Into the Wild Wood and Home Again

It's Monday part 2... or so it feels. It's actually Thursday, it's cold, but it's not precipitating as yet (though the jays are crying for rain outside).  Yesterday went about as I thought it might; I baked successfully, went to the dentist and found out I have no new cavities, but I do have a new hairline crack in a tooth that must be dealt with asap. And expensive. Sigh. And so it goes, eh? My poetry group at church went well, though, so I guess I ended the day on the upswing. There was apple pie, too, which I made and it was nice to come home last night to a warm house and a piece of pie. I am easily pleased. Today, work, then mundane chores. Holly will be here for dinner, too, and a bath. I hope she's in a good mood. She usually is, but these weird start and stop weeks are hard for everyone, especially kids who thrive with the parameters of routine.  That all said, it's only two days until the weekend. Saturday, G and I are scheduled to venture to Manchester...

Veterans' Day, 2026 I have mixed feelings about this day. First of all, many of my grands fought in WWII, as did my uncle-by-marriage in Vietnam. And I know what kind of toll it took on them, but they did it, and they did, as one might say, "their duty."  My maternal grandmother passed away on this day in 1983. Her former husband --a WWII vet who deserted the family and took up with someone else-- passed away two years later the day after. There's some weird confluence in that. I often wonder if his experiences in the Navy messed him up so much he couldn't adjust to a family life-- his letters to her were full of love, but his behavior years later belie that. I don't know. Family members refused to talk about it, and now the key players are all gone. I have had many former students join the military and serve honorably. Or so we are told, anyhow. And not a few of them did so not out of overwhelming love of country, but because it was employment. They had not v...

OMG what an annoying day yesterday was at work. Some days "be like that," I know, but still. Cranky kids, mute kids, and me, pushing string. Who doesn't know what the word "hearth" is? Well, not my sophomores. Their truncated vocabulary is astonishing in its limitations. Sigh.  Let's try it all again today. At least the afternoon/evening went okay. I made a nice casserole of leftover chicken, egg noodles, sauteed mushrooms, and peas with a thick and silky bechamel sauce. Comfort food, and the good news is, there's plenty left for lunch.  It's cold and damp again, and that seems to be the general forecast for the week. North of us got measurable snow-- Pittsburg, NH got about a foot, I think. Yeeps. I still need to get outside and put things away, pull up dead plants, etc. I know tomorrow's not going to be lovely, but it might have to be the day. And I'm planning on putting up the winter curtains on Sunday afternoon, after the football game (P...

It's Monday, rainy, chilly, and a bit dark. Suits my mood, in a way. The weekend was good, but my brain is tired, and I have a full day ahead of me: work, phone calls, Holly duty, house chores, papers to grade that I ignored...  I'll manage, but I'm pre-tired.  And we have another week of interruptions: five kids on a field trip today, two tomorrow, Wednesday's holiday, and then we start all over again...for two days. I'm sure I'm forgetting something, but all I can say is, I sure hope they don't stick a meeting in there. We try to do too much. Yes, kids need field trips. They need all the enrichment we can figure out how to stuff into their short time with us. And there's clubs, athletics, and heaven help us, they take a day off for a 30 minute dentist appointment. But we also have academics to focus on.  Don't look to teachers when it comes to those all-mighty test scores.  But I'm ranting, which is not helping anyone at all.  Good stuff is bou...

I've been in a writing slump-- anything I've worked on lately has been pretty basic, flat, and not poem-ish. I have some drafts, but I'm not that excited about any of them yet. Which is why it was so exciting to wake up at 4am with an idea nagging at me, shaking my brain awake. Well, actually, it seems my brain was sort of awake, working anyhow, on how to fix/improve the draft I wrote yesterday after spending the day in my writing class. It's a class focusing on fairy tale tropes and language, and I found myself writing a short story yesterday instead of a poem. This in itself is interesting, because I cannot for the life of me write short fiction. That said, the prompt for homework was to pull from the three earlier drafts and create a poem (there were a few constraints, but you get the idea). I wrote. I erased. I fretted. My brain defaulted to rhyming couplets, which is usually a sign that I can't get through a block in my brain. So, I wrote 22 lines of rhyming co...

