My Blogging Station

My friend, Winona, callenged us to a description of our writing area, Another friend called it her AO (Operational Area). My area of inspiration (AI) will be surprising to many. Set up in a hurried hour as I was moved from another house, I sit in the dining room facing an uninteresting wall on which hangs a painting of, I believe, an Italian City with a canal. To my left is a china cabinet filled with crystal and lovely dinnerware. To my right is a round dining table; wasn't it King Arthur who had the Round Table; might get a story from that thought. If I make a ninety degree turn, I am in position for eating. There is room for my chair and my feet and my dog laying at my feet.

I'm sure this seems a less than inspirational area but, if I roll back in my chair I look to the left into the living room at family pictures on the wall. Looking past that, I look through the large picture window at a little traffic and a few people traversing our street. On the lawn is the shadow of my beloved flag blowing in the breeze. Squirrels and birds frisk around and an occsional dog or cat strolls by. Sometimes, I can almost see the children under the oak trees where they played so long ago.

My greatest inspiration and freedom comes when I turn to the right; sometimes to eat my food from the dining table or to write checks or even an old fashioned letter. More often, I looked past the table, out the double window at the dogs, squirrels, and birds playing together amongst the pecan, mulberry, persimmon, walnut, and oak trees. Then a miracle happens for suddenly, I can see fifty years into the past; the things that remain and the things that have changed.

I look above the trees at the clouds with the contrails from high flying aircraft heading for DFW, SA, KC,Atlanta. Down low is a flight of F18's coming in and there goes a B1 that just took off. I see my children riding the horses out there and I see the large garden from which I shared food to many others. As I look out this window, my mind has no shackles; I can reach to infinity and think as high as the stars.

Cramped as it might seem, I don't think I want to make any change to my Area of Inspiration. We were made for each other.