Hello all, I just wanted to share some thoughts during the C19 crisis. By now the likelihood that each of us has lost someone or knows someone who has contracted C19 is a reality. My heart feels it and my mind is distracted with worry. I know I am not alone in feeling this way, if you are reading this take some comfort in knowing we as a community understand what it means to be experiencing these unprecedented times and that you are not alone. | Filed under blindness Fiction writing Writing Life Hi folks, author and blogger, Debbie De Louise is hosting me as a guest blogger. Please visit Guest Post by Fellow Pet Lover and author/Poet Ann Chiappetta | Filed under Poem Relationships writing Tears for a Warrior I am thinking of my friend today This person, this friend, this man This man, this person, this patient Twenty-five years ago, he faced death and came back March 30, 2020 | Filed under blindness Fiction Relationships writing Writing Life | Filed under writing To readers for free to show support during the Covid19 pandemic. | Filed under blindness Guide dogs Relationships writing The past two weeks has provoked many powerful and uncomfortable feelings for our Nation, our community, and our families. We are being globally challenged by what some say has been a biblical portent, aka, the “plague”. Being a skeptical person, I am not yet ready to agree, however, I know the world has changed already, evident by, well, by how we are acting, reacting, responding, and feeling. I was just sharing playtime with my three dogs, enjoying the calm petting session with my elderly black lab. I watched my other two dogs play, and as they tugged and wrestled, was struck by an intense feeling of relaxation and peace. I thought, that if I must distance myself from other humans to protect myself the hidden gem in this is having more time to spend with my dogs and husband. On that note, today I received a call from a staff person named Kate from Newsreel Newsreel magazine magazine. She said she was “just checking in with my New Rochelle people,”. Now, that was very kind and equally unexpected. Thanks, Kate! This time of crisis should bring us together in gratitude and kindness, not isolate us. A phone call or email could bring a bit of relief to a neighbor or relative. For example, the Next-door app has had folks volunteering to help with shopping for individuals who are quarantined here in New Rochelle. Folks are helping out with dog walking and other tasks. Thanks, Carol. Agreed. | Filed under writing Thanks Colonial Elementary School Bailey and I, along with our good friend, Anna Masopust, visit the schools in Westchester county and speak about disability awareness and blindness. We usually visit the kindergarten or first graders, along with the parents and teachers. It provides a way to connect with the kids and allows them to ask questions. I throw in a little bit of everything, hoping that when we leave, something sticks. I show the kids my white cane, ask them to look for braille in elevators and on signs, tell them that I listen faster than they can read, and about my guide dogs. It’s also a way to promote positive regard for our fellow human beings. The best part is the questions. How do I know where I’m going if I can’t see? Who helps me get dressed? How does the dog know where to take me? When my dog goes to the bathroom, how do I find the poop? Anna schedules the visits and I appreciate everything she does to make these visits worthwhile. yellow lab and stuffed dog | Filed under writing A String of Stories: From the Heart to the Future About A String of Stories | Filed under writing Anthropomorphic Space Story By Ann Chiappetta The Quick Brown Fox jumped over the Lazy Dog, engaging the warp drive and entering hyperspace. “Captain, the Fox ship is headed for the Feline Space cluster,” reported Ensign Fido. To be continued … | Filed under writing Black lab Verona with snow on her nose Because I believe anyone who listens to this book will love it, and I also believe many of you will order the book after reading this post, as a special thanks for supporting my efforts as an Indy writer, I will send a gift code for my poetry book, Upwelling: Poems. All you need to do is send an email to anniecms64@gmail.com to receive the link for the free audible book, Upwelling: Poems — and Answer this question : what were the names of the two puppies we rescued? I know you will love both audio books. Order Follow Your Dog by clicking here: https://tinyurl.com/v4em87x
Taking in our current situation and communication limitations, due to physical distancing, I became a Zoom account user and below is the link to my first recorded meeting. The host is Patty Fletcher of Tell-It-to-The-World Marketing and Business Assist. I hope it is a novel distraction from what is going on right now.
https://tinyurl.com/tjqjgrm by annchiappetta_nxovue |
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Guest post on Rough Drafts
Tears for a Warrior
By Ann Chiappetta
Caught in the viral war,
Being forced to use the last vestiges of strength
To find safe haven in this epidemic.
Where no safety is found.
With AIDS, who has defied all expectations during
Another epidemic
has survived
And I wonder, with sorrowful thoughts
If he will defy Corona like He did HIV.
Is surviving with minimal care,
Enforced clinical Neglect cut off
from us, suffering
Wracked with fever, lumbar pain, and mobility loss
Brought upon by quarantine.
I will find him in the places between dreams,
Make conversation on the astral plain
This is all I can do, dream and hope
my friend Will hear me.Featured Member on NFAA
Free read from Smashwords and Me
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I am giving my book,
Words of Life: Poems and Essays C 2019 by Ann Chiappetta
https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/AnnChiappetta
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Your support means so much!Dogs Help with Social Distancing
In the wise words of a writing friend, Carol Farnsworth, Carol Farnsworth wrote on her blog, https://blindontheliteside.com/ ,
We as a nation, are only as strong as our marginal members. We will be judged not by what we have but how we care.Building Bridges with Colonial Elementary School
I also share that losing my sight was scary and hard to cope with but that I am just like them, I just do things differently.
My yellow lab, Bailey, while a very focused guide dog, is also a comic relief. This time, as we entered the school, he looked at the life-sized stuffed dog at the top of the landing and I knew something was up. Once a teacher told me he was staring at the stuffed dog, I started to laugh. We got a picture, too.
Just knowing Colonial is a service dog friendly school and supports people with disabilities, is wonderful and we had a great visit. I hope we can visit again next year!
New Book: A String of Stories
by Ann Chiappetta, 2020
In e-book and print (182 pages) from Amazon and other online sellers.
www.annchiappetta.com
www.dldbooks.com/annchiappetta/
A demon deer and a ghost cat. Sibling rivalry and sexual awakening. Self-image and self-confidence. The chance for an offworlder to breathe free at last on a new planet. Those are just some of the diverse themes of these remarkable stories. Some endings are happy, some are sad, and some are intriguingly open-ended. But once you step inside the author’s world, you cannot emerge unmoved.
Dogs in Space
Blood and bones,” snarled the Lazy Dog’s commander Akita, “Ensign Fido, track that ship,”
“Arf, Captain,” she barked, toenails tapping and wagging her tail.
The Captain licked his canines
“All paws on deck, “Captain Akita howled.
He turned to his second in command, Lieutenant Rottweiler,
“this could be a trick, be ready for anything,” he growled, shaking his head in annoyance.
“Arf, Captain,” he barked, “Red alert!” he snarled, tapping the communication array.
Thanks to Abbie Taylor Abbie https://www.abbiejohnsontaylor.com/and the Behind Our Eyes writers group for proposing this writing challenge. Permalink
Just in Time for The Howlidays
Hello bloggers and thought-wheel followers, I am excited to announce my memoir, Follow Your Dog A Story Of Love And Trust C 2017 is now available as a commercial audio book from www.Audible.com .
Have a Happy, Safe, and meaningful Howliday Season.
Zoom helps pass the time
| Filed under blindness writing Writing Life