Slow start to my day-- intentionally. I slept hard for much of the night, which is good, because my sleep has been broken a lot this week. No idea why, just was, but I feel like I actually slept a bit. Amen.  I got up at the usual time, but I'm being slow to get going. I had breakfast. I started the dishwasher. Yup, and read the paper. Sent a few silly reels out there to friends and family. Now, I'm going to do the socials thing, then head to the shower. Simple. I like it. And today through tomorrow, I'll be spending a quantity of time online with people I like in a writing class I've been super excited about. Not bad. I may or may not get papers graded-- I already warned the kids they might get them a day late. I will, however, make time to watch football, to go to church, and to put away the grocery order when it gets here. Yes, I succumbed to the bougie habit of getting things delivered today, mainly because I just do not see how I could be making dinner after my cla...

Hey, lookit that! It's Friday! It's been a long week in a lot of ways. And I have a writing class all weekend, one that I'm super excited about. Maybe I'll get out of my writing cesspit. I have not written one darn thing I'm super excited about in ages-- yes, blurts and really sloppy drafts, but nothing I am burning to get to. So, let's hope for the best this weekend.  And I still have house chores and errands to get to, so I'll have to wedge those in. And grading essays, though those might get shifted. We'll see. Ah, the life of a living poet, eh? We just do not have the financial flexibility for having staff. Sigh. (insert laugh) Today, though, I will go to work, come home to quickly have G put the winter tires in my car, trundle down the road, and get those put on. We are living on borrowed good weather, I suspect. Though the reports are saying a "warmer" winter-- but that, to me, means icy slop. I hate winter driving. I'd love winter if...

So, in addition to all the good news politically yesterday, I also found out I've been nominated for a Pushcart Prize. I'm still flabbergasted, gobsmacked, and in general, rendered mute. Well, not really mute. But wow. Me? It seems that St Cecilia and the Muses have joined forces of late to drag me out of the imposter syndrome I am usually swaddled in and they are showing me that maybe I don't suck at this.  Anyhow, wow.  And I'm now in the process of finding poet friends to blurb the new book.  I feel all hat-in-handish again. Please, sir (or ma'm), could you read my little manuscript and tell the world some nice things?  So awkward. If you know of anyone who would like to do that, let me know. It's really cringey to ask. And I didn't sleep worth a tinker's dam last night. Up every single hour, at the least. And of course I have a long day ahead: work, Holly time, dinner... I'll be dead in my chair by the end of Jeopardy, I'm pretty sure. I hope...

As Pete Buttigieg said, and I'm paraphrasing, it's not that more people became democrats, but more that people want positive, substantial change. And now that the ball has been tossed to the blue side of things, it's time to get to work. This is a sacred charge, and it cannot be fumbled. It's time to let younger, more energetic folks lead the way.  But the vote across the country reads like a solemn referendum, not a victory as yet. No more sending the House home when things get interesting. No more obfuscation. No more slash and burn of things that help keep people alive. The list of things to do is a long one, and I hope that the focus does not shift to retribution alone (although accountability is on the list, near the top). There's work to be done. And now, there's a chance to get it done.  Curbing AI. Ending this horror show in the Middle East. Restoring some dignity to the daily lives of the people who struggle the most. And for heaven's sake, restorin...

It's relatively balmy out-- 44 degrees when I got up at 5:30. And rain is in the forecast, just showers. I think the weather mirrors my mood.  It's election day, and I will vote. I always do. I hope you do as well.  Pray for a positive outcome, with no violence.  Isn't it strange that we even have to consider that possibility? It boggles the mind.  Have a good day, friends. Stay safe. Keep each other safe.  C

It warmed up (!) during the night; I went to bed and it was 29, got up at 5:20 and it was 36. Weird. But hey, this week is supposed to have some very warm days. I'm glad I have a few more days to putter around-- we still have outdoor stuff to attend to. And I'm scheduled to get winter tires put on Friday afternoon. In the meantime, though, the prediction is for 72 degrees on Wednesday. Wacky. But I'll be glad, so we won't use pellets or oil much at all this week. I grew up parsimonious, but I'm now bordering on cheap when it comes to fuels. What else can we do? Today, my sophomores will be presenting their medieval projects-- an odd assortment of weapons, maps, slideshows about plague, etc. I'm wearing my plague doctor tee shirt. Just trying to get in the mood...  And the juniors will continue their small research papers. What a grand variety they are working on! Everything from "forever chemicals" in our water to climate change and the ocean's eco...

