Blog - Arlene Bice

I find myself calling on a word

that I love to say as it rolls around my tongue,

tingles in my ear and bursts out into the universe

on paper it turns the page into a bit of happiness

that I share with others that they may enjoy it, too

but I wonder

do other ears tire of hearing

the same old, same old words expected from me

when I open my mouth to speak, to astonish another

with a new idea but using the same old, same old words

as excited as I am that I cannot call upon a word unused

often by me

so many words that I love to say;

delighted, sensuous, passionate, positive, synchronicity,

words of a musical bent that sing in my head in the kitchen,

fettucine, proscuitto, zuppa inglese, freschi, funghi, castagne,

words that sound more promising on the Italian menu than

at the diner

foreign words slipped into our language

may need practice but once you learn them, say them often

and they become fun to form in your mouth even for one

who prefers to write than to talk, to listen to the rhythm

in the voice of someone else, to hear if they are using their

same old, same old words

Cats

The Girls

December 7, 2012 Arlene

(re-posted from 2007)

The term “The Girls” as I refer to them, came easily after birthing four sons, having two brothers, raised in a neighborhood full of boys and marrying three guys. One at a time, that is, with a little leeway in between.

So when these two adorable rescued kittens were first placed in front of me like gift boxes to choose from, I took both. Sisters, even with different fathers, shouldn’t be separated. Plus I travel often so they are company for each other when I’m gone. They don’t appreciate that I planned such consideration for them. They sense my plans days before I even take my travel bag out of the closet. Their upturned faces show me the saddest of eyes tugging at my inner softness. It makes me not want to go anywhere and I have always loved to go, anywhere.

That’s also when they begin adhering to my ankles, in front of, rubbing the sides of and tangling in between. Sometimes I’m nearly tripping just trying to stand up. It seems as though invisible glue keeps them in place. I step, they step, I sit, they sit, I breathe, they breathe.

They are Lady Jane and Mz Lizzie. The Bennet sisters from Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice.” Jane was upgraded to a titled ‘Lady’ because she is; just like Jane in the story. Her personality and being born minutes earlier gives her the older sister air. She’s also shy and reserved, but can romp (like a rabbit) beside Lizzie when encouraged. She’s a Manx. Black and white, no tail.

Lizzie follows Elizabeth’s personality. She’s daring, impish, funny and cuddly. I can sometimes see an idea forming by a light popping up in her eyes. She’s full of life and energy. She can talk the ears off an elephant. She’s a calico born with a bent two-inch tail.

They are blessings in my life.

paranormal, Poetry

Mystical Avebury (publ. Life & Labyrinth)

December 6, 2012 Arlene

The heavy mist is all around.

Unknown if it comes

down from the sky

or up from the ground.

It fills the landscape.

Everything matches the gray

of the circle of tall stones;

the grass, trees, sky and the body

of a long, gray cloak gliding across

the open park towards me.

I stand with my back leaning

into the massive, upright boulder

feeling my secrets melting into

and blending with the secrets of the rock

kept quiet for centuries.

Vibrations emanate into my bones.

I feel sorrow, mystery.

Low moaning turns into a searing cry

cutting the late afternoon down the middle,

silencing the birds, sending chills up my spine.

As the form slowly moves closer

my body tenses, expectant.

My fingertips vibrate against the stone

warmth flows through me alerting my soul.

The long, gray cloak passes through me

leaving me behind.

Poetry, women

Malala Yousafzai, A Leader For Our Time

December 5, 2012 Arlene

In all nations brave women and girls,

through the ages have shown courage

during battles and long wars. They have fed the warriors,

carried messages, fought off the enemy, suffered rape, disfigurement,

and healed the wounds of others.

As the world progresses in time

as we inch toward respect;

understanding cultures and ways of countries different,

the feminine teach, nurture, carry the burden and the waving banner

toward freedom of education.

Timid maiden, traditional matron

carry on the fight for their rights

of speech, of choice, of life productive, of developing

their talents and gifts varied from the masculine in their families,

special in their own footsteps.

Malala, leader of your time,

of your place, may you continue

without violence against you. Know you are a leader,

an international symbol admired by many for your determined beliefs;

willing to stand up for them.

ezine

PurpleStone Press December Ezine

December 4, 2012 Arlene

A Monthly Newsletter to keep readers informed on news in the book world, about moments not easily explained, stretching out to other genres, a personal story, events going on, comments from readers and more. Readers are welcome to comment or add their thoughts to the next newsletter.
In This Issue December 2012
Click Reply, enter your email address with the word Subscribe and return it to me at asbice@aol.com if you would like to receive the monthly Ezine on books, stories, life’s quirks, and other bits of interest to inquisitive readers.

