It’s a mess around here.

I’m going to be on vacation next week which means I’m preparing for vacation this week. I’m swamped, but I have so much to say! Maybe when I get to the beach I’ll be totally inspired to write. Maybe I’ll post every day. It could happen, but it’s more likely I’ll be swimming in the lake, drinking sake and chasing bubbles in the forest with my nieces (the nieces are coming!). Who has time for hysteria?

Before I let you go: did you see my new buttons (top right)? Pretty nice, no? If you aren’t following HMN on Facebook maybe you could. It would be, like, super-awesome if you would, like, ‘like’ me. I like you. Have I mentioned lately how much I like you?

Enough! I’m off to pack things. I’ll be in touch, maybe, yes, or no, maybe not, but sometime soon, I promise. In the meantime, enjoy the 4^th!

It's too dark but I like it anyway.

You’ll have to excuse me. I’m feeling very confused and tired this week. My lower left eyelid is doing a lot of twitching. A lot. Every time it starts I forget what I was saying, doing, thinking. It seems to be my body’s way of getting me to leave my problems alone, to keep me from fixating. It appears that I need to stop thinking altogether and relax. I’m trying to listen.

It's not always sunny. Some weekends are like this.

This place we go to on the weekends, the beach, the island, the cabin, it goes by all of these names. It’s a small self-governed community. That’s right; it’s run by a homeowners association. (Gasp! Hand covers chest). I know. Generally we have our fair share of politics and hoo-ha. Maybe some hullabaloo also. Just a little.

A few years ago, in all our wisdom, we decided to take over the management and operations of the island marina which sells everything from boat fuel and moorage to lattes, homemade donuts and hotdogs. Some of us weren’t so fond of this idea. We can’t even agree on how to use our water or when to repair the roads. Every 4^th of July when we have the annual argument (Oops, I meant meeting, annual meeting!) It gets very Lord of the Flies around here. How on earth did we decide we could run and manage a business? Have we lost our minds? Yes, apparently that’s exactly what happened.

We’ve done this for a few years in a row now. This last weekend was the work party to clean up the marina. It was rainy and cold but the turnout was great. At 10:00 am we all converged with rakes and clippers to clear out the weeds, prune the dead growth, rake, plant flowers, clean, pressure wash, paint, and eat bratwurst for lunch.

In spite of the weather and the manualness of the labor, we kind of had a good time. Josie was in heaven with all that dirt and all those people to talk to. It was really… Kind of Amish. It was like a barn raising of sorts. All that work seemed to bring out a sense of community that we don’t always feel and for those few hours it felt like we were all in agreement, that this was a good idea and that we could do it. Really, it was no big deal.

Have I told you lately how much I love living in the Northwest?

Last weekend I was on the beach. This weekend I’m in the mountains with a few other writers and photographers and two gigantic dogs. I’ve been writing for multiple days in a row now and I’ve got a stable full of new blog posts and ideas.

Look out blogosphere. Consider yourself warned.

Blue Skies

Cool Weather

Purty Flowers

Lovely

You can't help but sleep.

It’s the time of year that we go to the beach and the little house that sits on it. It’s webbed in by spiders and coated with a thick layer of dust from a quiet winter but no pipes are broken, the heater Paul installed last fall works, and the dead car batter was easily fixed.

At night it’s so dark here. There aren’t any streetlights poking through the cracks in the blinds. Unless there’s a bright moon reflecting off the water, I can’t tell if my eyes are open or closed because the blackness is exactly the same.

The Rose

I was trying to participate in my friend Christina’s self-portrait Sunday. She requested her readers post an image of their faces partly shaded. I failed at the task but did spend some time in the sun looking at shadows, and that is not a bad thing. Not at all. In fact, I highly recommend it.

A Self-Portrait

Christina is a beautiful writer, photographer, visual artist and blogger. She’s raising funds for what will be an amazing collection of essays accompanied by illustrations. I can’t wait to get my hands on it. Go to her site and support her if you can. The world will be a better place because of it.

Or maybe this one

I’m taking a photography class next weekend. I can’t wait.

I found this on Sunday.

I should go on vacation, the universe is telling me to, but I can’t. I mean I already did. So instead, I went on a mini-vacation to Renton to see my acupuncturist (yes, he really is that good). He put tiny titanium seeds in my ears. He says they’re really hip right now. Take note.

Maybe I should laugh more too.

I’m enjoying the stories in the comments section of the last post. You guys are hilarious. This will not be the last you hear on this topic. More soon.

Well Fed

But on to other things, like: Saturday. Good-ness. You guys in Seattle know what I’m talking about, no? Sunny, warm and 65 F. It’s difficult to know exactly what to do with yourself on a day like that in March. There are so many things. Paul and Josie were at “soccer class” so I pulled on some old denim and an old sweatshirt and slipped my clippers into one pocket and my i-pod into the other and ventured into the jungle that is our yard.

Liberated

I selected some summer music (Spoon) and went to work. I upgraded from the clippers to loppers; then from loppers to the saw. Perhaps I should have stepped aside for a moment to consider my actions when I retrieved the saw. Perhaps that should have been a sign that I was getting carried away. We’ve got some old shrubs in our yard that have turned to trees. Unhappy, unhealthy trees. They needed to be liberated. They told me this.

I spent the morning chopping and pulling and wandering around the yard dirty and breastless. Oh no. Did I just say that aloud? Yes indeed. Does it make you uncomfortable? It shouldn’t. Really, it’s like talking about the gap between my front teeth. It’s just the way it is. I wear prosthetics. They’re heavy and hot. That’s all (for now).

By the time I was done, the trees were about half of what they were. Maybe they’ll love their new looks. Maybe they’ll die. Who cares?

Casualties

It was a good day and hopefully good enough to get us through the next 11 days of rain predicted in our 10 day forecast.

If you’re outside Seattle, I hope spring reaches you soon.