Day 1: Saturday. We decided to be adventurous today. We took Oliver to Barnes and to the grocery store! He hasn't been to the grocery store since he could fit in the cart. I reached a fitness goal today, so Josh bought me two prizes: a new Peter Pauper Press journal and a magazine. The journal's has art from a 19th-century French edition of the Song of Songs. The magazine is Oh Reader, which I have been wanting to try out and thinking about subscribing to next year.
We were only at Barnes for a few minutes, and we had explained to Oliver what we were going to do. The grocery store took much longer and was much brighter and busier. But Oliver did quite well. He only rarely wandered away from us (I held his hand some of the time), and he only asked for one thing (we bought the box of mini crullers). That must have been plenty of stimulation for him because he didn't ask to go to the park. I think that we can now go grocery shopping as a family, which is pretty amazing.
We did all that before 10:30. I spent much of the day near Josh while reading Sharon Olds's poems in Blood, Tin, Straw. I finished the book, my first book of June. I want to read 13 books this month so I can read 25 by the end of July. That will bring me quite close to my goal for the year. I wonder how far I'll get in 2022.
I got back to my exercising, doing my workout and doing yoga with Josh. I haven't sent a submission in a few days, and I'm behind on a lot of my reading. But I'm trying to get back on track.
Day 2: Sunday. I slept until 8:30 today! It was so nice. Josh went for an 8+-mile run. I hung out with Oliver and wrote in my journal. After lunch, we went to the park for two hours. I read 80 pages of poetry from The Art of Losing to Josh. We only have about 60 pages left. The poems are quite good, but after this book, we're going to read something happy.
When we got home, I read three chapters of Lost in a Book to the boys as I did yesterday. We're not halfway through it yet. Next week, I plan to start reading the eighth Oz book to Oliver while Josh is at work. We don't have a lot of time for reading when Josh gets home.
Thursday was an anxious day, and Friday was depressed. Yesterday was hopeful, and I think today will be hopeful too (maybe even passionate). So my mood is improving. More reading is probably helpful. I did send a submission today.
Day 3: Monday. I finished reading Winterwood. I enjoyed it, and I'll probably read more of Shea Ernshaw's books. I hope the library has them. Next on my YA list is Anatomy by Dana Schwartz. I've been working on that medical bill situation, but I'm not likely to resolve anything today.
Josh did come home for lunch, and we did do yoga, so we got a little time together. Oliver had a meltdown with crying and yelling but no breaking. I didn't do much of what I intended to do today, but I'm trying to give myself grace as I adjust to our summer schedule.
Day 4: Tuesday. Oliver slept late, so I got some quiet time to ponder and scribble in the morning. I also read 80 pages of Sharon Olds's Odes poems. When Josh came home for lunch, we took him back to work so I could take Oliver to OT. That was a bit of an ordeal as usual, but Oliver was in a good mood. We later picked Josh up from work and got to see his office and meet his supervisors. We three left holding hands.
Day 5: Wednesday. Last night, when the boys went to bed, I fell asleep hard on the couch under my heated throw. Josh had to wake me up so I'd go to bed. I've been quite sleepy in the evenings even though I'm sleeping well at night. I only seem to have about twelve hours of energy.
This morning, I finished reading Odes. Next comes Sharon Olds's Arias, which is longer. Oliver got to spend some time outside before a thunderstorm came through. When Josh was home for lunch, we cuddled on the couch and watched the rain.
Day 6: Thursday. This morning, I got an acceptance from an online journal based in the UK. It was for a poem I wrote back in 2009 while I was still a grad student. I'm enjoying the fact that both old and new poems are getting published. I still think my older poems are better because I was more in practice, more immersed in poetry. But I'm trying to read as much poetry as I can again.
I started and finished Anatomy by Dana Schwartz today! My reading a book in one day (even poetry) is pretty rare. This was great fun.
Day 7: Friday. Today, I'm writing with a Pentel metallic Sunburst pen in violet.
It was a good mail day. I got a birthday card from Melissa and a sticker subscription from Mrs. Grossman. I also received a small Amazon package, and I wasn't sure what it was. It turned out to be a surprise gift from my friend Jan, with whom I worked at Borders. She sent a lovely Peter Pauper Press hydrangea journal and crystal-filled, stone-stopped pens! I don't think she even knew my birthday is coming. That really brightened my day.
I've started reading Wilder Girls as my current YA pick. I think it's going to be good. I spent a little time on Arias and Olga Dies Dreaming. I haven't been reading to the boys this week; we don't have a lot of time when Josh gets home, and I haven't felt like starting Oz 8 with Oliver. I'll try to do better next week.
This evening, Bruce and I had our birthdayte! We went to Barnes and browsed as usual. We were there for about two and a half hours. We drank coffee and talked through fiction, horror, YA, reference, new releases, and poetry. As our birthday gift to each other, we each got copies of seven books that we chose for our tiny book club. Bruce and I have read about forty books together over the last nine years, but we haven't read together much lately. We ended up with two books of short stories: one a large anthology of contemporary stories from around the world and the other a collection of southern magical realism stories; a literary science fiction book that I've been wanting to read; and four horror books! We have a lot of cross-over in our literary tastes (including our dislikes). Reading horror with a friend can be really fun. I can't wait to start these books.
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