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

June 9, 2014

I Am Not Her Anymore     I am not her any more   Sometimes I miss her – I catch a glimpse of her – I even hear her –   But I am not her anymore   Sometimes I wonder what she would say – What she would do – What she...
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Public Square – National D-Day Memorial

June 6, 2014

National D-Day Memorial Bedford, Virginia was home to the largest number of casualties, during the heroic and monumental June 6, 1944 landing in France, to liberate Europe from the Nazi war machine.  The National D-Day Memorial, in the United States, is thus fittingly situated on 88 acres in the small, quiet town. As the free...
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From the Editor

June 6, 2014

  Where are you from? The waitress did not seem to understand me, as I tried to place my order; thus I asked her if I had mispronounced poutine?   She said no, smiled, and asked where I was from, taking me aback.  I hesitated for a moment, wondering how to answer.  I finally said...
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In the Wild!

June 2, 2014

I Suppose the Skunk is Hungry   I apologize for the quality of the photography, but I did not want to scare this fellow – not only did I want his picture, but we all know what happens when a skunk is frighten,     Bon appétit! Off he went, all is well.
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A View from the Road

May 22, 2014

Cadillac Ranch     Driving down US 40, near Amarillo Texas, you will see the Cadillac Ranch, which consist of 10 Cadillac’s that were built between 1949 – 1963.  I remember having seen this rather quirky display, which somehow screams out Texas to me, during our first road trip, in 1987, but alas we...
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Fiction

May 20, 2014

Life Brings Redemption by Cristina Jill Mosqueda   Life Brings Redemption, a short story available at Barns and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/life-brings-redemption-cristina-jill-mosqueda/1119480842?ean=2940149208746    
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Food

May 20, 2014

The Maple House   On a clear but still chilly day, in late March, we ventured out looking for the quintessential maple syrup moment in Maine; we found so much more than what I had hoped for! The proprietors of The Maple House, generously gave us a tour of their farm, fired up the...
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Public Square

May 13, 2014

  A Walk through the President Gerald R. Ford Museum “As we continue our American adventure…all our heroes and heroines of war and peace send us this single, urgent message: though prosperity is a good thing, though compassionate charity is a good thing, though institutional reform is a good thing, a nation survives only...
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In the Garden

May 13, 2014

My Briefly Hanging Garden   This small space, in the front of the house in Florida, is my favorite garden.  I normally refer to it as my Orchid Garden, as between the hibiscus and bougainvillea, it is the most shaded area of the yard; and thus provides a perfect environment for the orchids to...
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In the Wild!

May 10, 2014

  Blue Jays in my Orchid Garden     It was my Aunt Helen who first made me aware of blue jays.  After my Uncle Paul had a stroke, and was left with limited mobility, she began to put peanuts under the awnings, of their home in Florida, for the blue jays to harvest...
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Art


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