Happenings & News Mucho thanks to Oakley Hall Antiques for hosting a wonderful “Meet the Author & Book Signing” last month. It was fabulous and I met some new people as well as greeting friends I know. There will definitely be a Volume II Warren County Ghost Book. Thanks for your words and your support to all who attended. It wasn’t so long ago when I was hosting book signings for others, now I’m the one signing. How cool is that! The stuffed dates I brought to the signing was a recipe that was brought to a book signing I hosted at my shop many years ago for Rose J. Radel who wrote: The Miniature Pinscher: An Owner’s Guide to a Happy Healthy Pet.
What’s Goin’ On? December 4, Tuesday… . TASTE N TELL at the WCM Library sponsored by Warrenton Woman’s Club. Christmas recipes from the Recipes & Remembrances Cookbook will be offered to taste, cooks will tell their stories and the cookbook will be available for sale at $15. Recipes in the cookbook were submitted by Warren County folks and their friends and family from all across the nation. Also included are some favorites of past Presidential wives such as Martha Custis Washington. Think great Christmas and Holiday gifts.
To all my Christian friends=Merry Christmas and to all my friends who have chosen a different path=Happy Holidays, no matter which one you choose to celebrate or how you like to offer the greeting. It is the goodwill that matters.

Stories…The Mount; The Haunted Home of Edith Wharton.
Edith Wharton, author of The Age of Innocence, The House of Mirth, Ethan Frome and so much more, designed her home in the Berkshires over a hundred years ago. It was not exactly a happy marriage that she shared with husband Teddy and she eventually divorced him. The Mount is now a National Trust and open to visitors. It is the docents and visitors who tell of …..footsteps walking down a hallway and fading-when no one could be seen; doors slamming for no obvious reason, voices heard but no one seen. Ghost Hunters have visited and found ghostly activities. The house was sold to become a girls school. Those staying in the servant quarters and main house both reported odd goings on. Shakespeare & Co. came into the building in 1976 with the same reports of voices with no bodies, ghosts in old-fashioned clothing peeking around corners, voices inquiring “what are you doing here?”

Edith herself was sensitive to ghosts following her in childhood remaining skittish of them as a married woman. Yet now she is a ghost seen, seated and reading. Teddy has also been spotted striding through the house and Edith’s lover has been noticed in a tuxedo with pocket watch in hand. A servant girl is seen on the third floor in the room she called her own. Photo from Wikipedia website.

Letters, I Get Letters…. As much as I love North Carolina and the (still) newness of exploring and learning new customs, there is an unhappy part, too. In moving to a new place to live, I have lost the casual contact with some people who have been important in my life. This means I just learned now, a year after the fact that Julianne MacNicoll passed away. She and long-time-husband Ed (Past President of the NAIFA) worked side-by-side in their office in Hamilton Township (NJ) doing residential and commercial real estate appraisals. And they were side-by-side in all aspects of their lives. Ed also taught and did a million other things. I remember Julie as being the sunniest person, always happy, positive and encouraging, especially to a newcomer to the business that I loved so much, me. I can still see her smiling face.

This Month……Since I now have Ghostly Spirits of Warren County, North Carolina & Beyond on the shelves, I’m back to completing New Jersey true ghost tales that I have been collecting for the last few years in between the NC ones. If you know of anyone who would like to tell me their story, please put them in touch with me at: asbice@aol.com or 252-257-4838.

The Latest……. Ghostly Spirits of Warren County NC & Beyond (Soft Cover-2012 PurpleStone Press) $18.95 A candle in the window, a man who walks through walls, a woman from long ago…..peek into the personal stories of hauntings from those who wish to remain in their place on earth instead of going forward into the after-life. Warren County was a wealthy, thriving place during the antebellum years. Warrenton was the hub of activity, a destination on market days where friends gathered. These imprints were left and remain today.

Also Available…. Ghosts Of Bordentown (NJ) $14.95 True paranormal stories told by those who lived them Haunted Bordentown … (NJ) $14.95 More true paranormal tales
Life & Labyrinth …$17.95 Memoir & Poetry Major Fraser’s A House & Its History $19.95 Images of America Series -Bordentown, A picture book of Bordentown history – New Egypt & Plumsted Township, A picture book of the center of New Jersey -Bordentown Revisited, More pictures and history of Bordentown and surrounding area.

Subscribe: Click Reply, enter your email address with the word Subscribe and return it to me if you would like to receive a monthly Ezine on books, stories, life’s quirks, and other bits of interest to inquisitive readers

Keep your mind open. Keep reading. Be kind. Be gentle.

PurpleStone Press asbice@aol.com, http://purplestoneblog.com/

Arlene S. Bice writer-lecturer-artist P O Box 348 Macon, NC 27551

general, Poetry

my world from a bit of frost

November 30, 2012 Arlene

Snowfall of 2011-my treeline... — after frost come the snow falls (2011-my treeline)

lots of frost lined my morning window

as the sun touched it, a dewdrop formed

reflecting from the crystal hanging inside

the frost that turned into a dewdrop

is now sparkling with colors of the rainbow

this opened me, placing thoughts of my life

how certain people have touched me

turning me into a rainbow of compassion,

understanding, love, and welcome

to others of different heritage, color and language

it begins with respect and grows from there

into compassion for the struggle of another,

understanding their battle from my own wars,

loving them for meeting the challenge

as I welcome them into my world as compatriots

from that point on, bonds of friendship are formed

as I learn more of a world unknown to me

impossible for me to imagine without the history

to feel as any other, to sense what they know naturally

to evolve to a higher plane of self © Arlene S. Bice, 2012

general, women

Christmas & Holiday Recipes & Remembrances

November 29, 2012 Arlene

“CHRISTMAS TASTE ‘N TELL”

