Book Review!

 By Maryanna Gabriel 

"A woman washes Gabriel’s suffering feet; she asks only prayers in return.

The full spectrum of humanity, all of its greed and selflessness,

is here for observation, and observe Gabriel does."  

That robin is still living in the basket of petunias.              

Always a bit of stir getting feedback on one's writing. To get to the point of publication requires much
of it. Through the process I have been lucky enough to develop a strong sense of what goes against the grain and what might be a good recommendation. At several points I had to hold out against what  would weaken the story line; one can't be passive in this business.   

 

One of my favourite movies is Genius, about Max Perkins, a man who made such writers as Hemingway, Fitzgerald, and Wolfe. He is an editor who has not been given credit enough, and a rare talent. Colin Firth does such a wonderful job of capturing his spirit. 

At this point, I find myself fortunate to have received a book review! It has taken me a whole week to read it from start to finish. Just not brave enough. Finally, at the dentist's office I dove in. It was a kind analysis. Thank you to BC Book Review. 

https://thebcreview.ca/2023/07/16/1842-brooks-gabriel/

Robin Crazies

 By Maryanna Gabriel

Right outside my front door is a hanging basket of petunias. Great, right? A robin has been bringing wisps of hay and tiny branches covered in moss and placing them domestically about the basket. She has been most insistent.

Please forgive me when I tell you this. I cleaned out the basket and as I swept away the fallen blossoms, I could see this was not a passing fancy. Robin has moved in. For her own sake, and the sake of my petunias, I upped the ante because even I know setting up house by front doors is not a great choice. Perhaps she was raised by a swallow. 

Build a shield, I thought, that's the ticket. I positioned a tripod of three skewers, pointy side up, meaning MOVE ON (for your own good) SIGNED THE MANAGEMENT. Besides, the nesting season is over, for goodness sake. 

"I tried to steal a photograph." 

The next morning one skewer was flipped to the ground as the robin regarded me warily from her flowery perch. Cautiously, I inched beneath her and watered my container zucchini. She held her ground. I tried to steal a photograph. She did not move. This morning when I got up, my first action was to peer through the window to see if Robin was amid the petunias. She was. 24/7 then. 

I have crumbled. Maybe toxins in the environment have scrambled her reasoning. I am unable to muster more fodder. Who cares about petunias, anyway? If she's that attached to the hanging basket then I shall let Robin be. 

Slither Somewhere Else

 By Maryanna Gabriel 

Ahhh... summer. The need to rest. And heat. Er. Cough. And forest fires. I was expiring by a lakeside ahead of the tourists when a garter snake stopped directly in front of me and stared. I stared back. What was it thinking with its beady little eyes and raised head as it regarded me so intently? Ol' snake eyes. It was maybe 18 inches long with blue stripes along a dark body.

Maybe it was a totem. The snake symbol may mean healing, as in the medical symbol of the Staff of Aesculapius, or change. as in the shedding of its skin. But this snake's skin was glistening and fresh.

Suddenly, it came right for me. No, thank you. Not that I was afraid. Just not particularly wanting to be slithered upon. Go slither somewhere else. I held my Birkenstock up as a shield, and fortunately the movement worked. The snake veered into the bushes behind me. Not that it would bite. At the same time, one doesn't necessarily want to be charged by a snake during one's r 'n r. 

Once home, I looked the up symbolism. It means taking the negative (as in venomous bites) and transmuting the poison into a positive. Well, that fits. It is what I have done. Done on the Camino. Done in the book. Done in my life. So I guess snake is my totem animal. Don't mess with me.