#NewThisDay Writing From My Photo Stream

“Neighbors,” Collage

The whole day, a sense of the blizzard to come. I did some work on my manuscript before going out. Ordering. Ordering is layering, like collage. What is the narrative arc? This manuscript can be presented in a variety of ways. And the narrative arc does not mean that it’s linear. There is childhood and ancestry and every stage of adulthood in it. It’s actually an exciting part of this creative process. Even as I assemble and choose, I realize I may take the whole thing apart again. To get it right. What intuitive choice leads to another. I felt a sense of this is okay, this is how it will be done. And then I went out for a great ski. The sky was low. Slate gray, no give. But the snow was smooth and fast. Just the right temperature. I took a good ski. Back home for a quick visit from my brother who was dropping something off. Nice to see him. And then off for a shop with my youngest. Wedding items. A dress for me, for the rehearsal dinner and welcome party. And we had fun picking out a suit and shoes and an outfit for Wave in different sizes to try on. We came home and passed three deer in the trees by the driveway and I yelled out the window at them for eating my shrubs and gave them fair warning. Maybe before next winter. Another Charlie coming? They just stared back at me. Pickle! Played with Franci, Will and Frank and my son. What fun. I played well. Some friends came in that we hadn’t seen in a long time and played beside us. A nice visit. Young people, my daughter’s friend from first grade. Memory of taking her and her brother onto the tennis court with Frank and giving them a tennis lesson. Impending storm in the air. Wave coming home in the evening, early. Yay! We have dinner and I have another long phone conversation with my brother and sister working on an issue about caregiving for my aunt. Frank and I were in bed. I asked Frank if he thought Wave would come in when he came home. Hoping. And then he did! In his mother’s arms, happy to be home and came over and said: “Group hug!” So we all hugged and then he invited me to join him with his mom for a Smart Food party in bed. Well, that’s the best end to the day that there can be.I hope everyone near and far will be safe in the storm. I was worried about my son who said he had to go in to work tomorrow during the blizzard. But he just came to tell me he is working from home. I’ll sleep better. Wave and I have a plan to make a snow fort if possible.