July 20: Summer Project

One of my two summer projects is recopying my Gratitude Journal from computer printouts from my blog into a dedicated, hardbound journal. I'm up to almost 600 entries on my blog, but I've only recopied 70 or so as I can only handwrite ten at a time before my hands start cramping. And, of course, I'm having to edit some of my more long-winded entries.... ;)

June 21: 19th Century Laptop

I pulled out my Bombay wooden lap desk (a.k.a. my 19th century laptop) this week to write a long letter to a dear friend--not an e-mail, not a Tweet, not a Facebook message, but a real, live, long, double-sided ink-on-paper missive. My hand ached by the end, but what joy to let ink flow in sheer friendship!!

June 19: A Clean Desk...

...is a sign of a sick albeit organized mind.

Yes, I hadn't cleaned this thing off since Christmas. Now I can work here again!

May 28: Ladies' Tea

Marianne and Alice at Spring Tea

The ladies of Alpine Anglican Church of the Blessed Trinity kindly invited me to join them for their annual Spring Tea at Cobblestone Cottage in Alpine. My favourites: the apricot tea and the scones. A lovely time was had by all.

Day 60: Deserted Treehouse

The boys haven't used the treehouse in over a year. I miss seeing them up there, playing and goofing around. They're growing up so fast....

What We Magnify Through Our Lenses

My favorite blog is A Holy Experience. Ann Voskamp's beautiful writing and evocative photography feed my soul in inexpressible ways.

Today she posted this snippet from her new book, A Thousand Gifts, and I thought it expresses so well why I joined the 365 Photo Project once again, despite my too-busy schedule:

What Is Your Life Really Magnifying?

Enjoy!!!

--Susanne :)

Day 38: More Recommendations....

I wrote and mailed two student recommendations for colleges today. I really don't mind writing them out, but doing so for so many students is a little time-consuming. One went to Point Loma, and the other to Harvey Mudd....

Day 36: Saturday's Task

Every Saturday is laundry day around here....

Day 30: Stopping Time

Keith is attempting to repair my mother's Sessions mantel clock (which belonged to her grandmother) which gets gummed up by the ocean humidity in their beach house. Every few years he takes the whole thing apart, cleans all the cogs and whirlygigs, and puts it back together. It's being more stubborn than usual this go-around though; it keeps stopping for no apparent reason. So it has become an addition to our kitchen table where Keith can keep a steady eye on it as he tries to restore time to its regular flow.

Day 80: Final Day of Retreat

A small loom was placed for decoration in our hall and reminded us of the retreat theme: "Tangled Threads to Tapestries." What we weave into our tapestries can be quality wool or polyester trash, and we can weave our yarn together as a group effort.

On Saturday afternoon, a good-sized group gathered outside under some trees to learn knitting and crocheting from other women in the church. It was a wonderful time for fellowship and for chat, and especially for building friendships. While our fingers moved and our minds attempted to count stitches, we truly slowed down our lives long enough to spend time with one another. It was a relaxing yet satisfying afternoon.

Day 74: Time Is A-Flyin'

Our dinner guests on Friday remarked on our mantel clock which had graced my grandparents' family room during my childhood. I have to remember to wind it every Saturday (and often forget), but its simple beauty and lovely chimes remind me of my grandmother -- and that time passes all too quickly, especially as I watch my babies shoot up into young people.

Day 48: My Desk, Part 2

As I mentioned yesterday, I've been spending a great deal of time at my desk this week, working on registrations for the writing workshop this weekend. So this is what I've been looking at all week: my desk. On the wall is my 2009 Rule of Life and a postcard of Shakespeare's birthplace from my former Shakespeare prof at Point Loma who spends almost half her time in England (I will not be envious, I will not be envious). Keith and I purchased this desk light in the days immediately following our honeymoon, and I've always loved it. My favorite rosewood dip pen peeks from a china holder (along with the matching china-handled letter opener).



Here's a detail of some desk items: my fancy bottles of calligraphy ink in front of my box of Winnie-the-Pooh stationery and the slate heart Keith made for me for our first Valentine's Day as a married couple. Isn't it lovely? It's been on my desk ever since.

