Copper Basin at BYU's Museum of Art

Free-Standing Basin  by Tedi Tuttle Wixom 5/21/12

  Copper basin, oh copper basin freestanding and tall

   at least three feet in height; heavily budded tendrils

   woven as large lattice panels on the basin--used for

    child bathing, hand washing, or washing dust from

     weary feet Burnished art beneath of daisy on daisy

      on lily under dotted buds with glossy copper, on

       background of tiny flowers dot to dot around

           heart-shaped petals flowing together forever

           Reflection from a mirror above reveals in-

               side of a five-row pattern of rosettes

                    lilac-like leaves 40 around and

                       more ending in blossoms

                                   next level

                                    forming

                                     a stem

                                of art--again

                               smooth petals

                               on rough back

                                      more

                                     tooled

                                  daisy daisy

                               tooled hearts on

                          background appearing

                  sandlike in texture, but in reality
               flower patterns around and around in
             intricate fashion for all to see and know
         the true designer is the God that dwells inside.

Here's a horse story. I enjoy riding horses. In this picture I am riding Chili Pepper to The Lakes. When I was about 9, I began praying for a horse. My mother from her youth was a horseman and had many stories to tell of outriding some of the boys in High School, and herding cattle. She rode horses of necessity, while being raised in a wild untamed mountain valley in the Rocky Mountains. However, after getting married, she owned no horse for several years. Mother acquired Smokey, a Shetland Pony, for Christmas the year I turned 9; he was a dappled sort of brown with cream colored flowing mane and tail. My older sister decided to give him a Dutch haircut with Mother's fine sewing shears one summer day while Mother was in town shopping. Mother about blew up when she noticed that Smokey looked like a little Dutchman with his mane cut straight across, above his eyes. We should have bought him some wooden shoes to complete the look. Mrs. Tuttle's story can be found in, "Oh Mother! Oh Father! 1947-1967" on www.Amazon.com/author/tedi Tedi Tuttle Wixom, co-author, 410 p. 200+ photos. @tedibooks on Twitter, Pinterest, and "Tedi" on FB, tedibooks.com new eBook website

An Uphill Battle

"It's an uphill battle," Mother always said to me. 
An uphill battle sounds like a fight and struggle to stay free.
If I'm battling uphill it takes guts, hard work, and pain;
But if I never do hard things there is never any gain.

Sunday 9-10 am Everyday People Guests are...

Sunday 9-10 am Everyday People Guests are... Check out my radio spot with Ann in New London, CT. Easter Sunday 9:06 a.m. at 980-AM Talking about Life & Death about book A Whisper of Springtime: Jason's Heart Transplant Miracle. My grandparents settled in New Haven, CT Listen to podcast after it airs.

To the Moon Alice! To the Sun Mr. Obama!

To the Moon Alice! To the Sun Mr. Obama! January 29, 2012 by Tedi Wixom Aug. 31, 2012

Remember on The Honey Mooners with Jackie Gleason as Ralph?

When he was displeased with his wife, Alice?

He’d double up his fist and say, “To the Moon Alice! To the Moon!”

Oh really! How about “To the Sun Mr. Obama, To the Sun!”

The sun is about 93 million miles from Earth.

That is nearly 100,000,000 miles away – 100 million!

Now let’s compare miles to dollars for visualization.

I could travel roundtrip in miles to the Sun and back 5 times

To equal 1,000,000,000 (billion) miles – only 1 billion!

Now think of this as dollars.

However, our national debt is just over

15,000,000,000,000 dollars – that is 15 trillion!

I could travel approximately 75,000 times roundtrip

To the Sun and back to Earth again in miles.

That is why I believe a balanced budget is good.

Mr. Obama says being in debt to China is more important

Than taking responsibility for our national debt..

“To the Sun Mr. Obama – 75,000 times. To the Sun!!”

Who wants to join me in wishing him happy bon voyage?

Does this number representing our National Debt seem possible?

Mr. Obama is caring for each of us, (the father of our nation)

So we will never have to worry our pretty little heads about

Awful, nasty, national decisions like the US spending, debt, or budgets.

“Who wants a budget anyway? These are the modern times,” he croons.

“No need for things that sound so inconvenient or old fashioned.

Go to your homes; all is well. I am so popular that I can fix everything!

Plus, I am very suave, handsome, and brainy--I did attend Harvard!” (Wink wink.)

“All the social programs I implement will be for your wellbeing, because you are . . .

I didn’t mean to say stupid, naive, middleclass, or poor, oh no-no-no I would never

Say that out loud for anyone to hear, because I can relate. Been there, done that!

But for today, I am your King! You are my loyal subjects, so fork over the taxes.”

 I say, “To the Sun Mr. Obama. To the Sun!”

