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Cathy Coley

writing (22)

My deceased parents in approximately 1980, leaning on a kitchen counter, Dad has a coffee cup in hand. Mom leans into him. They are very young looking in their 40s, and handsome pair, he is fair, she is darker, brunette.

Eulogy For My Father

Wednesday, September 13, 2023

Today is my father's birthday. We haven't had a service for him yet. He passed in February. I wrote the following eulogy not long after he passed, for me to process, because that's what I needed to do. It's less a summary of his accomplishments than a look into how he loved as a father. ~~~ How do I say goodbye to the person I knew I could rely on no matter what else went on in our family, at school, my life as an adult? He was my first teacher, and led [...] more
Live-forever beginning to flower, a late season bloomer up close

By way of Introduction, after a spate

Friday, August 25, 2023

Fall used to be my favorite season when I lived in New England for my first 40 years. I knew what to expect by the way the air smelled in the turning of the season. Unless I drive through the hill country of western Virginia or North Carolina, it hasn’t ever lived up to the glorious crayon spectrum of trees since, rolling colors into each other from the early birch yellow to orange red elms and maples to purple oaks and walnuts over a few weeks, before the mid-October rains beat the trees senseless into crisp winter [...] more

Patreon

Tuesday, November 23, 2021

In my last entry I discussed a new project I'm working on. I'm making some headway in it, and edited my last blog post here to reflect the work as it is now. I have gone far enough that I have a sense of where the story leads, even as I research the current events of 1981, and continue to "Pants it" in the parlance of writers. I'm usually more a plotter-pantser, but this one is slowly shaping up with the research. I have opened a Patreon to hold myself accountable [...] more
Unfinished watercolor of sunflower with bee

New Project

Saturday, August 21, 2021

Yet again, I start a new project. I’m completely pantsing this one. Highly unusual for me. It’s set in 1982-3 [edit: I changed the timeframe to start in summer of 81 to match up with certain world news events -11. 23. 2021] with a female teen main character, and in my hometown in CT. I want to explore the ideas of sexism and racism and privilege that is more recognized now, that I felt then, but felt like I was screaming into a void of privileged environment where I grew up. I [...] more
Orange and white kitten sits on white haired woman’s shoulder

Everything comes to an end one way or another, and begins again

Thursday, June 10, 2021

It’s been a year plus, huh? Oh, my spouse and I drove 1500+ miles to get a new kitten, meet Neroli. He’s growing fast and keeps Valentino from beating up on the elder cats by being a good wrestling partner. We also visited old friends and got out of the house for a weekend. A couple of days ago, my chemo port was removed, signaling the battle is over, time to put the weapons down and celebrate. I will still be going to multiple cancer doctor appointments for [...] more
Loblolly pines against blue sky with puffy cloud

Poetry and Woodpecker

Monday, April 12, 2021

Poetry Poetry is the heart Written with the mind We poets try to express what makes Our pumping vessels swell and contract So that others may know their living meaning Because we can’t know our own Until we write it 4. 11. 2021 Woodpecker Before the rain, I brought a book outside and heard the woodpecker Chomping to find the heart. I looked up and a breeze blew yellow swathes from high in the loblolly pines Before the grey skies shadow the brightening sun [...] more
Pastel sunset over dune with small boat somewhat buried

Getting Back on the Horse

Tuesday, February 23, 2021

I continue to recover from the last year of cancer treatments. Fatigue and brain fog are lifting. I’m getting out for walks again, now the two plus months of downpour seems to have lifted, too. And I’m writing again, in a way I haven’t for a long time. I joined a weekly zoom writing group with an old friend and his wife and others. It’s run really well and intentionally kindly. Everyone is enthused about each other’s work, which helps a lot. I hadn’t engaged directly [...] more
Long figure shadows looking down sore line; eroded sand dune to left; blue sky and water to right

New Year

Wednesday, January 13, 2021

Since my last post, the holidays passed quietly, my radiation treatments are over, I had four teeth extracted, over 350,000 have died from COVID, and many more are living with severe long term effects. There was a riotous failed coup on my birthday. And yet, I’m okay? The rollercoaster is intense, at home, and in the world. 4am scrolling is not an unknown. I wish it was. Re: writing, I get what I can when I can. I feel more like I can write now, [...] more
Rolling ocean waves under blue sky with smattering clouds

Columbo Saves Us

Thursday, November 12, 2020

I’ve been MIA here for a few months. I’ve been watching a lot of series, Queen’s Gambit is amazing, and I think I’ve watched all the Cozy Village British Murder Shows there are to watch. I’ve returned to the Murder Shows of my childhood, with the help of a friend who sent me the full DVD set of Columbo. My spawn in the house have started watching Columbo with me. It’s nice when the world is in chaos, both big and small, ie: my cancer, and being locked up in the [...] more
a setting of rose quartz and ceramic bird with a hadndmade wire and rose quartz tree in center

Off-Roading, From the Ground

Wednesday, July 8, 2020

Since May’s post, I was biopsied, lumpectomied, had clear margins widened (a second, lesser surgery on Baby Cthulhu Boob) all in the span of 6 weeks. There’s a lot more to this story, quite a rollercoaster. First it was determined I would probably only need spot radiation, but we are now headed toward chemo once the incision heals. I’m blessed (I don’t use that word frequently or lightly) to have good friends from many quarters seeing me through in big and small ways. The pic included shows a gift from one. [...] more
sphere puzzle bought circa 2002, finally opened now

