And Now...!!!

 

A Floor!

Yesterday, Justin's boss Alastair lent a hand and the crew put down what will be the floor of the shop. 

These pictures were taken at noon when I brought down their lunch (steak and Italian sausage subs, Jayna.)

By the end of the day the floor was complete and materials were ordered to begin on the stud walls.

Though John built our house, as well as the house we lived in back in Florida, it's been forty-some years and materials and equipment and techniques have changed. Quite a bit.

So it's wonderful to have friends who are up to date on this stuff. We are feeling more optimistic than ever. 

 

Josie Does Art for Thank You Notes

Getting packages is so much fun! 

Yesterday Aunt Fay sent me another fairy and a little horse for my collection.

They said HELLO to the others and all played together nicely.

I had two surprise packages last week also. A beautiful parasol from a lady named Judy. I have not seen her but I think she must be another aunt.

Aunt Margaret, who lives far away in New York, sent me this doll. She is very pretty and her name is Esmeralda.

Meema said she would help me with thank you notes. When people send you stuff, it is polite to write thank you notes.

Meema drew some hearts and I gave them eyes and noses and mouths. Also some of them got hair and arms and legs.

We made an art exhibit. I will pick three good ones to be my thank you notes. Meema will do the writing for me.

Also we made some Tube People. Meema gave them crazy hair and I decorated them.

They are fun to do.

I think they look pretty good. (Meema did the first face.)

I had an idea!

I made another exhibit with my Tube People.

Art is lots of fun!

 

Green and Gold--a Fall Prelude

 

The Shop's A-Building!

At last a spell of dry weather. The shop basement has dried out and the  trees that burned and posed a threat have been taken down. Now it's time to move from masonry to carpentry. Our neighbor Mark and John and Justin were hard at work yesterday.

Mark was a teenager when he helped John build our house forty-some years ago and he went on to a career as a carpenter/builder. He's heading up our project.

I love seeing the progress..

Building anew is such a hopeful, positive thing in this challenging time.

 

It Felt Almost Normal

Yesterday I drove to Sylva to sign books at City Lights--a fine independent bookstore that has hosted events for each of my six previous books. It felt like old times.

Almost. There was no room full of readers waiting to hear me talk, no table with wine and nibbly bits, in fact, no event.

There was a very nice cat named Cedric and the lovely, heart-warming feel of being in a bookstore.

I signed books...and bought some too.

I always buy books when I visit an independent bookstore. Times have been rough for them since the advent of Amazon and the pandemic hasn't made things easier.

But many are hanging on, valued community assets that they are. City Lights is one such beacon. Shopping there, or at any indy, feels like a vote for preserving civilization.

Here's a link to City Lights (their shipping rates, by the way, are quite reasonable) and another link to a list of independent bookstores.  

 

Time Passes-Josie Grows

What a difference a year makes!

 

Almost Full Moon--and Some Thoughts on Tuesday Night's Reality Show

Watching the moonrise last night was a welcome reminder that the earth is still turning and the moon is keeping to her appointed rounds, despite the truly appalling nastiness of Tuesday's so-called debate.

Normally I avoid watching the current occupant of the Oval Office as I hate the sound of his voice and prefer to read the transcripts of his generally incoherent rants. But I wanted to watch  to see how Biden did and to see the body language of the two. I've already hand-delivered my absentee ballot so, like most of the audience, I was just there for the show.

As has been noted by many, many observers, it was painful. Painful to watch the individual who, at one time would have been called the leader of the free world, lie incessantly, interrupt over and over, hurl insults on a grade school level, and totally demean the office he finds himself in. 

Maybe a shock collar could have deterred him Or, as one meme suggested, Samuel L. Jackson and a big gun: (Interrupt one more time, m****r f****r...)

I thought Biden came off well--as well as anyone might when faced with an feces-throwing ape. He didn't take the bait, even when 45 maligned his son--oh, how much he might have said about  45's family of grifters!  And Biden, while far from exciting, was a reminder of decency and normalcy--which I'll take over exciting any day.  

The most revolting thing for me was 45's shout out to the white supremacist Proud Boys--Stand down and stand by. If he has one remaining Black or minority supporter after that, they must be brain-damaged. And the implied threat--that he is counting on the radical right to keep him in office--is deeply disturbing, the mark of a would-be strong man. 

I stuck with it to the bitter end. When the debate had ended and as the wives were coming up on stage, the camera on 45 showed a sweaty, deeply unhappy-looking man. I'm sure he missed the usual roar of his true believers For a split second, I felt I saw the bewildered man behind the bluster and orange makeup. I almost felt sorry for him. But I got over it. Still, I believe there's a tragic opera waiting to be written here.

Then Melania came to him with (as one friend put it) "a cordial pat on the arm," while Jill hurled herself at Joe and wrapped him in an enthusiastic embrace.

Body language, as I tell the folks in my writing classes, says a lot.