(NOTE: August 31, 2012. National Debt is now 16 Trillion)

Noah Built an Ark, song

Noah Built an Ark by Tedi Tuttle Wixom 3/23/1991, transcribed 3/28/12

To be sung to Mozart’s Turkish March

Noah built an ark

By the Lord’s command

And he blessed the animals

To gather in the land

And they marched up to the mighty ark

And bowed to Noah’s hand.

Chorus:
There were horses, cattle, and some goats.

Eagles, egrets, flamingos, hawks, and doves

Elephants, rhinos, hippos, buffaloes

Tigers, jaguars, cougars, no one shove.

Honey bees in swarms; snakes in Noah’s arms

Ham, Shem, Japheth showed their guests

The rooms where they would park

And the animals came marching, crawling,

Flying into the great big ark.

My Heart

My Heart by Tedi Tuttle Wixom 4/29/99, transcribed 2/28/12

My heart pumps gallons of blood

Throughout my entire body every day.

The blood is flowing, receiving oxygen.

It goes and flows on and on

Giving life, keeping me alive.

Have I ever said, “Thank you,”

To God for this miracle?

Today, I say, “Thank you

For all the intricate things

I don’t comprehend and yet,

I continue breathing

Without thinking about my breathing

In and out, in and out

With my heart pumping,

Whooshing the blood along,

     Along it’s way.”

Die TV Die!

Die TV Die! By Tedi Tuttle Wixom 5/4/99 transcribed 2/27/12

Obituaries are packed with friends

And neighbors lying dead of heart attacks.

Why? Why in America are we insistent

Upon rushing headlong into the jaws of death?

Why can’t we relax? Why can’t we rest?

We need more rest and more silent time.

We need a few friends who are humans

Not merely Mr. Computer, Mr. TV, and Mr. Internet.

We all have the same hours in a day.

Time is a precious commodity.

I need a prescription for ocean waves to soothe my soul,

More barefoot time in the sand,

And less news to cause information overload.

Perhaps, if I cut the cables, wires, and electricity,

I could regain my senses and sensibility.

Die TV die!

I need to feel fresh mown grass on bare feet, or

Sun streaming across my face as the sun disappears

On the Oquirrh Mountains as I gaze west, while

Tossing pebbles in the Great Salt Lake.

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.

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   

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. 

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.

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.

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...

Tedi's Poetry Palace: Valentine's Day

Tedi's Poetry Palace: Valentine's Day: Valentines Day by Tedi Wixom TUES Feb, 14, 2012 I get excited about Valentine’s Day The time of love and hearts; I think o...

Valentine's Day

Valentines Day by Tedi Wixom TUES Feb, 14, 2012

I get excited about Valentine’s Day

The time of love and hearts;

I think of the people I cherish in life --

The ones who don’t need Cupid’s darts.

I appreciate my neighbors next door

And the ones who lives three houses down;

Also, the ones who live across the street

They are the closest of friends in town.

I love my children and my husband

And I love my grandchildren too.

I’m grateful for the nurture from Jesus

And for the blessings from him that accrue.

Tedi's Poetry Palace: My Daughter's Birthday

Tedi's Poetry Palace: My Daughter's Birthday: McKenzie’s Birthday by Tedi Wixom MON Feb. 13, 2012 My dark-haired daughter is turning 12 today. I really don’t want her to g...

My Daughter's Birthday

McKenzie’s Birthday by Tedi Wixom MON Feb. 13, 2012

My dark-haired daughter is turning 12 today.
I really don’t want her to grow up

I don’t want her to change in any way;

I don’t want her to get any older because

I love to watch her paint and play with clay.

She is the one who looks so much like me.

She crochets and knits making vests and caps.

On YouTube she finds designs for origami

And she folds paper into ingenious things;

Art flows from her fingertips I must agree.

She is also brainy in math like her dad

And she reads from books an hour every day

Sometimes her brothers are rude and make her sad

Nonetheless, she sings like a joyous songbird.

I’m honored to be her mother; she makes me glad!

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 is giving away money

            to business owners.

            Would you like to start a business?”

“Yes,” I replied.

The caller needed some information.

She asked, “In what state will your business be located?”

“Utah,” I said.

She replied, “Utah is on our do-not-call list.

            Could you hold a moment while I check something?”

When she returned, she abruptly stated,

            “We aren’t supposed to be calling people in Utah,”

            and she hung up.

This sounds very much like a bribe from Mr. Obama to me.

Utah = Republican voters and

Republican voters = no bribe money for Utah from Mr. Obama.

By the way, what are we going to do

            about that nasty National Debt Mr. Obama?

If dollars were miles, I could travel to the sun

            and back every year for 75,000 years.