The Writer's Mailbag: Installment 278

Bill

I've often wondered why I just don't wear gloves when I'm planting or working in the garden, it just feels so wrong!

My memories wouldn't be so much my Grandad but Dad's 'allotment' a veggie garden he hired for a few years (a leftover from feudal times) to grow our veggies.

I remember growing my first veggies there, and having fun doing it, but it was many years later I got to grow my own.

I agree, every writer can tell unique stories.

You make me smile!

Top of the class!

Thanks, bill! You too! (You still haven't edited 'pedals' to 'petals'... I keep an eye on these things; it's the teacher in me, sorry!)

Ann

Wow. That sounds really useful. And much better than using it as a storage area for your mummified parent. lol

Hi Bill,

An excellent mailbag that has everyone reliving memories of their grandparents.

You've given excellent, and honest advice.

Hope your week is going well.

This is brilliant, bill! Especially all the stuff about touch. I watch my now one-year-old grandson getting into everything, touching, thinking about it all, and it's a wondrous thing to see. I'm reliving the world all over again.

I love it that Bev can glide her fingers over the pedals; how does she then see over the steering wheel? Sorry, couldn't resist it (last capsule)!

Wishing you and yours a thrilling Thursday, bill!

Ann

Bill, you mentioned digging a root cellar in the backyard. Being a city girl, born and bred, I have ask what exactly is the purpose of a root cellar? They only root cellar I'm familiar with is the one where Norman Bates moved his Mom to in the movie 'Psycho'. I presume that is not the primary function of a root cellar.

Pssssst....Bro.....1st stage of officially losing one's mind: THINKING we did something that we actually did not.....2nd one: Blaming your sister!...............LOLOLOLOLOLOL BTW, Mom & Dad loved me best!!

Bill, it warms my heart that you love my memory of Grandaddy. I actually wrote and posted a piece way back when I was an HP young 'un, in 2011. It's called "Cheyenne". I know we're not supposed to post links in the comments, so I won't, but I hope you take the time to read it. It goes into more detail of the trip I mentioned in my previous comment.

To this day, one of our mutual Hubber friends, Mike (Mr. Archer) calls me Cheyenne after reading that post. I love that and love that he sees me as Grandaddy did.

Wow, Bill, this hub reached me on several levels. I enjoyed both of the videos with the advice from the speakers, and am taking to heart your passion for connecting with others as a most significant part of writing if your writer's goal is to make a difference in someone's life (whether they know it or not).

I have a lot of stories about my grandparents because they were key people in my life as a child. My maternal grandfather used to drag scrap metal out to the farm where we lived, and heap it in a large pile in the granery area. My mother was very irritated by this stockpiling, and I understand a little better now that she saw it as an intrusion. Nothing ever happened with the scrap pile, other than it rusted out. I think Grandpa might have thought he could get a pile of money if he sold it, but I don't actually know that.

I think this tidbit of life past has come to the fore because I am feeling a little crushed under the clutter of living in a house bigger than we need, but neither my husband nor I are willing to make a decision right now. I am older now than Grandpa was when he towed out the bed springs and farm implement parts to that moldering pile.

Thank you for kindly spreading about so much encouragement with your Mailbag writings.

Your answer under The Quest touches me deeply. Reminds me that there is nothing wrong about my need to write. Thanks for all the answers.

My best memory is of my mom's mother. She was a teacher and very special. She had a knack for figuring out what would make a child want to learn. When she was retired and older, she had a heart attack and had to have someone stay with her for awhile.

She stayed with her sister for a bit and then when I graduated high school, I went to stay with her, so she could go home. She had a big Victorian house with wide doorways which were easier for her to get through with her walker. My aunt had a Craftsman with narrower doorways.

My aunt would come out and bring groceries to us and stay and visit for a bit. She brought a bottle of wine out and they hid it in the back of the pan cupboard. They would get it out to have a glass and would be tittering like a couple of naughty schoolgirls. I thought it was so endearing and cute. That was back when teacher had to behave perfectly and be so morally correct. I will always cherish that memory.

My memories about the touch of the soil take me back to my childhood days. We used to lay on the grass and enjoy it while playing some field games that have become extinct now. And, we used to play hide and seek by going to pluck a leaf from a tree instead of counting numbers so that they hid in that time. The smell of grass, leaves, flowers used to be very pleasant. Even we sucked honey from some of those flowers during those days. Wonderful days were they. I miss it all. Thanks for reminding those moments.

Each mailbag of yours is a great source of information and education to us all. Thanks and blessings.

I always touch flowers, trees, grass and just about all of nature that I can get my hands on. I make my family laugh when I walk through the park barefoot! lol!

Congratulations on your articles that have helped people. that's what its all about Bill. Great article as always.

