Nancy,
I love the card. Is that one of your photos?
Very nice.
I am one of those nuts who love all the seasons including winter. When I moved into my first home away from my parents, my grandmother and I began a tradition that continued for decades and even lasted when she went into a nursing home. When the first snow began to fall we would race to call each other. I figure that in the end we had about the same success. She even called me at the store I managed. The girls who worked for me thought it was fun and participated one year almost by accident.
Shelly had taken our trash out to the compactor behind the mall and noticed it was beginning to snow. She raced inside to tell me so I could make the call only to be delayed because she was nearest when the phone rang. Instead of answering with the store name and her own, she shouted," It's snowing!"
You guessed it. It was Grama. Shelly had told her before she could get the words out so we were never sure who won that year. I said I should as shelly worked for me. Gram said she should because she had dialed first! I let her have it in her win column just because it made a cute story.
Gram lived to be in her mid nineties and to this day when the snow begins to fall, I look to the heavens and say softly, "Hey, Gram, it's snowing."
I think she hears me and smiles.
Friday, December 5, 2008
Sunday, October 5, 2008
A Quiet Place
Is there a quiet place in your life?I am having work done on the kitchen wall. It involved removing an old odd wall and studding and putting up dry wall, plastering and sanding. Four days and counting. Okay, so they were partial days except for the first one, but were the four days I had cleared the calendar to write and finish projects.When I got the call that the carpenter had a cancellation and could begin work several weeks early, I was at once happy and disturbed. I have lung problems and there would be dust. Lots of dust. I would have to be the person here, because my husband would be at work.And, darn it, I wanted to write.I decided that this might be a test from the universe ( bear with me here) about my commitment to writing. Whether it is or not, I found out this;I am committed. I got a lot more done than I expected. I was so excited that the work was going on on the level below me that I focused more on my writing.I found that I felt like someone was looking over my shoulder, of course it was me, and I wanted to please myself for a change by doing what I love, writing.I wasn't answering to anyone for these few days, because I had to be at the house; no quick trips to help friends or long chats on the phone. I was in a room that had no phone and I kept the cordless downstairs and turned off. Plus it was too noisy to talk on teh phone, but not too noisy to write!Another discovery is that I don't have to run to a cabin in the moountains to find solitude, at least not if I am willing to put up with the sounds of construction. Once I started story-telling, the writing flowed and my brain shut out all of the extraneous sounds. I had scheduled this time to write knowing my honey would interrupt me and that life would pull me out of my zone from time to time.Instead, my honey went bowling or riding or what ever, because he couldn't help with the kitchen, and there was no room for him to sit in my little nook.I was in a comfortable chair being stored in an unused bedroom and had a window for good light and a sense of hiding out in a tree house! The room is in the upper level of our home. It is cluttered and looks like my attic would look if I had one.The most powerful discovery was that I could pull away from family and friends without them being angry and with me feeling relief instead of guilt for not doing the important things first. I couldn't work in the kitchen so we ate take out. I might not have done that if the work wasn't being done.I didn't have to do dishes, grocery shopping, laundry or cleaning, because, well, I couldn't.WHAT AN AWESOME FEELING!I think I have learned from this experience to give myself the gift of several days vacation at home. It is okay to have take out four days in a row. It is okay to be the guest in my own home and let others do what they think is important. It is okay to be out of reach of friends and family, and it is oaky if they don't understand. Who ever said you have to be understood all the time.I have freed my inner woman of mystery. I don't have to explain to anyone when I need time away from the ordinary. It is okay to feed my soul and let someone else feed my body.And it is not just okay but necessary to find solitude where ever you are.hugskathi h
A Quiet Place
Is there a quiet place in your life?
I am having work done on the kitchen wall. It involved removing an old odd wall and studding and putting up dry wall, plastering and sanding. Four days and counting. Okay, so they were partial days except for the first one, but were the four days I had cleared the calendar to write and finish projects.
When I got the call that the carpenter had a cancellation and could begin work several weeks early, I was at once happy and disturbed. I have lung problems and there would be dust. Lots of dust. I would have to be the person here, because my husband would be at work.
And, darn it, I wanted to write.
I decided that this might be a test from the universe ( bear with me here) about my commitment to writing. Whether it is or not, I found out this;
I am committed. I got a lot more done than I expected. I was so excited that the work was going on on the level below me that I focused more on my writing.
I found that I felt like someone was looking over my shoulder, of course it was me, and I wanted to please myself for a change by doing what I love, writing.
I wasn't answering to anyone for these few days, because I had to be at the house; no quick trips to help friends or long chats on the phone. I was in a room that had no phone and I kept the cordless downstairs and turned off. Plus it was too noisy to talk on teh phone, but not too noisy to write!
Another discovery is that I don't have to run to a cabin in the moountains to find solitude, at least not if I am willing to put up with the sounds of construction. Once I started story-telling, the writing flowed and my brain shut out all of the extraneous sounds. I had scheduled this time to write knowing my honey would interrupt me and that life would pull me out of my zone from time to time.
Instead, my honey went bowling or riding or what ever, because he couldn't help with the kitchen, and there was no room for him to sit in my little nook.
I was in a comfortable chair being stored in an unused bedroom and had a window for good light and a sense of hiding out in a tree house! The room is in the upper level of our home. It is cluttered and looks like my attic would look if I had one.
The most powerful discovery was that I could pull away from family and friends without them being angry and with me feeling relief instead of guilt for not doing the important things first. I couldn't work in the kitchen so we ate take out. I might not have done that if the work wasn't being done.
