Home
About Mel
Contact Mel

Home
About Mel
Contact Mel

Author - Melinda

Melinda with teal cup coffee, IMG_6781

Dating: A Middle-Aged Widow’s Open Letter To The Man Who Thinks He Wants To Date Her

Load More

WHAT MEL DID

“MISSING”

I haven’t written long-form for the best part of a year. The last post on my blog was about the man who believed he wanted to date me. That monologue may have given him pause. This piece I have been sitting on for months revising and editing, editing and revising. That’s the thing about writing. When our writing muscles are flexed daily and the words come easy, it leaves little room for self-doubt. Leave it a month or nine without writing and the peanut gallery in our heads take over, throwing rotten tomatoes at every letter on the page, jeering at our belief that anyone would want to read anything we had to say. So it was with my first real editor and to which this new piece, “Missing,” is dedicated. I hope you enjoy my words. Mx

Post link:
https://whatmeldid.com/missing/
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

#beach #brontebeach #scenic #sunseasand #parentblogger #pbloggers #pbloggersuk #parentblogger #littlestoriesofmylife #blogger #bloggers #blackphotographers #lifestyle #blackblogger #norwichblogger #melindafargo #melfargo #whatmeldid

OUR CHILDREN AS TEACHERS - this was the young woman who said at around the tender age of 7:⁠
⁠
"If we can't stay in our PJs all day on a Sunday in our own house then when can we?"⁠
⁠
There started the family tradition of anyone in the family being able to call "PJs DAY!" on a whim.⁠
⁠
This young woman continues to turn my head with a wisdom beyond her years and the kindest heart I want to hold onto and protect. A job I have thoroughly enjoyed and embraced over the past 26 years.⁠
⁠
Happy birthday, Morsey.⁠
⁠
Love, Mummy x⁠

There is always a day each year – not always the same one – I officially name spring. It used to be when Bronnie brought me the first daffodils of the season or the sudden appearance of cotton candy blossoms on our trees. But even now, living in the city without Bronnie or my country garden, I can recognise a day that smells sunflower fresh, a day full of possibilities, a day I name spring.⁠
⁠
⁠
⁠
⁠

WHAT A DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES - This is my first ever (ever) birthday post. It's hard to believe pre-COVID even Denzel Washington wearing only baby oil could not have prised me out from behind my camera lens. So, whilst I'm here in some form, let me say a MASSIVE THANK YOU for your kind words and messages this week. It has meant a lot. And much love and happy birthday to my lovely twin sister today too. Mx ⁠

THIS TIME LAST VALENTINE'S - I was already missing my children as I walked past a wedding store this morning which was showcasing one of their favourite books from childhood - “Guess How Much I Love You.” The kids would be beside themselves when their father then flung out his arms and shouted “This Much!” That became a bit of a thing in our family. Still is.⁠
⁠
And this exact day last year, I was with two of the children. Tess had flown in from New York and, together with Morgan, it was we girls together in London. It would have been impossible to imagine then that flying in from anywhere, or hugging and laughing in close proximity would have been damn near illegal a year on.⁠
⁠
Continuing the trudge to get some essentials this morning, I passed another store which also encapsulated what I want for all of my children; so I will end with the profound words from Primark’s window:⁠
⁠
“Stay Safe. Live.”⁠
⁠
In the meantime, know I love you all “THIS MUCH!”⁠
⁠
Mx⁠

LET IT SNOW - It’s snowing and which reminds me why we banned TV on school mornings when my “kids” were children. Morgan and Hart would move at the pace of jam racing marmalade uphill when it came time to turn the TV off and get ready for school. Bronnie and I, as well as corralling children into showers, breakfast and school uniform, also had to get ready for work and the demands of the day. And God-Damn-It, those children seemed to move even slower when it was a big meeting day at the office.⁠
⁠
Then one school morning it snowed.⁠
⁠
I caught the furtive looks between the children, but thought nothing of it and, to be fair, they were getting ready as asked, but at a more studied rather than a slow pace. It was hard to define. Come to find out the children were waiting for the text to come in cancelling the school day because of the white stuff falling from the sky, which had now settled on the ground to about 3 inches.⁠
⁠
The text came in.⁠
⁠
Morgan and Hart were out of school uniform, into house clothes and tobogganing down our driveway with other kids from the neighbourhood faster than a Government U-turn.⁠
⁠
“So you kids do know how to move in the mornings,” I shouted through the kitchen door, as a snowball hit me thump in the middle of my forehead.⁠
⁠
Happy snowy Sunday, friends. Mx⁠
⁠
⁠

KINDNESS PLEASE STAND - There were many great moments in yesterday’s US Presidential inauguration. I for one high-fived the TV when Joe made it down those stairs to start his four-year journey. (Those of us in the “certain age” bracket salute you, Sir.) And what his speech may have lacked in orgasm-inducing rhetoric, it made up for in kindness. A glimmer of hope for a different approach to the many (many) subjects which currently polarise and divide us. My daffodils, which have stayed stubbornly closed for the last few days, came out in full bloom and agreement this morning. 🇺🇸

