Saturday, April 4, 2009

A Moderate Celebration



What does one do to celebrate sending off a manuscript (again)? Well, this one doesn't celebrate very much, knowing that Herself may bounce this version back for yet another rewrite. (Maybe we need to put Myrna Louise back and take out Dorothy this time. Or get rid of all that woo woo Cherokee magic that has found its way into the story.)

But I had to do something. So I took my writing chair, a little upholstered slipper chair that was originally in my bedroom at my grandparent's house, in for a long overdue re-furbishing.

It's only about sixty years old and the springs are sagging and the stuffing is falling out. But it's small enough to make it up the narrow stairway to my workroom -- a prime requirement. I have looked around for a replacement but all new chairs seem to be super-sized these days.


The man at the upholstery shop was kind of aghast. "Looks like you've got your money's worth out of this one," he said as he carried the wreck into his shop.

It took me about five minutes to choose a hunter green cotton duck fabric and he allowed as how I should get my chair back in a week and a half. We'll see. I'm kind of lost without it.

Another special indulgence was to go to the library and check out an armload of books I'd been wanting to read -- books as yet unread by me. Oh joy!

And there was a stop at the nursery for a few more broccoli starts, a heather plant, some Yukon Gold seed potatoes, and and a fig tree -- just a stick, but visions of fresh figs and prosciutto are dancing in my head.

The final part of my celebration was to watch a recent remake of Cold Comfort Farm (the first movie I've watched in a very long time) while enjoying a very special dinner -- bratwurst on a bun and champagne.

Now that's dissipation!

Today, if the weather cooperates, I'll play in the garden.

So many things to do!











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6 comments:

Carol Murdock said...

Your plants look great Vicki! Got my fingers crossed herself is a happy woman after her read!
Carol

Anonymous said...

Hope you don't let her take out the woo woo Cherokee magic--a better book is one thing but do't let her take out any of the book soul.

Lynne from Ga.

Anonymous said...

Oops should have proofread--a better book is one thing, but don't let her take out any of the book's soul. So sorry...one beautiful day after days and days of welcome rain before it gets cold again. Guess it went to my head.

Lynne in Ga...once more

Tammy said...

It's the simple pleasures in life that mean the most. :-) Hope you took before pix of your chair, so we can compare the after.
Tammy

Tess Kincaid said...

Kudos on the manuscript! Brats and champagne sound like a good way to celebrate!

I want to know more about this Cherokee magic! I am a tad psychic and have always wondered if it comes from my Cherokee gg grandmother.

Vicki Lane said...

Re Cherokee magic -- it's pretty integral to the story -- and Herself didn't mess with it on her first read-through.

Willow. it's my own twisted version of Cherokee magic, based on my reading and research, combined with Appalachian Granny Woman magic. Magic such as might have been handed down, changing slightly at each remove. I touch on it in my third book OLD WOUNDS and there's a good bit of it in this one. So far, no complaints from any Cherokees or scholars thereof (and I've heard from a few.)

Tammy, I thought of taking a picture and forgot. The chair is really an embarrassment in the way it looks now (it has had a homemade slipcover hiding its nattiness.)