Good morning, it's November, it's daylight, and I already have a beef stew simmering on the stove for dinner tonight. Which is to say, I have had sleep. Amazing. We are going to the later Mass this morning, so I have time to get a few things done.  That all said, who knows what the rest of the day will look like. It's All Saints Day, and Holly is supposed to go with us to church dressed as St Brigid of Kildare, but I just got a message that she's getting difficult about it. We'll see what happens. I have hope.  Last night, we had a modest number of children for Trick or Treat, which is to say, there's a ton of candy and pretzel packets left over. And as always, all of the hot cocoa packets went first. I need to get more for us, now. It's funny that, given a choice, kids always pick the cocoa. It was quite chilly last night, too, so it tracks that they want the cocoa for after their tricks.  And here we are, All Saints, and tomorrow is All Souls. The shades o...

All Hallows Eve! Here's a recipe for you (and let's not create it, shall we?!). Have a safe and amusing day.  I'll be back chatting with you tomorrow. C Macbeth , Act IV, sc. 1 (Folger Library) Thunder. Enter the three Witches. FIRST WITCH   Thrice the brinded cat hath mewed. SECOND WITCH   Thrice, and once the hedge-pig whined. THIRD WITCH   Harpier cries “’Tis time, ’tis time!” FIRST WITCH   Round about the cauldron go; In the poisoned entrails throw. Toad, that under cold stone Days and nights has thirty-one Sweltered venom sleeping got, Boil thou first i’ th’ charmèd pot. The Witches circle the cauldron. ALL   Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn, and cauldron bubble. SECOND WITCH   Fillet of a fenny snake In the cauldron boil and bake. Eye of newt and toe of frog, Wool of bat and tongue of dog, Adder’s fork and blindworm’s sting, Lizard’s leg and howlet’s wing, For a charm of powerful trouble, Like a hell-broth boil and bubble. ALL   Do...

Half day at school-- ostensibly, to get grades caught up and so on, but also to allow for folks to go to the playoff game (boys) that is way down on the bottom of the state--they are headed to Epping. I may try to watch the livestream.  This all means I'm out at noon. Which, to be honest, is going to be great. I have been too busy of late, and a little time --yes, merely an extra hour-- is more than welcome. Add to that, I've decided we are going out for dinner. I'm not on strike, but I would like a moment's peace. It will be a busy-ish weekend, so why not?  I will collect my thoughts on the loss of Sir Patrick Stewart. All of the online tributes are apt, of course, but no one has yet mentioned his deeply affective version of A Christmas Carol, and that is where my thoughts are trending. Yes, Picard. And yes, X-Men. And of course, all of the stage plays. Add to that, his iconic " Ice Bucket Challenge " -- he was pure class, with a wry sense of humor. And one ...

Thursday, 28 degrees. The girls' soccer team won, so both of my school's teams advance. The season goes on... which is a good thing but it does shake up the schedule a little. At least these games are Friday afternoon and Saturday afternoon.  I am hopeful that I can/we can get some outdoor things done today after I pick up Holly from school. The weather is glorious, but my time has been so limited. G put away two full tons of pellets yesterday. It's nice he took a vacation week now, so things can get "buttoned up" (as he would say) for the coming winter. And he's supposed to set up the dragon today-- which is always a lot of fun and fuss, in equal measure. Holly is excited about it. I am too-- it's kind of fun to look out in the darkness and see a nine foot animatronic dragon with fire in its belly flapping its wings, glaring balefully at all passers-by.  That must say something about me. As does my actual excitement that three of my sophomores have chosen...