Autumn⁠
Leaves⁠
Shoes⁠
Had to be done⁠
Don't hate me.⁠
🍁

When someone who didn't even know you were having a challenging week, gives you an unexpected gift, which says "Hey, I see you."⁠
⁠
Thank you, Lucy. Mx

Follow What Mel Did

THE CUSHION MAVEN

FAIR WARNING we're in peony season and this nine-grid will pay homage to that wonderful fact. The newest oversized scrunchie to the family is yet unlisted and un-named (more of that later), but she adds summer elegance in an impossibly silky soft-to-the-touch fabric. No hairstyle should be without one this....peony season. (Runs off to join other Peony-loving Creatives losing their minds.) 🤗

When a vase of flowers is more than just a vase of flowers:⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Daffodils - rebirth, new beginnings, and good fortune⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Red roses - enduring passion⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Stocks - beauty, a happy life, and the bonds of affection⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Tulips - perfect love⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
I'll take that. 🌻

My mother-in-law has always taken first-class photographs. I never saw one bad photo she had taken - and she used a film camera. So, not the days of digital, snapping and discarding until we have a photo we’re happy with. Instead, taking photos until the film was used up and then traipsing to her local CVS, often waiting days to find out if the results were any good.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
I asked her how she managed to take such good photos every time. Her response? “Because I throw away the bad ones.” This was when I stopped the habit of hanging onto every bad photo I took of, say, the children - feeling I was somehow throwing them away if I threw out a bad photo of them. Although, I also don’t strive for a “perfect” photo, since it is often small imperfections (like the water stain on this wooden tray) that can uplift other elements. I did, however, crop my feet out of the final version. No one deserves that. Happy top of the week, friends. 😊Mx

NAMING CONVENTIONS⁠⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⁠⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
"The Cynthia" out in the world. This oversized scrunchie was made with my mother in mind. This is also my daughter's, (@morganfargo) middle name (pictured). Fabric speaks to me the way a pet speaks to other people. I know this by the number of people I see on the street who look exactly like their pets. My naming conventions are just another small way of not only bringing my products to life, but sending a little piece of me through the door with them on every sale. I know! Mx⁠

HOW WAS IT FOR YOU?⁠⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⁠⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
I often think back to the first time I sold my first product. I'd spent months researching and then making...and making...and making.... kidding myself I needed a zillion products ready before launching. It was worthwhile work, but the work of making is where we Creatives are thoroughly comfortable. Pushing the go button for the first time, effectively telling the world I made **this** and think it's worth your money is the less comfortable zone. Until that first sale. That zone may not even be comfortable at first, but it sure is exhilarating. However, we do have to press "GO!" before we can get there.

There are two types of Creatives.⁠
⁠
The Creative who starts and finishes a set of products then does all the titivating afterward (yes, that's a word). The posing, the photographing, the listing, the crafting output for the different social media platforms, and, lastly, the marketing.⁠
⁠
Then there's the Creative who does a bit of everything as they go along.⁠
⁠
I recently fell into the second type of Creative on this last make. I'm not convinced this type of workflow works for me, as I found I could measure progress less quickly. Sewing and piling and seeing visible progress before going onto the next stage is probably where I'm most comfortable. Being said, both methods leave you no less knackered at the end of it! 😅⁠
⁠
Should we file that under "Words of Wisdom for Wednesday?" Let's! Happy mid-week my friends. Mx⁠

A day to put your hair up whilst letting it down on this gloriously sunny day - at least in Norfolk. Here, the 'Flora' oversized scrunchie modeled by my daughter, @morganfargo. Have a super weekend won't you? Mx⁠
⁠

The oversized scrunchie for those of us who like, and are, a little bit extra! Brought to you by The Cushion Maven. New designs uploaded onto the website regularly - from your Thoroughly Modern Milly to this nod to Ye Ol' English Garden. Pass the Pimms, Jeeves. Mx⁠
⁠
#scrunchiemaven

Follow The Cushion Maven

SOCIAL INTERCOURSE

facebook
instagram
twitter
linkedin

Melinda

Melinda is a passionate entrepreneur and creative. She will marry Denzel Washington after the sudden disappearance of any of his wives.

Copyright © 2021 | Melinda Fargo

Home
About Mel
Contact Mel

Of late

Missing
Dating: A Middle-Aged Widow’s Open Letter To The Man Who Thinks He Wants To Date Her
In Plain Sight
When You’re No Longer The Hippest Person In The Room
If We Are What We Routinely Do, Some Of Us Are In Trouble
First Things First: Why Don’t You Love Me?
Why Am I Telling You This Story, Again?
The One Where Valentine’s Day Was A Matter of Life and Death
We Make Plans And The Universe Says “Bog Off”
When I Grow Up
On diabetes and finding love in a homeless place
Who To Call At 4.00 am?