Cristina Jill

Late Ripeness “Not soon, as late as the approach of my ninetieth year, I felt a door opening in me and I entered the clarity of early morning. One after another my former lives were departing, like ships, together with their sorrow. And the countries, cities, gardens, the bays of seas assigned to my brush came closer, ready now to be described better than they were before. I was not separated from people, grief and pity joined us. We forget - I kept saying - that we are all children of the King. For where we come from there is no division into Yes and No, into is, was, and will be. We were miserable, we used no more than a hundredth part of the gift we received for our long journey. Moments from yesterday and from centuries ago - a sword blow, the painting of eyelashes before a mirror of polished metal, a lethal musket shot, a caravel staving its hull against a reef - they dwell in us, waiting for a fulfillment. I knew, always, that I would be a worker in the vineyard, as are all men and women living at the same time, whether they are aware of it or not.” ~ Czeslaw Milosz ~ My name is Cristina Jill Mosqueda Cooper. I pause looking at my name, and think about how much there is to explain with those words alone. My mother gave me a name to use in each of my worlds, Cristina for my Cuban life, and Jill for the American life. I suppose it is there were the paradoxes of my life began. I have been many things in my life, from a housekeeper to a high school history teacher; but no matter what else I did, I was always a writer. I love words and the power and passion which they can be used to create. I love reading words, writing words, speaking words, and listening to words – especially words from people that I love and respect. It is my desire to live life on my own terms, and willingly or not, I have paid the price demanded, by the world, to be myself. I share my life with Kate, with whom I have lived for the last 23 years, and Miss Merry Margaret, our little mutt who really is the world’s most perfect dog. I also travel, cook, garden, sculpt, and make large messes doing all of the above. Welcome to my world, that is all for now.

Web Site: http://thatisallfornow.com


Did You Know?

May 27, 2012

Happy 75th Birthday to the Golden Gate Bridge! Opened on May 27, 1937, the bridge stands as strong and breathtaking as ever.  The toll may have gone up a bit, but it is nevertheless worth the crossing – may she always be as glorious as she is today.
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Public Square

May 18, 2012

Colonel Harland Sanders Café & Museum Kate and I still chuckle, thinking about a day my Uncle David and Aunt Roxanne had driven over, from the west coast of Florida, to see his sister’s, my Aunt Helen and my Mother, in South Florida; we invited them all to lunch, at the house. As three...
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In the Wild!

May 11, 2012

A Giant Alligator, Orange, and a Few Peafowls in the Distance     So the large orange caught our eye; one of those silly roadside attractions that I find hard to resist.     After pulling in to snap a few pictures, we got back in the car, and found ourselves drawn to this...
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Art

May 10, 2012

To love a painting is to feel that this presence is… not an object but a voice. ~ Andre Malraux ~  The Large Tree by Paul Gauguin Painted in 1891, this idyllic and exotic oil was one of the first paintings created by Gauguin, upon arriving in Tahiti, where he had gone seeking the...
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In the Garden

May 10, 2012

  Heliconia Pendula   I thought you might enjoy following the growth of a heliconia bract (a beak like pod which slowly opens up, producing a stem of color and beauty).  I was introduced to heliconia’s in Florida; and now have several varieties growing in my garden.  They are actually quite easy to grow;...
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Food

May 8, 2012

Batido My father first introduced me to batido’s, or Cuban milkshakes; now of course, they are all the rage – renamed smoothies.  It was always such a treat when he would take the blender out, and casually add rather ordinary ingredients which would then become one of the most delicious and refreshing treats I...
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Poet’s Corner

May 7, 2012

  Success! Are congratulations in order? You have certainly succeeded where others have failed; accomplishing what I would have thought impossible. How clever you have been, luring me in, with your promises of concern and understanding. Assuring me that I should let my heart speak, permit my mind to wonder, and let my soul...
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A View from the Road

May 3, 2012

    Driving west on the 595, heading home from the airport – now this is a Floridian sunset; and a perfect View from the Road!
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Favorite Books

April 19, 2012

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini I always have a stack of books that I want to read, usually one stack around my desk and another on my nightstand; then there are the books resting vertically, on their perspective shelf, in its’ bookcase, to visually remind me that I want to get to that...
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Public Square

April 14, 2012

Driving to the Cape     Mostly, we drive to Cape Cod to take visitors to see Plymouth Rock, but on an overly grey day, we drove to the Cape just for the sake of the drive; stopping along the way.     First stop, the oldest windmill on the Cape, Eastham, which was built...
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Art


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