Nano Write

I am a winner!! I finished another 50,000 words today in the NanoWriMO and it felt great. I don't think I have much to say here. I have been writing so much this month, I am almost out of words. My writing this year continued the story I started last year. I hope to truly finish the story in the next few days. This book needs a great deal of work. There are changes that I thought of along the way but I didn't want to interrupt the writing. I had to get the story out first. So interesting to write the story of the characters and not wanting anything bad to happen to them.

What Have I Been Up To?

So the answer is not 5'4"....even that makes me groan. I am doing the NanoWrite as you can see by my very cute little label over to the right. The idea is to write 50,000 words during the month of November. Last year, I made it to 50,000 and then December came. My kitchen remodel began and my Nano novel stayed in its binder on a bookshelf. The story was at a pivotal point and the five women characters were about to enter into a transformational experience.......that's when I got stuck. I knew that I wanted it to be REALLY big and I was really good at procrastinating. Sometimes when we expect something so wonderful, we are paralyzed to even begin with the tiniest baby step.

As this November 1st rolled around, I knew it was time to dig in again. I have made my daily quota of 1667 words and not much more. I remind myself of the kids I had in school when they did an assignment where they had to write a paragraph. Usually one brave soul would raise their hand and ask, "How many sentences does the paragraph have to have?" Looking around the room, it seemed as though all eyes were on me, waiting for the absolute minimun that would be expected. I usually tried to give some philosophical response, but in the end usually one student would not give up and go for a number. I think I learned a bad habit from my students.

On a much brighter note......finally, we have a reason to believe: Barack Obama won the Presidential election last night. I can feel myself get so emotional realizing the work, faith and tenacity that he had to have to accomplish this goal this time around. It has been so long since there have been heros. It makes me feel hopeful for the next generations to be able to move this country forward; away from intolerance, ignorance and hatred to unity, compassion and accomplishment for the greater good. As we move to a more spiritual and compassionate world, this man holds great promise. My faith has been restored in the American people.

Learning Something New Everyday

I learned today that I don't play enough. I guess I have known that for a while. I have a rushed, hectic feeling inside that tends to tell me that it's not ok to play,even for a few mintues. I know that if I played for a little, I would enjoy my work more.....but play feels like procrastination and I am so very good at that.
Take today for example....I had a meeting for a student this morning and it was a great celebration of her work. I knew that there was a mountain of work to prepare for another job and it was waiting for me when I got home. Leaving the morning meeting, the sun was shining in a beautiful blue October sky and the temperature was just right for me. I decided that Chris and I needed to get outside before I had to attach myself to this computer. We went to one of my favorite places, the clamshack on the beach-Iggy's. I have learned to order things that work for my body there rather than the clamcakes! The hour or so we spent there was like a shot in the arm.
When I got home, I still had alot of work to do but I had a wonderful feeling that I had a little fun in this day!

A Good Day

I guess it truly means that I am in mid-life when I am rating a day as good based on my cholesterol numbers are getting better; much better. They should be! For the past seven weeks I have been doing this Detox program...so it was a relief to see that the work has been paying off. Seven weeks without pastas, breads, sugar, milk, and see what happens. I really had no clue how the blood work would turn out since the program basically includes at least one egg a day. Now I am thinking that bringing back whole grains would be a good thing because it would provide an alternative to the egg for breakfast. What have I learned in all of this? That vegetables are a good thing and that our bodies are really meant to have whole, unprocessed food. How much better things work with whole food.....and not too much of it. Let's see what the next three months bring....it sure felt good to get off the blood pressure meds.

Diners, Drive-ins and .....Work!!

The sound of my old computer finally stopping felt a bit like a death. The end of the whirring motor, the absolute quiet of the room seemed so strange. I am very excited about my new computer.....with wireless everything. Maybe this new set up will be the motivation I need to get to this blog more often.

I went to the Liberty Elm Diner in Providence for lunch with Anne. The diner is just such a wonderful funky place......the music, the people, the food. As we were having lunch, a colorful old school bus painted hippie style pulled up in front of the diner. Tink, our version of Alice at Mel's diner, ran out to greet the bus, jumping up and down and waving. A group of actors from Vermont found their way into the diner for breakfast/lunch. It was great to feel the energy shift in that place. Before the new visitors entered, one of the cooks was standing at the counter saying, "Please let them come in and have something to eat". It was wonderful to see the action begin in the diner and feel the happiness of the diner staff, greeting these strangers like old friends. When I am at the Liberty Elm, I just want them to really succeed for so many reasons. The wonderful group of people are really giving back to the neighborhood; they are supporting using fresh, local goods and they are encouraging other artists to either perform or display thier artwork. Going to the Libery Elm feels like a dip in pool of creativity in this world....it feels wonderful to be a part of this artful place, even if it is only to share eggs and a coffee.

A Great Day

There was nothing unusual or special about today; yet, it has been a wonderful day. The weather is absolutely gorgeous. After an early morning meeting at an alternative high school, we went to plan our yoga classes at the beach. Not the beautiful ocean beach, but a nice beach on the bay that is only about 10 minutes away. The sun, the water and the sounds of the beach were wonderful. It was the perfect temperature for me today...probably in the low 70's with bright blue sky and a gentle breeze. I even put my feet in the water.....it was refreshingly chilly. How lucky I am to have a day with work and play in a wonderful balance.

