Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Mother Wore a Cowboy Hat


Mother Wore a Cowboy Hat by Tedi Tuttle Wixom March 10, 2012

Over the years my mother wore various types of hats.
Her mother designed and made fancy ladies’ hats
Mother’s favorite headgear was a regular cowboy hat
And she possessed several of those amazing hats:
Beige felt, yellow straw, and an awesome white cowboy hat.
These three were dressy with a feather, for work, and everyday hats

In the summer she wore a wide-brimmed straw hat,
One that sported a pink ribbon around-the-base of her hat.
It was for when she puttered-in-her-garden-type of hat.
She would wear a colorful scarf when she wasn’t wearing a hat.
And when acting as umpire of women’s softball she didn’t wear a hat;
She put on her sporty baseball cap for that.
She also wore a baseball cap to go fishing and not a regular hat.
She fashioned out of chenille and silk flowers, dressy women’s hats.
She would wear one of these for Easter as a church-going hat.
She sometimes wore for dress up, a hot pink with a feather-in-it hat

Mother always seemed to enjoy wearing various types of hats
As an artist going painting in the outdoors she wore a painter’s hat
When she drove to town to shop she wore her go-to-market hat
And when she branded cows, she wore her old working cowboy hat.
Which brings me full circle of the favorites of Mother’s hats
She thoroughly enjoyed wearing her beige felt, cowboy hat.

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Tedi's Poetry Palace: Chick Magnets coming to SLC, UT

Tedi's Poetry Palace: Chick Magnets coming to SLC, UT: My awesome son,         Jason Wixom stars in . . .             Chick Magnets A comedy rated PG for the entire family At al...

Chick Magnets coming to SLC, UT


My awesome son, 
       Jason Wixom stars in . . .
            Chick Magnets
A comedy rated PG for the entire family
At all 6 of the Megaplex Theaters:
  Starting MARCH 16, 2012.
Bring your entire family & tell 10 more!
www.chickmagnetsmovie.com for                  
         Official movie trailer.
Also see him on:
            You Tube and Facebook.

Red Carpet Premier 10:00 pm
            Mar. 15. Thurs at
Sandy Jordan Commons. Go online
          To check ticket availability

Channel 2 TV will have him on with his
Chick Magnet trio Wed. morning
March 14 around 7:20 a.m.
         Thanks for your support   

Sunday, March 11, 2012

Success


Success by Tedi Tuttle Wixom March 10, 2012

How would you like to succeed in life?
You can, you know.
All the things you need
Are found inside you.

Perhaps you could look
A bit closer regarding
Who you are and
Not what you are.

Eliminate the labels
And you may find
A whole new person
Inside your body;

That soul who seeks to escape
The bands of bondage
Of chains you’ve chosen
To conveniently
And day by day
Routinely wrap
Around yourself with
The words that fall
From your own lips.

Things I Learned at the Publishing Fair by Tedi Wixom 3/7/12 at BYU Provo, UT

     I went to Deseret Book and met Lisa Mangum who had rejected all six of my children’s books in the past six months. She explained it like this, “Over 500 submissions were sent for the Children’s Illustrated story slot, and we only print 2 each year. Hence, don’t feel badly or rejected.”
     I met with a Chinese dude at JollyFishPress. I promptly handed him my fresh example right off the Internet example query letter for King Tut the Novel. He replied, SOL. Oh, he didn’t say that he only meant that. He said. “I would never even look at a query letter that asks questions like this. Even if your story was stellar, I would not look at your novel, because I could not get past the bad query letter.” At least he was honest, and provided some guidance. He said to go to Jollyfishpress.com and see how to write a query letter. I couldn’t find the info except three steps 1. The hook, 2. Mini synopsis 3. Writer’s bio. OK that still doesn’t explain what I exactly need to write or how many words, etc.
    The lady from Cedar Fort Publishing in Springville was helpful on a query letter. She said to always thank your editor at the end, and don’t write over 500 words.
May want to checkout the new TM Publishing because they pay 50 % royalties. I’m not sure how that is possible, but it is certainly better than 10 %. Their site is tmpublishingllc.com
     For bloggers check out inkPageant.com, A parade of blog posts for Writers. Also a magazine called Seagullah.org takes poetry and stuff check them out. 

