First Day of August

Garden News:

Tomatoes!

Picked our first batch of tomatoes yesterday. As my son Nick would say, "Deliciousness!"

We are going to have many, many, many kinds of tomatoes this year. Thankfully we figured out fencing to keep the chickens out of the garden. They too love tomatoes, and last year they were first to pick our garden's meager offerings. So we were out of luck. This year, the weather has been a balance of sun, heat and rain-- everything is just right.


Workshop News:

Last week I taught a teen creative writing class at Writers & Books. The week went by in an eye blink. This upcoming week, I'm working with the 8-12 years old set. I enjoy working with this age group too. Then, week of August 16th, I'm working in collaboration with the Rochester Co-op. It's poetry, pottery, paper-making, and more. I had a planning meeting last week with all of the instructors, and this workshop is going to be a blast. I became extremely nostalgic when I went into the Co-op. Back in the day(decade of the 70s), I collected clay chalices and pitchers (still have them), and I bought many of them from the Co-op. I told Kate about them, and her eyes sprung open-- "Ohh, I'd love to see them." I think it's interesting how my life circles back in its intersections with people and places. So August is busy with work. I'm getting back into the groove. Should be chugging along by the end of August, ready for the Fall semester. The summer has been a terrific tonic. I'm getting into shape, both mentally and physically. Have accomplished a lot, which amazes me, because we had some steamy, humid weather which just saps my energy.

Planning Getaways:

I bought a magazine Life in the Finger Lakes, dedicated to the Finger Lakes region. Looking for some getaway ideas. I found plenty in this magazine. One feature article "Horse in my dream" caught my eye. There is a stable called the Painted Bar, that offers trail riding near the Finger Lakes National Forest. I guess there is a particular trail called Backbone that allows riders to look across Seneca Lake and miles of open countryside. Sounds lovely. I guess you can ride from afternoon to sunset and have a catered dinner there. I'm going to check this out further.


Movie Recommendations:

The Kids Are All Right
Just released. Very strong performances (Bening, Moore, Ruffalo) and
captivating script. There were funny scenes, but the audience was older and quiet. I think they were trying to make sense of the film's dynamics. The characters changed as the narrative unfolded. Challenges and makes fun of stereotypes. Makes you look into your own relationships too.

Cyrus

A quirky film. This too is about relationships. Strong performances (Marisa Tormei, John C Reilly). This script felt like a slice of life. Some wonderful moments. I was startled when the movie was over. It seemed quick to end.



More later.