Happy Fourth of July

Fireworks to the South of us and a full moon rising in the east, 88 degrees with no mosquitoes, watching the fireworks with my two grand-girls -- what could be nicer on the Fourth of July?

Egg Day approaches and Scrivener woes

For part of this past week we had two grandkids with us. Fun. Fun. We didn't take as many trips together as I had planned, just one to Havre de Grace, Maryland, to walk the Promenade along the Chesapeake Bay and buy chocolates at Bomboy's.


The grandkids colored three dozen eggs a few days ago. Thank heavens one of them took some of the eggs home with her. We never could have eaten that many ourselves. Now we're looking forward to deviled eggs and egg salad after the egg hunt. 


On the Writing front, I'm busily transferring my cat story to Scrivener software and experimenting with how to use it.  If Lisa Yee (and other writers) recommends it, it must be good, right? So far I'd say there's a steep learning curve. 


I'm also trying to figure out how to use those tiny cards on the Scrivener bulletin board as note taking cards for a nonfiction project (as suggested by another writer), but so far -- not so good.  I may have to go back to the old-fashioned way -- using pen and 4x6 paper note cards.  


Problem 1 -- figuring out how to balance the open book beside my computer in the small space I have to work in order to refer to it to take notes. (Where the heck did I put that handy-dandy book weight which nicely keeps books open while you read and refer to them?)


Problem 2 -- there doesn't seem to be any way to reproduce those notes once I've taken them, because I haven't figured out how to either print out or gather up the note card info into one place. Sorting and shuffling the Scrivener note cards, yes.  But actually getting the info from the cards I've made, no. 
-wo

News of the day. No, it's not more hurricane news

My husband came roaring upstairs, "Check your email Check your email!"

At first, I thought it was news that the schools had been cancelled for another day. The 11-year-old didn't begin Middle School on Monday -- closed because of hurricane damage. (to other schools, not to hers) All schools closed today (Tuesday) as well. Was it a notice that schools were closed Wednesday, too?

No

It's our wonderful grandchild.

He has taken off!

He ... is ... now ... crawling!

Yea!

I do hope my daughter and her husband buys those gates to block the stairs in their house very soon.

Thursday at Williamsburg

My workplace is in shock. For the past 15 years, most of my 'vacation' time has been taken up with writing projects. But this trip to Williamsburg is strictly a Grandmother/ grandkid adventure.

I'm not sure if the temperature made it over 100 degrees today here in Williamsburg, but it was hot. The morning was lovely -- warm with a nice breeze. The three of us explored the Colonial Williamsburg historical area.
The afternoon?
Spent in the pool. and later at the miniature golf behind the hotel. (see picture of two girls wearing Colonial hats, playing golf)
The evening ghost walk? Torrential rain. So we didn't walk; we listened to ghost tales under cover, dodging sheets of rain.
And now to bed.

What a week!

I'm so glad it's the end of the week!
1. Our library system (and our library) has registered more children this summer for Summer Reading than ever before.
We're running out of string backpacks and book logs to give them.

2. Due to budget cuts, our library system has been under stress all June. Last week we learned that 7 or so people had been laid off and a branch was going to close.
This Thursday we learned that the threatened branch was not going to be closed, but the shortfall would have to be made up in other ways.
--No upgrades on computers. (our computers already can't read some of the information people bring into the library on flash drives, because normal people have up-to-date software and the library now isn't going to get a planned upgrade and will fall further and further behind. Oh, sorry you can't open that file someone sent you -- we simply don't have that version of Word or Excel or whatever.)
--Massive cuts in our materials budget. (sorry about that DVD you wanted to watch -- only one copy, if that, was bought for the system. Yes, I know we used to get the DVDs the day they were issued, but... budget cuts don'tchknow. Sorry about that best seller book you want to read. Would you like to be number 200 on the waiting list for it?)
--During the next few months, we'll learn how these deep cuts will affect how we work and what services we can offer at the library.

