Sorry for missing you yesterday!

It's Been a Week!

“Many were increasingly of the opinion that they'd all made a big mistake coming down from the trees in the first place. And some said that even the trees had been a bad move, and that no one should ever have left the oceans.” Douglas Adams & Eoin Colfer (Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy)

Have you ever had a week when you wanted to climb back into the trees, or better still, the ocean? This has been it, y'all! Remember my diatribe about plumbing in old houses? Well, after spending two days without a functioning kitchen sink, the plumbers spent half a day here yesterday. They finally got it unstopped, but not before spewing stinking, black gunk all over my basement, which then ran under the washer and dryer and a piano. They were kind enough to clean up around the pipe, but that was all. So, once they left, I set to work. I pulled the washer and dryer out, and found about an inch of sticky, wet, black lint under both—looked like furry tar. The dryer hose that connects to the vent outside broke in half and dumped fifteen years worth of junk into the middle of that mess. I won't even tell you what words came out of my mouth except to say they had nothing to do with spirituality. Suffice it to say, I spent the afternoon shoveling and mopping and now, I have a kitchen sink, but I don't have an operational washer and dryer! I'm going back to the trees.

I have, indeed, fallen slightly in love with the small houses designed by the architects of Inhabitat. They are light with lots of windows and about 1000 sq. feet. Every part is efficient and uncluttered. I dream about them—honestly, I do. Believe me, I know how fortunate I am to have a home, and most of the time, I am deeply grateful. But some days, I'd like to just get in my car and go.

One of my readers asked me yesterday if I am angry—that a lot of my writing seems angry to her. I've pondered the question, and here's what comes to mind. Anger has gotten a bad rap—especially when it's applied to women. My mother's generation were quick to nip it in the bud, and tried to teach us how to do the same. We've certainly seen the residue of that in what people say about Hillary Clinton, Nancy Pilosy, and Michelle Obama. They've all been labeled “angry woman” for speaking their minds. I always wonder why that sort of yardstick is not applied equally to men—there are lots of yelling, churlish men speaking their minds. Anyway, I think that anger is a normal emotion; one that is even appropriate in the face of certain behavior. I could give you a long list of examples, but I'm sure you can come up with your own. What I attempt to do in my writing is to be authentic about what I'm feeling, knowing that you are smart enough to pick up on it when I'm not. Sometimes I'm in a good place, and you will know it. And sometimes, I'm frustrated and even outraged, and you will know that, too.

All that aside, I hope today is a great one for you. Here's what my mother would say to me; “Be sweet, now.” (Can you hear me growling?)

                                     In the Spirit,

                                         Jane