I did tomorrow's prompt today in workshop because today's prompt didn't lend itself well to group writing in workshop.

Here's your launch dialog. Write for 10 minutes--whatever comes to your head is fine. You don't even have to use the phrase in your writing: "Come for tea. Will you?"

I wish I lived in a different age. I want to ask my friends over for tea and spend a lazy afternoon talking while the kids play in the yard. I want an Adirondack chair for my front porch, and I want to sit there and drink coffee in the morning, iced tea on hot summer afternoons (it's a little porch, but always shaded) or perhaps an evening just watching the light disappear and leave the dark of night and shimmering stars, and maybe, come summertime, some lightning bugs. I want the time to smell spring (without sneezing!), to enjoy my pots of flowers that I will plant soon, to generally let my mind drift and relax.

The trouble with this time period is that everything is FAST. If our instant messaging takes more than a few seconds, it's "slow." What happened to writing letters, taking Sunday drives (I know--gasoline prices!) or lazy weekend afternoons. We are on constant "go" mode, and it not only makes us cranky. We become less observant and consequently less grateful. More irritated. Less patient.

Question is, can I swim upstream? Can I create my own world in which things are slower and more restful? I don't know. Because to some extent you have to adapt to the world you live in, but in other respects you have to decide what is important and give it priority.

***********

And to continue on this evening when I'm not so distracted. Today I had child with a sudden urge to do science experiments during workshop--and he wanted me to share the excitement over the results--and phone calls after that; just didn't get much done.

I'm beginning to understand why it is that everyone has been so miserable with allergies this season. I can't help but grin when I ride down the road and the trees give me a ticker-tape welcome. The elms sprinkle roundish shapes, and the maples send helicopters sailing about. Don't let the wind come up during the day. It looks like snow the seed cases fall so thick and fast! I can't believe how much seed there is floating about in the air right now and it's not even cottonwood season yet. (Boy howdy do I dread that!) The confetti collects in piles around the tires of cars--you can see exactly where the cars were parked the night before. I've given up sweeping off my porch until the snow isn't falling quite so heavily. :) At any rate, I can't help but pretend that the trees are just glad to see me go by and want to show it.

Ah, the taxes are over!! Half my worries are gone. Now I just have to finish Abe's transcript material and get it off before....the OWFI conference!!! We're getting a refund this year so I get to stay! Wahoo! I'm soooooo glad. I need a place to change for dinner. I love having the nights all alone to plot and plan and digest. And I love having a place to escape to when I have had too much socialization. I can recharge the battery and get the most out of stuff, without feeling like I should be taking care of the family somehow like I do when I go back home. I am sooooo looking forward to this. And my mom and dad are planning to come to the awards banquet on Saturday night. I still can't believe they think it's such a treat to go through the first, second, third, and sometimes up to six honorable mentions in 29 categories, just to see if my name happens to fall in there somewhere. And the food is good. We have a nice time. I'm glad we can do it together.

At any rate, we had a nice shrimp boil dinner tonight to celebrate. My dh is feeling generous and is cleaning my kitchen (he's such a sweeties) so that I can sit here and write, and read e-mail.

Tomorrow I babysit. Actually my youngest son will end up doing most of the babysitting. The kids love him. So I ask you--do you think I can get a final edit done on a 100+ page YA manuscript and get it submitted to a contest tomorrow (on the deadline)? I'm going to try!!!!

Oh, I might have sold a short story today too! Wowsers. (There's that word!!!)