July – The Simple Woman’s Daybook

Hello Friend,

We are half-way through July and I can hardly believe it. Where is the time going? I meant to join Peggy and the other Daybookers on the first Monday of the month but that day slipped by, and here we are! Oh well, sometimes it’s okay to be late to the party.

For Today

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Looking Out My Window …

Scrappy cotton clouds are moving across a blue sky and past my window in a hurry. From my vantage point upstairs in my study, I can only see sky and the tip of our mountain ash, which dips and sways in the wind – definitely more than a mere breeze. 

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I Am Thinking …

This July feels so unlike past Julys … the months since the pandemic began have melted into each other like lava overtaking the earth. Even though life has returned to routine in many ways (I’ll never call it normal), it’s not the same out there.

I watch this world, with its masks and directional arrows and lines marked on floors to remind us to keep our distance, and wonder where the old one went and how did it creep away so suddenly. It’s funny to think back on the things we took for granted, like standing right behind a person in a checkout line. Who would ever think to be grateful for that in the moment?

Shared Quote …

“Days flow on, even after the coming of an event of great purport. Even after great sorrow and great gladness, days flow on, and all things become the shining woof and the shadowed warp of the tapestry of the past.”

Martha Ostenso, Wild Geese

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I Am Thankful …

That my joy doesn’t depend on my circumstances.

You will show me the path of life;
In Your presence is fullness of joy;
At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
Psalm 16:11

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One of My Favourite Things …

My wash-line. Hanging wash on a line to dry has delighted me from the time I was a little girl when I’d stretch my skipping rope out between two trees to hang doll clothes and blankets on. Clothespins pinning wet clothes on the line, sheets snapping and billowing in the breeze, memories of Mom pulling damp towels out of the basket to clip to the line, her clothespin apron around her waist. There’s just something so comforting and grounding about hanging laundry on a line.

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I Am Creating …

A new quilt … but it’s all hush hush right now. Shhhh.

I Am Wearing …

Black capris, a hot pink top with a white flowered print, dangly earrings, and peachy-pink nail polish called Dance Shoes.

I Am Reading …

Anne of Green Gables. Again. I haven’t read it since I was a teen, but the girls and I often watched the movies as they grew up. That’s why I assumed Anne arrived at Green Gables in the afternoon. I had not remembered that when Matthew picks up Anne from the station, their drive home is in the evening. L.M. Montgomery’s descriptions of Anne’s first experience of Prince Edward Island – at sunset – are enthralling. And I can say, from my own experience of Prince Edward Island, that this is one time when the book truthfully describes the real thing. It really is an enchanting island.

I Am Listening To …

A song in my head – In the Garden – because I just read Brenda’s post where she writes about it. I think it will be in my head all day now, one of those sweet lingering tunes.

 I Am Learning …

About what it takes to publish a book. Not the writing of it, but the steps to publication – and what order they go in. Editing, formatting, cover designing, printing, front matter, back matter, ISBNs and where to get them … the list goes on. It’s been a journey! There are a smattering of decisions still to be made but the manuscript is now safely in the hands of the printer and they tell me we will have a finished book in our hands by September: HOPE CONNECTIONS – a Collection of Stories and Poems from the Writers’ Café. I’ll keep you posted.

In My Kitchen …

I’ve opened the windows so I can better hear the birds.

In My Garden …

Colourful chairs in a sheltered corner invite me to come and sit a spell.

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A Moment From My Day … (on the weekend)

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Closing Notes …

Thanks for visiting today. Stay safe out there, and see you next time.

Joy

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Featured Image by Jill Wellington from Pixabay