Summer Break

I haven’t been posting much lately, and I think I’m going to officially take a break from blogging for the rest of Summer Break. I may post something of interest now and then, but nothing planned. I have a few things to work out. If you want something more from me to read, you can catch up on old posts or read some of my poems. I’ll still be reading blogs, so you’ll see me around!

Pink Ink

Yes, it’s Tuesday, but I’m not feeling a Tuesday Tally. This post is speaking stronger today.

I used to deny pink. I didn’t want to be a girly-girl (though I wasn’t exactly a tom-boy either). I loved pink as a little girl. Slowly, I’ve been letting both the color and the girl back into my life. It started around March. I encountered the Owning Pink website (about getting your mojo!), and had that my mall date with my hubby where I bought some pink items.

I decided I could use pink to help free me from the inner editor. On a mental level, it will keep me in a lighter mood, less worried about making mistakes. On a physical level, it’s harder to actually read the pale pink text so I can focus more on what I’m writing, not the quality of what’s already written. My beach scene was written entirely in pink.

I haven’t done it so much since school’s been out, but I’ve found singing vocals in Rock Band is great to loosen up, free my creativity, and boost my energy. So when I created my band, I named it Pink Ink.

This is still an early draft, but here’s a poem inspired by PINK.

 

A palace for my soul -

where I am pampered,

feel pretty;

a safe place to play,

my power and passion

come through.

 

Ink flows from inspiration,

introspection brings illumination,

revealing my true identity,

 

leaving me nude -

a natural nymph,

wild and new

as I live in the Now.

 

Knowledge gained

is the key to self,

to the fragile case

protecting my keepsakes.

Unlock the door.

Kiss fate

create Karma.

Playing at the Beach

 

This is another scene from Trinity Coven. I wrote this when I was in a playful mood. When I saw the Beach Scene Blogfest, I knew this was perfect! Have some fun with Kaelin:

Kaelin picked a spot where the cliff shaded the beach. Perfect. She knelt and wiggled both hands into the damp sand until they were buried. Cool and moist, embracing her like a lover. With a sigh she pushed her hands forward and down. She continued to shape widen the hollow, turning and shifting, building a wall around her with the displaced sand. Once she had a decent pit, she stood. Her wrap was caked in sand. Oh well. She untied the knot at her waist and let the wind catch the light cloth, blowing it to catch on the cliff rocks.

Time to see what her magic was capable of. Crouched in the center of the five foot wide depression, she dug her fingers again into the sand. Closed her eyes. Called the water. She thought water, was water. All the moisture within her beckoned that in the sand, and in the sea. The sand loosened as water flowed up around her fingers. Kaelin sat back on her heels and opened her eyes. It worked! She giggled as the water rose to lap against her toes. It was alive. The sea came through the sand to greet her, making runic patterns in the sand.

She straightened and cupped her hands. Little rivulets rose up her legs, spiraled over her hips, dipped in her belly button, and danced down her arms to pool in her palms. A sip was enough to cause shivers. Definitely sea water. Ugh. Opening herself to bath water was much easier than drinking sea water. But Naiya had said she needed to take it within herself to be one with it. She swallowed hard. One, two, three, drink. She slurped the entire handful into her mouth.

There was a moment of revulsion as bile mixed in her throat with brine. Then she gasped as her body absorbed it. A star burst within her, sending out tendrils of electricity to the tips of her fingers, toes, and tongue. The sea water recognized her as being part of it, and rushed to finish filling the little pond. Lips no longer parched, Kaelin crouched back down until the water lapped her shoulders. Eyes open this time, she submerged her head and breathed in. Laughter came out in bubbles. She breathed the water like a mermaid.

"Wow." Like tiny pink lights, she could sense all the little creatures swimming around her. She lifted a hand and they swarmed to touch her. She couldn't feel them with her nerves, but her magic surged as they met her, covered her hand in a pink glow. "Hello little ones." They scattered as quickly as they came. Had she startled them? A muffled call lifted her head. Or maybe they had sensed someone not of water.

Water sluiced off her as she climbed out of the pool. Anton was at the cliff's foot, dirty wrap in hand.

"There you are! It's getting dark. I was worried."

Tuesday Tally and the Hauliday

Last week:

• continue Page-a-Day Challenge - faltered
• finish crit
• submit some poetry
• start summer routine

 

This week:

• get back on track with Page-a-Day Challenge

 

Wednesday after Kindergarten graduation I came home to find the neighborhood garbage bins out. My husband had planned to take the day off when they came, but we never got the notice. So as soon as he got home from work, we got busy hauling junk and wood beams.

A few hours in, I noticed B was no longer playing, just sitting by the wall. I discovered he wasn’t just tired, he had a fever. (Thankfully waited to get sick until school was out for the year.) He was sick for a couple days. :-(

Thursday I got some writing in, but found all that hauling had made typing (and much else) painful. My wrists, hands, forearms. Everything hurt. Didn’t get much chance to recover, as Saturday we installed a garbage disposal, Sunday I hauled and stacked brick in the back yard so my husband could mow, and Monday we installed a built in dishwasher (replacing an old, cranky portable one). Needless to say, I didn’t write and I am exhausted!

So, how was your weekend?

Quick TT Today

Last full day of freedom before Kindergarten graduation tomorrow. Taking the day off to eat out, go shopping, and relax. It’s a beautiful, sunny day!

 

Page-a-Day Progress:

Days in: 10

Total pages: 18

 

Last week:

• continue Page-a-Day Challenge
• deep clean house
• catch up on critiques – one more to do
• submit some poetry – didn’t have time for this

 

This week:

• continue Page-a-Day Challenge
• finish crit
• submit some poetry
• summer routine
  • start parts I can do myself, so everything doesn’t change at once
  • sit down and explain charts and summer plans to B
  • Monday – implement in full!

My Palette of Color

The poetry collection I’m working on is all about color. Not just what it looks like, but it what it feels like, and evokes the other senses. I’ve mentioned them briefly before, included them in goals, but hadn’t shared one here. So here is one for your enjoyment and understanding:

 

Enlightening White

a picket fence for the perfect house

dandelion seeds, loose on the wind

cold milk after a warm brownie

the scent of a baby just out of the bath

splashing water on your face upon awakening

journal pages, waiting to be filled

the softness of angel wings

a spring bursting forth from the rock

crunch of snow, crackle of ice

belief, in God or Man or Sun

Tuesday Tally: Slow and Steady

Last week’s goals:

• work out 3x this week
• start Page-a-Day Challenge (May 15th to June 15th) – and on track!
• finish Heavy Rain – loved it

Goals for this week:

• continue Page-a-Day Challenge (see my progress here)
• deep clean house
• catch up on critiques
• submit some poetry

 

It’s been refreshing having a goal of one page a day. It’s something I’m comfortable writing even over the weekend (which I used to avoid), and rather than stressing about how much I should be writing, and panicking at being behind, and writing nothing, I am making progress every day. Something is better than nothing. Not as awesome as high-productivity days, but I can’t always count on those.

We’ve already decided to abandon our 80% complete gaming rule. Turned it into grinding, and doesn’t take into account all the games we’ve finished and traded in.

Speaking of grinding, I think that’s what happened with Trinity Coven. I had boiled it down to how many words I needed a day. It became all about the numbers, and lost the fun.

Three cheers for Progress, Fun, and Rain. (I love rain. beautiful rainy day today. got the windows open. smells fresh and wonderful.)