Happy Thursday

Today has been a Happy day, brought about by the annoyingly productive week I've had at home, while on Spring Break, not at all doing Spring Break things.

I had a to-do list and went through it methodically, knowing that if I stayed to my schedule, by Thursday, today, I'd have Nothing Required of Me To Do. And I did stay to it. And today, having Nothing Required of Me To Do, meant a free, relaxing, day which I filled with nonsensical things like buying new flip flops, hanging out on the circle's lawn with other 'hood peeps talking about being happy, the state of happiness, Buddhism, and funny documentaries not related to Buddhism or happiness at all.

Today was quite relaxing.

As I type this, for instance, I'm so relaxed, that I find my husband's cat Sir Cogsley's, fascination with the clicking of the keyboard and the cursor moving on the screen  amusing, so amusing that I'm not even bothered by the fact his curiosity means he sat his big fluffy butt right in front of the computer screen and I can't really see what I'm typing, unless I cock my head to the right and peer around his extraordinarily long whiskers. 

I managed to write a paltry 852 or so words today, which is better than Monday's paltry 502 or so words. This is fine, it's always like this for me at the beginning of a story or book. The first week or two into it drags ridiculously, and suddenly, about three weeks in, the story really just takes off, and I can write for much longer, mindful, of course, that I only have limited time to write. Gone, for now, are the days when I could write for three or four hours at a stint and not need to be up til midnight to accomplish it. I do dream though! The best writing advice I ever got, and will ever give, is the only thing required of a writer to write, to truly be successful, is to show up at the page. That's it. Show up at the page. Write. Go from there. Once you show up to the page, and put words on it, the story begins to unfold, and, if you know what it is the story means to accomplish,  it will write itself.

I did accomplish something on my Nothing Required of Me To Do day, though. I accomplished getting instruments for Turbo and Bear, and lessons. All in under 40 minutes. See how ridiculously efficient I can be?

I'd already scoped out the instruments, and knew that Turbo was getting an acoustic guitar. I knew, also, that Bear would most likely gravitate to drums, which he did, despite his going on randomly about the violin. I just don't think a violin is a good instrument for a kid who wants to be in a rock-n-roll band. He really wanted the African-style drums, but I told him to start with the normal snare drum, and then if he's still interested in three to six months, we'll pick up the other style drum. We rented his drums, but bought the guitar. Drums are... priccceeeyyyy. He then spent most of the time playing the xylophone bit of the drum kit. Hilarious.

We had our first gorgeous spring day today, well, okay, second. April is a month of wacky weather here. We'll have gorgeous days that tease you into thinking the days of warmth are here to stay, followed by cold rainy days, and occasionally, a snow storm. April. Such a tease.

Ah writing. I find the more I write, then the more I write. How... something! 

What I'd write in a letter to my sister (and aunt) if we all still wrote letters

This eye belongs to a teenager. I rarely see this eye. It's usually rolled into the back of her head when I'm speaking to her. It's blue, I think I'd forgotten that.







Dear (Sister), (Aunt)

How is life on the other side of the Oregon Trail? Raining still? Has your Hans eaten any more socks, headbands or swim shorts? Is your son learning to ignore the rain? Has he seen the sun yet? (Okay, to be fair that was low, of course the sun comes out in Oregon, I believe, in September?)

For my aunt, I'd write: 

How is life Back East? Is it snowing still? Did everyone wear cute spring dresses under big burly winter coats and lacey, brimmed spring hats under umbrellas Easter Sunday? Then I'd ask about Daughter, and see if she had begun to exhibit any pre-teen like qualities such as, shopping preferences, eye-rolling to mom and sleeping in late.

No proper letter is without a weather report:

Colorado is below-normal levels of precipitation. We have sunshine, plenty of it, but none of the snows or rains we so needed. We'll probably be on fire this summer again. I don't believe you've ever tasted fire and ash. Last year, there were a few days when that was what our air tasted like. We could see the smoke and haze in the air, even if we couldn't see the flames. The taste burned our throats. It was a constant reminder, as you walked around accomplishing your daily day to day life, that not far off, forests were burning.  It was surreal sometimes, and sad, but an act of nature, cleaning up and preparing for new growth. But of course, we need snow and rain for that. The children (must point out how they fared and suffered)  had to stay indoors for a couple of days at summer camp last year, and I couldn't run or swim (Poor me!) because of the air quality. I hope we don't have so many fires this year, but with the dryness of this year's winter, I'm not optimistic.

Moving on to the lovely children. All letters discuss children:

The kids are doing mostly well. Teenagers are just difficult, and even though she knows everything and I don't know anything, somehow, somehow she can't figure out how to do the laundry properly. She's currently without any sort of electronics whatsoever - we're hoping it's a positive motivator to actually clean her room and do  her schoolwork. She is quite beautiful, however, and has mastered styling ridiculously long, thick hair, and eye make up, something none of us have ever fully achieved successfully: the cat eye look.

Note in this next paragraph how I am clearly a fan of music. Clearly, I'm a believer in music education, and by default, the arts. In your mind, I'm wearing a breezy skirt and eyelet cap-sleeved shirt sitting under a tree by a creek listening to nature. I'm not, but after I post this, I'm going to shop for breezy skirts and eyelet cap-sleeved shirts.

I'm taking each of the boys to the music store on Main. There's two music stores on Main right next to each other. I'm taking Turbo to the guitar store so he can pick up a classical guitar and play around, to see if that's the instrument he wishes to learn. The next day, I'm taking Bear to the music store with a greater variety of instruments. He has expressed interest in a Flute, Drums, a French Horn and a Tuba. I'm hoping he chooses Drums or Flute. Why I'm hoping for drums, I'm unsure.

I'm having a nice break from work this week, though mostly I'm doing a lot of little odds and ends that need to get done around the house. Steam clean carpets anyone? Anyone? Well, it's got to be done.

My writing's going well, though no one will see or hear of any of it for at least three months. I'm a big fan now of keeping my stories between my head and the page. It's too easy to 'write' the book in conversation.

That's all that's going on here in Colorado.

Hope your having a great spring in (Oregon) (New Hampshire),

All the best,

La La

Spring Break, Day 2

I have this little list of things I want to accomplish over spring break.

Thing 1: Door for daughter's room.
Accomplished - picking it up tomorrow, and some new hinges.
Installation - Husbear.

Thing 2: Steam clean carpets and mop floors.
HOW EXCITING! This is the biggest plan for Spring Break.
Yeah, I know how to live it up.

Thing 3: Empty out boys room and reorganize it. Buy blinds for their room. They knocked their curtains down, again, and for good. /sigh /boys.

Thing 4: Fill up Bear's bike tires.

See, this is my spring break.

It's not as much of a break as I would like, and not nearly as springy out as I would hope, but I leave my afternoons and evenings open, so it's been very relaxing. It's Day 2, but the weather just is rainy. Yesterday, it was chilly. Certainly not, get on a bike and go on a ride weather. Or, go strolling about aimlessly with your friends weather.  Tomorrow's supposed to get nice, so I'll get everything done early. Then I'll go on a run! Then, I"ll hang outside with the kids!

Thursday and Friday are my  play days. I'm determined to have Thing 2 and 3 done by Thursday/Friday. I'll fill up Bear's tires when ti's gorgeous out.

I'm publishing this post, but I'm not tweeting it. It's more a dreary to do list than a blog.

Ah well.

Time to write!