It is always a pleasure to read the mailbag each week. Your reasons for writing are what all writers should aspire to, I know I do, and Rinita’s question and your answers about ghostwriting credit very relevant. In regard to feeling the soil, as kids we always helped in the garden or played in the dirt constructing roads for our matchbox cars etc, these days many kids aren’t even allowed to get their hands dirty outside. It’s kind of sad.

Happy Tuesday Bill! I was off the internet yesterday (always a nice break) so I didn't get a chance to read the mailbag till today. Now my whole week seems off... lol. I was always curious about how you could "sell" your work as a ghost writer to new clients, so thanks for those suggestions.

Hope you have a great and productive week!

Hi Bill.

My youngest daughter doesn't wear gloves either when she's gardening. Not sure if she likes the feel of the earth or just can't be bothered. I, on the other hand, do wear gloves because there are...things, squirmy things in the soil that I prefer not to touch. (shudder)

I didn't know my grandparents so I'm afraid I got nothing for you there.

Wow, I thought I was the only one who liked to touch flowers and such. Don't know why I do it, I just know I feel calmer for having done it.

Kitties are nagging me for food. Catch you later, Bill.

Another great mailbag Bill!

What a pretty picture of Bev, regarding the grandparents, mine died even before I was born. Couldn’t get to know them unfortunately, but that touch of soil I know as my parents used to do gardening for hours in our garden almost eveyday, taking old one out, putting new soil deep inside the plants with their hands.

Lots to think for a good writing this week. A writer have an ability to change this world, and this is what all writers are amend to do, I think.

Have a good week my friend!

Many blessings to you and Bev.

I thought the answer to the first question was great. The entire edition of the Mailbag was interesting, as always. The photo of Bev is lovely.

First, a very beautiful photo of Bev.

I liked your answer to Art. Putting your heart and soul into whatever you write, and knowing your purpose is so important.

I had two sets of grandparents. They were as opposite as could be except in two regards:

1. They loved to play games. My maternal grandmother loved board games. My paternal grandparents loved cards. They had a massive coffee can full of change to gamble with and a dammit doll at the ready to beat senseless when they got frustrated. They drank a lot and my sisters and I found them very entertaining with their competitiveness and drunken banter. One of my aunts would snort when she laughed. Then we would laugh, then she would laugh and snort more.

2. Both grandmothers loved to cook and when you were upset about something they fed you. Whacked your head, have a grilled cheese sandwich. Fight with your sister, have a danish slathered with butter and warmed in the oven.

I just thought of another:

3. Both grandfathers (and uncles) were obsessed with golf and football.

Art is visual but some aspects are very tactile. Ceramics for one. As a little girl, I would sit at my grandmother's elbow watching her pinch off a little ball of porcelain clay and squish it between her fingers. In one smooth motion, she would roll the tortilla shape into a rosebud and continue to add petals until she was happy with the rose, cut it and place it onto the dress of a porcelain doll. Then she would make another and another. She didn't use loving talk with us very much but I felt the love she had for her craft and I carried on that love.

Blessings,

Denise

It was only yesterday when I remembered my grandmother who brought me to school every day the first year I was in school. She never complained. I was not raised in a family who used touch much to show love. We were very reserved and it made it harder for me to express myself. Thankfully, that has changed now.

I would encourage that aspiring travel writer just to go forth and do what she enjoys. Pay attention to the details and somehow set yourself apart. And don’t get discouraged. The rest will fall into place.

Hi Bill. I watched the video of the travel writer telling us about his tips and couldn't agree more. Walk - Observe - Reflect. Great tips to go along with your reply. Have a great week.

Bill, your writing really is a goldmine, and HP is a wonderful place to reach people.

I was born on a farm (literally in the farmhouse at home), and I love feeling the soil, too. I do wear gloves now because at our place we never know when we will grab a blackberry vine or poison ivy. I loved to go barefoot until I lived in West Texas. Nobody goes barefoot there because of goathead burrs and 1/2-inch long ants with a bite that's worse than a wasp sting. Now we have fireants here that have kept me a tenderfoot. I get at least five or 10 bites a year anyway.

So, keep up the good work and enjoy this wonderful fall weather, my friend.

Your grandfather loved the soil. So did mine. He always gardened and produced enough food to feed our family almost year-round. My mother and grandmother would preserve the foods by canning and freezing. We also had a root cellar off of the basement which kept the carrots and potatoes, etc. (buried in sand) good for a long period of time. I have written about my parents and grandparents making sauerkraut every year from his cabbage crop. Loved the smell of fermenting cabbage! Those are just a few of my fond memories. It is making me smile just thinking about those days. Thank you!

Another great mailbag with lots to think about. Thank you, Bill! Have a wonderful week!

Bro....We can all see that you certainly are a man who gets what he wants! You say, "I want to entertain you. I want to inform you. And I want to transform you." Well, by God, there isn't a single doubt, you do ALL of that and more!

