Thurs. Oct. 5, 2023: Sliding Back into My Life
Water flowing through MASSMoCA Campus. Photo by Devon EllingtonThursday, October 5, 2023
Waning Moon
Pluto, Saturn, Neptune, Chiron, Uranus, Jupiter Retrograde
Foggy and warm
The latest on the garden is over on Gratitude and Growth.
Today’s serial episode is from Legerdemain:
Episode 126: From Angel to Goddess
Shelley leaves the angel and visits with her patron goddess.
I did the social media rounds for all the stuff that went live yesterday. Caught up on some email. Switched out the lace panels for the spiderweb curtains.
Sat on the front porch (aka the “Conservatory”) for a bit, basking in the sun like one of the cats.
It was good to book a transition day into my schedule. I definitely needed it. Normally, I would have dived right back into a busy schedule, and gotten sick within two or three days. This is a much better choice! Maybe I’m learning something as I age?
I dealt with some email. I put together a bunch of research links I promised the Collective and got that out. And they added some more resources; it’s so great that we’re sharing. I started typing the meeting notes. I have to get that and the contact sheets done and out the door this week.
I’m reading SHY, the memoir by Mary Rodgers Guettel, co-written by Jess Green. She was Richard Rodgers’ daughter, and a composer and artist in her own right. I met her, when she threw a cast party for FLOWER DRUM SONG in her apartment, overlooking Central Park. It was bright and cheerful, with sketches she’d done on the walls, and a piano and really comfortable, not showplace-y. There were lots of yellows and light colors. One of the actors spilled red wine on the carpet and was mortified. Mary shrugged and said, “we have pets and grandchildren. Everything is scotch guarded within an inch of its life.” She went into the kitchen to get a sponge, and gleefully demonstrated how it wiped right off. We all had a good laugh about it, and the actor felt better.
I spent some time in the kitchen with her, chatting, and helping plate the lovely appetizers she fed us by the dozen. As someone not good in large group situations, I tend to gravitate to the kitchen to help the host or hostess at parties. We had a lovely conversation.
The tone of this book is so different than the woman I met. The woman I met was kind and funny and smart and joyful. The tone of the book has a forced brightness, a snark, and almost a desperation about it.
The Clark invited me to two events – a nature-based one this weekend, and a cocktail party on Friday the 13th. I said yes to both. I would love to go to their dyeing workshop on Saturday, but I’m going to see an acquaintance in his one-man show over in Pittsfield. I’ve also been invited to a workshop on Tribal Medicine at Mission House in November, and I said yes. I’m so excited to learn about that. This year, I’m finally going to the annual meeting/cocktail party for Wild Oats, later in the month. I know the staff at the co-op, and I’ve met some of the board members in virtual meetings, but now we’ll meet in person and hang out.
CVS wants to reschedule my mom’s booster, but not mine. Part of me wants us both to get our boosters elsewhere, but I don’t want to put her in danger because I’m having a hissy. I should just schedule hers and find mine wherever. Since CVS has made it clear they “don’t like” my insurance and refuse to honor the CDC Bridge program (yes, I’m filing another complaint).
Tarot circle was great. We worked with a usually heavy card – the Ten of Wands – and we laughed so much! It’s great to be with a group of smart, caring, funny people who aren’t afraid to talk about deeply personal things and support each other. And then after, we break down into some good conversations.
I had an hibiscus/jasmine cold tea (because it was hot) and brought their oat straw/nettle tea blend back, which I’ve been craving. My body needs that support.
Came home, heated up some leftovers, and then met up (virtually) with Jeremy’s cooking class. It was all about organizing the fridge, and boy, do I have some work to do! But it’s good information. Some of it I already do, but there’s a lot that can be better. He’s going to send us all kinds of charts.
The boat for the Greece trip has been upgraded, so he has a huge kitchen. He’s going to do more cooking on the trip, video it, and feed us the videos (since only a few of the class are actually able to go on the trip). Class is paused for 3 weeks for all that, and we’ll meet up again in November for a few weeks. Then, he’s putting together a supper club that will meet twice a month to get us through the winter. We realized we did 25 soups last year – that’s nearly a half a year together. No wonder we feel disoriented when there’s no class or prospect of class.
Another contrast between living here and living in my previous location is that there, people are very resistant to change. Here, although they honor the history and tradition of place (usually), because of the constant flow of artists in residence and performances and the like, there’s more of a sense of flow and transience, but the transience is treated like an asset and growth, not a threat. Since life IS transient, I think, for me, anyway, it’s healthier.
Anyway, about to hop onto virtual meditation with Be Well Be Here. I’ll take the garbage out after breakfast, then prep the pages for the final Nightwood session. This afternoon is our final Nightwood session, and then I have yoga, which is a nice way to close out the day.
Have a good one, and we’ll catch up tomorrow!
