Into the Wild Wood and Home Again

So, yesterday went well. I have five young women in the writing camp at The Frost Place, and they are nice, friendly, and willing to work! They come from various backgrounds, but all have a love for writing and theatre. So, that goes a long way towards getting them to their own "next steps."  And my book launch went well! A cadre of former students showed up, as goofy and fun as they always have been, and they not only bought books, but also participated in the open mic part of things. It was a joy to hear their work, since they've been out of my classroom for several years. And OMG, to my surprise and delight, one of my oldest friends from college appeared with his wife and his mom. What a day! They were on their way home from Montreal, and timed it just right to show up. We don't get to see them all that often (every few years, really), so I was gobsmacked. We had some great community readers, too-- all good things.  G and I went out to Freehouse for dinner, then he...

Well, the outfit I planned for today was a fail. The tee shirt is fine, and I went with loose-fitting jeans. I was torn, to be honest: comfort or something more "poet-like"-- leave it to me to pair a teaching gig with my book launch event. I went with comfort-- it's me, and who knows if anyone at all is coming to the book launch? I will do my best to look more "poet-like" another time.  That said, I'm running behind, partly due to my incipient reluctance to hustle this morning, and partly due to wardrobe changes. But the materials for my class are packed, the books are packed, and I even remembered to get some change in case someone buys a book later on.  We shall see.  The poor doggo will be in her crate today. Well, we humans feel some remorse about that, but since she spends much of her day bitching at people walking by, cars going by, a shift in the wind... she'll be safer in the box. She's a good girl, but she likes to chew things up, too.  Anyh...

Short note again-- we have pottery class, then maybe swim lessons (though the weather looks iffy). And lots of chores to catch up on. I need to plan my reading for Saturday afternoon, and I need to get my head in teacher mode for the Young Writers Weekend on Sat./Sun. Of course I woke up with a million loose ends rattling around in my head. I think I have some of them solved, but I forgot about having anyone introduce me for my own reading. Sigh.  I'm not very good at this, am I? It's been like a rocket on rails lately, and it's not slowing down.  Have a good day, hope all is well. O, the washer is fixed. That's a good thing. =) C

Thursday. The forecast is for a sunny and warm day, but degrading into yet more rain/thunderstorms later on. I cleaned the debris out of the pool yesterday, and the water might be warm enough today-- maybe. I know Holly is chomping at the bit about getting in, but if it's still too cold, I hope I can convince her not to try it. Because if she does, I have to. Or so I feel. We will see. I might be able to just supervise, which would be okay, I think.  At any rate, it's not even 6:30am, so I'll deal with that after lunch. This morning, what should have been a quiet time getting some house chores done, is now going to be a bit upended: the washing machine is not working. Our trusty repair man is coming at 8:30 to see what's up. So, the wet laundry is stacking up, and I don't know what/if I can do about it. And that's another fun summer adventure, eh? I really, really do not want to go to the laundromat.  But, as I said, it's not even 6:30, and I just tried to g...

Short post today, friends... Yesterday was quiet, for the most part, which was good. Meg, Holly, and I got our nails done while watching some FIFA soccer, which was a novelty (I don't usually watch). And Meg put up a huge, lovely dinner, capped off by a glorious from-scratch butter cake with marmalade between the layers and a home-made whipped chocolate ganache. I am truly blessed.  I got a lot of well-wishings on FB, which is also very nice. All in all, hitting a "milestone" birthday was not as painful as I feared. I honestly have been very troubled by the 60 number. I'll explain that some other day, but for today, all is well.  Take care, and lots of love. Spread it around. =) C

Another rainy start to the day, with showers predicted for the whole of it. This has been a very chilly/rainy start to "summer vacation," and I, for one, am more than ready for warm and sunny days. The pool has been up for almost two weeks, and the water is icy cold.  What do I want for my birthday? That was a question G asked me on Saturday, I think it was. Besides having my eyes feel better, and a host of world peace-related things? I'm now at an age (!) when stuff is not what I need, but yet, I like presents. I gave him the title of two books I want that won't be out until August, so he pre-ordered them for me. That's a win! Because by August, this teacher's meager summer money will be just about gone. And he brought home a pretty bouquet of flowers yesterday, which helps brighten up the inside of the house-- my roses are going bonkers outside, but it's too wet to go out and enjoy them.  What do I want for my birthday? I'd love to start with a warm,...