There is no excuse~

I know that there is no excuse for not getting to this blog. I realize that I have not added one little word since August....and that feels just wrong. So what has been happening?? When I look at the big bits of time, I would say "Not much"....but each day there seems to be so much to do. Tutoring students, getting the dog bite prevention program finished, transitioning to the fall in yoga and in my closets, and advocating for those wonderful kids who show up in my life needing someone to be their voice has really kept me moving these past few months. I also have been healing, or trying to recoup from the knee surgery in June. I feel like Rodney Dangerfield or George Burns when I say...my knee is great, its the rest of my body that is falling apart. Maybe getting to a place of realization that my knees are not going to be pain-free has been more difficult to accept than I want to admit. Knowing that I need to consider how my knees feel in doing certain things does get me pissy somedays. A low beach chair will never be as enjoyable as they used to be....what a bad attitude to have. I need to change that and that is why I am doing some overtime with a physical therapist.

A question I need to ask myself is "what am I doing for me.....to get out of myself, get creative, explore....for me? So much lately has been what I need to do to get ready for tomorrow. I guess I need to get time in that is playful...just for me!

So now, its off to a great yoga class....just for me!

Nothing says summer like a Del's lemonade! If you are visiting Rhode Island, one of the seven wonders of this state is Del's lemonade. When you have spent a day at the beach and you can feel your skin sizzling as you start the drive home, a Del's Lemonade is just what you need. This lemonade is truly different than any other frozen lemonade you may have tried......its sweeter and more lemony. I can bet that you will find a piece of lemon in your drink as you finish.

My oldest godchild, Brooke, absolutely is the best Del's lemonade fan I know. She moved to Kentucky when she was in third grade (much to my broken heart) and whenever she returns to RI, Del's is the first thing on her list of places to go. Her last visit was for her Meme's funeral. We had a short time to grab lunch and then get to the family calling hours. I was so glad that the Del's just happened to be opened on our way. As she stood in line waiting for her Del's, I did not see a beautiful grown women with two young children back in Kentucky, I saw my Brooke, with a long braid down her back and a golden tan, waiting for her summer treat. It just makes me wonder: where did the time go?

Just What I Need

It's snowing and raining.....just another dreary winter day in New England. My thoughts turn to what I need....

I need a day at the beach with warm sun, a gentle breeze, a comfy sand chair and a great book...ahhh.

I need a great book....just finished The Pillars of The Earth and now I look forward to another great story.

I need time in my kitchen. Well, I did just get that...I made a great Vegetable Tortellini Soup with Garlic and Cheesy breadsticks.

I need to connect with the positive people in my life...they are such a wonderful gift.

I need to look for the joy in today....and find it!

D Day

Today is the day.....we are going to get our taxes done this evening. This means all those hours of work in getting the numbers in the correct column that I needed to do all year long will be done today. What am I doing? Well, basically, anything that will put off digging into the numbers! I know I need to just get myself to the table, sprawl out all the papers and dig in. Once I start, I know it won't be as bad as all the energy I have spend thinking about it. For days, I have been thinking and thinking of getting this stuff together and just pooping out when it came down to actually getting pencil to paper. Well, now, the clock is ticking and I am still waiting!!! My inner teacher is saying, "Snap out of it."

Isn't it great how every other job in the house seems to be more important than starting on the taxes? Yesterday, I switched all my spices into three wonderful lazy susan spice containers and I had my friends over for dinner. Doing all that I didn't have time for taxes and then later, I couldn't mess up the dining room table. After dinner, I was just too tired to start on them because I truly am a morning person.

For today, I promise not to answer the door or the phone until the job is finished. I know that the one phone call or visitor will pull me out of my focus and now this is serious business. In eight short hours, I will be handing over these numbers to a very competent tax person and that will feel priceless!

So much has happened

Yes, it has been too long, I know. Getting to make myself call up the page and put some words into sentences was just one more thing that I allowed to slip away.

The photoa above give you some idea of what has been going on for the past few months that took up my time. We demoed (a new verb I tend to overuse) the kitchen and found two gifted contractors to do the magic of creating our new space. The totally finished kitchen photos are still stuck in the digital camera but I will get them out soon and show the details.

Looking at the pictures has been an eye opener.....realizing the chaos we were living in physically and mentally just makes my head ache. I heard the horror stories of doing a kitchen remodel and I definitely did not look forward to that part. I found while we were going through it, I just dealt with each piece and although I didn't like the confusion, dust and work, it didn't seem as awful as the pictures look now. It is an interesting process....... doing a remodel. I definitely lack the skill, patience and stamina to make a habit of jobs like this one. I really am enjoying the finished part of this job. Now we are working at getting everything to work as it is supposed to.....our washing machine has decided it doesn't like the rinse cycle or letting cold water pass through or dispensing fabric softener or bleach. I am getting to know our repair man so well now since he has been here three times in two weeks. All in all, I consider myself so lucky to have this wonderful kitchen and all the good feelings the comfort of that room can bring!