Summer is slipping away.

Quote of the Day:  Summer is the time when one sheds one's tensions with one's clothes, and the right kind of day is jeweled balm for the battered spirit. A few of those days and you can become drunk with the belief that all's right with the world. Ada Louise Huxtable

Mr. Happy at the All American Motel in Custer, SD

 

Mr. Happy says, "Don't worry, be happy." (Or, was that Bob Marley?) Either way, I'm feeling that oogie anxiety that comes with the change of seasons, particularly summer. I got my sophomore son up early this morning and drove him to football practice. The fields were alive with athletes starting their fall sports. We bought school supplies last week. I'm checking schedules and preparing for fall. My big boy finally came home from Spain, a bit of a journey, but back safe and sound and will be home for a short time then off again to school in Texas. I feel like summer slipped away. Did I do everything I needed to do? Did I spend enough time with my kids? Did I get out and enjoy this gorgeous weather before the snow flies again and the temps are too cool to linger in the sunlight?

 

I'm reminding myself this morning that summer is not, yet, over. I can make the most of my time with my boys. And, it doesn't have to be warm and sunny to make a beautiful day.

 

Whew. Breath deeply and think about some of the fun things we've done lately. One is building fairy houses. We'll be having a pick up party at the Art Spa House on Tuesday evening. If you'd like to join us, check it out at Primo Art Spa, or send us a message at primoartspa@gmail.com. (We'll have cake. Cake and art, a winning combination!)

 

Can't wait to see the finished product!

 

 

Mr. Happy has more to share on Ride off the Page. We had a short and fun ride out to Custer, SD and back last week. It was a wild ride, see!

 

Vanocker Canyon near Sturgis, SD

 

Go. Create. Inspire!

 

Journaling Prompt: When does it feel like "all's right with the world" for you?

 

For me, it's when all the boys are home and my house is filled with their noises and love, or I'm with family on the farm or some other place we've all gathered. Also, when I'm traveling with people who really care about me and we're discovering new things together.

 

 

 

IWSG June, 2013

Quote of the Day:  Writing is harder than anything else; at least starting to write is. It's much easier to wash the dishes. When I'm writing I set myself a daily quota of pages, but nine times out of then I'm doing those pages at four o'clock in the afternoon because I've done everything else first...But once I get flowing with it, I wonder what took me so long. Kristin Hunter (American writer)

School's out for summer! Yay, right? It's that glorious time of hanging out at home, baseball practice and games, swim team conditioning, summer camps, fundraising for mission trips, band lessons, and having friends come over to hang at the house. Someone asked me once if I was looking forward to summer, and the truth is, not really. It's a different kind of busy, much less time for myself and my writing, but more time with the kids and the chance to take trips and get out. So, how do you fit in any kind of writing, especially the kind that might not produce any income?

Other mothers who write posed the question on facebook this week about finding time to actually write when the kids are there, plus the distractions and duties of the home, and the just plain ol' tired feeling you have. Some of us escape to coffee shops, which works if you're writing a play set in a coffee shop. Not so much when you run into people you know and "need" to catch up. Some of us try to tune out the family and ignore the household chores. I can do that. Not all day long, though. Those growing boys tend to want to be fed. Once the cereal runs out, they're looking for meat. (I need to teach them to cook.) Then, of course, it's carting them around to all the above mentioned activities. (Middle son is just starting driver's ed this summer.)

And, yes, it's much easier to do the dishes (see above quote). Case in point, this morning, I got up early to write this post, but first, I let the cat out, started coffee, washed up the pan from last night's burgers, eyed the rhubarb crisp for breakfast, got the middle son up to get to his swim conditioning, looked up the quote, left to bring him to swim conditioning, came back, ate breakfast (whole wheat English muffin with nutella, saving the rhubarb crisp for second breakfast), finished typing the quote, sneezed so hard my readers flew off, laughed about that with the twins who are eating breakfast beside me and waiting for me to drop them off at swim practice, but first we need to stop at Dad's house for their swimming suits.

You get the picture, and it's just 8:00 am, now.

So, I suggested to one of the other authors who seems to be quite popular and can find no private retreat in which to write: Build yourself a treefort and pull up the ladder!

Sign at my friends' treehouse cabin in the woods, a great hideout.

 

And, that is my contribution to the Insecure Writer's Support Group for June, 2013. How do we find the time to be writers when we're so busy living? I don't know. Maybe, I'll jump on the bike and write about it later (when the snow flies, and boy, does it fly here in the North)!

 

Read more about the Insecure Writer's Support Group at Alex J. Cavanaugh's blog. (I gotta go. Time to drive the kids to the pool!)

