Thursday at the Lake

Yeah, we’re at the lake–and you know, it’s amazing how much more relaxed I am here, how much more relaxed we both are here. I woke up early and we had a leisurely breakfast and then I went to the grocery since we got in too late last night to hit the store. I took my time and wandered some, mostly to get in steps, but also because I felt no urgency.

And that’s the beauty of the lake–no urgency. Seriously. we are so laid back here. We did some yard work and Husband painted the deck, which really needed to be done, but he took it slow and easy. Our neighbor, Kevin, stopped by for a chat and we just slowly worked–me pulling weeds and Husband painting–while we visited. Kevin didn’t expect us to stop our work and we didn’t expect him to go and leave us to it. We simply worked and visited and it was nice.

I drove the golf cart for the first time this season as we took my buckets of weeds up to the compost heap. The deck looks great, the gardens look good, and I’m ready to go buy my plants for up here. After we dropped off the weeds, we went down to the lake and I stuck my hand in–it actually felt pretty warm, but I know that’s just the first few inches. I’m sure the deeper you go, the colder it is! But I can’t wait to swim, so I hope it warms up quickly. Summer means lake swimming and boating and wine on the newly painted deck.

We had a very enjoyable beer-30 with the gang, but I got teary talking about Kate with one of the other women who’s brother is going through a health crisis. But, you know, this time I just let it be what it was. I lost my sister–it’s sad and it’s okay to be sad when I talk about that loss. People were kind and patient–they’re my friends. I got through the discussion and we moved onto other topics. I appreciated so much how the sorrow became simply a part of the buffet of conversation–it made it easier to move off the teary moment.

Tomorrow is a writing day–I’ve got notes for the new book that need to become actual words in the manuscript, as well as notes for another book. I have an idea for a Women of Willow Bay Christmas story–maybe a novella or maybe a full novel. Either way, it’s already intriguing me to the point that it may happen before Sarah’s book gets done. In two weeks, I’ll be on retreat with a small group of my favorite writer pals, so I’ll be able to hash it out with them.

Five Things I’m Grateful for Today:

1. Our lake cottage–it is a dream come true
2. Our lake friends–good caring folks who are fun!
3. Getting some chores done
4. Got to talk to Son and Grandboy tonight–love it when that little voice says, “Hi, Nanny!”
5. Took a great class from Alastair Stephens at StoryWonk–super information and a fun class! If you’re a writer and you’re not listening to StoryWonk podcasts, you should be!