Autumn Days and Nights

Since the first week of August, we've had little rain. Maybe a brief shower about a week ago, which our remaining and surviving root plants welcomed. Last night rain and this morning a bit more. The cooler weather is making me want to hunker down. Time to set the hours for my own work. Just settling in to the rhythm of teaching: grading and returning papers in a timely fashion; being prepared for class, both lecture and interactive classwork. It's always a rocky ride in the first weeks of class. now those days are slowly pulling away and we're off ~


I would like to buy some more yarns because knitting helps me think and plan. Actually any repetitive work allows me to meditate. I think about writing for hours before I put actual lines down. Consequently, when I do write, the first "editing" has been done in my head. I think I started to do this twenty-one years ago, when we first moved to the farm. I'm 45 minutes from everywhere, and the drive time to and from destinations gives me blocks of time. Gardening is another block of time and doing the dishes. You see the repetitive gestures in each type of work/activity. There is a certain "rest" in all of these activities that allows me to be creative. I think it turns off the censor voice, the nagging voice that puts the busyness of life first.
Life seems to divide us and package us according to its clock. Although I do pay attention to the clock, there are certain hours that are mine. I learned early on to take time and make it work for me.

But here I am this morning feeling a bit antsy. I have a lot of work to do. Time to make a list.