 

Go. Create. Inspire!

 

Journaling Prompt:  What's your biggest distraction? Any fun summer plans?

Summer's Last Hurrah!

Quote of the Day:  The Minnesota State Fair, The Great Minnesota Get-Together, is the second largest state fair in the nation, according to Wikipedia. It has everything: livestock, 4-H projects, fine arts, machinery hill, goofy hats, saunas for sale, beer, lemonade, leather, cheese curds, even lotto on a stick.

(We didn't win the cash, nor the consolation prize which was a motorcycle.)

 

 

A visit to the State Fair is a great way to say good-bye to summer. We decided that the theme for the day was to look for things that are funny, things that crack you up. We started at the fish tank. Fish are funny-lookin', especially giant catfish, like the ones you see at the bottom of the big outdoor tank.

 

 

Actually, I think these folks are more cute than funny.

Grandpa wearing his John Deere cap & overalls & grandma in her music notes t-shirt, admiring the large variety of fish.

Oh, but I did laugh at the folks eating loaded potatoes for breakfast! (I did not take their picture.) We entered the fairgrounds around 8:30 am, so they were off to a good start on the fair food.

 

It's kind of funny to watch the butter sculptures of the Princess Kay of the Milky Way contestants. They're sitting inside a rotating refrigerator.

 

 



 

This rendition of American Gothic in the Fine Arts building made me chuckle.

 

 

The cowboy hat was my first purchase at the fair.

Cheese curds are a popular product.

 

While we were devouring the curds, the young family next to us had their fair book out and were mapping their food route. We did a slow lap of the perimeter of fair and didn't eat anything unusual, but I heard that the Spam curds are surprisingly good. Next year.

 

Despite our efforts to find funny in others, I managed to cause the biggest laugh. The Chef spotted a fun German heritage booth (his roots are German) and put on this funny hat. I lifted the camera to take a shot and poured beer down my front, which is why he's laughing so hard. It was getting hot out by that time!

 

 

After that, we walked through the coliseum, looked at a few more things that we didn't buy, and took a picture of a young cowboy. The crowds were thickening. My feet were sore, and my bra was full of beer, so we headed towards the car.

 

 

 

 

Although the temperatures of our days are still reaching upper 80's and 90's, the nights are cooling off. The leaves are changing color, and the school supplies are ready to be popped into the backpacks. Summer's over and schedules begin. The start of a school year feels like my New Year because I've always been going to school as a student, a teacher, a mom sending the kiddos off, and also because my birthday is always the first week of school. Maybe now I can start writing my next play, blog more regularly, and have a minute to think. Maybe.

 

Go. Create. Inspire!

 

Journaling Prompt:  Do you go to the state fair, or some other type of fair or festival where you live? Have you ever had cheese curds? How did you say good-bye to summer?

 

Upbeat Sunday

Quote of the Day:  What I want to know is...Who put the bomp in the bomp bah bomp bah bomp? Who put the ram in the rama lama ding dong? - Barry Mann and Gerry Goffin

First pages of my family gift journal.

This weekend was filled with so many of my favorite things.  I got my journal ready for our family journal exchange.  The boys came home from scout camp, a little stinky and itchy, but in one piece, and quite happy. Eric said my journal looked "cool." Thanks, Eric. He's also participating in the journal exchange.

I was invited to a small, intimate wedding reception for a former piano student, as a friend of the family. I felt very honored to be there.

We had an outdoor worship service at our Pastor's place. He has a large yard. The weather was cool and sunny, almost no wind, so the music pages didn't blow around. I sang a song called What a Beautiful Morning (not the one from Oklahoma). Then, we enjoyed home-made caramel and cinnamon rolls.

I came home and took a nap (a gal gets wore out from all that singing and fellowshipping), then got domestic and made a delicious stir-fry and banana bread.

I shared the second loaf with my neighbor, who, in turn, invited me to join them for dinner.

Delicious eggplant parmesan that we enjoyed out on the front porch where we chatted with the neighbors.

While I was cooking and baking I tuned into Pandora (isn't that a brilliant idea), and cracked my eggs and stirred my food to good old tunes of the 50's and 60's. I clicked "like" to all the best by The Cordettes, The Archies - Sugar Sugar (which could also be the theme song for that wedding reception - a dessert buffet - yum), The Four Tops, the Chiffons, Little Eva, Lesly Gore (You Don't Own Me - one of my top five favorite songs), Betty Everett, Sam Cooke's What a Wonderful World: Don't know much about history, Don't know much biology, Don't know much about a science book, Don't know much about the French I took. (A great song to hear just as we're getting ready for a new school year.)

