Donna Gwinnell Lambo-Weidner

A HALLOWEEN TREAT

Posted on October 30, 2012 by Donna Gwinnell Lambo-Weidner

‘Tis All Hallows’ Eve and in true scary fashion,
the wind is a’ howlin’ with fury and passion.

The moon’s begun waning, but still lights the way,
for our loved ones who’ve passed to the ‘other side’ of the bay.

Up from the floorboards, through ceilings and walls,
they knock on the windows and shriek down the halls.
There’s laughing, and singing, and regular howls;
if we didn’t know better, it might clench our bowels.
‘Tis their annual visit. They Continue reading →

Posted in ADVENTURES, CHILDHOOD, HOLIDAYS, POEMS | Tagged blog, Donna Weidner, family, Halloween, paranormal, poem, treat, trick, writer | 16 Comments

SCENT of a Blog

Posted on October 24, 2012 by Donna Gwinnell Lambo-Weidner

It’s 1:59 PM PDT, Wednesday, October 24, 2012 and I still don’t have an adventure to write about for today’s blog. The old Donna would blow it off until some idea rained out of the shower head, which by the way, is where many of my ideas are spawned.

But no, today the new Donna is washed, clean, and ready to write even though the writing is apparently not ready to be written. However, since the new Donna has committed to writing one new adventure a week, by golly, that’s what she’s going to do!

**ugh, am I rambling? Did I really just say that? Well, I am a child of the sixties—at least that’s my excuse for today**

Blogging has already taught me one thing though, and that is that once I plunk my butt in the chair and begin writing—anything, even jibberish—the ideas begin to flow. Some of them are rubbish, and some are jewels. It’s all in the mining. I’m still not sure which this will be, so thanks for bearing with me.

Ahhhhh—thank the gods—here comes an idea now—I feel it beginning to prick its way to the surface—thoughts are forming, my fingers are flying across the keyboard— LOOK—It’s a bird? It’s a plane? No! It’s durian! The hedgehog fruit! You thought it was superman didn’t you? I never promised the idea would be an over the top great one, but let’s just see what adventure this takes us on. And you have my permission to bail at any time. I promise to still care about you.

—THE DURIAN—

A fleshy fruit entombed in spikes,

It sends one running, screaming YIKES!

See why…

What more can I say, but thank you Adrian Andrade for planting the durian seed the other day, otherwise I never would have heard of it, and thank you ALL for forcing me to write today, even if it is only a mountain of mush. Just know that my world has become richer because of you, my reader. So, what’s the worst thing you’ve ever smelled?

Posted in ADVENTURES | Tagged adventure, blog, Donna Gwinnell Weidner, donnaweidner, durian, scent, smelly fruit, writer | 7 Comments

AN ADVENTURE WITH THE FRANTIC FOUR

Posted on October 16, 2012 by Donna Gwinnell Lambo-Weidner

I can’t remember a time when I ever liked grocery shopping. I only do it because it’s easier than hunting or gathering. If you looked into my fridge right now, all you would find is a half gallon of milk, four eggs, and a few leftovers that aren’t ripe enough to throw out. I think what originally spoiled it for me, was shopping with four children under the age of five. Even now, the moment I step on that ribbed, rubber mat and the automatic door flings open, I twitch like a burglar zapped by a stun gun. Continue reading →

Posted in ADVENTURES, FAMILY, HUMOR | Tagged adventure, author, blog, children, Donna Gwinnell Weidner, donnaweidner, frantic four, grocery shopping, writer | 19 Comments

Hello World! It’s me, Donna…

Posted on September 22, 2012 by Donna Gwinnell Lambo-Weidner

…And today, October 10, 2012, I am confidently stepping out of the closet and officially declaring myself a WRITER. And not to be confused with the other Donna Weidners of this world, of which there are oddly many, I’ll say it again:

I, Donna Gwinnell Lambo-Weidner, am a WRITER.

There. I said it. And the walls are still standing, which, considering that I now live in Northern California, must be yet another sign from the universe that NOW is the right time to start taking my writing seriously. The Butt Kick From Beyond that I received a few years ago was clearly not specific enough. Wouldn’t you agree that driving behind a car with a license plate that read D WRITE must have been a message for someone else? some other ‘D’ ? Wouldn’t the universe send me a notification in the mail to make sure that they had the right person?

No. I knew it was for me. I was just being a big, fat chicken. I didn’t have the guts to put myself out there for all to see and comment on. It would have been like riding public transportation naked. In fact, maybe now I can see how moving to the San Francisco Bay area–where some people do actually ride the bus naked–had a hand in my coming out party of sorts. Could seeing real people in their birthday suits walking around the city, unconcerned by the random comments made about their choice of non-apparel, have been key in building up my confidence? Possibly. Well, all I can say is that I am thankful to what or whom ever is responsible for shoving me onto the bus destined for LIVE YOUR PASSION. I have decided to push my fear aside, take my socks off, and start growing into my ‘writer’ shoes barefoot. That’s about as naked as I’m going to get. Now I am ready to share my journey and my adventures with you. This is your invitation to join me, in my world, if only for a while.

This blog’s focus is on lifting spirits, making people laugh, and joining me in seeing the glass half full. It’s all about sharing adventures, both everyday and far-away ones. At the same time, it is meant to support new bloggers and writers just as I have been supported by The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators and my critique groups. At this point, I also want to thank Kristen Lamb for her outstanding advice and book Are You There, Blog? It’s Me, Writer. Kristen showed up at the very moment I made a conscious decision to embark on the Road to Blogdom. She was the stinger on the bee, the facilitator of The Butt Kick From Beyond that I needed to get started.

But really, let’s face it. The best thing about this blog is YOU–my reader. And I look forward to hearing from you too. If you’d like to regularly join me, even though I just started a sentence with both and and but, you may subscribe by email in the side bar or hit the cute little follow button in the bottom right hand corner of your screen.

So? Have you also experienced gentle nudges or smacks in the head directed at you from the universe and ignored them? I’d like to hear about it…please share, and thank you for visiting.