Perhaps it’s my bucket list, but I have recently jumped into a flurry of production that I only wish I had jumped into 50 years ago. But at that time, I was marrying the wrong person, trying to be a decent single parent, trying to survive doing anything I thought might earn a dime. I…
Category: Jacki Kellum Memoir
And Finally, It Rained!
As soon as I walked outside this morning, I knew that it was going to rain. A couple of tiny, soft , drops of water splashed on my bare arms. The rain was on its way. Yesterday, I went outside and planted some seeds in my garden, but I didn’t do what I normally do…
How to Dry Roses and Other Flowers & Herbs – Preserving Memories from My Past
I have tried several methods for drying roses and other plants, but my overarching preference is to dry flowers naturally No chemicals, No silicone, No microwaver–I just hang my plants upside down in a dark place and wait a few days for them to dry au natural. My grandparents in the early 1900s. Much of…
Creme de Cassis Hollyhocks and The Fairy Rose
This morning, I walked out my front door, and I created a video focusing on my Creme de Cassis Hollyhocks and my Fairy Rose. Creme de Cassis Hollyhock Image Credit: American Meadv The Creme de Cassis Hollyhock is named after a French liquer. “Crème de cassis is a French blackcurrant liqueur that originated in the…
Focus on Creme de Cassis Hollyhock – Hollyhocks Are Classic Cottage Garden Plants
Creme de Cassis Hollyhock Image Credit: American Meadows The Creme de Cassis Hollyhock is named after a French liquer. “Crème de cassis is a French blackcurrant liqueur that originated in the Burgundy region in the 19th century. The original recipe is thought to have been created in Dijon in 1841 by Auguste-Denis Lagoute, and the…
Free Memoir Writing Challenge Day 4 – Write in a Stream of Conscioiusness – Be Free
Yesterday, we talked about adding figurative language to writing. Today, I want you to suspend that process for a while. Today, we are going to begin writing a paragraph or two about November, and I want you to suspend your search for metaphors and similes for a while. In fact, I want you to suspend…
Harvest Your Past Memoir Challenge Day 3 – Using Similes and Metaphors to Empower Your Writing
A few days ago, I launched a free memoir writing challenge. I began by referring to Cynthia Rylant’s picture book In November. If you have not read that post yet, please do. In that post, I showed how Rylant had captured the essence of November in precious few words, and I asked the participants of…
Harvest Your Past Memoir Challenge – Write More to Write Better – Write to Heal Yourself
Before I tell you about today’s Memoir Writing Exercise, I want to share a true story with you. Today, I am a fairly prolific writer, but a few years ago, I couldn’t force myself to write. After my spirit had suffered several blows, I had become creatively mute. Depression had set in, and it seemed…
November is National Memoir Writing Month – Harvest Your Past Day 1 – Describe November
I write memoir for several reasons — least of which is to create a book of memoir. I write memoir to prime my writing pump. I write memoir to allow my writer’s voice to rise to the surface. I write memoir to connect with the author within myself. A few years ago, I coined the…
Church in My Garden – A Jacki Kellum Garden Journal Post for Autumn
The grasses are arching above the places where the perennials had bloomed only weeks ago. The Purple Fountain grass is darker than most of my garden now, which is still a lush, verdant green. Like icing on its cake, feathery festoons topple from the tips of each spire of the ornamental grass. Some of the…