These songs have a great beat. They're simple, yet lyrical, and full of harmony.  This is my "Lollipop" playlist.  In fact, one of my favorite movie soundtracks is from Stand By Me. Which reminds me, it's time to take out the paper and the trash, Hey, Zach, Yakkety, Yak, don't talk back.

I'll leave you tapping your toe and humming along to these great lyrics, (from the quote of the day song):

Each time that we're alone
Boogity boogity boogity
Boogity boogity boogity shoo
Sets my baby's heart all aglow
And everytime we dance to
Dip da dip da dip
Dip da dip da dip
She always says she loves me so
So who put the bomp in the bomp bah bomp bah bomp?

Journaling Prompt:  What songs set your hips twirling, your toe tapping, and your lips humming?  In other words, what songs give you an upbeat feeling?  Anyone want a slice of banana bread? It's still warm.

Summer Senses

Quote of the Day:  Tired by Shel Silverstein
I've been working so hard you just wouldn't believe,
And I'm Tired!
There's so little Time and so much to achieve,
And I'm Tired!
I've been lying here holding the grass in its place,
Pressing a leaf with the side of my face,
Tasting the apples to see if they're sweet,
Counting the toes on a centipede's feet.
I've been memorizing the shape of that cloud,
Warning the robins to not chirp so loud,
Shooing the butterflies off the tomatoes,
Keeping an eye out for floods and tornadoes.
I've been supervising the work of the ants
And thinking of pruning the cataloupe plants,
Timing the sun to see what time it sets,
Calling the fish to swim into my nets,
And I've taken twelve thousand and forty-one breaths,
And I'm TIRED!

I know. I know! Another picture of Leo the cat, but he's just so darn cute.

My senses have come alive as summer has finally hit Minnesota.  We've had blue skies and sun all week, temps up into the 80's, and not at all humid.  I cut into this watermelon and breathed in that scent of summer.

Do you ever worry about slicing off a digit when you cut into that slippery watermelon?

I mean, it's the perfect conditions for it, a round, smooth, wet surface and a slick cutting board.

But, have no fear! I've just ordered a handy-dandy new set of knives from the neighbor girl.

It's her summer, before I go off to college, job.  Hey, I'm a sucker for a girl who loved band and tells me she's interested in linguistics.  And, besides, I needed the knives. Really. I see you shaking your head. Stop.

So, I have the warmth of the sun, the smell of the fresh-cut watermelon and mowed grass and the smallest of green tomatoes sprouting from my patio pot garden.  My boys got motivated to do chores because they want their own laptop - because Mom doesn't like to share hers!  They corralled their friends like a couple of Huck Finns and washed the deck.

They actually fought over who got to hose it down first. We had to go alphabetical.

Looks inviting, doesn't it?  Wanna sit a spell? Read a book, listen to music, chat, or nap?

They also swept out the garage.

I purchased extra window washing supplies and buckets.  More fun with water!  It will look like so much fun, I'll be turning them away at the door.

Journaling Prompt:  Share your summer sensory images.  What sounds, smells, tastes, and feels like summer to you?



Life is Good

Quote of the Day:  "...a talent is something given, that opens like a flower, but without exceptional energy, discipline, and persistence will never bear fruit."  - Mary Sarton, Belgian-born American writer

From my Mom's flower garden.

Her spring flowers were gorgeous this year.

When I discovered Orioles in my yard, I set out oranges and readied my camera, but it was the grape jelly that brought them to my porch railing.  Birds have amazing brightness of color.  I'm a bird watcher, but not a true "Birder."  I don't know all my varieties, I just like looking at them.  I heard an ad on the radio about a yard service that makes your yard bird friendly with the right plants, feeders, etc.  I'm tempted to have them come here.

The Oriole likes grape jelly!

School's out for summer, and I'm prepping myself to share my space.  With my own four sons and various friends and neighborhood boys running in and out, I find myself craving quiet time and creative space.  I need to claim it.  Make some dates with myself at coffee shops.  Shut the door and tell them to find their own food.  I can do it, but it takes more discipline.  It's good for them to see me taking time to do what I love, creating, writing, making music, nurturing my own friendships.

And, they're not little kids anymore (sigh).  They're getting more independent. My oldest son is a senior, now, and starting his first job - lifeguard at the Y.  Yay for him!  The three younger ones will go to scout camp for a whole week without me this August.  What adventures await them?

What adventures are waiting for me?

Don't lose yourself in caring for others.  Find what you love and nurture it, too.  Then, you won't feel so empty when the chicks start to leave the nest.

This was the fastest school year, yet.  How fast will next year fly with a senior in the house? Too fast. I can already hear the clock gears speeding up.

