Well, I was hoping I could wait long enough to start this blog update that I would be done with the novel. Well, best laid plans of mice and men . . . and all that. Somehow I got it in my head that I was not allowed to write another blog until I put THE END on the draft. And so four months passed.
Well, Reader, I did it. And so now the imaginary shackles are gone and I can finally blog again (ha). More on that later.
If you’re still tuning in to this site, I appreciate you! I apologize for my long absence. And now, on to the updates. Since it’s been so long, I will try to keep it short, but life moves on regardless of how often I blog about it, so no promises!
Garden glow-up
This year, as I talked about previously, I put a lot of effort into the physical areas around the garden and the spaces in my yard where I’m growing vegetables. I enlisted the help of the Architect, and together we created an oasis that brings me a lot of joy.
This past weekend, I planted my garlic for the next year, which I’m excited to have finished. It’s almost time to rip out the summer garden entirely, but that’s a problem for next-week Liz. Maybe. Probably. I have plans for next year that I’m quite excited about, so that will be something nice I can focus on in the winter.
There and back again
In July, the Architect and I took a trip out west for a wedding with some of his family members. It was a lovely time, and a vacation of ‘firsts,’ as we had opportunities to experience many things that we normally wouldn’t.
We traveled to Portland, Oregon, one day (a four-hour drive!) to visit my friend Meadow, and it was a phenomenal trip. I was struck with how different driving out west can be. Everything is so big. And I mean everything. Once you get out of the mountains, the flat expanse extends forever and ever into the distance. At one point, the Architect pointed out that we could see, far far away, both the beginning and end of a train – it was far enough away that the entire length of the locomotive was visible from the road.
Portland itself proved to be a vibrant city, full of color and sound. We ate lunch with Meadow at a food truck park and chilled with them at their apartment rooftop terrace. It was a wonderful experience, especially because this was my first time meeting Meadow in person (I’ve been friends with them for several years now!), and my first time in Portland.
Back in Washington, we had a great evening at the wedding despite 100-degree dry heat. There were six different desserts and a taco bar; what could go wrong? The young couple had a good time and the families meshed well together.
That wasn’t the only trip we took in the last few months. We also drove up to New York in September for the second annual CGRH Retreat. There were twelve of us this year, keeping the trend going of spending a long weekend in the woods, surrounded by good food, good friends, and, of course, bugs.
As this was our second trip, we fell into an easy rhythm of hiking, fireside chats, and games. It was deeply cathartic and all around a wonderful time. There will be more about this on the CGRH blog – stay tuned!
Okay, I lied . . .
In the interest of keeping this short, I will talk about the novel in a different post. Yes, this is cheating. Yes, this is engagement bait. (Notice: Everything online is engagement bait if you think about it long enough.) Suffice to say, I am nervous and happy and fearful and tired and jazzed to get started on edits.
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