Friday, March 2, 2012

What's On My Mind



What’s on My Mind? by Tedi Tuttle Wixom WED 2/29/12

What’s on my mind? I’ll tell you what’s on my mind
Too many things going on today; I have got to get a LIFE!
I woke up with a little headache to start off the day,
And I desire to cut down on some of the NOISE in my life.
But there stood two big dogs in my yard, so I drove them away
Back to the address on Hazel, the chocolate Lab’s collar;
I don’t like to worry over animals in the city. That was on my mind.

It was garbage day and it was so windy outside that
All the garbage dumpsters were scattered; and papers,
Boxes, wrappers, trash swirled around through the air
And went tumbling down the street. What a day!
And all of that was on my mind.

My 14-year-old didn’t want to go to school and I about
Pulled my hair out on account I couldn’t get him in my van.
I can no longer pick him up and place him in a car seat!
So, I decided to read and take a shower after eating breakfast.
For lunch I made delicious potato soup with homemade bread.
And that was all on my mind.

I read a couple of chapters for my BYU class.
I shopped for groceries and when getting them out to take them in,
One 2-liter juice fell, popped open -- splat on the ground;
It  merged with the rain on the wet blacktop.
Also a plastic bag fell out of the back of the Jeep and
My picante sauce crashed to the driveway. A second loss!
All of that was on my mind.

I put all the groceries away and put on a chicken and rice casserole.
I thought as little as I could, because of my little headache.
I finally took an aspirin and that helped a bit, but what finally
Made my head feel much better and eliminate my pain was
The dozen delicious pot stickers at WinCo, with the apricot sauce.
And those delicious morsels were definitely on my mind, and in my tummy.

So, then it was time to drive to choir practice at Highland High,
On a snowy white blizzardy night with icy slick roads.
I’m glad the snow wasn’t as deep across on the East side of town.
I sang and sang my little lungs and heart out,
And singing all those difficult yet fun songs was on my mind.

I wrote a song last weekend and now I want to take time out
To write another song. Because music is on my mind
And in my heart, and it goes bomp-bomp-bomp!
And twee-dee-diddle-dee-doo.
I listen to Mozart, I listen to hymns, I listen to classical radio;
Music is always on my mind.

I practiced my choir songs for our Spring Concert at my piano
For at least one-and-a-half hours today and the music is difficult.
Then I drove to practice to sing for 2 more hours.
Beautiful moving music, and it is so much fun to sing
With 60 other singers in our Salt Lake Symphonic Choir;
It’s like heaven when I’m singing with them. And that is my life.
Music is always on my mind.

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

In the Midst of so Many


So Much on My Mind by Tedi Wixom Nov. 12, 2003 [transcribed 2/19/12] (I was inspired to start a Poetry Journal by Amanda Jensen, who writes a poem daily in her journal. She used to be my bank teller.)
or In the Midst of so Many

Going here, going there on call
Am I going anywhere at all?
Something’s inside my head
Something I truly dread
Living in the city
Being in the city
Praying in the city
Does God really hear me in the midst of so many?

Is there a place in suburban sprawl
To help my mind erase it all –
All the garbage in my head
Piled up from all that’s said
Living in the city
Being in the city
Driving in the city
I cannot concentrate in the midst of so many!

Clear my mind dear Father
You must not think I am a bother
Let me ever praise thee
Let good thoughts elevate me
Living in the city
Breathing in the city
Praying in the city
Grant me strength to trust thee in the midst of so many.

Saturday, February 18, 2012

Tedi's Poetry Palace: Is This a Bribe?

Tedi's Poetry Palace: Is This a Bribe?: A Bribe? By Tedi Wixom WED February 8, 2012 I got a call before the South Carolina Caucus. A cheery voice said, “Mr. Obama i...