Tess Hilmo, a blog friend, is challenging us to write how "Life is Good."  She's also giving away prizes and promoting her first book, With a Name Like Love.  I was a winner last week, among my treats are See's candies and her book as soon as it's released, Sept. 27.  Thanks, Tess.  Go check out her book and great prizes, and tell her how "Life is Good" in your world.

Go. Create. Inspire!

Journaling Prompt:  When you claim time and space for yourself, where do you go and what do you do?



Authentic Woman

Quote of the Day:  John Updike's birthday was last week. I found this quote at The Writer's Almanac: I want to write books that unlock the traffic jam in everybody's head. - John Updike

I hope that something in my writing, my plays, do that.I'm offering a post on a Tuesday.  I know, not my usual style, but I have some things to share.  First, the Versatile Blogger award from Jade at Blush of Dawn.

Second, I am a guest writer at Clara's blog on living into your authentic self.

This bright and beautiful sunflower is here to cheer you up.  Here in Minnesota we're getting a whipping from Mother Nature.  She's sending down sleet and snow and a nasty bought of weather.  Go read my "Authentic Woman" post at Clara's and think about what warms you up and makes you shine!

I have a third thing:  If you'll look to the right, I have the 2011 Scriptfrenzy badge up.  Yep, I'm doing it again.  I can't decide where to start.  I have THREE ideas brewing.  Choir Loft Confessions, Kitchen Table Confessions, and Piano Bench Confessions.  April 1, I'll sit down at a local coffee shop and begin.  I'll let you know then which one brings the cream to the top of my creative coffee cup.

Go. Create. Inspire!

Journaling Prompt:  What warms you up on a cold day (phyically or spiritually)?  When you're feeling down in the dumps (because of nasty weather, the worlds' crises, or your own), what lifts you up?

Joy in Creating

Quote of the Day:  We are adventuring in the chartless seas of imagination. - Anne Morrow Lindbergh

Children teach us so much about experiencing Joy in creating.  As you enter Lake Carlos from the shores of Mount Carmel, you must walk over layers of rock.  You can think of it as a bad thing as they dig into your feet.  Or, you can see it as a good thing, as it gives you endless tools for building a tower of rocks as you sit in the cool water.

You might discover that your new friend who is really your second cousin likes to build, too, and you make a pier together.

Maybe you and your daughters create a sand turtle to live on the beach. 

What you have really discovered is that making something doesn't cost anything.  It takes as long as it needs to, and it lasts forever in your mind, or as a picture, or only until the next wave comes up and washes it away.

I was talking to my oldest son about the magic of computers and how information that seems lost can be recovered.  He said, "That just shows you that once something is created, it's never completely gone."

Summer is slipping into the past, lingering in our memories, and yet, we cherish what we've made.

Journaling Prompt:  Where did you go this summer?  What memories did you make?  Which ones will linger the longest in the snapshot of your mind?

Creative Space

Quote of the Day:  If I don't create something soon, I'm going to explode! - Mary Aalgaard, after computer catastrophes, time away, and a house full of distractions, I mean boys!

So, I invited myself over to my friends' house and made fruit pizza.  Yes, it really IS as good as it looks.  Cookie bottom, cream cheese "sauce" and your favorite fruit.  I'm licking my fingers - and the pan when every morsel has been scraped away.

I'm still working my way through The Artist's Way, and one of our tasks was to make a list of 20 things you like to do.  Making fruit pizza was #12.

1. write

2. play piano

3. eat pizza (only because I was at a pizza place at the time and dreaming of #12)

4. take pictures

5. attend live concerts (listen to music)

6. travel

7. nap

8. go out for coffee

9. walk

10. Group Power (weight lifting class at the Y)

11. bike

12. make fruit pizza (And eat it and share it)

13. ride horse

14. make things, like journals (see pic below)

15. knit

16. teach

17. do Kids' theatre

18. act

19. sing

20. laugh

I'm presenting at a women's retreat day at a local church on Saturday on keeping a prayer journal.  Here's a photo of what I'm making.

 Isn't that paper just yummy?  I also love going to the downtown Art & Frame store to shop for paper.

If my computers had been in operation, I would have written a tribute to my journaling mentor earlier this week.  Here she is at Mount Carmel gazing out at the lake, soaking in all the goodness of our week together.  I'll tell you more about her later.

I've also been to scout camp, back home for a visit with family and extended family, and to the grocery store about 47 times since the beginning of June.

Oh, and while I was away, I tweaked my blog.  See the flag counter?  I was excited to see that someone from South Africa stopped by.  Hello!  I love being part of the global community.

Journaling Prompt:  List your top 20 things you like to do.  Then, pick one and go do it!!