and sometime confusion around us. It felt good to have changes of routine. Productive as well as off-putting.

I myself have decided that with outside changes with people contact on the Internet, and the repetitive, I am going to repeat the Artist’s Way course/cohort? through a regional university. The instructor is one that I have known for a while through the Artist’s Way group that some of us started in the late 1990s. I have found the repetition as a group to shake out the past and look at possible nows and futures. Unsettled is quite good in small increments.

I have enjoyed reading new books, but also rereading favorites by favorite authors. L. E. Modesitt Jr.’s The Grand Illusion series is interesting in its depiction of social economics and politics. I hope still to be alive when Book 3, Contrarian, is published. And also the arcs to follow. He’s three years older than I am. ::sigh::

Also, I’d recommend Laura Anne Gilman’s Uncanny Times. And there is to be a follow-up book. Probably more to follow.

Now Sunday afternoon, and chores are backed up. But … in addition to 13 weeks of The Artist’s Way, I hope to write a haiku a day during February (National (?) Haiku Writing Month: short month, short poems). April I get to do the same during Global/National Poetry Writing Month, time and health permitting.

Thanks to Natalie for hosting the weekly #WeekendCoffeeShare.

Best wishes!
Lizl

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Coffee Break · Tea Time · Weekend Coffee Share

A trace of winter | 25 November 2022

E.W. Bennefeld1 Comment
crow standing ankle deep in troubled snow. street and driveway cleared of snow and melting.

I have finally gotten around to doing some writing, again. Household chores to tend to, as well as relaxing to read a lot of books. I am still sleeping a lot and not spending much time at the computer(s). I have found that the Nook devices and iPhone app have a font (OpenDyslexic) that is much easier to read/focus on; using a smaller font size, I read faster and take in more at a glance.

The Thanksgiving Day gathering got moved to yesterday (Saturday) on account of an exposure to Covid (the host/cook for this year) the previous weekend. Her tests came back negative, so all was well in the end. I still could not attend because of the larger gathering, but still don’t feel comfortable after having breathing problems/time in hospital at September’s beginning.

As the tensions recede, and I am feeling more myself, I am sleeping, catching up on rest, and taking it easy for the time being.

I did head out to the front yard, where I got some photos of the leaves uncovered by the warmer days with sunshine. Soon to return to winter-like weather.

Thanks for stopping by! By then I will be more able to offer more than Thanksgiving leftovers. 😀

Hugs,
Lizl

Natalie the Explorer has included the Weekend Coffee Share schedule through the remainder of the year, and she plans to do the same in the blog posts to the end of the year. This weekend coffee share post can be found here: Toronto Music Garden in Autumn

Coffee Break

before winter | Weekend Coffee Share

E.W. Bennefeld4 Comments
various fallen leaves in autumn colors
Before Winter’s Ice & Snow

Good day! We have survived our first major winter storm, here in eastern North Dakota (USA). Winds, rain, sleet, and then some inches of snow over much ice, Hot, black tea or Toddy coffee and very dark chocolate are in order, today.

I got wrapped up in activities, this weekend, including about five hours, counting Salon/Co-working activities on Saturday, Friends Meeting and afterwards on Sunday, and a lot of poetry writing to catch up on. Actually, I had a fantastic time, between researching and the writing itself. What is presentable out of that is on my Quilted Poetry WP blog.

Al has volunteered to add a couple volunteer hours on Monday at the shooting range, and so I will some extra free time during the day.

Best wishes for the new week!
Lizl

Natalie the Explorer, host of the #weekendcoffeeshare, does a great job! Stop in at this week’s main share page or go to the InLinkz-Linkup to see all the other shares.

Coffee Break · Weekend Coffee Share

All at Sea #WeekendCoffeeShare

E.W. Bennefeld4 Comments

“Jan van Goyen (1596–1656): A Stormy Seascape / Myrskyinen merimaisema / Stormigt hav”
by Finnish National Gallery is marked with CC0 1.0 .

Welcome! I’ve both drip and Toddy coffee to offer, this Saturday evening, as well as a freshly brewed pot of English Breakfast tea. Gouda and Jarlsberg cheeses and rice or corn crackers, if you like.

