Immersion

Lazy. I dwell in the comfort of warm sheets and my bedroom. Sleeping, reading and now writing. The lamp next to my bed is my only light. The heavy green curtains are drawn against a dismal August Saturday morning.

Rain. Long in coming has arrived but it is barren. A false sense of moisture. Because it is.

I'm reading 'Olive Kitteridge.' Dark and yet humorous and frightening in the way of it's truth. The truth of life, marriage and old age. What do you do? You live and find the happy humorous moments and try to forget how dark the world really is.

I'm struggling with indecision, restlessness and being true to myself. Really? I'm lazy and can't find desire to make things happen or change. I don't really care either. The best course of action.... stay warm, make a cup of tea and crawl back into bed with a book, laptop and some chocolate. 

Vacation

I just returned from abroad. You know that ripple affect? The one when a word, picture or situation keeps popping up again and again. I had that happen with this trip.

Denmark... Othello...

I traveled to Denmark to visit my old friend Anette. She was the 1985-1986 exchange student from Denmark at Othello High School. We hit it off when we were 17 and I have always wanted to go see her. I had or made the chance, happen this year. 

While I was there posting pictures on Facebook, the best man at my one and only wedding posted. He also attended Othello High School. He mentioned that he was going to be in Denmark too. Alas we were not able to meet since he arrived after I departed the same day.

Another friend on Facebook and from Othello High School was I'm pretty sure the person interviewed in PNW magazine that comes as an insert in the Seattle Times. I wanted to ask but didn't since she was on vacation in Spain. But as I checked Facebook while in Denmark she posted a picture of a house that looked Danish. So I commented. I figured it was a house built in Danish style maybe influenced by Danish settlement. No. She was actually now in Denmark.

Small world big ripple.
Here are some of my favorite photo's from the trip.

Sassafras

The little one is now potty trained and is getting an Aunt Shanie weekend. She is fierce, independent and full of sass. I meet Kerry at Taco Time in Issaquah to pick up Gabriella. I tell her, her new nickname will be sassafras.

"Aunt Shanie, it's sweet sassafras."

I teach her how to make tortillas and we have taco's for dinner. We water the garden and she runs circles around and through the house.

Later she brushes her teeth in the bathroom getting ready for bed and scurries back out to the living room to get Nick. There is a spider in the sink. He is dutiful and follows her back to the bathroom to dispose of it, but is back quickly to have me come and see the size of the scary spider.

It's hardly the size of crumb. 

Breakfast

I have been working on an essay with my writers group. We all selected 'breakfast' as our title to write about. We are on our fourth week of perfecting them.

It's been fun, challenging and a great exercise. I'm going to post my early draft rather than the finished. Or maybe not since I did not save it as a separate file.

It's titled 'Breakfast with The Bruce.'

Here is an excerpt from 'American Babes in Scotland' my journal from the trip that I based the essay on.

We will look tomorrow from a distance we suppose .We also saw the sign for Robert Bruce s cave (Rathlin Island). It is too dark for that as well. The cave is significant in history because The Bruce was hiding in there between battles and was worn out and ready to quit when he noticed a spider making a web and after watching it struggle and succeed had renewed hope for fighting for Scotlands freedom. Outside of Machrie the road clings to the sea with hills tumbling down almost to the beach. Pirnmill, Catacol. The town of Lochranza is also famous for Robert the Bruce buffs too (me) the castle is said to have been used by him as a staging post in 1307. In 1306 it is said to have been the spot at which Robert the Bruce landed on his return from Ireland, and before his successful bid for               the Scottish Crown. It was certainly in the possession of his grandson when he became King Robert II of Scotland in 1371. Lochranza is just ahead over a hill and if it is pleasant enough we will stop there for the night. 

It is definitely pleasant; the castle is gorgeous. Apparently since it is not roped off we can still walk to it. The houses all line the road on the right, facing a body of water. We are not sure what it is called and will look it up. We spot one hotel that is open and decide this will do. The hotel is called appropriately enough the Lochranza Hotel. The proprietors are George and Fiona Stewart. The hotel has two story bay windows The houses lining the street are all fenced. At the front gate of our hotel is a sign posted   Do not let the wild animals in!   What is that supposed to mean? We glance around for any wild animals. None to be seen so we let ourselves in the gate. The hotel also has a pub that serves food. Quite a few people there but they were not into visiting and we did not try very hard, we then headed to bed. Our room has a TV mounted up high so we lay in bed and watch a show called The Weakest Link, it is pretty brutal and hilarious. This is well before it arrived in the states somewhat toned down, compared to their version. Our room looks out over the Kilbrannan Sound and Lochranza Castle.

 

