The Adventure Continues…
No Dirt Under My Nails
The excitement to get my hands dirty always began in March with the first warm spell that melted enough snow to expose the earth. The moment I caught a glimpse of what was buried under the blanket of snow I’d pull one of my gardening books off the shelf, sit on a recliner and flip through the pages to dream about what I’d do that growing season.
This spring has been very different. I got the thrill of experiencing my first snowless winter (other than the three times I woke up to several inches of snow in New Mexico). But, now that I’m back in the county in which I resided, I admit I miss my gardens.
By now I’ve shared the morel mushrooms I found at a secret spot with my mother and several appreciative friends. The only mushroom hunting I’ve done this year happened while I was walking one of the two pups that reside at the home where I’m camping for the time being. I wouldn’t really call it hunting, it was more like browsing the ditches.
In my mind’s eye, I imagine that my daffodils are radiant, the trilliums in blossom and the Forget-Me-Nots are ready to turn the landscape over the drain field a delicate pale blue. About this time of the year, I’d be cussing and swearing with grand dread of cleaning the three woman-made ponds. The patio furniture and chiminea would be adorning the concrete pad between the walk-out basement wall and the largest pond that my father helped me to create.
I continue to repeat, like a broken record, “I miss my dirt.”
Poor Lorri heard that very line at least thirty to forty times on our annual Mother’s Day excursion to local greenhouses and garden stores. This year we wandered a different route than our normal. It felt odd that I wasn’t filling three flats with various kinds of rosemary, chocolate mint, parsley, dill, basil, thyme, spearmint and anything that caught my eye. Instead I purchased one container of rosemary and parsley for my portable home.
Our visit to a particular local greenhouse had me lusting to own dirt again. There was one ceramic pot that stood over two feet tall and succulents draping down from the side ports and overflowed from the top. I have had the perfect spot for it. I envisioned its elegance embellishing the dark red clay chiminae. It would have added a new layer of visual warmth to the haven in the back yard. Alas I settled with a small haworthia aristata to adorn my kitchen counter next to the aloe plant in the camper.
As I lay here in bed writing this blog post, I realize I have yet to assemble my thoughts and notes together and put in motion the necessary action to writing the books I started working on this winter. I started writing two, and both sit idle in a computer folder waiting for me to tap dance on the keyboard again. For close to a month I thought about starting a writer’s group. I even went to the extent of creating a sales sheet and set up a membership portable. So far I have verbally told one writer, four non-writers and quietly made mention of the sales page in a Facebook group.
If there’s one thing I’ve done this winter is contend with fears of all sorts, as you have witnessed within this series. Since I seem to have a heightened level of bravery with my sword of words, here it goes:
Pen To Paper Writers Circle
A Community of Bloggers, Magazine Article Writers and Book Authors
Mastermind/Accountability Group Circle
Are you a writer craving a community that’ll help you hold yourself accountable and provide the encouragement you deserve?
Do you intend to find guidance in a community atmosphere to focus on achieving writing goals?
Writing is a solitary activity. It’s one of the few professions/hobbies done in silence for long periods of time. We can feel isolated, our motivation dwindle, creativity fades and productivity evaporates.
This should be enough information to get the interested to click on this ACCESS LINK and not bore those who have no desire to write.
The intention is to offer support to bloggers, writers and authors, and encourage them to take the action steps towards their writing goals. We’ll explore the topics of editing, grammar, punctuations and so forth on our weekly video calls.
For the curious, please do check out the information page.
Until next time, I will continue to put pen to paper and dream of gardening…
Captured moments along the way…
Explore the adventures that got me here…
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19 to 75 in Less Than a Week
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Letting Go & Shrinking Spaces
The Adventure Continues...“How can you write from your heart if your head is busy yelling at you?” ― Barb ParcellsIt's not easy to let go of the critical monkey-mind voice somedays. When I edited the podcast interviews with Barb Parcells and Christin Bjergbakke, I...
This is fabulous Cindy with the writing circle and I love your writing style as I find it very almost poetic.
Thank you, Laura. I’m a writer, it’s what I do. It’s where I find myself and express what’s lurking within.
It’s amazing how seeing plants or even dirt can bring back memories, Cindy. I understand your missing your dirt. My Mom did an entire art exhibition titled Garden of Memories based on the different gardens she had tended to during my father’s postings! Yes, she often reminisces and says she misses ‘her gardens’.
The Garden of Memories sounds wonderful, Vatsala. Thank you for sharing that precious moment in time. A gardener is a lover of dirt under our nails, breathing in the fresh air and a strong desire to nurture nature.
Oh, how I feel your pain! Living in a studio apartment with no yard and not even a porch for container gardening is a terrible sadness for this old used-to-be gardener. I am trying tabletop gardening this year if I can keep the cats from thinking it’s a kitty salad bar!
Once a gardener, always a gardener (even if the garden is tended in our imaginations). “Kitty salad bar;” I love it! I have a friend that understands that statement all too well. Good luck with the tabletop garden, Barb. May it grow and nourish your soul.
Your writing is phenomenal and I an so happy that you are venturing into creating a community of writers. I have felt the pain of isolation, as an online business woman and a writer, having a weekly writing support group would be heaven.
Melt my heart! Thank you for your sweet words, Rachel. I’m glad you enjoy my flare for storytelling. I love to write and found the best way to express myself is to allow my voice to carry the words across the page. May our we both continue to unleash our stories.
Letting go of fears and doing what you are guided to do is a wonderful feeling. I’ve always loved the phrase “pen to paper” I’m sure you are meant to help others.
Thank you, Heather.
Cindy, I love this- especially as I have come in from being in my small garden, repotting Royal Basil for our move in under 2 weeks- eek!
I hit submit instead of return! Love the idea of your writing circle and in 2020 I might be up for this and so enjoying you writing and your adventure xxoo
Thank you, Suzie. I am excited about the accountability/mastermind writers circle. When like-minded individuals come together, grand things happen!
Have fun with the move, Suzie! May it go smoothly and the Basil flourish at the new home.
Your pen to paper makes my heart smile always 🙂 I’m going to click through to see your beautiful writers circle now. Thank you for all that you do to inspire us.
xoxo