Newsletter

Come to Think of It

A monthly newsletter of stimulating topics, fun facts, and coming events.

I’m Patti M. Walsh, an author, photographer, and adventure seeker who has been telling stories since since my first fib. And stories are meant to be shared.

So are fleeting thoughts, poetic musings, humorous anecdotes, and existential questions. Things to think about as you sit with a friend over coffee on a bright morning, iced tea on a hot afternoon, or cocoa on a chilly evening.

This newsletter is a forum to engage, inspire, and challenge. To gather with friends. Come to Think of It.

September 2023


Pelican Pens Show Up for GCWA Annual Awards

Of the nine adult winners in the 2023 Gulf Coast Writers Association (GCWA) contest, three are members of the Pelican Pens Writers Group at Pelican Preserve. Accepting their prizes at the August 19 program were Patti M. Walsh (left), second place, short fiction; Bradley Burt (attending by Zoom), first place, short fiction; and Amy Pontius, second place, poetry.

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Stroke by Stroke

Come to think of it, writing is as simple as crawling.

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Celtic Corner

The Mists—and Myths—of Tuatha Dé Danann

In the long, long ago, and not too far, far away, a great cloud descended from the north, blanketing Sliabh an Iarainn, the Iron Mountain, in the most remote reaches of Connaught in northwestern Ireland.

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What the Cats Are Reading

A New View of Old Birds

While engaged in her favorite pastime of backyard birdwatching, Miss Kitty found herself distracted by a copy of Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird that I had left for Tania and Nancy, Kitty’s humans.

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August 2023

Taking Home the Silver

I am humbled and honored to announce that I accepted a silver medal in the Middle Grades 6–8 category for Ghost Girl in the 2023 international competition sponsored by the Florida Association of Publishers and Authors (FAPA).

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Peace—or Peas—of Mind

Image by Freepik

Tranquility Farms, the sign read. You pick ’em.

As I passed the sign on the back-country road, the soothing fingers of fate waved to me. Beckoned me. Halted me.

It had been a long time since I’d taken an afternoon off to wander unknown country roads, hugging curves and anticipating vistas as I crested hill after hill. Realizing that such places still existed in this crazy world, I smiled.

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Lughnasadh—History, Traditions, Rituals

A Post Office Picture Card Series PHQ 49 Folklore (Lammastide).
Reproduced from a stamp designed by Fritz Wegner MSIAD©

issued by the Post Office on February 6, 1981.

Although not as recognizable as Beltaine or Samhein, Lughnasadh (pronounced Loo-NAS-ah), is nonetheless one of the four great fire festivals of the Celtic year. The fourth is Imbolc (February 1). Also referred to cross-quarter days, each fire festival inaugurates a new season.

Lughnasadh, August 1, occurs about halfway between the summer solstice (Litha) and the fall equinox (Mabon). Thus, it marks the end of summer (the growth season) and the onset of autumn (the harvest season).

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