Oh, and I’ve been walking by the river. Maybe that’s why I feel so refreshed.

Truth be told, I’ve been busy. A good busy. A productive kind of busy. There have been three areas of focus in the months I’ve seemingly vanished.

1. Teaching, house, yard work
2. Writing
3. Pottery

Teaching, house, yard work

Need I say more?

I continue to love my job–it’s challenging at times, but anything worthwhile should push you a little, right? It was a year ago this month that I took a step towards healthy boundaries with work (and so many other aspects of my life!).

My garden is thriving–well, maybe not the cucumbers. They perished in the hail storm. The rest looks promising and the flowers on my front deck are vibrantly blooming.

The most interesting thing that has happened in my house in the past three months is the lead pipe replacement. I don’t know why I didn’t take any pictures, but at one point, there was a pile of dirt covering half of the floor of a basement bedroom. Nothing like a minor excavation on a Tuesday morning, right?

Did you know it’s possible to remove a chunk of pipe and then force something (I have no idea what it was–I wasn’t even supposed to see the dirt pile) through the rest of it? This “object” miraculously tunnels through to the street and then they insert the PVC pipes. I did NOT (thank God) have to disassemble my front deck or uproot my trees.

Once the street is paved and accessible, I will appreciate my driveway like a good homeowner should. I will NEVER take parking a few feet from my house for granted again. Ever. I wonder if I’ll miss my pre-7 a.m., house-rattling wake-up calls?

Writing

I have successfully completed draft four of my first novel. As a result, I no longer have novel-writing anxiety. This intense reworking of my novel forced me to stroll along the river and observe the pelicans–it was my duty as a writer to become absorbed in my setting! Another draft and my masterpiece will be ready to send out to all major publishers. Okay, maybe I’ll start with small publishing houses.

With the fourth draft of my up-and-coming novel, I also completed the requirements for my Creative Writing Certificate through the University of Calgary. If you are at all interested in taking affordable writing classes, I’d recommend this program.

I am currently taking another MOOC through Iowa Writer’s Workshop called Power of the Pen: Identities and Social Justice Issues in Fiction and Non-Fiction. I’m concentrating on memoir. This MOOC is turning out to be another phenomenal writing experience. I’ll also be taking the poetry and playwriting class in July. Come join me!

Next on the agenda, I plan to edit the stories in my collection What Would My Mother Think so I can send it out—probably ahead of the novel. I’m also working on a collection of creative non-fiction.

Pottery

It’s official. I am much better at hand building than throwing on the wheel. I will glaze my pieces this week and promise to post some pieces. If this novel writing gig doesn’t work out, I’ll have my pottery to fall back on.