Standing at the Trailhead of Winter

The beautiful layer of snow we were graced with yesterday melted off today. I did take a long walk during late afternoon yesterday to enjoy the snow covering the trees and the trail, so I didn't miss out on seeing its beauty. I had the trail to myself. Not another soul was out the entire time I walked. Today, Ado and I took another long walk earlier this afternoon, after the snow was gone, to enjoy the heat of the sun. This time, we weren't alone. Lots of others decided to take advantage of the lovely afternoon warmth. After my walk yesterday, I sat here and bought my ticket to see Hamilton ! And I have my train tickets to get to Chicago then home. Now all I need is a hotel for the night. I simply cannot wait to go. Last year at this time, I couldn't find a ticket for less than $300, and that was for a seat in the very back of the balcony, the view blocked. I do have a balcony ticket, but the view should be fine, and while I had budgeted $200 for my ticket, I was able to ...

I held a red-bellied woodpecker in the palm of my hand today. Snow swirled down, and I could hear the flakes whispering against dry leaves at the edge of the yard. The woodpecker's claws clung to the skin of my hand as it gathered its bearings. For about ten minutes, I watched the bird. I could feel a vibration from its body against my fingers and palm. When it was ready, the bird with the bright red cap and muted red belly feathers flew up into the cedar tree. It was the most magical moment of my year so far.

Well, January was fun! If the rest of the year goes along as January did, I'll not be sad. Monday my youngest turned 19. While memories of the day he was born have blurred around the edges, I still remember being in the delivery room, way beyond ready to give birth to the little guy who was nearly two weeks overdue, and feeling incredible relief once the ordeal ended. This guy came into the world at ten pounds nine ounces. A big boy. My doctor had estimated him in the nine pound range before all the action began, so I decided to go with a natural childbirth since I'd delivered Funny Delightful Son naturally, and he'd weighed in at just over nine pounds. I figured I could do it again. I did, but it wasn't fun by any stretch of the imagination. Thankfully, all turned out just fine, and that big boy is now a tall, lanky young man who can't get enough to eat. The four of us went out to eat for Angel Baby's birthday dinner. He absolutely hates going anywhere that...

My year of embracing opportunity continues! Today I said yes to the Museum of Science and Industry, an early dinner at a hole-in-the-wall near the University of Chicago (the food was great), a trip to a 57th Street Books, and a jaunt through a bit of Chinatown. Just when I didn't think the day could get any better, I scratched off the last number on a $3 ticket I bought when I paid for a lucky cat I found for Funny Delightful Son. The image of a money bag appeared, and underneath it was $100. The. Last. Scratch. I very seldom buy lotto tickets, and each time I do I never win anything. Hence the not buying tickets. This win was that cherry on top of the whipped cream of a wonderful day, one that I'll savor for a long time. At the museum, the first exhibit we visited was the U-505 submarine. We walked through and were given a close-up of what life was like on the sub. At one point, our tour leader played a tape of what it would have been like to be on the sub and hear d...

My husband tried to guilt me into going to dinner with him this evening. I stood my ground, though, and politely declined. The invitation came via text, asking me if I'd like to join him for an evening I would regret. Seriously? Why in the world would anyone say yes to an invitation like this? I replied, basically asking why would I do this to myself? Then I said thank you for the invite, but no. The next text suggested I needed to have dinner with him for his health. Wow. My response was just, "Nice." He replied by saying, okay, it was for his mental health. Again, wow. I didn't respond to his last text. I figured I was only going to continue receiving texts designed to make me feel guilty. I refuse to take on that burden. When my husband brought Ado home after having him over for the day, he asked me again to go to dinner with him. I said no. He went on to bring up the communique he has received from the hospital so far, which hasn't included any bills y...

Well, the feedback on my first erotic short story was positive. I was told my steamy sex scene was quite brave and forthright. Overall, the readers enjoyed it and thought the story holds a lot of promise. I went in and made the suggested changes, which were definitely what the story needed, and now it's up for another round of critique. Who knows, maybe I have a new career in front of me! I've realized one effect from my sabbatical is how all I think about now is writing. For years I pined for time to write. I tried several times to set aside an hour here or an hour there just for writing. I got up at 4:30 am several years ago, to write before heading off to work. When that fizzled out after two weeks (I absolutely hate, hate, hate getting up before six am), I changed my writing hour to 9:00 pm. That didn't work out because I was always so tired after a long day of work, the kids' activities, and other things going on. The writing was hit and miss for many, many years...

I wrote my first ever erotica short story. And let me tell you, writing erotica -- good erotica (at least my hope is my attempt is good) -- is not easy. I sat in this chair, at this computer, for nearly ten hours making sure the one lengthy sex scene in the story didn't come off as cheesy, silly, or over-the-top. My desire was that the scene was sweet, rang true, and showed two people who knew each other's wants and needs. I guess you could say I was going for tasteful (if that is even possible in the world of erotica). Now the story is in the hands of those who will critique it. I did ask that they be gentle since this is my first time. As I was working on the story, Funny Delightful Son came in to chat. He asked me what I was doing, and at that particular moment, I was reading a page about the female anatomy, complete with images and labels. I pointed to it and explained what I was doing. FDS laughed and said, "Okay. Glad I asked." "It's for another c...