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


Poet’s Corner

January 14, 2020

Fragility     Life is housed In the most fragile of vessels Try as we might Our lives are lived Barely holding on To the very tip Of that branch Which is supposed To secure our world We are exposed to the elements Mercilessly battered and beaten Sheltered in a papery shell Which we...
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A View from the Road

January 11, 2020

Amelia Earhart Lookout     My most favorite finds, on the road, are the serendipitous ones; like stopping to look at The View From the Road, on our way from Diamond Head, heading toward Waikiki, walking over to the marker and seeing that it is the Amelia Earhart Lookout! This lookout commemorates Amelia Earhart’s...
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Art

January 9, 2020

To love a painting is to feel that this presence is… not an object but a voice. ~ Andre Malraux ~    Woman Seated in an Armchair, 1923 by Pablo Picasso  She must know it is winter; a little sad and yes, blue.  Her looks are not classically beautiful, but I find lovely.  ...
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Ephemera

January 5, 2020

Carrousel at Griffith Park     “Ride, ride the carrousel, and reach for the ring. never to finish but begin again, life is a circular thing.” ~ Eileen Lynch ~   I found this print in Florida, where it had been discarded. I was drawn to the image, as I like carrousels; but had...
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From the Editor

January 1, 2020

Bitter-Sweet Agridulce   Happy New Year, and welcome to 2020! I like the way 2020 looks and sounds. I would like to think we are off to a good start; though I may have to moderate my use of the word “we”. Both the domestic and international news appears marked by great heartache and...
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Nature

January 1, 2020

Birthday Orchid Kate purchased this Phalaenopsis, at Home Depot, about a week before my birthday, in September. It soon made its way up to Maine, where it has mostly lived in my bedroom since it arrived. I did bring it to the dining room table around Thanksgiving for a visit. Originally, there were two...
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In the Wild!

December 28, 2019

A Squirrel Playing in the Snow     He must have found something to eat; I do not know for sure, but he did not seem to mind the snow. Obviously, I was quite entertained, watching him at play or perhaps it was at work.  
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Poet’s Corner

December 27, 2019
Poet’s Corner

It Is Not the Same     It is not the same The house already feels different Though you have just departed The telltale signs of your visit are all around us The memories will linger on Past the New Year And well into the future The photographs will serve as windows To joyfully...
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Holiday’s

December 24, 2019

Merry Christmas!   Kate sitting on Santa’s lap, 1972   Kate’s Letter to Santa:     We wish you all a very Merry Christmas!  May God bless you and yours always!   “In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2 (This was...
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A View from the Road

December 20, 2019

The Peppermint Pig Candy Store   My introduction to the Peppermint Pig came from a catalogue, a good thirty years ago. This past summer, on a trip to Saratoga Springs, New York, I went searching for the Peppermint Pigs home; and found it. I have to say the store was very unassuming, and though...
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Art


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