Schooolz out for Covid

Tuesday, March 17, 2020

How's everybody doing? Are you okay? I'm used to social isolation, so I'm doing fine in that regard. The sixth grader took some adjustment, but finally got to work in Google classroom today, day two of canceled school, statewide. Usually, her birthday comes up during spring break in a couple of weeks, and finally isn't, but now she's celebrating with just us again, due to quarantine. Maybe we'll set up a mini-golf party with a few of her friends when this blows over. [...] more

Projects, Nuts and Bolts

Tuesday, February 11, 2020

I often speak of being in a long fallow period with my writing, that I'm not really writing, or that I'm frustrated by it when I do write, and can only maintain for brief stints. But that's a lie. Kind of. In the years since I wrote Felix , the reality is I have been writing in fits and starts, bits and pieces throughout. I have also been dealing with traumas, their fallouts and recovery, losing a parent, a major move, a surgery, and getting off really mentally interfering [...] more

Missiles at Dawn

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Missiles at Dawn Living close to a weapons testing area not far from Camp Lejeune can be interesting. Sometimes the air pops and eventually I know it’s not a rowdy neighbor by how the corn settles into a practiced rhythm. Sometimes it’s quite loud. The house shakes, and I wonder if this might be it. I think they’re testing land mines. This morning, I learned the fft-whoosh of missiles at dawn is nothing like the movies. Now I will recognize it [...] more
Pants not required for writing when have pets

To puppy or not to puppy and writing

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

After much hilarity and drama, it appears that Sunni-D has done the 11% percent thing and pulled a “canine fetal re-absorption” move. Google it, it’s wild. We were actually looking forward to and preparing for puppies, and I had four takers to adopt among friends. Alas, puppies were not to be, but spaying is imminent. Meanwhile, school started for kid, and we attended two weddings far afield in the beginning of October, from which I am still recovering. I’m not sure how much I have spoken here about Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, [...] more

Of Neighbors, Dogs, and Fences

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

I used to blog about balancing writing and family life with special needs at musingsinmayhem. wordpress. com when we lived in Virginia. My life has always had a bit of a wild hilarity in the mix. I wanted this website to be more about writing projects in its focus, but I am who I am, and my life is mayhem. We moved two cats with us to North Carolina. We were dogless since the passing of our Lucy a handful of years earlier. We fostered and [...] more

piano ghosts

Monday, November 19, 2018

It's been a little while. I did finish the story for the anthology deadline with revisions, and I'm pretty happy with it. Then I had writer's block by a few contributing factors, and my ten year old daughter got bit by the writing bug for fanfic of a series she's reading. For at least a decade, 10 year old girls have gone crazy for the Warrior series. It's a Nancy Drew prolific series of series, but a Watership Down of cats, plot-wise. I was a bit envious of how easily the creative process came [...] more

It's right there, just write it

Tuesday, October 23, 2018

I've been working on a short story to an anthology deadline for a couple of weeks. I have essentially two scenes left, tops three, depending how you quantify them. I can see them. They are how the story started in my head, and what made me think this anthology submission would be perfect for this. I have now tinkered with all the writing and edits prior to those crux scenes as much as I can possibly tinker. . . and still they are difficult to write. What's that old quote? [...] more

Whirlwind

Thursday, October 4, 2018

My goal with this blog is to post about writing process every couple of weeks. The time table is to hold myself accountable to keeping on track in writing, and to not overtalk process, thereby writing myself out of the main writing which I'd rather be writing. Well, life and hurricanes happen, and it's been a month. Our house is still standing, I don't think we "house guests and fish-ed" our way out of our evacution hosts' family. Sadly, many of my neighbors and community have trees in their roofs, or [...] more

Florence and the Writer

Monday, September 10, 2018

I've spent my whole life on the East Coast of the US. The sea gives me life. When Hothouse Flowers came out with their song Good for You , that opens, "I spent my life watch sky and sea change color, hypnotized by the beauty of it all" I cried. It was my life. Yeah, I'm a big sap. So, I have a bit of experience with hurricanes. My family moved from a block away from Long Island Sound, inland and up a hill, after a small [...] more

Heading into Fall

Thursday, August 23, 2018

Salutations! I have one kid left going into school this fall. Fall is a relative term here, as she is starting in August, and the Equinox isn't for another month. I don't know if this is a particularly southern thing, or farming thing. When I grew up in Connecticut, we always started after Labor Day, and that made much more sense to say Fall, at least it was the same month in name. My boys did so, too, in our Massachusetts days. This is neither here nor there, except to say life moves [...] more

Away we go

Thursday, August 16, 2018

Hello! Firstly, thank you to those of you who bought copies of Felix the Comet through me so far! I still have some copies on hand that I would love to sign for a student, teacher, or you! Please email through my Contact page if you'd like to park one in a 4th-7th grade classroom for the new school year, signed! It's a fun story of friendship and negotiating social miasma at 12 with a little science thrown in. If you run into an error message in Contact, you can [...] more

Welcome to my new look!

Thursday, August 2, 2018

I think this better reflects where I am now in life and writing. Please take a look around the home and about pages. Initially, this website reflected the look of my first book, with Melissa Gay’s ( http://www. melissagay. com/ ) beautiful artwork. And it was exactly what I wanted, for a time. Among the many changes mentioned in the previous blog post, I have reached a point where I am ready to say goodbye to all [...] more