STORYTIME TAPESTRY

Special Treat  - Nicole Stevenson's Weekly Column 

April 25, 2005

Common Ground

                                                                    By: Nicole M. Stevenson

    Introducing Kay Seefeldt from New Sharon  Maine...   a teacher, and wife who enjoys
writing, painting and adores the beauty of her surroundings. Kay  found solace

in her surroundings and in every interest she has acquired. She wrote ???The Artificial Limb??? a ???cheep??? birthday gift for him .  Kay has several other stories to her 
credit in the  Gardenwarmer and Petwarmer archives.


   
"Still hoping to overcome my increasing rage, her defiant reluctance, 
and show her the sincerity of my sisterly affection, I made one more 
attempt to entice her into helping.  Surprisingly, she hopped off the 
staging and fell in step with me. I handed her a dipper. Lacking a real
 sprinkler can, we stood side by side alternately dipping and throwing 
water onto the flowers. Testing my patience again, she sneered,  
???Stupid flowers!???  That did it.

What made you want to share a story of sister rivalry?

KS: To share the humor of our last childhood "splat" and show that sisters can overcome or celebrate their differences and actually live to grow up 
and become best friends.

 
Do you still feel a bit jealous like she's in the spot light?

KS: I hope the spotlight is big enough for the both of us. If the "green
eye monster" does show up, I beat it back down immediately and tell it
that my sister deserves to be happy, successful, and creative as much 
as I do.
  
 Do you now feel that maybe your were being silly?

KS: Siblings fighting is silly, but a necessary part of growing up. I know my own three children fought enough; therefore, it must be normal.  At the 
time my sister and I tried drowning each other, I didn't see it as
silly; I needed to defend my flowers.
 
What made you want to write?

KS: After reading all the inspiring stories on sites like Heartwarmers and "loving a challenge," I hoped to get a story published to prove to my seventh grade writing students its Revision that gives story wings. I didn't dream I'd be able to experience lift off as well.
  
Can you tell us about January Gardening?

KS: "January Gardening" was my first published story. My dad had given me money as a birthday gift. Jokingly, I told him I was going to buy bulbs and plant them on my birthday. We were experiencing extremely mild "wintah weather."  In Maine the weather can change in the blink of an eye. What might be 
mushy ground one minute, can be frozen like cement the next. After
buying the bulbs, I chanced we wouldn't go into a deep freeze.  On my 
special day, the ground was wet, but workable, and I was able to get 
the bulbs into the ground. Whenever Dad and I talked on the phone 
after that, he'd ask me if I had flowers blooming yet.  Sadly, dad 
passed away in March and didn't get to see the golden daffodils, but I
did, and they are still a sweet reminder every spring of my dad.
  
What will your next endeavors entail?

KS: If God is willing; I??™ll retire next year. I'd like to build an art studio large enough to accommodate teaching watercolor to adults and a modest gallery to
display my work. Have paints, would love to travel and capture as much 
of this wonderful American country as possible.  Also, my sister 
Sandra and I have a couple books in various stages of completion. We'd 
be thrilled to find a publisher interested in taking on our project.  

**~~**~~**

If you would like to set up an interview with Nicole or join her newsletter, or comment on Kay??™s interview, please contact me: winterose@videotron.ca

Nicole??™s interviews will run every Monday.  I think it is a wonderful way to get to know your storytime tapestry writers and artists of all sorts.