Blog Structure – Purpose, Materials and Methods.

Since I am most familiar with that lab tech approach in life, here is a description of the blog’s purpose, materials, and methods:

PURPOSE:

To chronicle the assembly of my soul’s mosaic with regular posts on any topic in the three main categories. These entries will usually have 2 parts: The Gift and The Post.

MATERIALS: THE THREE CATEGORIES

1) Broken Bits

The bits of my life are the raw material. Like a pile of stones and broken glass dumped out on the ground, here’s just some of my interests strewn across the page in no particular order:

Fiddler crabs, hermit crabs, New England, Northern Atlantic seashore creatures, rocky coastlines, 13th century Welsh marches, stone castles, 13th century England, American Revolution, Colonial Williamsburg, photography, zoo enrichment, zoos and zoo animals, food storage and survival methods, Greek mythology, diners, concrete dome homes, underground homes, nature, pond life, Canada geese, acorns, sea shells, broken things, history, inspirational sayings, oil painting, pastel painting, rock walls, dogs, poodles, animal news stories, aging, emotions, psychology, religion, new approaches to retirement communities, aging at home, old movies, Christmas movies, marine aquariums, brackish aquariums, travel, parenting, marriage, relationships, connection, fears, love.

2) Mosaics Created

The raw materials above, interpreted and structured by the mortar below, result in these concrete creations. These include:

Writing samples – essays, excerpts from my books, short stories, Haiku, aquarium logs, character descriptions

Photographs – especially macro work

Artwork – oil paintings, pastel works, stick figure drawings, comics etc.

Miscellaneous craft items

3) Mortar

The bits of the mosaic have to be held fast in a strong support for pattern and order to emerge out of chaos. Our souls are the mortar, selecting and arranging the bits according to our own unique vision. The various things that form my soul’s mortar include:

Judaism, Buddhism, Catholicism, Christianity, Taoism, Transcendentalism, Thoreau, Emerson, Mother Teresa, Inspirational sayings, famous quotations, Tara, Mary, St. Jude – the patron saint of impossible causes, Medical Laboratory Technology, Bible, the Buddha, nature, medical ethics, hospitals, death and dying, sustaining against impossible odds, remaining steadfast even through pain, Pema Chodron, Thich Nhat Hanh, Father Hugh O’Flaherty, Joan Didion, Lee Woodruff, Kate Braestrup, Nancy Drew, the Bulldog of Bergen, and countless other authors, books, and people, especially those unknown, everyday saints otherwise known as friends, family, and my husband.

METHOD: THE 2-PART POST

The Gift: Something short and concrete, given freely to the reader to enjoy or ponder. It may or may not be related to the day’s main post topic. Examples include: pictures, inspirational sayings, news items, interesting web links found.

The Gift: a writer’s extra: In addition to the standard gift, this one offers news, blogs, websites, and info about other writers or things of interest to writers.

The Post: The entry for the day, which can come from any topic in any of the three categories. It can be a right-brained emotional musing or a left-brained discussion of some interesting fact.