Day #77: Inspiration
I had to pull myself away from the joy of shopping for underwear online to blog for a bit. Know what isn't built to survive 2 pregnancies and a pandemic? Panties. I hate that word. I've always hated that word. But I'm getting better about saying silly things out loud.
Today we went to the beach, both for our sanity and to keep the kids out from being underfoot while the washer repair guy was about. Now, if you're imagining us sunbathing with tropical blue water, do think again. Washington beaches are not sandy, they are generally rocky with slimy seaweed at low tide and lots of lovely driftwood for climbing. And it was windy and overcast, although it didn't rain until after we left. We had a picnic lunch, walked up and down the waterfront, watched the ferries come and go, climbed on the driftwood, and peeked in the lighthouse, which is usually closed on weekdays anyway but currently closed indefinitely. It was quite lovely.
Max found the shape of a dog's head in a piece of driftwood. He was so proud, just kept pointing at it and yelling "doggie!" and "stump!" James found a discarded earring of gaudy costume jewelry that is his "treasure." And I love that they both can see beyond what is there. It's such a great gift. And then we drove around in the rain for awhile, caught some nice water views and also ended up on perfectly ordinary suburban roads so that Max could have some kind of nap and Mama could have some peace and quiet while James listened to his audiobook (audiobooks for James = genius!)
The washer, sadly, did not fare so well as the drum is broken. It is *just* old enough to be outside of the warranty and *could* in theory be fixed for almost $500. The washer guy suggested a place that sells refurbished appliances so Josh is taking a drive over there tomorrow. I would like to in theory see the washer we are going to buy but during naptime it makes more sense to send him and zero sense to take everyone.
I didn't put on the masks today. I did bring them but we weren't super close to anyone. It is still hard for me to wear one, always has been, makes it quite hard for me to breathe. I will do it in the store but don't usually outside. I hear that it's not recommended to put them on kids under 2 and I can't imagine a world in which Max would not wear one when everyone else is. He's actually a huge fan of his and will point to it and yell when he sees it. Sigh. I have mask guilt. The mask debate rages on on social media and I have ZERO patience for it. I was thinking maybe we should wear them when we see dad again, which should be this weekend, but it's hard enough for him to hear us anyway I can't imagine that working well.
As for media, I did have some time to do some reading today and it was really nice. I finished Anne of Windy Poplars and started Emily of New Moon on audio, a book I really love. I read Neil Gaiman's Art Matters last night and was seriously underwhelmed, so today I picked up Art & Fear, a book from 1993 that was in the stash of free books I got yesterday. Loving it. Feeling super inspired by it. I also started a poetry book I picked up just because the cover was cool called In Praise of Fragments by Meena Alexander who I had not heard of and after starting it and reading about her I want to now read everything she ever wrote. She died in 2018. I feel like I have a knack for discovering poets after they are dead. I did the same thing with Mary Oliver. I watched the next episode of Little Fires Everywhere last night and was going to do the next episode of Mrs. America tonight but I don't think I will...my reading has me inspired so I think I'm going to sit at my typewriter and write...after feeling stuck with this "let's write a novel" thing and just having it spin in my head for a week or so I think I have the beginnings of an idea. I'm not going to say much here nor am I going to work too hard on an outline...I have this problem with balance where if I make no outline I end up in the weeds and nothing ever gets finished but if I outline too much both I and my writing become boring. So I'm going to allow a page or two of noodling in a notebook and then I'm going to start the writing, wish me luck.
Today I'm grateful for seeing things through the eyes of my children, James the washer repairman and honesty, my husband, inspiration, stormy weather, a good drive, a pretty rock paperweight, and books.
Today we went to the beach, both for our sanity and to keep the kids out from being underfoot while the washer repair guy was about. Now, if you're imagining us sunbathing with tropical blue water, do think again. Washington beaches are not sandy, they are generally rocky with slimy seaweed at low tide and lots of lovely driftwood for climbing. And it was windy and overcast, although it didn't rain until after we left. We had a picnic lunch, walked up and down the waterfront, watched the ferries come and go, climbed on the driftwood, and peeked in the lighthouse, which is usually closed on weekdays anyway but currently closed indefinitely. It was quite lovely.
Max found the shape of a dog's head in a piece of driftwood. He was so proud, just kept pointing at it and yelling "doggie!" and "stump!" James found a discarded earring of gaudy costume jewelry that is his "treasure." And I love that they both can see beyond what is there. It's such a great gift. And then we drove around in the rain for awhile, caught some nice water views and also ended up on perfectly ordinary suburban roads so that Max could have some kind of nap and Mama could have some peace and quiet while James listened to his audiobook (audiobooks for James = genius!)
The washer, sadly, did not fare so well as the drum is broken. It is *just* old enough to be outside of the warranty and *could* in theory be fixed for almost $500. The washer guy suggested a place that sells refurbished appliances so Josh is taking a drive over there tomorrow. I would like to in theory see the washer we are going to buy but during naptime it makes more sense to send him and zero sense to take everyone.
I didn't put on the masks today. I did bring them but we weren't super close to anyone. It is still hard for me to wear one, always has been, makes it quite hard for me to breathe. I will do it in the store but don't usually outside. I hear that it's not recommended to put them on kids under 2 and I can't imagine a world in which Max would not wear one when everyone else is. He's actually a huge fan of his and will point to it and yell when he sees it. Sigh. I have mask guilt. The mask debate rages on on social media and I have ZERO patience for it. I was thinking maybe we should wear them when we see dad again, which should be this weekend, but it's hard enough for him to hear us anyway I can't imagine that working well.
As for media, I did have some time to do some reading today and it was really nice. I finished Anne of Windy Poplars and started Emily of New Moon on audio, a book I really love. I read Neil Gaiman's Art Matters last night and was seriously underwhelmed, so today I picked up Art & Fear, a book from 1993 that was in the stash of free books I got yesterday. Loving it. Feeling super inspired by it. I also started a poetry book I picked up just because the cover was cool called In Praise of Fragments by Meena Alexander who I had not heard of and after starting it and reading about her I want to now read everything she ever wrote. She died in 2018. I feel like I have a knack for discovering poets after they are dead. I did the same thing with Mary Oliver. I watched the next episode of Little Fires Everywhere last night and was going to do the next episode of Mrs. America tonight but I don't think I will...my reading has me inspired so I think I'm going to sit at my typewriter and write...after feeling stuck with this "let's write a novel" thing and just having it spin in my head for a week or so I think I have the beginnings of an idea. I'm not going to say much here nor am I going to work too hard on an outline...I have this problem with balance where if I make no outline I end up in the weeds and nothing ever gets finished but if I outline too much both I and my writing become boring. So I'm going to allow a page or two of noodling in a notebook and then I'm going to start the writing, wish me luck.
Today I'm grateful for seeing things through the eyes of my children, James the washer repairman and honesty, my husband, inspiration, stormy weather, a good drive, a pretty rock paperweight, and books.
Comments
Post a Comment