Suzette Haden Elgin's Blog, page 2

Sunday; eldering....

One thing you can be absolutely certain of, as you become an elder, is that you will have Bathroom Troubles. The older you get, the more of them you will have. They come in two varieties: you can't get to the bathroom as quickly as you need to; once you get there, it takes you longer to accomplish things than it used to take.

You need to plan for this. Plan on being kind and courteous and gracious. Plan on having more than one bathroom in your house when you get old, or expect to need elaborate routines for "playing through." George and I lived thirty years in a house with only one bathroom, and it's a miracle that our marriage survived that test. He has been so extraordinarily good to me about all this, and I know it's been a trial for him. But it's going to happen, and you need to plan.

It would be wonderful if Bathroom Troubles happened only when you were at home. Don't count on that. Expect them to happen in public. It would be wonderful if there were simple measures you could take for dealing with them -- there aren't.

Forewarned is forearmed.

I'm retiring,,,

I just want to let everybody know that I'm retiring ... which means no more newsletters. It doesn't mean no more blogging here at LiveJournal, but it does mean no more newsletters. Everybody who has sent me renewal money will get a refund as soon as they contact me with a snailmail address. I've been writing newsletters for so many years that I suddenly realized that I just can't face it any longer.

Old, old, old....

I just wanted to let you know that my new e-mail address ...

I just wanted to let you know that my new e-mail address is ocls at cox.net, in case you need to contact me.

Sunday...

Many thanks for all the good wishes!

Saturday...

We're moved, finally. It almost destroyed us both, but we've made it to the light at the end of the tunnel stage.

Sorry for the lengthy silence. I've had an awful time getting LiveJournal to let me do anything.

Monday; Christmas links...

And here, FYI, are the Christmas links from this journal:

Holiday filksongs

"The Captain's Carol," at
http://ozarque.livejournal.com/56538.html

"O Holy One," at
http://ozarque.livejournal.com/57736.html

"Blessing Song," at
http://ozarque.livejournal.com/55504.html

"Carol for Rosamond," at
http://ozarque.livejournal.com/56050.html

"Angels All About," at
http://ozarque.livejournal.com/58511.html


Holiday recipes

Only Once A Year fruitcake recipe, at
http://ozarque.livejournal.com/180281.html

Frugal Cheesecake recipe, at
http://ozarque.livejournal.com/253290.html


Holiday poems

"Holiday Blessing," at
http://ozarque.livejournal.com/350397.html

"Peregrination for the Season," at
http://ozarque.livejournal.com/479564.html


Handcrafted gifts

Altered books, at
http://ozarque.livejournal.com/319115.html

Other gifts, at
http://ozarque.livejournal.com/319495.html

Saturday...

Many thanks for all the good wishes!

Friday... News!

Much news here....

We have sold our property and rented an apartment in Springdale. Now, all that remains is to get rid of thirty years of clutter!

Poem For The Winter Holidays, 2010

Poem For The Winter Holidays


There were shepherds in the fields, watching over their flocks by night.
And a bit of snow was there, blinding white.

Inside the stable, the Baby slept.
Inside the stable, a mousebabe crept.

Over the stable, a star glowed gold.
That star had long, long been foretold.

Peace on earth eludes us still, and always will
till we learn to turn the other cheek and love the meek.

Monday; _Alien Tongues_...

This new novel has taken a strange turn, and is evolving into a book that I never expected it to become. I'm very surprised by this development, especially since I had a complete outline. The book is escaping from the outline.