I was serious, and I did mean it when I ended my blog. But the thing is, I miss it. I miss that sense of journaling, of recording what's happening in my world. So maybe it isn't the next great American novel. Maybe it isn't life-changing and mind-altering. It's still my work and it was a pleasure. So I need to write it for the pleasure of writing it. If I'm blessed with 'followers', I'll be grateful for each and every one. And if I'm not so blessed, well, fewer people are following my notebook scribblings...and I don't question their validity! Well, yeah, I do, but not because I'm the only one who sees 'em. Those discussions are between my Muse and my hypercritical self.
So I'm back to the blogging world. I have stuff to write about! I'm going to be taking a year-long sheep-to-sweater class and am captivated by Claudia of CountryWool describing it as a spiritual process. We're having serious chicken discussions again. I'm back on Weight Watchers and this time using a treadmill to make the goal of a healthy me a reality. It's gonna be a good year, so this Would-Be Mountain Womon is back!
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Monday, December 5, 2011
A Fond Farewell
Two years ago I started this blog. There were lots of reasons, one of them being a gentle way to dip my toe back into the creative waters, ease my way into writing again. While it may have accomplished that to some degree, it also became a fall back. When I would try to prod myself into committing any of my thousand thoughts onto paper, I'd simply point out I was writing...the blog.
But as time passes, it's feeling far too much like an exercise in vanity and self-indulgence. Although I'm profoundly grateful to those who have taken the time to read, comment on and follow my blog, and each of you is a blessing, I really feel like I'm only writing for myself and a handul of people. In blogger world, having only 26 followers after two years, most following out of a sense of reciprocity rather than enjoyment and seldom commenting or interacting, seems to indicate a definite lack on my part. Whether it's lack of focus, lack of anything relevant to say, lack of skill, or all of the above or something else, the words in each blog entry echo in the silence, and that echo is telling me to redirect my writing to something more focused and substantive. I can't use a lonely little blog to fulfill the imperative to write anymore.
And so...to all who have shared this time and space with me, thank you from the bottom of my heart. I've enjoyed this, and you.
Blessed Be.
But as time passes, it's feeling far too much like an exercise in vanity and self-indulgence. Although I'm profoundly grateful to those who have taken the time to read, comment on and follow my blog, and each of you is a blessing, I really feel like I'm only writing for myself and a handul of people. In blogger world, having only 26 followers after two years, most following out of a sense of reciprocity rather than enjoyment and seldom commenting or interacting, seems to indicate a definite lack on my part. Whether it's lack of focus, lack of anything relevant to say, lack of skill, or all of the above or something else, the words in each blog entry echo in the silence, and that echo is telling me to redirect my writing to something more focused and substantive. I can't use a lonely little blog to fulfill the imperative to write anymore.
And so...to all who have shared this time and space with me, thank you from the bottom of my heart. I've enjoyed this, and you.
Blessed Be.
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Peace
It's been a peaceful day, starting with coffee and reading Mists of Avalon for at least the 4th time, to a nap on the couch with Lola (who has probably never napped with a person before), as evening fell. Gravy, two kinds of cranberry sauce, and roasted vegetables are cooked and in the fridge, leaving just chicken, stuffing, and cinnamon apples (for dessert) to be made tomorrow. Linda and I will sleep as long as Lola and Yeti allow tomorrow, then breakfast on strong hot coffee and bacon sandwiches (the sandwiches are a holdover from an odd Thanksgiving morning trek the fathers and uncles took us kids on..a hike in the woods followed by bacon sandwiches cooked on a campfire. Perhaps getting the kids out from underfoot was their 1960s contribution to the festivities? Anyway, the scent of bacon is an inextricable part of Thanksgiving to me). It'll be a quiet, gentle day with movies and maybe Scrabble, a walk with the dogs and a snuggle with Elf. That's alot to be thankful for!
Wishing you all peace and deliciousness with those you love.
Wishing you all peace and deliciousness with those you love.
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Living to Tell the Tale
The presentation is done; before 5 pm I was back in my office, relieved, critiquing. The local paper had their reporter at the meeting (usual process, I'm told), and a quick read this morning reveals he got the important points. And I survived--without resorting to Rice Krispie Treats! Thanks to Wild Magnolia and Akasa, bloggers-in-arms who lent me support and words of wisdom!
And I've woken to a frosty pink dawn. I've got Yeti and Lola asking for their walk, I need to work until noon, and then five days are all mine!
And I've woken to a frosty pink dawn. I've got Yeti and Lola asking for their walk, I need to work until noon, and then five days are all mine!
Monday, November 21, 2011
Tongue-Tied
To some this may sound like such a little thing, although others will understand. Early this evening I have to give a presentation to the president and board of trustees. It's a little presentation, 3-6 minutes (depending on how fast my nerves drag me to the finish line...six minutes would be me doing it perfectly). On the one hand, since this has been hanging over my head for over a year (date kept getting changed), I'll be so glad just to get it over with. On the other...I am terrified of speaking to groups. My face turns BEET red, my voice shakes, I critique myself the whole time, my throat gets dry, and I speak too quickly. This isn't exactly a presentation on brain surgery; it's basic, just meant to update them on changes we've made, good things we're doing, but every cell in my body is vibrating with dread.
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Psst...
Recently a magazine I read posed the question "What would you tell your 16 year old self if you could go back and talk to her/him?" I've thought about this alot and here it is:
"Psst...hey you, with a cup of coffee in your hand as you edit your article for the latest of the high school newspaper and try to delay going home as long as you can--listen to me; this is important! First, it's a cliche, but this too shall pass. One day you're going to be able to forgive your mother, and you're going to miss her. Alot. Second, what seems so urgently intense now isn't going to matter. SAT scores, whether that new guy likes you, who is dating whom, just isn't going to matter; you'll be lucky if you even remember all the names! Third, and most important of all: if you want something badly enough, if it's what you dream of doing and being, don't let anyone or anything get in the way. The path you follow may change, you may have to bushwhack a little, get your hands and knees bloody, climb mountains and cross deserts, but if you can be tough enough, you can carry that backpack full of dreams exactly where you want to be."
Alas, no one told me these things, and it's taken me another 35 years to figure all that out. I wish I'd known then what I know now.
How about you? What would YOU tell your 16 year old self ?
"Psst...hey you, with a cup of coffee in your hand as you edit your article for the latest of the high school newspaper and try to delay going home as long as you can--listen to me; this is important! First, it's a cliche, but this too shall pass. One day you're going to be able to forgive your mother, and you're going to miss her. Alot. Second, what seems so urgently intense now isn't going to matter. SAT scores, whether that new guy likes you, who is dating whom, just isn't going to matter; you'll be lucky if you even remember all the names! Third, and most important of all: if you want something badly enough, if it's what you dream of doing and being, don't let anyone or anything get in the way. The path you follow may change, you may have to bushwhack a little, get your hands and knees bloody, climb mountains and cross deserts, but if you can be tough enough, you can carry that backpack full of dreams exactly where you want to be."
Alas, no one told me these things, and it's taken me another 35 years to figure all that out. I wish I'd known then what I know now.
How about you? What would YOU tell your 16 year old self ?
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Living In the Moment
Animals teach us to live in the moment, something I'm not always good at. But Lola, here in front of the pellet stove, is demonstrating the technique:
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