We were doing good until we went to zero feet above sea level to say goodbye to that old thing called the Pacific Ocean. We met some friends at the brewery/restaurant that was home to me this summer (not because I took up a Homer Simpson lifestyle, but because I got a good old fashioned job as a server/flinger of brews…but that’s another blog entry for another time). Charlie and I, who have managed to keep calm for weeks now, found ourselves unable to keep a stiff upper lip when faced with the vastness that is the largest ocean on Earth (and a place where my boy cub family has spent thousands of hours over the last 15 years). It wasn’t a sad goodbye per say, nor a regretful one… but more of an understanding one, like getting a nod of blessing from an old king.
We’re now in the stage of moving where we are nomads who belong nowhere, depending instead on the charity of friends and family to house us. We’ve officially turned over the keys and driven out of our San Diego neighborhood for the last time, but escrow hasn’t closed yet on our house in Missouri. Apparently half the country has decided to play musical chairs and change living abodes, but the purchase of our little plot of wilderness plods steadily onward.
One thing that has helped me keep my sanity is writing. Even though I’ve been sadly negligent here on this blog, I’ve been steadily chipping away at writing a homeschooling curriculum for kids with learning challenges. I thought the hardest part was going to be actually writing the curriculum, but since that has been burning in my fingertips for years, the hardest part has actually been trying to figure out how to build a website and get a tax ID. I have a whole new respect for youtube stars, instagram influencers and the like. I guess if it were easy, more people would be doing it successfully.
It’s November 1st today, which is one of my favorite days of the year. Not because I love the fall season (I am summer’s child), but because it’s the first day of Nanowrimo. I wasn’t going to do Nanowrimo this year due to how crazy and upheaved life is, but I’ve done it for so many years my brain refuses to stop mulling over a new story, so I’m going to attempt it anyway. This may be my year as a nano rebel however, as my wordcount goal is not going to be in the neighborhood of a full length 50k+ word novel.
Some years I share my story, and some years I don’t ( depending on how much therapizing is going on…ahem), but this year my plan is to put it here on my blog as I finish each chapter (for those who don’t mind reading rough drafts). I’m plotting out a sci-fi/fantasy type short story that’s heavy on the romance and light on the “science” with plenty of airships, and magic to make research a non-necessity. Right now it’s sort of a Scarlet Pimpernel meets Ocean’s Eleven in my head, but we’ll see how it actually comes out.
This is the last picture we took, seconds before pulling out of our driveway for the last time and one thing is for certain… this year’s Nanowrimo and my erstwhile homeschooling course/website will probably be accomplished on the road or squeezed between boxes (which is where I am currently writing this).
(Onward?) Onward!