Wild beasts abound

March 11th

Woke up early and I wanted to explore. Kerry wanted to sleep in so I left our room as quietly as I could. I let myself out of the gate and glanced at this spot of the world I was in, for the first morning view, it is breathtaking. I continued on my walk, it is about 5 blocks to the castle. At the Castle I turned in a complete circle it was amazing the high mountains behind the town the rising sun, the full moon setting and the rosy hue of the heather reflecting onto the sound. I wanted to take a picture I reached into my pocket it was empty, Can you believe it! I forgot my fucking camera. So I walked all the way back to the Hotel and let myself in the gate and hiked back up to our room.  Woke Kerry, told her sorry, grabbed the camera and went back out to the road and started walking back to the castle to take the picture. On my way there I ran into free roaming sheep in the road. Ah! The wild animals, hence the sign? I decided I would take their picture and did; the camera promptly started rewinding. Shit! I had not brought any extra film canisters with me. So again I walked back to the hotel and let myself in the gate and went back to the room. Woke Kerry again she is pissed now, and will not let me leave again. I have to wait for her. So I do and we walk back down to the castle but the moon has set and the lovely photo opportunity is gone. I'm such a doorknob.      Breakfast was good. Their egg yolks are very bright yellow almost orange. I had a potato pancake that I have not eaten the likes of since it was delicious. We both passed on blood sausage and kippers. Toured island drove through a village called Corrie. Goatfell to the right The town of Brodick and Brodick Castle and Gardens closed.  Most of the stores in Brodick were closed it was Sunday. The grocery store was open and it is our favorite place to shop anyway. We discover the eggs are kept in the bread section unrefrigerated. We wanted to buy alcohol. But on Sundays you cannot buy until noon. No drunks or hangover cures allowed till after repentance I suppose. We decide to cut through the middle of the island on the B880. From there Took a side road and saw cool mail box took pictures then thought we should take a picture of our car ran into a Sean Connery look alike trumping along in his wellies. Headed on down the road beautiful countryside with sheep everywhere and video taped. Stumbled on the Auchagallon stones we wanted to see. Took pictures no walking. Then headed back to Lochranza to catch ferry that we thought was going to Calonaig but went to Tarbert instead. Goatfell ridges Why we chose Arran

The woman who cooked our breakfast told us the ferry only came once on Sunday and that it came at one. According to the ferry schedule this was not true however we would take the advice of a local who saw the ferry on a daily basis verse some schmuck in a high raise typing the schedule on his computer. We were told to come early because there was a limited space of cars for the ferry not really a problem in March but play it safe she told us. We arrived at 12:30 and as the time came closer grew more and more worried out to sea we could see no ferry approaching and nobody was riding the ferry with us. About after one sometime we could spot the ferry and a few cars lined up behind us. Oh, It  s on a Scottish schedule so we are all right. The ferry ride was long. The ferry was very small holding about 8 cars. Both ends of the ferry came up and held the cars on. and to the left side were an enclosed seating area Kerry and I, both went in to sit. After about 30 minutes I became restless and went outside to smoke and decide to sit in the car and map out a route to the Island of Skye.

Out of the Woods

Sunday is a day of rituals. The one day to sleep in. The luxury of sleeping till 7:32. Heavy moss green curtains ordered from Amazon that block cold and light are now closed. They are left open the other six days of the week. Upon waking the same rituals apply, a cup of tea and a smoke, later a visit to the bathroom. The view up and down Fifth Street beckons to me, the spring sun in the East blinds.

I stand on the porch. I sit at my glass top table. I wander in my yard. All with a mug of tea in my hand. The mug today is from Chile. I have other mugs; Amazon, Eire, Reading, and Britain and plan to get one from Denmark. Lacking is one from Scotland.

Nick brings the Sunday paper home. With my cup of tea, I read the Pacific Northwest insert. The beautiful photos and intriguing local stories make me happy and creative. I may wander back in to watch the Sunday Morning show the name of which, eludes me right now. But that show also depends on who has slept on the couch. Sometimes we have breakfast in, sometimes out or not at all.

Today brings the thought of working in the yard, writing and maybe a bike ride to hunt mushrooms (An annual ritual). I do what I want today according to the weather and family demands. But also I look forward to the little rituals we have.

Tonight we will cook and dine to Beyond Borders and 60 Minutes.

Birthdays Come & Go

Today in one hour I will be off and on a mini-vacation. I don't work on my birthday. This year my birthday falls on my day off which is a Sunday. I took a long weekend to celebrate my life. I have planned a weekend with Yvette we are going to the city and spa.

And did I mention... I'm going to Denmark! 

Clean Springs

 

The first closet, now organized with built-ins.

I love Sunday for so many reasons but the best part is that its the day I wake up naturally. No alarms, no work. Just the quiet silence of my own thoughts and the peace of a day to myself. (Can I put quiet and silence next to each other in a sentence? In my mind this morning it means two separate things to me.)

I have been working on the second closet project and it has me spring cleaning my house, life and now the office/studio/writing space. Leading me to this email/blog post of sorts. I want to organize the room so that it calls to me in the hard writing times. Lately my head is so full of thoughts for myself and my situation that its much to loud in my head to write and paint. Other than in my own journal that is. 

Part of organizing and preparation of this space for the future led me to sift through the files on my computer. I was impelled to grab a piece of paper and hand write the list of books I have stored in my mind and on my laptop. They are all in various forms of progress. I just found it shockingly large, the list and needed to share so that I make an effort to get back to it and them, the stories.

A Colander Sky (Notes only)
All Roads 5K
American Babes Travel Journal 23K
Chocolate (Notes only)
Down Under (Notes only)
End Time 28K
Errant Breezes 105K
Curador 96K
The Good Life 54K
Meth Widow Journal 25K
Running the Sling (Notes only)
Stones & Heather 21K
Tears of God 57K

What I'm working on in my mind now for this room is to remove furniture. Furniture that stores things. I want to get rid of the furniture but not necessarily the things in them. Therefore built-in shelves in the closet are being built in unfinished closets. Also I'm considering moving my Art Studio out of here and upstairs. The one set back of upstairs is the lack of natural light. But its a cool space, spacious and I do already have a guest room so why can't this space be mine? Would I come up here to paint? I could save and add skylights. I could set up my stereo. I could put in a door.  

Again I'm distracted by the possibilities. I painted the office closet yesterday afternoon in preparation of the new shelves. Previously it had a distracting bright orange. Mickey Blue eyes once upon a time had it the colors of KTM (motorcycle). I don't like clutter and this room is cluttered and hindering me from my creativity. 

Still. 
But.

I hope to have it done by the end of the day.