Memorial Day

bit cloudy, cooler, temps 20

Still a nice day...watered the annuals in the pots that Lise planted a few days ago. She also asked us to water the broccoli. All watered. Then it started to rain.

But not for long. We actually haven't had rain for a couple weeks...now everything's really dry.

the second draft is going slowly - but well. As I mentioned earlier, the beginning is always the most labour intensive, always needs the most work...but I think the big re-direction is done and now it's more fine tuning. Or not. We'll see.

I feel I can now set a goal. The manuscript is 264 pages, single spaced. I'm on page 20. I'm hoping to get to page 100 by Friday. And then 100 pages a week after that. At that rate I might be finished by about June 20th. So that's the goal...allowing for some days away to do events...I'll be in Orangeville, Ontario next weekend for the culmination of the One Book, One County events, at the Grace Tipling hall in Shelburne. So that'll be a few days away for travel and the event...and other things.

Meeting friends for coffee today at the Cafe International in sutton.

Tomorrow morning we're hosting the board meeting for the SPCA tea. Michael and I have agreed to host the big fundraising event this summer. It's a tea at our home, outside in the garden. Last Saturday of July. So there's an organizing meeting here tomorrow morning. God bless, Lise...she said she'd come and help out. We have to decide where the tents should go. Of course, as we walked the property earlier and I'm making suggestions, Lise, always patient, listened, then gently pointed out that if they put the tents where I suggested they'd all be underwater if it rained. I chose the low land.

Tomorrow should be fun, as we have coffee, muffins, and ten of us walk the garden deciding what to put where. Well, we suggest and Lise decides.

Then more writing. Feels good to breakthrough to a point where I feel it's fair on myself to set a goal and goal-posts.

Have noticed, yet again, that the letters on the keyboard of my old laptop have worn off. Just little flecks of white are left. Every now and then as I write I forget where the 'h' is, or the 'p'. And then I have to hit keys at random. So words come out like 'larty' - 'oarty' - 'tarty'...and finally - 'party'. So, if Peter and Clara suddenly have a tarty gathering you can guess what happened.

I'll let you know how the meeting tomorrow morning goes.

this is the Memorial Day long weekend in the US...the time when there are tributes to men and women in uniform. yesterday was also the day when the Library in Lee Ann's neighborhood was renamed...a 'memorial library',,,it's a campaign that first brought Lee Ann and I together, when Still Life first came out and a specific quote moved her to write me. We've been in contact ever since. At the time her son Thomas had recently been killed in Iraq. And she'd started the campaign to have the library re-named a 'memorial libary' - in memory of all the men and women who have died. Years and years she and others in her community have fought, argued, asked, begged, cajoled.

And finally, it has happened.

I've asked Lee Ann to blog about the experience on Monday. I just wanted you to know.

Be well.