3. Thursday was lovely. No rain and I drove to Washington, DC, to hear Laura Amy Schlitz (last year's Newbery winner), speak to the Children's Book Guild. She's a local private school librarian. She talked about the writing process and learning the speech she gave, without notes, at the Newbery/ Caldecott banquet last June. And about her wonderful children at Park School, which is near Baltimore, Maryland. I always enjoy hearing how the people around the winner of that medal honor the winner and help them celebrate.

4. Then, after work on Friday I drove an hour to go pick up a second grandchild -- the six/ almost seven-year-old.
--They stayed up until almost midnight chatting. (GO TO SLEEP!)
--They've tried on all the ballet dresses and costumes in the house. (You gotta put away whatever you take out. Yes, Grandmom. -- it's still not done. promises, promises to do it tomorrow)
--They rode bikes.
--They went to the pool. The almost 7-year-old is finally doing some actual swimming, instead of her usual doggie-paddle. I was getting worried about her abilities because the family she lives with takes her out on their boat a lot. Today she managed to swim halfway across the pool. Maybe by the end of the summer she'll make it all the way across. Next year -- we'll aim for lengthwise.
--Meanwhile her sister, the 9-year-old (nine and a half, actually) is on the swim team at the pool, has learned a new stroke (breaststroke) and is earning ribbons swimming in the first heat -- sometimes the only girl in her age group from our pool.
--This evening, mad because I wouldn't let them camp in tents at the pool with the swim team, the two of them built a tent in our living room and are presently sleeping there -- with a large whale protecting them on one side and large Golden Retriever dog on the other.

Time for bed - -or else this post will be labeled as a Sunday message, not a Saturday one.
-wendie Old

Vacation, Day Seven

Actually, a normal Sunday -- but with two grandchildren.

For some reason, my body must have known that I'd be with the grandchildren all day, so it woke up at 4am with ideas for the Mother's Day book proposal. I worked on it for an hour or more, then went back to bed. Poor granddad had to do the morning chores of letting the dog out and helping the grandchildren get breakfast, letting me sleep in. Yea!

After church, we had lunch, then on to the park playground for more scooter riding before taking the 5-year-old back to her family in Westminster.

Her family raises dogs. Besides expecting more baby rottweilers this December, they now also have a Cavalier King Charles spaniel. Such a cute thing. And its fur is so soft. Both the 7-year-old and I want one! We have to talk granddad into it, tho. He prefers large dogs.

-wendieO

Vacation, Day six

Okay, This isn't vacation time -- this is normal weekend time. With the complication of having two grandchildren with me instead of just one.

What did I do today?
1) While the 7-year-old was at gymnastics, I worked on a proposal for a Leap Year book and added some things to the Turtle story. When she finished gymnastics, she insisted on reading the Turtle story, so I rebooted the laptop and brought it up. She read it while I drove, then said, with disappointment dripping from her tone of voice, "It's not finished!" I agreed -- it's not finished. "So, what would you do next?" I asked. She couldn't come up with anything.

2) Picked up my second grandchild, a 5-year-old and proud kindergartner. We then drove to Whole Foods to get granddad's favorite tuna salad. I have little hope for the math ability of the younger generation working there. I asked for a quarter pound of sliced roast beef. When I questioned the pile of meat she gave me, she assured me that she had done that. When I got home, I saw she had given me .5 of a pound. If it weren't so far to drive back, I would have liked to go back and give her a lesson in basic math.

3) We also "tested" the ice cream at the ice cream shop near Whole Foods where the 7-year-old is going to have a Make-your-own-Sundae birthday party in a couple of weeks. yum.

4) After stopping at a few more shops, I let them out at the empty parking lot near our house so that both girls could show each other (and me) how well they could travel on their new scooters.

5) Dinner was chicken with rice, creamed corn, fruit salad of oranges and bananas, and Whole Foods cupcakes for dessert.

6) After dinner I worked on research for a proposal for a Mother's Day book while the kids held a stuffed animal ball, then settled down to print out coloring sheets from pollypocket.com. and color them.

Good night girls. You can stop talking now girls. GIRLS ! Be quiet! It's time for sleep.
-wendieO