Thurs. Oct. 2: Portal Into the Residency

image courtesy of  Siggy Nowak via pixabay.com

Thursday, October 2, 2025

Waxing Moon

Pluto, Neptune, Saturn, Chiron, Uranus Retrograde

Sunny and cool

The photo is not what the residency looks like. I just liked it.

You can read the latest about the garden over on Gratitude & Growth.

I got out the short story that had to go out yesterday. Fortunately, it was all prepped, so all I had to do was navigate the stupid, annoying form and upload it.

Printed out the schedule pages that will substitute for the daily white board for my mom. Ran the errands that needed to happen in the morning, and they were all successful. I needed help, in one store, reaching something. A clerk brought over a stepladder and climbed to get it, and it kept skooching farther and farther away. But she snagged it eventually, and then we had a serious case of the giggles.

Got things home and sorted out, and then some other stuff came in that needed attention. Packed up my wellness bags and the sewing paraphernalia that I’m taking with me. I will double check that I have extra needle threaders.

Worked on the ghostwriting project until about 10 PM. I’m close to done. I have a couple of fiddly things to do, then a proofreading pass, and out the door it goes.

I put aside a couple of things to take to the residency, and now have no idea where they are. I don’t think I packed them in a project bag. Or maybe I did. I’ll know when I unpack in the studio later. Not having those items with me isn’t a tragedy. I just feel like I’m losing my last marble.

But the daily sheets for my mom are in good shape, so she can keep track of dates, times, and what is going on. So at least there’s that.

And it’s not like I’m that far away. If I’m missing something important, I can always come back and retrieve it. I’m just annoyed with myself.

Good morning yoga, meditation (Bea was happy), and 15-minute writing session. I have the online meditation with the Concord group, then I will finish the ghostwriting project and get it off my desk. Then I’ll do the other little stuff I need to do to prep the last few things for the residency, and pack the food.

This afternoon, I load up the car and head over to the studio. I’ll unload at the studio and the apartment. The plan is to return the car (provided no jackass takes my parking spot), and then return to the studios on foot for our official orientation. I’ll help my fellow poets unload, and then maybe go back to the studio for an hour or two to set up.

I’m looking forward to just getting there! Once my stuff is there and the car is back here, I will feel like I can settle down. I’m excited to be with everyone again.

Mentally, I left a few days ago, which is why these last few days of finishing things up have been such a struggle. But I will get there.

I’m keeping an eye on government shutdown stuff and other chaos that will entail, but, for the most part, I’m going to try to isolate myself from the outside world as much as possible while I’m in the studio. I’m feeling depleted in that area, and I hope stepping back for a few days (while not ignoring the dumpster fire completely) will help me reinvigorate.

Have a good one! I’ll share studio photos when I can.