I am surprised that on Day 4 of NaNoWriMo, I had finished only two poems (poem-a-day challenge among my poetry-writing cohorts), so far. I will perhaps be back on track by the end of the weekend.

I am moving back into more physical exercise, I think, but I am doing more pedaling on the elliptical machine than on the dance and dance exercises. That is because I can read and pedal at the same time. While I wait for Tuesday’s ebooks to arrive: The Laran Gambit (Deborah J Ross/Darkover) and Call Me by My True Names (Thich Nhat Hanh), I also think about the poems that I will write tomorrow.

For the time being, I am focusing as much as I can on relaxing and recovering my health. Catching my breath. And tonight, we have been watching the infrared light show across the back fences, two lots down, with enjoyment. That surveillance camera displays a ghostly panorama, ever changing with the dancing fire reflections and fickle breezes. Time to go to sleep…

Best wishes for your week!
Lizl

Natalie the Explorer – Bay of Fundy: 5 Natural Wonders is where you will find our host’s #WeekendCoffeeShare post. Also, links to other participants’ posts.

Coffee Break · Weekend Coffee Share

Lingering Autumn, 29 October 2022

E.W. Bennefeld3 Comments
The Fallen Leaves

It’s Saturday evening. The weather is temperate, and nobody seems to know whether we have colder/wetter stuff coming in this week or not. I have been looking forward to snowfall. The leaves have fallen from the taller trees, and my Cotoneaster trees have been turning color and the leaves began to fall. One certain harbinger of shifting seasons is the boxelder bugs hanging to the inside of the screen doors, waiting to get the rest of the way inside.

  • Copyright © 2022-10-24, by Lizl Bennefeld.
  • Copyright © 2022-10-26, by Lizl Bennefeld.
  • Copyright © 2022-10-26, by Lizl Bennefeld.
  • Copyright © 2022-10-26, by Lizl Bennefeld.

The week has been a bit of a jumble. I have been staying up until the middle of the night reading and playing with the Scampers. Charlie has been staying awake to keep me company. Then we all sleep through the morning wakeup alarm. I missed all of my online “writing dates” in Google Meet. For the Zoom co-working session today (Saturday), I concentrated on washing, drying, and putting away all available items that merited the washer/dryer. Even the quilted hotpads. I only got one poem written, a tanka for the Monday prompt, but not the Sijo for Wednesday. Instead, I looked through my library for books I hadn’t read for many years. (I found myself deleting some of those books, but set aside others so as not to lose track of them again. My tastes in subject and genre have changed a lot!)

I think that as the times come together again, late autumn, winter and into early spring, the energy flows will resonate; and I’ll relax more. I will be happy to return to Standard time, next weekend. For one thing, my Saturday Social/Co-working session will be 1 PM to 2 PM or 3 PM, respectively. More manageable in some ways.

And now I have to wind this up, because Sunday’s schedule has been beaten upon. I did visit and enjoy Natalie’s Weekend Coffee Share post earlier. Friday, I think. Loving Life in October 2022.

I am glad you stopped by, today. Even though I am talking to myself, I have in turn you to listen to. Each brightens the day.

Hugs & much love,
Lizl

Charlie Scamper, 2022-10-25

Coffee Break

#weekendcoffeeshare 2o22 Oct. 21

E.W. Bennefeld13 Comments

Morning has slipped into afternoon while I was reading the overnight news. The air quality in eastern North Dakota is being supplied by recent (ongoing?) Washington and Oregon fires. I hope that the weather is more friendly where you are.

A Lazy Morning

I woke up several times during the night for no reason I could determine. The last time, though, the Thaddeus Scamper was sleeping at my side. I turned off the alarm, but then fell back to sleep also.

On Tuesday, I received the ebook edition of Laura Anne Gilman’s Uncanny Times, and so was able read the last few chapters without the magnifying glass. On November eighth, I will have three ebooks arriving from Barnes & Noble: Darkover (Ross), Valdemar (Lackey), and collected poetry by the late Thich Nhat Hanh.

Thank you for stopping by for a visit. Time for a nap with the Scampers, now. Link to Natalie’s post and linkup below.

Best regards,
Lizl

Natalie the Explorer: Ward’s Island Homes and Gardens