Coffee, bathrobe, and quiet? Can it be?




UP, and it's dark and cold. I guess you can say it warmed up last night-- from 4 to 8 degrees. Luckily (actually, by design) I have only groceries to get and laundry to fold today. It is supposed to warm up to the 20s, but it's not there yet. 

Neither am I. I'm enjoying another bathrobe and coffee morning-- and I'm in no rush at all. I have not had a stretch of loosely structured "me" time in ages, and I'm thoroughly taking advantage of it. Holly is with her dad while Meg is at work, and I'm here with just the dog and the ticking of the pellet stove. 

Yes, Cece is busy running to the window, waiting for Holly. She gets so disappointed that Holly's not here. She'll be in her glory next week when Holly is here almost every day. We'll have a good time. But in the meantime, it's me+coffee+bathrobe=quiet. 

Yesterday was hugely productive; I not only got most of the house chores done (it's clean enough), but I also got that long-overdue book review drafted and submitted. I hope it's what they want, because they've been patient with me about the long delay. I'm finding that I just don't have the mental space to devote to the work right now, which is disappointing (to me), but the reality is, I generally do not have a stretch of quiet in my days until around 8pm, and then I'm just too tired. I'll have to work around that exhaustion if I'm going to do more; maybe I'll see what's up in April. I hate to take a long break, but teaching AP classes is all new to me, and having Holly here is a regular thing-- no quiet time for deep contemplation. 

At any rate, I got a pile of books for Christmas (and I already have a pretty robust TBR pile)-- so, maybe I'll just concentrate on filling my cup back up. I haven't really written much lately, either. But I do want to get some submissions out there before the end of the week. Usually, when I'm working on subs, I find my brain-rust flaking off and I can write a bit. Or at least give some attention to real revision. I think that's a plan... get reading, revising, then writing will come. I hope. Besides, the pre-sales for my new chapbook will start sometime in January, too-- back to the business side of being a part-time poet. 

I hope you have a quiet, warm, and loosely organized day. Take some time to take care of yourself-- and hold your loved ones very close. 

C

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