I didn't have to do dishes, grocery shopping, laundry or cleaning, because, well, I couldn't.
WHAT AN AWESOME FEELING!
I think I have learned from this experience to give myself the gift of several days vacation at home. It is okay to have take out four days in a row. It is okay to be the guest in my own home and let others do what they think is important. It is okay to be out of reach of friends and family, and it is oaky if they don't understand. Who ever said you have to be understood all the time.
I have freed my inner woman of mystery. I don't have to explain to anyone when I need time away from the ordinary. It is okay to feed my soul and let someone else feed my body.
And it is not just okay but necessary to find solitude where ever you are.
hugs
kathi h
I am having work done on the kitchen wall. It involved removing an old odd wall and studding and putting up dry wall, plastering and sanding. Four days and counting. Okay, so they were partial days except for the first one, but were the four days I had cleared the calendar to write and finish projects.
When I got the call that the carpenter had a cancellation and could begin work several weeks early, I was at once happy and disturbed. I have lung problems and there would be dust. Lots of dust. I would have to be the person here, because my husband would be at work.
And, darn it, I wanted to write.
I decided that this might be a test from the universe ( bear with me here) about my commitment to writing. Whether it is or not, I found out this;
I am committed. I got a lot more done than I expected. I was so excited that the work was going on on the level below me that I focused more on my writing.
I found that I felt like someone was looking over my shoulder, of course it was me, and I wanted to please myself for a change by doing what I love, writing.
I wasn't answering to anyone for these few days, because I had to be at the house; no quick trips to help friends or long chats on the phone. I was in a room that had no phone and I kept the cordless downstairs and turned off. Plus it was too noisy to talk on teh phone, but not too noisy to write!
Another discovery is that I don't have to run to a cabin in the moountains to find solitude, at least not if I am willing to put up with the sounds of construction. Once I started story-telling, the writing flowed and my brain shut out all of the extraneous sounds. I had scheduled this time to write knowing my honey would interrupt me and that life would pull me out of my zone from time to time.
Instead, my honey went bowling or riding or what ever, because he couldn't help with the kitchen, and there was no room for him to sit in my little nook.
I was in a comfortable chair being stored in an unused bedroom and had a window for good light and a sense of hiding out in a tree house! The room is in the upper level of our home. It is cluttered and looks like my attic would look if I had one.
The most powerful discovery was that I could pull away from family and friends without them being angry and with me feeling relief instead of guilt for not doing the important things first. I couldn't work in the kitchen so we ate take out. I might not have done that if the work wasn't being done.
I didn't have to do dishes, grocery shopping, laundry or cleaning, because, well, I couldn't.
WHAT AN AWESOME FEELING!
I think I have learned from this experience to give myself the gift of several days vacation at home. It is okay to have take out four days in a row. It is okay to be the guest in my own home and let others do what they think is important. It is okay to be out of reach of friends and family, and it is oaky if they don't understand. Who ever said you have to be understood all the time.
I have freed my inner woman of mystery. I don't have to explain to anyone when I need time away from the ordinary. It is okay to feed my soul and let someone else feed my body.
And it is not just okay but necessary to find solitude where ever you are.
hugs
kathi h
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Memories are made of this...
memories are made of this....
da da dum dum...there's a song that starts that way. Maybe it was Perry Como. Now I am really showing my age, although I will insert here that I was a child then and I still like his voice.I put all of my user names and passwords...... yes I have many so if someone cracks one they won't have them all, and I change them frequently....into a password protected document on my flash drive written in word pad so I can find them when I need them.For those who are new, I went through a bad spell for a couple years. I had a lot of close family and friend deaths and my own health wasn't good. Medication further fogged my mind and limited the time I could write COHERENTLY!Things are better and that is why I am attempting to renew blogs and websites so I can be in touch with my cyber pals.Today was the coldest high that Denver has ever had for this date. the previous record was in 1932. officially today it was 64. but out here in the hills where I live it never got above 50. After a relentlessly hot dry summer, it was a shock to the system to see my breath when I stepped out the door.I am going to here state my goal for this month;By the end of September... let's give it a date... September 30... I will have two manuscripts that have been requested on someone's desk other than my own. in order to do that, since one of those deskes is in Canada, I must actually mail them around September 20. I have 18 days.So 18 days and counting. wrote 1000 words today. will do more tomorrow. now I have this to embarrass myself if I slack off.
da da dum dum...there's a song that starts that way. Maybe it was Perry Como. Now I am really showing my age, although I will insert here that I was a child then and I still like his voice.I put all of my user names and passwords...... yes I have many so if someone cracks one they won't have them all, and I change them frequently....into a password protected document on my flash drive written in word pad so I can find them when I need them.For those who are new, I went through a bad spell for a couple years. I had a lot of close family and friend deaths and my own health wasn't good. Medication further fogged my mind and limited the time I could write COHERENTLY!Things are better and that is why I am attempting to renew blogs and websites so I can be in touch with my cyber pals.Today was the coldest high that Denver has ever had for this date. the previous record was in 1932. officially today it was 64. but out here in the hills where I live it never got above 50. After a relentlessly hot dry summer, it was a shock to the system to see my breath when I stepped out the door.I am going to here state my goal for this month;By the end of September... let's give it a date... September 30... I will have two manuscripts that have been requested on someone's desk other than my own. in order to do that, since one of those deskes is in Canada, I must actually mail them around September 20. I have 18 days.So 18 days and counting. wrote 1000 words today. will do more tomorrow. now I have this to embarrass myself if I slack off.
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