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

July 9, 2014

My True and Endless Love   I am engrossed in my sincere passion My true and endless love I have opened a book And the world flows forth Eternity lies before me The past, present and future All to be devoured I have been famished But now I eat I consume I breathe.  
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In the Garden

July 8, 2014

      Tending Someone Else’s’ Garden     What I most liked, about the first house, we bought, was that the yard was a blank canvas.  With the exception of a few standard shrubs, the yard was basically empty.  After years of container gardening, it was wonderful to finally have a place where...
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Food

July 3, 2014

Barbeque   If you find yourself hungry around Saint Augustine, Florida, by all means look for this pink pig! The first time we ate at Smokin’ D’s, we stood by the truck and used the flatbed for our table, the food was absolutely delicious.  Over the years, when driving south, we have often returned...
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Public Square – Happy 4th of July

July 2, 2014

  Philadelphia   “When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a...
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From the Editor

July 2, 2014

  Patriot or Traitor Stonewall Jackson, George Marshall and Honor “The heart of VMI’s student government is the honor system. Although honor, like many idealistic concepts, defies exact definition, it clearly refers to relationships which govern society and which yield to the members of that society immediate and tangible benefits. The honor system at...
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In the Wild!

July 1, 2014

Can you see him? I love walking into the wild, in my own back yard!   He blends in so well.   A closer look.   Oh, he has spotted me. He is off!  
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Art

June 30, 2014

To love a painting is to feel that this presence is… not an object but a voice. ~ Andre Malraux ~   The Tower of Babel by Pieter Bruegel   A reminder of Babylon’s past; for those who continue to engage in Mesopotamia.   Art can never exist without naked beauty displaced. ~ William...
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A View from the Road

June 30, 2014

The Golden Driller     “Dedicated to the men of the petroleum industry who by their vision and daring have created from God’s abundance a better life for mankind.”     Kate standing near his very big boots What a View from the Road!  With his arm resting on an actual oil derrick, standing 76...
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Food

June 13, 2014

A Deconstructed Strawberry Charlotte When I was in ninth grade, my home economics teacher, whose name I cannot remember, taught us how to make a very simple dessert, which I now believe was her version of a strawberry charlotte.  With store bought ingredients, any fifteen year old could feel the accomplishment of wow! The...
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In the Garden

June 10, 2014

  The Royal Poinciana     There are few trees more magnificent than the flowering Royal Poinciana!  Its’ striking display of color brightens spring and summer, in tropical climates, with an all but unequaled exuberance, which has justifiably earned it the name Flamboyant in many regions of the world. While I usually prefer a...
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Art


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