Eighteen degrees. Yes, it's clear that autumn has settled in. I'm still working/thinking about a poem that reflects this time of year, and it's eluding me. It's a pretty thing, but that's not what it needs to be-- I need to capture the dark, the darkening. So, it's a draft. Cool. I fuddled my way around signing the contract/agreement for Kelsay for my new book. I hate this whole digital signing thing-- the signature is a messy thing, and does not look at all like my own. Seriously, who could even use it as a justification for anything legal? It looks like a 7 year old scrawled. That said, I had a photo of my actual signature from another time, and I appended it to the reply email as well. I have my pride, I guess.  And so, we wait for the next step. I'm excited, but I'm also resigned-- this process takes a while. I've learned a lot about the world of smallish publishing with my two journeys with Finishing Line Press, and I have a couple of poet frien...

What a surprise yesterday to get an email from Kelsay Books that they accepted my full-length poetry collection for publication! And I truly mean surprise; I still suffer from imposter syndrome, and it feels like a pity date every time a poem is accepted, let alone my third (!!) book.  I have to slog through the paperwork, sign the contract, and all that biz, but I'll manage that when I get home today. I was just too tired and had too many house chores to do yesterday. I did print off all the material so I could read it carefully, but the whole thing must be submitted digitally. I do not want to mess that up, so I --being old-school/just old-- printed it out so I could fill it out by hand first. No mistakes.  This is a big deal of sorts. And I can't quite wrap my head around it, to be honest. I worked really hard at putting this manuscript together, and I'm still uneasy about the title, but for now, it has found a home. And this time, I don't have to be the book-huckste...

Monday, 26 degrees out, and the sky is wrapped in a magenta and grey bunting. It's pretty, even though it sort of reminds me of the Owens-Corning thick fiberglass insulation. At any rate, it's a colorful start to the day.  The weekend was good, in all the ways it should be. I got a lot done, we had a good time in Tilton, and I got decent sleep at night. Can't complain. This morning, I am jealous, though. G is on vacation this week. I wish I were wrapped up in a fuzzy blanket with a second cup of coffee like he is. That said, it'll be fine. At least when your teaching assignment is high school, you aren't quite as bombarded by the pre-Halloween ecstasies. Usually.  And it's Red Ribbon Week, so we are asked to wear red today. Lucky for me, I unearthed my one red top when I flipped the closet this weekend, so I'm all set. And apparently I have about six pairs of Halloween-themed socks, so I'm going all out. Another bonus of doing the clothing excavation and...

UP, and it was a night of disappointing dreams. Not quite stress dreams, but things kept being annoying or upsetting. That said, 5:30 came around, and the day looks like it'll warm up past the mid-20s it is at right now. G and I will head to church, then grab a quick breakfast, and head to Tilton for the day. I'm looking forward to it. We don't get to do things like this often, and yes, part of it is the necessary "load up before snow flies" trip to BJs, but still-- a change of scenery with him is going to be a nice thing, I think.  And it's flannel season.  I flipped my closet again yesterday, and put away all short sleeved work clothes. All the light cardigans. The lighter cotton pants. And in their stead are the sweaters, the corduroys, the flannel shirts, of which I have several. I am giving two of them to Meg for "bang around" clothes (she's lost a bunch of weight and they will be too big), because the colors don't work for me/my wardrob...

I'm up, a little bleary, but coffee is being consumed. No ill effects other than a stiff/sore upper arm from the double vax, so that's heartening. Yesterday's all-day teachers' conference was much better than I'd thought it would be, and there are a few good ideas I will likely try. Well, one, anyhow. But it was a nice surprise to see a friend/former colleague there, and to spend the day with my current young colleague, too. We get along well, which is the greatest blessing after so many years of duds that were hired to "teach"-- not that I'm the end-all-and-be-all of teachers, but sheesh, what a string of terrible/ ineffective/ unlikeable people. It's been a slog. So, I hope that we are now on an even keel, especially since I'm hoping to work for only (!!) another seven years, if I can manage it. The stress I was under for all those horrid years aged me, I swear. I blame my gastritis issues and sleeplessness in part on having to defend my righ...