Day 33: Planning My Week

Okay, so this is last week's spread in my beautiful Barnes and Noble Desk Diary, but I adore this planner, courtesy of Carol when Keith was completely our of work right after Christmas and I needed the 2009 version. Isn't she the sweetest? I love the literary quotes, the information on different writers, and all of the literary birthdays scattered throughout. And I love being able to write my schedule next to a specific time -- it really helps me to keep my days straight. This Desk Diary stays open on the left corner of my desk at all times, and I write in it only with my special fountain pen filled with sepia calligraphy ink.

Day 31: Sirius ... Seriously!

Eeyore has been replaced by ... Sirius! Since my new laptop is an HP, it only seems proper that it is named for a Harry Potter character. Since it's so shiny and black, Sirius Black seems like a wonderful name. I'm so thankful for a new laptop that Keith found for half price -- I'm tired of trying to teach online classes from the library computers when my laptop wouldn't work. And I had to put up the final photo of Keith's stained glass window as wallpaper. And guess what? He just received another stained glass commission from the same client -- this time for a peacock in a door. It will be even more complex than this 1500 piece window.

Day 21: Dash the Player

Dash our dachshund is simply adorable. Here he is double-playing: chewing on his bone and playing "soccer" with his tennis ball, batting it back and forth between his front paws. How he manages to do both at the same time, I don't know. But it's the cutest thing!

(And definitely FAR cuter than my bizarre kitchen carpeting. Yes, kitchen *carpeting.* Long story about why it's still here after we've lived here for over seven years.)

T's Find in the Garden...

One of my Class Day students came up to our home today so I could go over his MLA research paper with him and his mom. While we discussed comma splices, fragments, and parenthetical citations, T, J, B, and my student's two younger brothers played together outside. And when five boys are goofing around outside, it isn't surprising that they made a significant scientific discovery:





Yes, they found a young gopher snake. They enjoyed playing with him for an hour or so, and once the visiting family went home, T put him in an old spinach container from Costco. When Keith arrived home, the boys enjoyed showing off their prize before letting him go in the bushes where they caught him so he can do his job of keeping down the mice population near our house. He's a cute little snake, but I much prefer him outside in the garden than in the house, spinach container or no....

The Mantel

Some of my favorite things are on my mantel -- my kerosene lamp, my candles, my tea things, with my Rockwell plates hanging above.

Tools of the Trade...

This is part of my desk where I've been spending the vast majority of my time this week. Please note my signature sepia ink, mahogany pen, and other inks and feathered quills in the background. If I have to work, at least I can work with beautiful things that somehow bring me almost as much satisfaction as the work itself.

Impressionist Project -- Discovering the Child Within

Tonight our monthly art council meeting was child's play ... literally. Myrna Mora, the art council's youth coordinator and art docent at the local elementary school, allowed us to "discover the child within." As the children at our local school study Monet and complete art projects based on his works, so we adults also got to create Impressionist flower pots. While we painted a white base coat on the three-inch terra cotta pots, Myrna told us about what the children are learning about Monet as a result of the art docent program, and we also discussed our kids' program this past summer, "A Taste of Art." Myrna's project also provides a beginning point for the annual art contest our art council holds each spring for all students in grades K-6 which we will be working on from now until late May.

We all had fun painting our pots using these little squishy toy thingies rather than paint brushes. Monet never mixed paint on his palette but rather dabbed different pure colors next to each other to create the image of color mixing which we recreated by dabbing paint on with the little "squishies." So we had fun creating art as well as gaining insight into the art docent programs in the local elementary school which in the past few years has focused on a certain artist each year: Van Gogh, Picasso, Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo, and now Monet. (I helped teach the Picasso when J was in school that year.) With our district being the most under-funded in the entire state of California, the community has to come together in order to offer art to the back country kids, something both the art docent program and the art council are determined to accomplish.

Mini-Retreat

Sheri and I headed over to the Bible Camp this afternoon for a mini-retreat. We sat under the pines chatting to catch-up as we haven't had a good talk since before Christmas. Soon the sun disappeared behind the building and we were feeling a bit chilled even with jackets on, plus the campers this weekend were some wild college students from Point Loma Nazarene University (my alma mater and former employer as I used to teach there). So for warmth and quiet, we hiked up the hill to the 1970's-styled chapel which overlooks the grounds while also peering up into a nice bunch of pines. We made ourselves as comfortable as we could in the back pews and wrote in our journals, prayed, read our Bibles or other devotional books, and enjoyed relative peace as now the yells of the college students were mostly muffled. This was our view late in the afternoon. Very peaceful.