. Spinning .

There may be sporadic entries in Spinning for the next week or so, unlike my usual daily dedicated efforts. I’m just not able to organize myself enough to budget time for things in my world that are just reaching the urgent point or that I’ve sadly let slide and which can indeed lead to more serious consequences if not attended to. And, one day I forgot my husband’s name. (calling him “Hon” covered my embarrassment.) Until and unless I can discipline myself to set up and follow a daily schedule, I will have to withhold the pleasure of blogging as punishment for my sins.

However, being the devious and crafty sort, I shall sneak back here and onto your own sites I’m sure.

Well, a sense of normal is returning slowly. Eating its way into Wonderland where rabbits host tea parties and life is a bright blue dress, blonde hair and Maryjanes. Too bad. But good thing it came upon me quickly and that Jo-Ann’s Fabrics didn’t stock a bolt of orange cloth and checking out a few more stores unsuccessfully took up the morning so I did not have time to shave my head in preparation of further contemplation of the intricate simplicities of life.

I am motivated by a growing hunger of many forms and so have wandered into my shop to perhaps do a little work and earn a meal. But it is still cold in here, and the fire from the propane stove is pulling me to its comforting warmth. And, in my newly recovered sanity I have thought to bring along a book to read–part of my new awareness of the need to budget time. However, it is Didascalicon.

Intimidating book. Until I, never one to challenge authority when I can circumvent it more proficiently and effectively, dared give the book a closer look to find…! Only one third of the book is by Hugh of Saint Victor. The rest are notes revealing how to understand this book on understanding reading. Not quite so daunting now, and having gotten through just a few pages well over a month ago, I am returning to the meat of the matter. Yes, I will go it alone, and spurn the helpful hints unless I need them. At least in this first reading. There will be many more, I’m sure of that, and full understanding will come with time and exploration.

I do hope this does not serve to further confuse me. The mind is such a delicate and precise balance and so easily upset by feathers.

Just when there seems as if there is nothing more to say, life happens.

I cannot see him, but I hear the pileated woodpecker rapping at the chamber door of my brain. He is busy at the ancient maple across the street, relentlessly drumming for insects that have woven tunnels into its gnarled bark. Or perhaps a nest is on the woodpecker’s mind, for Spring is surely on its way and man with all his knowledge and intelligence cannot compare to instinct.

Other weblog writers have beaten me to report the signs of seasonal change. I seem to have a need to cling to time past. Yet there is a mapping out of mankind that is undeniable and constant, and the first robins have landed, the morning is no longer silent grey but filled with song and sun-painted color and I can no longer ignore the changes.

The rapping, tapping goes on. And Edgar smiles.

Hi. No, I’m not sick and I’m not dead I’m just very busy getting ready for a meeting tonight of the Writing Group–our first!–so I’m trying to finish up the baking and still do some picture framing because I can’t just close the shop, but I’m loading the car up and trying to remember to take everything we’ll need and also I’m studying for a Spanish text tomorrow night and thinking in Spanish but I’m worried about the cookies I made because I hope people realize that biscotti is hard like zwieback and that they don’t think I made and brought stale cookies and I’m getting a tension headache that only Ibuprofen will work on if I can find it and oh good grief I just remembered I have to make something for supper too unless I can convince my husband that he’s overweight and this is a new diet plan but geez it seems like all I’ve been doing is cooking or baking and washing dishes and supper will just create more dirty dishes and I hope I remember to take the coffeepot and stuff like that and I suppose I should make some notes about blogging because this is something that we’d like to encourage people to do because it’s a good exercise for writers but if I write a couple notes I hope I write in English and not get confused and write them in Spanish because I’m supposed to write something for tomorrow night’s class in Spanish as well and wouldn’t that be a hoot if I go to read notes to a writer’s group and try to read to them in Spanish and I probably wouldn’t understand them myself much less expect anyone else to so I’d better take an Ibuprofen now and get back to soaking that little clay thingie that’s supposed to keep cookies soft but it looks just like a cookie itself and what if someone eats it? I’ll be upset because at the very least they’ll break a tooth and if the biscotti doesn’t soften up a bit they’ll probably break a tooth on that anyway but hey, I’ll warn them; but I have to get back to work hope to write something here later tonight or maybe not until tomorrow morning but I think the meeting will be a lot of fun and intellectually stimulating if I don’t forget to go there and if enough people show up and if I don’t get run over by an eighteen-wheeler because it looks like I’m stressed out but I’m not I just am geared up for this and anyhow I work better in warp 10 stress mode but I’m looking forward to this and will tell you all how it worked out tomorrow or whenever. Susan