Christmas Day

Greetings!  I woke early when I heard Santa's reindeer prancing around on the roof.   Everyone else here is still asleep - the kids are 14 and older now, but they promised we would meet at the tree at 7:30. Here's a photo of my first-born Tate and me hamming it up at a neighborhood party last evening where we had just popped poppers and everyone is wearing the enclosed "hats".  Tate's split because, as he said, "the more I think the tighter the hatband becomes till it finally began to split."  Count on Tate to get serious enough to actually THINK at a party.  We had a grand time with the whole fifty or so of us participating in singing the Twelve Days of Christmas as a sort of a round with different groups portraying the individual animals, etc.  FUN!  Mrs. Santa Claus also visited and led the game. ……prior to the party, I enjoyed a beautiful celebration at the Methodist church Luke's family belongs to along with Susan's mother, Muriel, who drives up from The Villages each Christmas.  We'll all be together for brunch at Luke and Susan's at 11:00 and opening our Secret Santa presents.  I'll probably take a short nap before driving back to the Cottage for the night and return to Litchfield till January 1.  I am now ready to begin editing the new latest draft (I've lost count now).  LIFE IS GOOD!

Day 20 - Pelicans, Cryptique Board, etc.

Guests left so I'm back at the writing big time.  Spent an hour on the beach in a chair editing and soaking up sun at the same time.  Otherwise, nose to the grindstone inside.  Strange how easy it was to get back to it.  And, actually I'm enjoying it.  While guests were here Jesse helped get a new website initiated for me and the photo was taken by him.  Isn't it amazing what one can do with a computer!……. It's been really amazing watching pelicans migrating.  One morning there were six or seven groups of as many as 20 of them all flying south right by my window!  Each day for the last week anyway there have been groups all flying south.  Surely some will stay behind?……Yesterday was a detoxing day - been absolutely totally disregarding good food habits too long so went for just liquids yesterday and feel much better today.  (No, no wine, no beer, just good stuff.) . . . Found a "Cryptique" board here and a couple of good session with it while guests were here - very similar to Ouija boards - hadn't used one of them in ages - fun to get answers to my questions!  Much quicker than meditating for hours on end!  But, I'm still at that, too.  Become pretty natural feeling at this point.  Still not able to say I'm "blissed" out, but some peaceful moments.

Day 18 - Guests Again

Got in a couple days of hard writing beginning editing of what I had printed and then….Hallelujah!  Todd, his son Jesse and Joice, Jesse's wife, arrived last evening for a couple days of helping me relax and get ready for another focused writing period before Christmas.  Here's Jesse and Todd at work on computer problems.  What would we do without our kids to help us handle these hi-tech tools!  Joice completed the jigsaw puzzle - which took me four evenings to complete last week! - and so today we'll continue with who knows what?  Tune in tomorrow for more exciting adventures of Jaquie at Litchfield Beach.

Day 16 - 148 pages in a notebook

Yesterday was a big leap forward!  All by myself, I finally figured out how to make pdf files, get them onto a flash drive, and get all 148 pages printed at Office Depot - they are neatly arranged in a notebook - the meat of the book - now need an intro chapter and contents page and it will really look like a book!  (This is the former title, 4th or 5th one by now).  Already I've made deletions and changes in the first 4 pages - so I have much more work to do.  But at least I've got something beginning to resemble a book!  This is the 5th time I've done this so far.  By now it doesn't bear much resemblance to the first draft. . . To celebrate I got my hair split ends trimmed off at Great Clips and then to Wal-mart and bought some new undies, a candle,  and a new watch - old one died a few days ago.  Since the band was worn out and the new watch was only $26 I replaced the thing. . . .Still a bit cool, in the fifties, but looks like back into the 70s by the weekend!  WHEE - more time sitting on the beach in the sun.  Last week I actually got pink feet!   Amazing how rapidly the tan disappears. . . . . Fun watching the pelicans all fly south in straight lines - several groups do that in the mornings.  Need to watch to see if they fly back north in the evenings? . . . Disappointed to find the local coffee shop is closing.   A neat place for coffee  or tea or ice-cream and sitting on couches and reading - but enough business - so they're moving up to Surfside and selling out stuff.  Got a beautiful red hurricane-lamp-type vase for a buck - the Wal-mart candle looks serene therein.   Time to get to work.

Brookgreen Gardens

Last evening Sara and I joined hundreds of other people walking through the sculpture gardens and enjoying  a wandering bagpiper, an Irish group, and carolers along with other musical groups.  The photo of Sara photoing the tree gives you just a tiny idea of what we beheld!  50 acres of sculpture gardens with over 5000 candles. All the walks were lined with luminarias and volunteers were busily lighting them as we got there a bit before dark.  And unbelievable electric lights (such as these strung from the live oak trees).  It was truly a magical place and time.    We ended the evening with shrimp and grits and hot chocolate in a tent set up specifically to feed the hundreds.  Many different caterers were serving a multitude of great food!  We agreed that the remarkable thing was how well organized the whole affair was and how very pleasant all the people were - both the guests and the servers and other workers.  First rate - as, of course, Brookgreen Gardens always is.

Gray Morning

Supposed to be a rainy day today - began very gray - here's my thoughts:

A Gray Morning

A calm
Sun is sleeping
All is quiet
except
ocean waves from afar
reach in and speak
break loose
and dissolve
into the smooth sand.
Energy 
from the other edge
feeding my soul. 

Day 13 at Litchfield Beach -

All twelve sections of the book have now been edited on the computer!  On my way today to get  it printed so I can begin handling paper.  Still need Introduction section and perhaps an Afterword.  Sara's arrival last night is a JOY!  Hadn't had a conversation since December 1 when I left the Pond for the beach - other than with the desk clerk here when I checked in and a brief Hello each morning when I collect my breakfast items and come back to my villa.  Time for some communication and Sara makes the best kind - the wine last night helped, of course.    Sara's recuperating now with her glass of tea on the porch while I finish up morning post and then we go find Office Depot.  Already Sara is talking about renting a villa here in January!