Category: Family History
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Tempus Fugit: Recalling the Early Summer of 1975
Afternoon, Sunday, June 8, 2025, Miami, Florida I was 12 in the summer of 1975. I can’t say I had a terrible childhood; I lived in a nice house in Westchester (an unincorporated neighborhood in the Greater Miami metro area) with my widowed mother; a house, needless to say, that had a more placid, stable…
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Tempus Fugit: The Seventh Day of the Sixth Month…and Summer Memories from 1975
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Coral Estates Park (Miami-area Neighborhood), Creative Writing, Family History, Life in Florida, Life in Miami (1972-2016), Life in Miami….Again, Life in South Florida, Personal Thoughts, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, Summer 1975, Summer 2025, Summer in Florida, Tempus fugit, Things I MissMidday/Early Afternoon, Saturday, June 7, 2025, Miami, Florida “The summer stretched out the daylight as if on a rack. Each moment was drawn out until its anatomy collapsed. Time broke down. The day progressed in an endless sequence of dead moments.” ― China Miéville, Perdido Street Station It’s the seventh day of June – and…
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Echoes of Memory: Nostalgia, Myth, and the Stories We Tell
Midday/Early Afternoon, Monday, June 2, 2025, Miami, Florida Earlier this morning, I came across a charming Facebook post from an old friend from my Amazon reviewing days. She’s a bit older than I am—by about a decade—and enjoying her retirement, sharing delightful glimpses into her daily life in rural Midwest America. Her posts often feel…
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Summer-like Springs, Rave Reviews, and Sleepless Nights
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Book Reviews, Books, Creative Writing, Florida Weather, Life in Bogota, Life in Florida, Life in Madison (NH), Life in Miami (1972-2016), Life in Miami….Again, Life in New Hampshire (December 2023 – October 2024), Life in South Florida, Life in the Tampa Bay area, Miami-Dade Community College, Personal Thoughts, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, Semester in Spain Program, Semester in Spain Program – CCIS, Spring 2025, Spring in FloridaAfternoon, Thursday, May 22, 2025, Miami, Florida Hi there! It’s one of those gloriously vibrant late spring days that feels like summer has arrived a bit early. The temperature is sitting at a toasty 94°F (34°C) under cheerful, mostly sunny skies—high for May, or at least higher than what I remember from my younger days…
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More Musings for Mother’s Day 2025: Of Mothers, Sons…and Music
Evening, Sunday, May 11, 2025 – Miami, Florida Mother’s Day always brings a mix of emotions. The ache of missing my mother is ever-present, but today, I choose to celebrate the memories—the quiet, joyful moments that defined our bond. Mom and I shared an unspoken connection through the things we loved: books, films, dogs, and…
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Musings for Mother’s Day 2025: Of Mothers, Sons…and Books
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Beatriz Diaz-Granados, Blogging, Creative Writing, Family History, Kindle, Kindle Create (Publishing App), Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Life in Florida, Life in Miami (1972-2016), Life in Miami….Again, Personal Thoughts, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: CodaLate Morning, Sunday, May 11, 2025 (Mother’s Day), Miami, Florida Mother’s Day has long been a complicated holiday for me. My mom, Beatriz Diaz-Granados, has been gone for nearly a decade, and while time has softened the sharp edges of grief, her absence is still deeply felt. I internalize these feelings, rarely speaking or writing…
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Of Sons, Mothers, and Mother’s Day PTSD
Late Afternoon, Saturday, May 10, 2025, Miami, Florida Hi, everyone. Sorry, I’m late, but sometimes, rarely, yes, but sometimes – it’s difficult to come up with a good topic for a blog post. Especially when I’m busy with other stuff, such as doing laundry, which is how I spend part of my morning and midday.…
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Miami, Evening, and a Novelist’s Reveries
Evening, Tuesday, April 29, 2025, Miami, Florida Some thoughts as this last Tuesday of April 2025 winds down here in my corner of South Florida: As the evening settles in, I find solace in the timeless melodies and reflections that have shaped my journey. Writing Reunion: Coda has been an emotional odyssey, weaving together the…
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Waiting for My Copy of ‘Reunion: Coda’ – and Thinking of a Promise Kept
Late Afternoon, Thursday, April 17, 2025, Miami, Florida Well, two years and eight days after I began working on what I briefly called “The New Story” in another writing room in another part of Florida, I can now say that tomorrow I will hold a hardcover edition of Reunion: Coda in my hands. For me,…
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Time Marches On: Reflections on Turning 62…and Pushing the Novel Closer to Completion
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Beatriz Diaz-Granados, Creative Writing, Family History, Kindle, Kindle Create (Publishing App), Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Life in Florida, Life in Miami (1972-2016), Life in Miami….Again, Miami-Dade Community College, Personal Thoughts, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, Semester in Spain Program, Semester in Spain Program – CCISLate Morning, Thursday, March 6, 2025, Miami, Florida “Inside every older person is a younger person wondering what the hell happened.” – Cora Harvey Armstrong Yesterday marked my 62nd orbit around the sun, and it was my first birthday celebration in Miami since 2015. Ten birthdays had passed since I last celebrated with family. My…