Smorgasbord Coffee Morning – Author D. Wallace Peach with Poet and Photographer Michael Utley

On By Mike U.In Featured Blogs

Hey, everyone. Just a note to let you know esteemed and talented author Diana Wallace Peach has invited me as her guest to visit Sally Cronin’s wonderful blog Smorgasbord Blog Magazine for coffee today. Do stop by to say hello if you like. 😊

Smorgasbord Coffee Morning – Author D. Wallace Peach with Poet and Photographer Michael Utley

43 thoughts on “Smorgasbord Coffee Morning – Author D. Wallace Peach with Poet and Photographer Michael Utley”

    1. Thanks, Diana. It was an enjoyable day over at Sally’s blog, for sure. I appreciate your kindness in inviting me to share coffee and scones (or in my case, sweet tea and chocolate chip cookies!) with Sally and so many other cool folks. A fine time, indeed, and count me grateful for your friendship and support. 😊

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      1. Sweet tea and chocolate chip cookies! Lol. Next time, Mike. We can share those and be all sugared out! Lol. Thank you so much for willing to be my guest and for all the kind comments. That makes a difference, I think. Have a wonderfully creative day, my friend.

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  9. Hi Mike. I just read about you on Sally’s blog and I wanted to say that we are all here for you. We love the written word so you have a small army of keyboard enthusiasts to talk to.

    You are not alone.

    Btw I’m a gamer too. Cheers!

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    1. Thanks so much, Meeka. Your kindness is golden and so appreciated. This is why I love our little WP community so much. 😊

      I visited your blog and read about your gaming history and was delighted. So cool! My gaming history goes back decades as well. I was a moderator at the largest Titan Quest forum for a few years before it shut down in 2017. We had a tight group of players/friends, as well as a Stories section where players posted fan fiction and whatever else they pleased. It was glorious. 😎 It’s been my experience that gaming and writing communities can be really closely knit and supportive. Sure, there are rogues now and then (a little RPG pun), but for the most part, I’ve enjoyed my time in such communities.

      Thanks again for your generous support. Truly means a lot to me. 😊

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      1. No thanks needed! We gamers need to stick together. lol And I got the joke. 😀 I have a couple of Nightblades on ESO at the moment. They’re the ESO equivalent of Rogues/Thieves.
        And I completely agree with you re this small community of ours. For me, this is home.
        Cheers!

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    1. Aw…thanks, Saima! This means a lot to me. Your kindness is spoiling me, my friend! I’m glad you liked the poem. I don’t write about my deafness as often as I’d like to. I still haven’t fully accepted that part of myself, so there are still some uncomfortable emotions involved. I’ll be completely deaf at some point so I need to figure this out before that happens. I appreciate you, dear friend. Thank you for being here, Saima.😊🌸

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      1. Dear Mike, I sometimes think that this sadness in us is also very precious for something beautiful/sacred happen on the outside..as Elisabeth Kübler-Ross said, “Beautiful people do not just happen”.

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    2. This is incredibly enlightening and makes a lot of sense. As someone who’s always judging myself so harshly, I often times can’t see myself clearly or realistically, and I assume others see me the same way. It’s a consequence of a reclusive existence–having no one near to counter my self-judgement with compassion and a different perspective. You’re right, of course. Pain begets sorrow, and sorrow can beget a unique form of beauty through the understanding of compassion.

      You are a ray of sunshine, Saima. Thanks a bunch for brightening my morning, my friend. 😊☀️🌸

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  12. Such an inspiration. And I so enjoyed your poetry… I had a friend who I worked with who had a life changing implant to help her with her hearing… So I was saddened to read this wasn’t possible in your case…

    We take so much for granted in life, and I cannot imagine how difficult a silent world would be..

    I hope you are encouraged by Sally to put that poetry book together. They are worthy to be read by many..

    Wishing you well…

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    1. Thank you, Sue. I’m so glad to know an implant helped your friend with her hearing loss. When I was tested for one in 2016, I’d already been dealing with progressive hearing loss for 34 years at that point. After seven hours of various testing, they told me they couldn’t determine if an implant would help me because of the duration of my deafness. Implants tend to work better for recently deafened people and children who are born deaf. A lot of it has to do with retraining the brain to identify and interpret the new synthetic sounds, and folks who have been experiencing deafness for decades as I have aren’t able to rewire our brains in such a way as easily. So, it was a difficult decision not to have the surgery, but there was just too much to lose (my remaining hearing in one ear) just on the off-chance that an implant might help. I have a series of six essays detailing my deaf experience here on my blog if anyone one is interested.

      It’s difficult, to be honest. I struggle daily with simple things most folks take for granted. The worst is probably my self-imposed social isolation, but I’m extremely introverted anyway, so it’s bearable. So many other folks have much harder lives, so I try to keep things in perspective. 😊

      And yes, I dream of publishing some poetry books. There are some obstacles in the way at the moment, but if I can find a way around them, I’ll take the plunge and see what happens. 😊

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      1. Thank you Mike… I look forward to catching up on some of your posts in the series you linked for me …
        My friend was in her late 50s when she had the implant, and she had been deaf in both ears, a number of years and had two earing aids, but still found it difficult to hear… She was over the moon with her results.. But you have to weigh up the pro’s and cons for what feels right for yourself.

        I know when the time is also right for you book writing it will all come together… As it will meant to be. 🙂
        Have a lovely weekend, and now I am off to read your link…

        Thank you.. 🙂

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    1. Thanks so much, Peggy. Diana is a real sweetie for inviting me as her guest. It was a wonderful experience meeting so many cool folks. Thank you for your constant and much-appreciated support, my friend. 😊

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  15. Dearest Mike,

    What a wonderful experience! I spent some time at Sally’s and enjoyed reading the segment so much. Two wonderful writers were having coffee, and it was kind of Diana to bring you as her guest. I left a long comment this morning on Sally’s site, but I wanted you to know that I thought it was just a completely delightful read. A big congratulations to you and Diana, and thank you for always sharing your heart with us and your amazing words. Hugs and love from us both!

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    1. Thank you, Joni. It was quite an experience, with so many nice people dropping by to say hello. Diana and Sally were perfect hosts. It felt like a whirlwind at times, but it was a fun, if exhausting, couple of days. I’m glad you stopped by and left such a kind and thoughtful comment, my friend. All the best to you and Scott! 😊

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  16. Dearest Mike we were out of town for several days and I did not even know about this but was so happy for you. What a gracious and thoughtful friend and supporter you have found in Diana. I could not be happier for you. What a blessing to have the both of you on the same show. Your poem was exquisite, and you know how we both feel about your work. Diana’s book was being read out loud by Scott this morning. We start reading her words and it is difficult to stop. Her imagination is something to be in awe of just like your work. I really enjoyed it. Blessings and love to you from us both. ❤️

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    1. Thanks, Joni. Your kindness knows no bounds, my friend. I’m indebted to Diana, for sure. Her generous gesture was a beautiful experience. I’m reading her book, too, and I’m mind-blown by her writing and imagination. She’s a true master of her craft. Amazing stuff, for sure.

      Lots of love to you and Scott from snowy Colorado. 😊❄️

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      1. You are so welcome. I know you are enjoying her book too. Diana is a kind woman who loves your work just like we all do. You’re incredibly gifted my friend. We both send our love. I hope we are done with the snow. ❤️🤗❤️

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