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Hi! I spent a lovely week at the Women's Writing Retreat at The Clearing. The weather cooperated by being unseasonably warm the first five days, then it turned cooler, then decidedly chilly and windy (brisk even) yesterday and today, but it only rained at night or when we were at meals. My class was wonderful and I got a lot of writing work done. I read a few pages of The Seaview 2 and got some very good suggestions about minor changes. I've already read through the critiques once and will do so again in a day or two to find out if I've missed anything.

 

I didn't take many pictures over the week but I did get this excellent sunset photo from the Lodge window the other night. One of the other classes had a fire a couple nights in the Council Ring but my roommate can't tolerate the smoke smell so we didn't go down there. I love a good fire but love cda more.

I filled the bird feeders before I left and refilled the round one today when I got home. Over the week I was away a lot of Sparrows returned to the feeder along with a few Mourning Doves, a couple Chickadees, and a Downy Woodpecker that visited the suet and then the birdbath.

But the most unsettling bird visitors were a pair of Juncos, one of which stayed long enough for a photo. It's too early for them. They summer above the Arctic Circle and migrate south to winter in the relatively milder winter of Northeastern Wisconsin. Boo. I don't want to see them. I like them, they're cute, they're just too early. I'm trying to convince myself that they're scouts come early to pave the way for their compatriots coming later. That their appearance doesn't mean that winter is imminent.

The last two buds on Dad's rose are opening. One is open and looking beautiful. I'm showing you that one today. I'm saving the photo of the bud for tomorrow.

My writing friend and roommate, cda, and I went to the Jensen Center bookstore to shop on Thursday afternoon when we didn't have class. We bought notecards and I got a zentangle book. It's a daily practice for 6 weeks and we all know how I love a daily practice. I've already ordered a zentangle sketchbook and some new Micron pens from Amazon. Ooh, more art supplies.

So of course I cracked the book open and started drawing immediately. I did the Day 1 tangles on a piece of notebook paper that I tore out but I did the Day 2 tangles in my sketchbook when I got home today. First I did the three tangles of the day then I followed the directions to incorporate the Days 1 and 2 tangles into one. It think it's pretty cool.

That's about it for my week. I tried not to overeat and think I succeeded. I'm sure I gained weight but maybe not as much as in years past (I hope). I had a great time with friends old and new, and spending nights talking writing with my roomie. Now it's back to normal which will be pretty darned boring and lonely for a couple days until I get back into the swing of things. I've already unpacked and thrown all my dirties down the chute. Maybe I'll ease back into things by tackling the laundry. Nah. I don't want to do anything rash.

--Barbara