Up to My *** in Alligators

50°f this morning (10°C). Sunny bright, and balmy with a soft breeze. 65 is predicted for today.

Well not alligators, but mess!

 I have been working since the beginning of the year on downsizing my eBay inventory and clearing some space in the room that should be our spare bedroom. "Should" being the keyword here. After our youngest son left home, this room, formerly our bedroom (the boys were all in the big bedroom we now use), turned into my

storytelling office. We added 2 hide-a-bed sofas so there were places for guests to sleep, and if needed we put cots for grandkids in the office. 

Then eBay happened, and the room became my eBay/storytelling room. The eBay inventory grew, and so did storytelling supplies. There were totes of puppets, 5 or 6 different amps and sound systems, files and files of research, programs, workshop handouts, boxes of CDs and books, as well as boxes of brochures, flyers and business cards. eBay grew into 4 large shelves, stacks of totes, and all kinds of shipping supplies. My desk, computer and printer were in there too...all in a 10x14 room with, thankfully, a very high ceiling.

After a lot of work, sorting, donating, etc I have taken out one large shelf, and countless totes. I had begun downsizing the storytelling things in 2020 when I retired from that profession, but yesterday while emptying the big desk in preparation for moving it out, I came upon files and files of stories, workshop materials and research. It made me nostalgic for those days of immersion into the story world, I can tell you. I determinedly tossed most of it, keeping only a few things for my memory box. The desk drawers were another story. So many pens and pencils! And staples, post-its, tape, glue, tape measures...but I was able to empty all four drawers and reorganized the supplies into the two small file cabinets--which also had to be sorted out and cleaned out.

This morning we have made an amazing mess as we cleared the desk completely. Larry is disassembling it to move it out and take to our neighbor who scraps metal. We will replace the desk temporarily with a table until I find a smaller desk that will better fit my needs today.

We have quite a mess on our hands, since once the desk is out the room the electronics have to be put back together. Will that happen today? Kinda doubtful.

It is a shame to be inside mucking about with this project but it does feel good to be making progress. The goal is to be able to put a full- size bed in there, as we seem to have more older overnight visitors for whom the sofa-bed just isn't so comfy.  I am beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel, even as I look wistfully back through the dust at those busy, happy days of storytelling.

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Friends

34°f, about 1°C. Cloudy and dnow flurries.

Jim's post about friends struck home with me,especially after learning of the death of yet one more friend. 

Augusta Heritage Workshops 2010, singing classmates and teacher. We stay in touch to this day. Sally, Peg who passed away 5 years ago, Liam who is a doctor today, another Sally, his dad, me before I turned so gray, dear Karen who left this world on Thursday, our teacher Irish musician and singer extraordinaire Robbie O'Connell, and Tara. What a fine group of singers.

How do we make friends? Why do some people become our friends, but others remain simply acquaintances? 

For me, friends have come from the many strands of my life. A few are from childhood and school, and I lost touch with all of them until Facebook came along and there they were! It has been nice to rekindle those friendships. I wasn't close with some of them in school but Facebook made it easy to get to know each other better. One of these is Mary Lou,  who i was surprised to discover now lives just 40 miles from me, even though the school we attended was 300 miles from here!

Then there are my storytelling friends. After I retired many of these faded away, as our only common ground was the profession we shared. But many others are still good friends, and I enjoy keeping in touch with them.

With Jason, Sue, and Fred, who sadly passed away a couple years ago. What a great man he was, a retired miner who shared some harrowing tales of his experiences in the mines.

Flanked by two Sues, literally--both longtime friends who played roles when I led the Ripley ghost walk here, along with crazy Aaron who played a sheriff,and my best friend, my husband Larry who played dual roles as a stonemason and a preacher.

And here, at the West Virginia Storytelling Festival's last year, with WV Poet Laureate Marc, gifted teller, dancer, writer and singer Ilene, and dear Adam, a prefessor or musicology and storytelling. What a group we made.

At a women's storytelling retreat with New Yorker Robin and Virginian Lynn, both still good friends and utter kooks--also gifted artists.

Oddly (or maybe this is normal?) I have just a few friends from my work years, and we are not really close. I worked 50 miles from home, and as a country person I didn't share much in common with my coworkers except the job. But through Facebook, I have become closer with two that I hardly knew in all those years. Strange how that works.

Writing has brought me many friends too, and I feel privileged to be part of that world. Even if I am not writing much these days, these friends feel very close. Through the writers I became friends with quite a few musicians, too.  

Hi-jinks at the Writers conference, where "the porch" was the place to be after midnight. Pretty sire I was singing Devil and the Farmer's Wife here.

Another conference, another fun evening surrounded by friends. And probably telling Rindercella. 2019, this was.

At the cabin in Pocahotas county with the three friends with whom I partnered for the recent poetry book, and good friend and fine photographer Dave. June 2021.

Antiquing expanded the friend circle even more, as we got to know other sellers. My friend Rachel owned an antique store and I was a regular customer for years. As we get older, our friendship has only grown stronger. Then there is Patricia, and Kim, both sellers, and Danny from whom I buy great stuff...and that list could go on and on. Great people.

A few people we met through our travels have also become good friends. Susan in England, Carmel in Ireland, Gerald in Wales...thank goodness for social media, where we can remain in touch. Maybe one day we will be able to see them all in person once again.

Of course many of my neighbors are longtime friends. Over the years we have lost all of those in the generations above me until now Larry and I are among the oldest people on our road. Most of our neighbor friends are much younger than we are, as we seem to have more in common with them than with those our age.

And then there are all of you out there in blogland! Some of you I have met in person, like Gretel and Tipper and others, and some have been friends for almost all of the 17 years I have been blogging. You feel as close to me as the people around me, and I value you all.

As I get older the circle seems to expand...and then contract as Death claims his own. That is the hardest part of caring about so many people, isn't it? But I would rather this than to not have known them at all. And the circle seems to get larger with every day as we meet and make new friends along our way. I feel blessed to have so many people in my world, all so unique and talented, all making this world a better place. 

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

On the Mend, and Cornmeal Mush

56°f , 12°C, and light rain. Foggy.

So green already!

My inside plants are enjoying being outside and getting rained on. I will have to move them in again Sunday as the cold will return.

It was a rainy start to the day, and an early one. Larry managed to get an appointment for this morning at 8am in Charleston, a good hour and a half away. I was so glad he finally called his doctor yesterday about his chest congestion that has been getting worse. The VA can be difficult sometimes, but this time they were right on it. He came home with 5 prescriptions! Bronchitis is what it seems to be, although he has never had a fever,  and except for the congestion feels pretty good.

And I was able to have a telemed visit with my doctor yesterday. She called in a prescription for me, so now we are both on the mend, finally. Neither of us felt really terrible, thankfully but my throat feels much better, and I hope Larry's meds will kick in soon.

The other day I had a hankering for corn meal mush. Have you ever had it? I used to make it often when my sons were young but I guess it has been 40 years since I last made a batch. It is so easy, I don't know why I quit making it.

Basically, you just mix 1 cup of cornmeal with 4 cups of water and a teaspoon of salt. Then bring to a boil and cook until the mush is very, very thick, about 5-7 minutes.  You have to stir pretty much the whole time because it will stick if you don't. Then pour into a loaf pan and put in the fridge overnight. The mush will harden up, and can be turned out of the pan,  sliced and fried to a golden brown. 

Yum!

I like it best for dipping into the yolk of fried eggs. So good. It is also good with maple syrup, like a pancake, or topped with gravy and served as a side at dinner.

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.