This is an especially lovely mailbag. I know this because it made me smile and lifted my spirits.....as I followed your suggestion and opened my memory bank to my grandparents (on both sides.) The first thing I am so grateful for, is that we were fortunate enough to have all 4 of our grandparents well into our late teens, when sadly, we lost the first one. Our other grandmother and 2 grandfathers blessed us with many more years. Honestly, my memory went wild, remembering so many special moments. Talk about being provided with a massive education? They were all so wise. Thank you for leading us there, Bill.

Woooo-eeee....Beautiful photo of your precious wife. Please tell Bev that Paula says she's "One Sexy Mama!!" What a special couple you are!

Love ya my bro, my friend....Sis

What a fantastic mailbag this week, Bill!

I used to wear gloves when I garden, but I don't anymore. Just yesterday I was trimming my bougainvillea and pulling weeds. The dirt gets under my fingernails, but it washes off!

I have a very fond memory of my maternal grandfather. We traveled from Philly to Missouri to visit my grandparents one summer when Grandmama feigned a heart attack. (Mom swears she only did that to bring her ten kids, who were scattered all across the country, back together again!) She was fine, by the way.

Anyway, one night I was sitting on the floor by Grandaddy's easy chair as he told me the story of the Indian spirit that walks the outer perimeter of their house each night to make sure all was honkey dory and everyone was safe from harm. I can still picture it in my mind. I couldn't have been more than eight. Grandaddy never called me Shauna or Sha; it was always Cheyenne. I loved that!

I hope you had a relaxing birthday yesterday. Did you do anything special?

Bill I wear gloves about half the time. 1st for protect them. Which goes into the 2nd, pulling weeds. I don't like to pull weeds. Weeds are people too. So I don't want to feel the destruction. OTOH wouldn't it be funny to plant a seed with gloves on? That whole idea has me giggling.

My grandpa fed my mom during the depression from his soil. He wore gloves for carpentry but would take them off to "feel" the wood.

When we would garden he would just pause, say not a word and breathe deep through his nose and smile. What a gift in that he gave me.

Thank you for answering my question. Not sure which one will work, but I will start trying them out. Helpful hub as usual. I admire your thoughts around touch, it is something we are losing. All we touch are our touchscreen based smartphones. Irony. Anyway, hope you have a great week.

I love it when you venture back in time to relate a memory. You asked for our memory's about our grandparents. I have a memory of my grandmother sitting in a chair, brushing her hair which reached the floor. It was never cut because she thought it was a sin. ( Bible ) I also have a memory of my grandfather making blackberry wine when my grandmother would be on a religious retreat somewhere. This he would never dare to do if she were there. They were nothing alike but they loved one another and was married over 60 years.

Bill, a wonderful start to the week with your Mailbag. I wear disposable latex gloves when I work in the garden--they keep my hands clean but are thin enough that I can still feel the plants, grasp an individual weed, or sense the condition of the soil.

Touching--it's just another way of loving. Like Eric's Sunday sermons, you always touch us with your writings that make us think or laugh or cry, and help us grow as writers.

The question about travel writing and your response reminds me of Rachel Ray. She's EVERYWHERE now, but got her start doing a series called Europe on $30 a Day. She would visit a city and buy breakfast, lunch, dinner (and usually a snack), all for $30 a day. She found a unique niche and look at her now.

This is absolutely a great article today as you wrote with so much passion. Most of the medical articles I write are to inform people about the topic and to make their lives better. I want to make a difference. Even my family research is done for the rest of my family to leave a kind of legacy. It is a good way to live!

Now, my grandparents took me fishing when I was a child in a fishing boat. They taught me how to fish and I liked it. I remember one of the first days my grandfather said to me, "Pamela, the fish won't bite if you keep talking." So, I learned to be quiet and more patient as a child.

Happy Mailbag Monday Morning???? Well, I'm feeling pretty proud of myself.

Re: Soil Test? I agree with your grandpa. Soil smells a certain way. And it changes through the year. But I draw the line on digging in it with my bare hands. I'm still girly, I guess, and have some sensitive skin. So no bare handed soil testing for me.

Re: Ghostwriting Credit. Good advice there. Not being able to build a portfolio of MY work is the main reason I don't do it. They can hire me to post as a guest with a byline.

Re: Making Money Writing Travel... or Anything. If you're going into blogging to make money, good luck! That era is over. People are still hammering away at this on sites like Patreon. But with the flood of free content everywhere on the internet, that's a hard sell.

Re: Touching the Flowers. While I walk the dogs, I regularly touch my neighbors' flowers if they're close to the sidewalk. The echinacea in one yard has been getting some love from me for years. I wonder if they understand? I guess there's some science that says they do. So I'll keep doing it.

Anyway, have a wonderful week ahead!

Aw, Bill I love that memory you have of your grandfather and can't thank you enough for sharing here on this Monday with us. And yes I do have a few special memories of my own grandparents. But I will save those for another day on my blog where I may share more. But until that day, thanks for the story and your writing advice always. Happy Monday and week ahead now :)