Community Room at

Warren County Memorial Library

119 So. Front Street

Warrenton NC

Tues.4 Dec. 2012

12:00 to 1:00 pm

Come tell your tales & taste our foods made for you by the women who contributed to the

Warrenton Woman’s Club Cookbook the “Recipes & Remembrances” Cookbook

will be available for purchase at $15.00

This was a fun event when we introduced it in the spring. The planned program took on a life of its own. So this time we are going to just run with it, let ya’ll tell your Christmas or your Holiday stories that have food memories in them.

Please, come out and taste the wonderful array of recipes made with Christmas in mind by those who submitted to our Warrenton Women’s Club cookbook, Recipes & Remembrances. Enjoy!

Uncategorized

Year of Wonder & Gratitude

November 22, 2012 Arlene

Thanksgiving Day is a day above others to stop and think about the uncommon things for which I am grateful for. So I place them here in a poem for you to enjoy. I am grateful for that.

Year of Wonder & Gratitude

I am grateful

for the skilled surgical team

for giving me a new, youthful heart

early this year, adding time to my life,

to create, to be; surely a wondrous thing

to be grateful for

I am grateful

for the friends and family

that cared, who sent prayers

for my healing; I did heal, so quickly,

that in awe I went out and built an herb garden

that I am grateful for

I am grateful

for the seasons changing

showing beauty in its own way

the glory of colors varied each season

thanks to Duke Eye Center I see those colors

how grateful am I

I am grateful

for friends that share

my love of art, the printed word

reading books, willing to discuss them

for music that sings in my house and my soul

I am grateful

for the joy of helping

others in my own small way

humble that it is, but from my heart

that pleases me more than receiving gifts

gratefulness overflows

I am grateful

for doors opening

to the path leading me

forward in this year of wonder

of exciting adventures and old memories

I am grateful. Yes

general

New Location at Riverside Mill in Weldon, NC

November 20, 2012 Arlene

Life just gets better and better. Thanks to an introduction by Jeanne Watson, I’ve been invited to place three of my books, Ghostly Spirits of Warren County, NC & Beyond, Life & Labyrinth and Major Fraser’s in the Riverside Mill in Weldon, North Carolina. Delighted! It has been nearly a year, maybe a bit more than that since I’ve been there. Mainly because I’m not a shopper and my need to buy gifts has faded away.

I do like to buy North Carolina items as gifts when I return to New Jersey, to show that American skill and talent are still alive and doing well here. Riverside Mill is a great showcase for that. I bought a few pottery pieces, salsas, jams, chocolate-covered peanuts, and more……all North Carolina treasures that I will proudly give as exchange and hostess gifts this holiday season. Many people over – fifty don’t want another knick-knack but love to receive quality and delicious food gifts.

There is so much more to the Mill including sculptures, clothing, linen, and shoe outlets. And lots of quality antiques to browse or buy all in a well-ordered, friendly and charming atmosphere.

When you visit please take a few minutes to browse through my books. They, too, make nice Christmas or Holiday gifts.

Cats, paranormal, Poetry, Uncategorized

Cat & Dog Ghosts

November 16, 2012 Arlene

Now that my rescued Manx cat, Lady Jane, has been diagnosed with diabetes and I know I will be facing a day in the not-far-off-future when she passes away, I’m thinking about seeing her in the afterlife. Over the years several people have told me they have seen a cat or dog in spirit form race past them in a blur. I have too, in the first year that I lived in my new home in North Carolina. Fortunately for me, it didn’t step on the paint can lid while I was putting some fresh color on my walls.

My girls (Lady Jane & Mz Lizzie) did not seem to mind this other pet running through the house. But then they were playful with the Native American Brave that wandered through, also. He even stopped to rub their bellies. The Brave left after that first year, along with the animal. It could have been his companion. My eldest brother moved in with me during the second year. I wondered if that had something to do with changing the tone in the household even though he was an animal lover.

I’ve read where some religions state that animals do not have souls because they do not have free will or an immortal soul or a conscience, so no afterlife for them. It runs through my mind about cats traveling hundreds of miles to get to the home they love and are familiar with, after they have jumped out of a car and become lost. Or a dog that leaps into swirling waters to save the life of a family member. Or protects a child from a snake biting, or goes for assistance to help their owner. You get the idea. Instinct? Don’t think so. Trained to do so? Nope. Souless? I think it is all about love. Love can bind a person to a place after they pass away; staying as a spirit or a ghost. Why not the love of an animal?

Two Cats

(Read horizontally or/and vertically.)

Two cats Lizzie and Jane,

playful, joyful, full of life

romping thru the house like two kids

one leading the other upstairs, downstairs

all over boisterous

a calico, a manx black, white and gold

different breeds different markings

same mother same heart.